Marlowe (Mini-Review)

Marlowe is an adaptation of The Black-Eyed Blonde by John Banville. Clare Cavendish hires the private detective Philip Marlowe to find Nico Peterson, her ex-lover. Marlowe is thrown for a loop when it turns out Peterson is dead. But Clare continues to claim that Peterson is alive and she saw him after his supposed death. Marlowe was released in 2023. It was directed by Neil Jordan. It stars Liam Neeson, Diane Kruger, and Jessica Lange.

I couldn't wait to see this movie because Liam Neeson was in it. Not only was he in it, he plays the titular character. What makes this funny is that in A Walk Among the Tombstones (2014), the character of Philip Marlowe was brought up a few times. So Neeson playing the character seems foreshadowed in hindsight. At least this movie wasn't as bad as Memory (2022).

One thing that drew me to this movie during the trailer for it was the old-fashioned feel of it. It looked like I would be stepping into a time machine and going to a time before I was born. The movie does a great job at putting you in the past. Not only by making it look like the appropriate time period, but by making it feel like it was filmed back then. Some camera shots aren't as popular as in modern day. Though it doesn't have the same commitment to style as The House of the Devil (2009).

The one downside to this is the fact a slur for Mexicans is used and gays were referred to as 'homosexuals' at one point. I felt like I was being punched. But after a moment I realized if I wanted a film that felt old, there were bad things that came with it. Things that would make me uncomfortable from time to time.

Marlowe felt oddly paced in certain parts. Most noticeably during the beginning. Once Clare enters Marlowe's office it seemed like the movie was trying to cram an entire story into forty-five minutes. But once he finds out that Nico Peterson is dead, things start to even out. It was when he reported to Clare about Nice being dead that I became invested in the mystery.

Jessica Lange plays Dorothy Quincannon, Clare's mother. I first became aware of her during her time on American Horror Story. No matter how poor the season, she always did an outstanding job. So seeing her in another role made me extremely happy. She did an excellent job making me think that it might be her that's behind everything. Though I felt her being the culprit would just be too obvious. How could anyone look at her and think her character is innocent? Which made me think a good mystery would make her a red herring.

At one point in the film the book The Elements of Style was read from. During that moment in the movie I felt as if I were transported back to my college days. Sappy sad songs started to play and sounds of bombs exploding drove me mad. Okay, I am exaggerating. I just felt taken aback and old. So why bring this unimportant fact up? I have a Bachelor of Arts in English with a Specialization in Creative Writing. Which is a really long way of saying The Elements of Style was my bible back in college.

I would recommend Marlowe to fans of Liam Neeson. I would also recommend Marlowe to those wanting an old-timey mystery.