The Big Sleep [M]

Private investigator Phillip Marlowe is hired by the millionaire General Sternwood to find out who’s blackmailing him. The case begins simply enough, but whilst on the tail of a prime suspect, it takes an unexpected turn when the suspect is shot and Marlowe finds the General’s youngest daughter at the scene of the crime. What began as a simple blackmail case soon leads Marlowe down a rabbit hole of corruption filled with murders, blackmailers, gamblers, and pornographers and the Sternwood family seems to be neck deep in the bad business. 

Based on the novel by Raymond Chandler who apparently, when asked by director Howard Hawks to explain the many plot twists and double crosses, answered honestly with “I have no idea”, The Big Sleep is a brilliant unconventional noir film packed with intrigue that keeps you on your toes right up to the very end. It’s awesome! 

Private investigator Phillip Marlowe is hired by the millionaire General Sternwood to find out who’s blackmailing him. The case begins simply enough, but whilst on the tail of a prime suspect, it takes an unexpected turn when the suspect is shot and Marlowe finds the General’s youngest daughter at the scene of the crime. What began as a simple blackmail case soon leads Marlowe down a rabbit hole of corruption filled with murders, blackmailers, gamblers, and pornographers and the Sternwood family seems to be neck deep in the bad business. 

This is definitely a film you have to watch more than once to really understand all the ins and outs of it, the story is packed with so many twists of the plot, unexpected surprises, and double and triple crosses that you need a tally book to even start to keep up. It’s not just the sudden turn of events within the plot though, there are so many major characters to meet and remember because they all seem to have some strong connection with whatever’s going on in the case. At the centre is the Sternwood family, who are no strangers to blackmail and corruption: the two daughters in particular. We then have a gambling house manager, a blackmailing bookshop owner, a previous blackmailer, and numerous hired goons who are quick on the trigger. It all makes for a wonderful pool of chaos and intrigue that is impossible to crawl out of! 

The script is fantastic, with all the dialogue having this bullet-fast pace and impeccable flow, not to mention razor-like wit that hits its mark every time! Another word that I would like to use to describe this script is flirtatious, not really a word you hear all that often when referring to screenplays. When I say the script is flirtatious, I mean that every event takes place and every bit of dialogue is spoken with a sometimes-subtle-sometimes-not seductiveness, which really plays on and reshapes the genre of noir. It’s not just the numerous femme fatales that we’ve got running round, but the men are very mysterious and seductive as well and it’s just superb! Shot as a noir film, but rid of voice-overs, flashbacks, and having multiple mysterious characters, particularly women, this movie is a ripper with its elegant direction, fabulous lighting techniques, and knock-out performances. 

Humphrey Bogart and Lauran Bacall star in the leading roles and Hawks made wonderful use of their magnificent sexual and romantic chemistry, the highly-charged innuendo scene of them discussing race horses is one of particular brilliance and the movie should be watched for it alone! The two were actually married six months after shooting finished. So romantic! 

Starring John Ridgely, Martha Vickers, Dorothy Malone, Peggy Knudsen, Regis Toomey, Charles Waldron, Charles, D. Brown, Bob Steele, Elisha Cook Jr., and Louis Jean Heydt, The Big Sleep is a fabulous movie filled with action, mystery, murder, drama, suspense, romance, plot twists, and comedy. I absolutely adored it!