Philip Marlowe (Dick Powell) is a private investigator who, at the start of the film, is hired by the hulking Moose Malloy (Mike Mazurki) to track down his old girlfriend who he has lost touch with during his stint in jail. After his leads go sour, Marlowe turns his attention to another case when he is approached to act as an escort for a Mr. Marriott (Douglas Walton). Marlowe is knocked out cold and wakes up to find Marriott murdered, and Marlowe finds murder and femme fatales at every turn. The two cases may be linked, and Marlowe finds himself unwittingly caught in the middle of it all, with the cops hot on his tail.
I've read a couple of Raymond Chandler's breathtaking Philip Marlowe novels, and although Farewell My Lovely (called Murder, My Sweet in the U.S.) is not the best Marlowe adaptation, it can only be described as pure. It's the most confidently directed of the Marlowe films, and seems more than comfortable in its noir tones of whiskey, gangsters, and fast-talking dames. My favourite is undoubtedly The Big Sleep (1946), which came two years later, but the two are just as confusing as each other. I could just about keep up with this one, but I'm still lost on The Big Sleep, although it doesn't ruin what I believe is one of the best of the film noirs.
Dick Powell, most recognisable from musicals and comedies such as the Gold Diggers (1933-1937)films and 42nd Street (1933), seems an odd choice to play the deadbeat Marlowe. He divided fans of the books down the middle, with some feeling he combined a sense of humour with Marlowe's street wise behaviour, but some felt him too fresh-faced to convince as a hard-drinking loner. I feel he performs admirably, although he's no Bogart. The rest of the cast are solid too, but if anyone comes out on top, it is director Edward Dmytryk, who drenches the film with atmosphere and style. It is certainly confusing, but this is top notch film noir from the genre's heyday.
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