★★☆☆☆
On paper, a neo-noir set in the golden days of Hollywood, directed by Neil Jordan and starring Liam Neeson as a hardened detective sounds pretty great. There is something so seductive and poetic about noirs; the combination of moral ambiguity, sex appeal and style is simply irresistible.
Unfortunately, Marlowe never fulfils its potential.
Neeson plays the titular detective, who is hired by the wealthy heiress Clare Cavendish (Diane Kruger) to search for her missing lover. Turns out, the lover, Peterson, has suffered a brutally violent death, or at least that’s what Marlowe thinks until Peterson is sighted in Mexico.
Credit: Sky
At this point, the plot should thicken, secrets are revealed, and alliances are made. Marlowe runs for only 104 minutes but feels considerably longer. Although the film has plenty of twists up its sleeve, none of them makes much sense, and its sluggish pace isn’t helping us concentrate on the tepid plot.
The character of Phillip Marlowe dates back to the 30s. Marlowe, the character, was created by Raymond Chandler, but the film itself is based on the 2014 novel, The Black-Eyed Blonde, by John Banville. Perhaps the film’s shallow treatment of its time period is down to the novel being relatively new.
Neeson, who has become a reliable, if tired, action star, might seem like the perfect casting for such a world-weary, brooding character, but his performance lacks charisma. It’s almost like Neeson is on autopilot throughout the film, and thus, his Marlowe is a flaccid version of a potentially interesting character.
Kruger fares better. Her voice is all honey as the seductive heiress, and she is perfectly poised and embodies the time period’s ideals of such a woman. Her power stems from her sexuality and being able to wrap men around her little finger. It’s just a shame that she, as well as the two other female characters – Jessica Lange’s Dorothy Quincannon and Daniel Melchior’s Lynn – are written so thinly as either dirty whores or as damsels in distress.
Credit: Sky
Nothing in Marlowe gives away that this is a motion picture directed by the man who also made Mona Lisa and Interview With the Vampire. There is nothing exciting or witty about Marlowe, no pacing, no sense of rhythm to its plot or writing. While the costumes and production design effectively sell the film’s setting, Jordan puts very little effort into bringing it alive.
Ultimately, there is very little joy in watching Marlowe. Jordan and screenwriter William Monahan seemingly lack the understanding of what makes noirs interesting. Marlowe might have a great cast, but the story follows familiar beats. There’s nothing wrong with that if all the other elements are balanced, and they make you forget you’re watching a story you’ve seen countless times before.
But Marlowe only makes you forget why you chose to watch it in the first place. A limp attempt to make a convincing noir with today’s technology, Marlowe might look the part, but it certainly doesn’t pull off its own ambitions.
Marlowe is available on Sky Cinema now.
