Phillip Marlowe (Elliott Gould) is a washed out private investigator in California. One night old friend Terry Lennox (Jim Bouton) asks for a quick ride to Tijuana. Marlowe agrees then gets caught up in a VERY complex plot involving sexy Nina van Pallandt, alcoholic Sterling Hayden and violent hood Mary Rydell. The plot is WAY too complicated to get into.
Odd take by Robert Altman on Phillip Marlowe. He changes the story drastically. He moves it from the 1940s to the 1970s--yet Marlowe dresses like the 40s and even drives a 40s car. He is rumpled, mumbling and run-down here. There's a security guard who does celebrity impersonations (for no reason). Everybody talks strangely and the complex plot moves VERY quickly. It's never dull and it's beautifully directed...but I'm not quite sure what Altman's point is here. On one hand he seems to be doing a straight-forward (albeit a little strange) detective story--on the other he seems to be making fun of Marlowe and his attempts. The tone of the film wavers uncomfortably between humor, violence and satire. I'm still not quite sure how to take this.
The acting is great--Gould is just wonderful--probably his best performance ever; van Pallandt is also very good (interesting costumes--VERY 70s); Hayden yells and screams a lot; Rydell is downright terrifying as a crime lord. Since it an Altman film there's pointless female nudity (Marlowe's neighbors) and a sick scene where a Coke bottle is smashed across a woman's face. It's also highly unbelievable--no Coke bottle would break that easy.
Also David Carradine and Arnold Schwarzenegger pop up in cameos! A VERY odd movie and (understandably) a commercial failure but it's acquired a cult following. I'm not quite sure WHAT it's saying--but I liked it--sort of. I give it a 7.
Odd take by Robert Altman on Phillip Marlowe. He changes the story drastically. He moves it from the 1940s to the 1970s--yet Marlowe dresses like the 40s and even drives a 40s car. He is rumpled, mumbling and run-down here. There's a security guard who does celebrity impersonations (for no reason). Everybody talks strangely and the complex plot moves VERY quickly. It's never dull and it's beautifully directed...but I'm not quite sure what Altman's point is here. On one hand he seems to be doing a straight-forward (albeit a little strange) detective story--on the other he seems to be making fun of Marlowe and his attempts. The tone of the film wavers uncomfortably between humor, violence and satire. I'm still not quite sure how to take this.
The acting is great--Gould is just wonderful--probably his best performance ever; van Pallandt is also very good (interesting costumes--VERY 70s); Hayden yells and screams a lot; Rydell is downright terrifying as a crime lord. Since it an Altman film there's pointless female nudity (Marlowe's neighbors) and a sick scene where a Coke bottle is smashed across a woman's face. It's also highly unbelievable--no Coke bottle would break that easy.
Also David Carradine and Arnold Schwarzenegger pop up in cameos! A VERY odd movie and (understandably) a commercial failure but it's acquired a cult following. I'm not quite sure WHAT it's saying--but I liked it--sort of. I give it a 7.