Philip Marlowe is probably the most legendary private detective in pop culture. Not only thanks to the novels, which were mainly written by Raymond Chandler. The sniffer has also been played on the big screen by stars such as Humphrey Bogart, Robert Mitchum, James Garner and James Caan. “96 Hours” star Liam Neeson now joins this line of illustrious names.
In ‘Marlowe’, based on the 2014 novel ‘The Blonde with the Black Eyes’, the gigantic Irishman takes on the leading role of the same name. It is also interesting to see who made himself comfortable in the director’s chair of the old-school thriller: ‘Interview with a Vampire’ creator Neil Jordan, who worked with Neeson here for the second time after 1996’s ‘Michael Collins’.
If you feel like watching ‘Marlowe’ right now, you can now with a subscription to Amazon Prime Video. The thriller is now available on streaming subscription for the first time, after being released directly to Blu-ray and DVD in this country in late August 2023.
That’s what ‘Marlowe’ is about
The year is 1939: the affairs of Californian private detective Philip Marlowe (Liam Neeson) are no longer running as smoothly as they used to. When the attractive Clare Cavendish (Diane Kruger) suddenly enters his office, the tide seems to be turning. Her lover (Francois Arnaud) has disappeared without a trace and Marlowe should find him – ideally alive.
The promised money is just right for him, and he has never been able to refuse a wish from a mysterious stranger. Without hesitation and literally hypnotized by the beautiful eyes of the mysterious lady, he throws himself into the search and encounters a series of quite serious problems. Because Marlowe soon comes on the trail of a powerful organization whose members apparently stop at nothing…
Is Marlowe with Liam Neeson worth it?
In the official FILMSTARTS review, “Marlowe” received an average of 2.5 out of 5 possible stars. The conclusion of our author Oliver Kube is as follows: “Liam Neeson is believable, but not particularly exciting as the stoic old-fashioned sniffer. In addition, there is a rather tired, sometimes clumsily constructed but still easy to understand crime story. In any case, visually and atmospherically, ‘Marlowe’ is completely convincing.”
Even though the story itself doesn’t really score any points, in addition to the cool appearance of Liam Neeson you can rely on the equipment and the atmosphere: “Thanks to the beautiful old buildings and cars, but especially the pale light and the matching faded color palette, There’s actually something like a classic Hollywood feel here. Lead cinematographer Xavi Giménez really did a great job.”