7. The Long Goodbye (1973)



Leonard Maltin's Rating :
Should be :

IMDB Rating : 7.6

Rotten Tomatoes Rating : 96%

The Rotten Tomatoes synopsis says : "Director Robert Altman, famous for his ability to turn any genre inside out, takes aim at film noir with this evocative adaptation of Raymond Chandler's novel. Altman's Philip Marlowe (Elliott Gould) is a relatively unsuccessful private eye living and working in 1970s Los Angeles. Stepping into the shoes of the notorious detective, Gould delivers a captivating performance that is the definition of '70s hip: he spends the entire film mumbling to himself, smoking cigarettes, and making wisecracks to everyone he encounters. Altman's particular brand of filmmaking hits stride with this brilliant revisionist noir thriller.. "

The Rotten Tomato consensus sums it up pretty well for me. Mr. Maltin says in his review : "Strange, almost spoofy updating of Raymond Chandler's novel.." He goes on to say "but Altman's attitude towards the genre borders on contempt."

I totally disagree. A beautiful movie that playfully spoofs the genre and lovingly adds to it at the same time. A must see.


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