Review of The Long Goodbye (1973) by Josh S — 28 Oct 2009
Great first 20 minutes. Great last 10 minutes. The middle is kinda lacking. However, Robert Altman's take on film noir is spectacular. Finding his talent with Elliot Gould as the legendary Philip Marlowe set in a modernized (1970s) Malibu, California, we are in for a series of twists and turns as our lowlife protagonist gets mixed up in a serious debt-driven web of lies. Marlowe is the cat chasing the mouse for a while and then he winds up having the roles reversed on him...
The film is also comedic. Always with that trademark Robert Altman subtle twang. Take for example Marlowe would rather find his missing cat than take part in this tedious case.
It was a very enjoyable film, with some really weird antagonists. If you can sit through the confusing plot halfway through and enjoy the bulletproof beginning and end, you have a modern noir detective masterpiece.
This review of The Long Goodbye (1973) was written by Josh S on 28 Oct 2009.
The Long Goodbye has generally received very positive reviews.
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