Style Trumps Substance in Lethargic Noir Mystery

A wealthy heiress (Diane Kruger) hires Philip Marlowe (Liam Neeson) to find her lover in 1939 Los Angeles.

Open Road Films

Raymond Chandler’s classic pulp gumshoe gets a murky new case with the requisite seedy characters but mere slivers of excitement. Marlowe has every tenet of crime noir yet inexplicably lacks a pulse. Dyed-blonde dames, gruff cops in fedoras, barrels of whiskey, and enough cigarettes to start a tobacco plantation abound to no avail. The mystery never grabs you despite leaving a fair amount of carnage in its wake. A venerated cast does an able job but fails to resonate. The film is a textbook example of style trumping substance.

In 1939 Los Angeles, private detective Philip Marlowe (Liam Neeson) gets an intriguing visitor. The beautiful oil heiress Clare Cavendish (Diane Kruger) is looking for her missing lover. She hasn’t seen Nico Peterson (François Arnaud), a bit actor and reputed lothario, for several weeks. Marlow wonders if her husband might have something to do with the disappearance. Clare assures they have a mutual arrangement. She also warns that looking into the affair will certainly reveal her lineage. Clare is the daughter of famous movie star Dorothy Quinn Cannon (Jessica Lange).

A Known Consort

Parallel Films

Marlowe’s investigation seems solved from the start. A visit to the elite Corbata Club gives an answer. Manager Floyd Hanson (Danny Huston) reported that Nico was killed in a hit-and-run accident outside the club. Nico wasn’t a member but was known to consort with many members.

Marlowe, a former detective, visits the LAPD to review the police report. His old partner, Joe Green (Ian Hart), thinks he’s wasting his time. Nico’s head was crushed by the tire. His face wasn’t recognizable, but clothes and wallet were identified by his grieving sister (Daniela Melchior). Marlowe brings the news to Clare at her sprawling mansion, where he gets his first taste of her formidable mother. Marlowe doesn’t believe that Nico is dead. Someone else was killed to cover a deeper conspiracy.

Scenes Blur Together

Parallel Films

Oscar-winner Neil Jordan (The Crying Game, Interview with the Vampire) adapts “The Black-Eyed Blonde”, by renowned Irish author John Banville, from a script by The Departed’s writer William Monahan. Hang in there… I’m name-dropping for a reason. It’s perplexing that such heavyweight talents in front and behind the camera could deliver such a lethargic film. Marlowe has every piece for greatness. It just doesn’t come together on a dramatic level. The scenes blur together in a story that never takes hold.

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A primary flaw stands out. The protagonist has uncovered something that puts his life in danger. Neeson gets knocked around but dishes out much more punishment than he receives. There was never a point where you think he’s actually in trouble. The baddies do awful things to supporting characters. Marlowe has an air of invincibility. Jordan should have taken a page from Jack Nicholson’s Chinatown and Denzel Washington’s Devil in a Blue Dress. Those private eyes took beatings early, realized the gravity of their situation, and then took steps to even the odds. Marlowe needed more vulnerability.

Jessica Lange Steals the Show

Lange steals the show with little screen time. The twisted relationship between Clare and her mother warranted further exploration. Neeson works as Marlowe despite the film’s flaws. Honestly, I would give him, Jordan, and Monahan another crack at the character. A second effort would make up for this missed opportunity.

Marlow is a production of Parallel Films, Hills Productions, and Davis Films. It will be released theatrically on February 15th from Open Road Films and Briarcliff Entertainment.

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