updated to present day (the 70's, when the film was made),
Los Angeles is
still the soul killing, sunbaked paradise found in the
novels. offbeat
characters are right on the money: Sterling Heydon's blocked
alky novelist,
Henry Gibson's vulteristic psychiatrist, David Carradine's
cameo as Marlowe's
pot smoking cellmate, Nina Van Palandt's neglected wife, Jim
Bouton as
Marlowe's amoral pal Terry Lennox, but especially Mark
Rydell's frightening
and sleazy gangster. his line to Marlowe after breaking a
coke bottle in his
girlfriend's face- "that's someone I love. you I don't even
like." ranks
among the all time threats in movies or books. Arnold
Schwartzenegger makes
a pre-famous appearance as one of Rydell's thugs.
director Robert Altman, who is known for his character
ensembles, did well by
Chandler's observation of the local fauna. Altman also
brought some
interesting touches of his own to the project: his evocative
use and re-use
of the title song. and his long, subtly tracking master
shots.
in the end, when Elliot Gould takes matters into his own
hands to balance the
scales of justice, he does in fact embody Chandler's
tarnished knight.
I've heard the film described as a fascinating failure.
fascinating yes, but
a failure? not in my eyes.
hey, Bill- hope I kept what is essentially a movie review
on-topic.
John Lau
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