Movie Review: The Big Sleep (1946)
Synopsis: Los Angeles private detective Philip Marlowe is hired by millionaire General Sherwood to quietly resolve a series of personal debts owed by his daughter, Carmen, to a bookseller by the name of Arthur Geiger, though Sherwood's other daughter, Vivian, believes her father actually wants Marlowe to locate the missing Sean Regan, Sherwood's protege. The case becomes more complicated when Geiger is murdered with Carmen in the room and someone uses it as a reason to blackmail the Sherwood family.
Who's in it? The movie stars Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Martha Vickers, John Ridgely and Elisha Cook Jr.
Review: I've had The Big Sleep in my movie library for a few months but each time I've considered watching it, I ended up deciding on something else. I finally changed that this morning and was left with a positive, albeit somewhat mixed, opinion of the film.
I'll start out by saying there were a lot of things I liked about this movie. Bogart and Bacall, for example, made a great on-screen duo as Marlowe and Vivian, with the chemistry making it clear why Bogart would eventually leave his wife and marry his co-star.
Plus, while I was a bit worried Marlowe would seem a bit too like Bogart's other famous detective, Sam Spade, I did think there were enough differences between the two to safely say they were clearly two different characters. I especially got a kick out of how so many women were quick to throw themselves at him, as though he was the only man left on Earth.
The movie also has a good mix of twist and turns, ranging from the mystery behind who killed Arthur Geiger (Theodore von Eltz), along with other homicides to the extent of Vivian's involvement with the various shady characters Marlowe comes across. I also thought her sister, Carmen (Vickers) provided a nice wildcard element to the film because she was very spontaneous and didn't always think things through.
On the flip side of that, I did think those twists and turns made the movie hard to follow at times, especially when Marlowe seems to have fulfilled his obligations and receives his paycheck, but the movie keeps going. I confess, I needed to re-watch the last 20 minutes or so and do an internet search just to wrap my head around the various murders and who was responsible for them. Basically, it's a movie that you should probably watch with some sort of score card.
Final Opinion: I didn't like this movie as much as The Maltese Falcon. However, Bogart, Bacall and the various supporting cast members bring their A game and, as long as you can keep track of what's happening, it's an entertaining film.
My Grade: A
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