Marlowe (2022 film)

Marlowe is a 2022 neo-noir crime thriller mystery film directed by Neil Jordan, who co-wrote the screenplay with William Monahan. Based on the 2014 novel The Black-Eyed Blonde by John Banville, writing under the pen name Benjamin Black, the film stars Liam Neeson as brooding private detective Philip Marlowe, a fictional character created by Raymond Chandler, and features Diane Kruger, Jessica Lange, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Alan Cumming, Francois Arnaud, Ian Hart, Danny Huston, Daniela Melchior and Colm Meaney.

Marlowe
Theatrical release poster
Directed byNeil Jordan
Screenplay by
Based onThe Black-Eyed Blonde
by Benjamin Black
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyXavi Giménez
Edited byMick Mahon
Music byDavid Holmes
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • 24 September 2022 (2022-09-24) (San Sebastián)
  • 15 February 2023 (2023-02-15) (United States)
Running time
109 minutes
Countries
LanguageEnglish
Box office$6.27 million[2][3]

It premiered at the 70th San Sebastián International Film Festival on 24 September 2022 and was theatrically released on 15 February 2023, by Open Road Films and Briarcliff Entertainment. The film received mixed reviews from critics.

Plot

In 1939 Los Angeles, private detective Philip Marlowe is hired by glamorous heiress Clare Cavendish to find her missing lover, Nico Peterson, a prop master at Pacific Film Studios. He quickly learns that Peterson is dead, having been killed after falling down drunk before a car ran over his head outside the exclusive luxury Corbata Club. Marlowe visits Cavendish to tell her of Peterson's demise, also meeting the Pacific's owner, Philip O'Reilly, the soon-to-be Ambassador to England. Cavendish reveals she has seen Peterson since his supposed death, driving past her in Tijuana. Annoyed at her withholding this information, Marlowe goes to leave, running into Cavendish's mother, film star Dorothy Quincannon, who fails to learn what service Marlowe is providing to her daughter.

Marlowe visits Peterson's grave and encounters a mourning woman but she escapes before he can talk to her. Marlowe convinces his friend, homicide detective Joe Green, to open a murder investigation now they know the body was not Peterson's. Green admonishes Marlowe for his relentless pursuit of the truth and reveals that the body was identified by the Corbata Club owner, Floyd Hanson. Marlowe meets with Hanson at the club, the pair failing to extract information from each other. While leaving, Marlowe notices the woman from the grave, Peterson's sister Lynn, and clandestinely agrees to meet with her at the Cabana club later that evening; their discussion is observed by Hanson. When he arrives, Marlowe is assaulted by two men but beats them unconscious.

Quincannon tries to hire Marlowe to find Peterson for her instead. She reveals that her contentious relationship with her daughter is because she spent many years pretending Cavendish was her niece on the advice of O'Reilly, her former lover. Quincannon's former private investigator had learned that Peterson was also acting as a talent agent for actress Amanda Toxteth. Toxteth tells Marlowe that Peterson was a serial womanizer and regularly imported cocaine from Tijuana. Out of leads, Marlowe breaks into Peterson's house and encounters Lynn before the pair are attacked by two Mexican men looking for someone named Serena. Marlowe is knocked unconscious while Lynn is taken captive.

After waking, Marlowe is taken by drug lord Lou Hendricks and his henchman Cedric. Hendricks reveals he is after Peterson, his former drug courier, who stole a large amount of cocaine and the Corbata helped fake Peterson's death. Marlowe has his officer friend Bernie Ohls begin searching for Lynn, while Cavendish visits Marlowe to seduce him; he rejects her advances but shares a dance before she leaves. Marlowe secretly follows Cavendish to a rendezvous with O'Reilly, and runs into Quincannon who shares her anger at her daughter's relationship with the much older and powerful O'Reilly. The following day, Ohls takes Marlowe to Lynn's body, revealing she was tortured and raped before being killed. Ohls traces the Mexicans to the Corbata club and gives Marlowe his unofficial support to infiltrate the club and avenge Lynn.

Marlowe confronts Hanson who offers him a drink, but suspicious Hanson poisoned it, Marlowe throws it away and feigns that he is dying. Convinced he is dead, Hanson has his men take Marlowe's body through the hedonistic areas of the club to a secret area where the Mexicans have been killed, Hendricks is being tortured, and Cedric has been restrained. Under torture, Hendricks reveals that Serena is actually the mermaid statue Peterson placed in the adjacent fish tank and it contains the missing cocaine. Marlowe frees Cedric and the pair kill Hanson and his men, inadvertently destroying the mermaid and the drugs. Cedric also kills Hendricks after being told he will be indebted for years to repay the value of the drugs. Cedric decides to work with Marlowe so they can look out for each other.

Marlowe returns home to find Peterson waiting for him. Peterson admits he does not feel guilty about Lynn's death because of her association with him, and asks Marlowe to tell Cavendish to meet him in the studio prop house for information he has gathered about O'Reilly. The fake Peterson was a musician who resembled Peterson. Peterson meets Cavendish and reveals his extensive records of every drug deal performed through the prop house with Hendricks, believing it will destroy the reputation of the studio and O'Reilly. As Marlowe arrives, Cavendish betrays Peterson, shooting him and setting both him and the evidence on fire, immolating the prop house, intending to use this deed to earn favor with O'Reilly and become vice president of the studio. She offers Marlowe a job as the studio's head of security but he declines, instead recommending Cedric.

Cast

Production

Marlowe is actor Liam Neeson's 100th film.[4] William Monahan wrote the screenplay, adapting it from the 2014 novel The Black-Eyed Blonde by John Banville. Neeson came on board to star in March 2017,[5] and Neil Jordan signed on to direct in June 2021.[6] Additional castings were announced in November 2021.[7][8]

Principal photography took place for two months, starting in November 2021.[9][10] Filming for exterior scenes set in Los Angeles took place in Barcelona, Spain,[11] while interior scenes were shot in Dublin, Ireland.[12] Jordan cited the 1982 film Blade Runner as an influence on the film's look, stating, "I'm making a film set in L.A. in the past, but somehow it's a sci-fi film. […] It was a good reference for the designers and camera team."[13]

Release

Marlowe had its world premiere on 24 September 2022, as the closing film of the 70th San Sebastián International Film Festival.[14] It was originally set for a 2 December 2022, release in the United States but was delayed to 15 February 2023.[15][16]

Reception

Box office

The film made $1.8 million in its opening weekend (and a total of $2.9 million over its first five days) from 2,281 theaters, finishing in eighth.[17]

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 25% of 104 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.9/10. The website's consensus reads: "Liam Neeson isn't necessarily a bad fit for the classic character, but Marlowe fails to make a case for itself as either a worthwhile franchise extension or a fun mystery in its own right."[18] Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 41 out of 100, based on 24 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[19] Audiences polled by PostTrak gave the film a 51% positive score, with 27% saying they would "definitely recommend" it.[17]

Reviewing from the San Sebastián International Film Festival, Screen Daily wrote, "With some crunchingly incongruous gags about famous screen MacGuffins, the knowing screenplay by Jordan and William Monahan...doesn't feel devious enough in its plotting or sufficiently fresh in reimagining either its hero or his LA world".[20] Guy Lodge from Variety wrote in his review, "Jordan's film is both resolutely conservative in its period framing and irksomely postmodern in its audience pandering".[21]

After its theatrical release, a review from Chicago Sun-Times's Richard Roeper said, "Thanks to the high-end production values, the juicy script and the vigorous performances from that first-rate cast, it's great to see another iteration of Marlowe on the case".[22] Mick LaSalle writing for San Francisco Chronicle said, "It's not a terrible movie, but a terribly misbegotten one, off in all its details. This is the work of a reasonable, intelligent director, Neil Jordan...who had a bad idea and then compounded it with wrong choices and crazy casting."[23] Frank Scheck from The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "But for all the authentic genre tropes on display, Marlowe never comes to life on its own, lacking the verve or wit to make it feel anything other than a great pop song played by a mediocre cover band".[24]

References
  1. "'Marlowe' Review: Liam Neeson's Outing as the Iconic Private Eye is Less a 'Big Sleep' Than a Major Snooze". Variety. 24 September 2022. Archived from the original on 7 March 2023. Retrieved 14 January 2023. Production: (Ireland-Spain-France) An Open Road Films (in U.S.) release of a Parallel Films, Hills Prods., Davis Films production.
  2. "Marlowe (2023) - Financial Information". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
  3. "Marlowe (2022)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
  4. Quinn, Karl (7 February 2022). "'I was very sad to leave': Liam Neeson couldn't get enough of hotel quarantine in Australia". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 17 February 2022. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  5. Kroll, Justin (31 March 2017). "Liam Neeson, Departed Scribe William Monahan Team Up for Philip Marlowe Movie (Exclusive)". Variety. Archived from the original on 8 June 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  6. Wiseman, Andreas (8 June 2021). "Liam Neeson & Neil Jordan's Philip Marlowe Movie Scripted By William Monahan Set To Heat Up Cannes Market". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 8 June 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  7. Wiseman, Andreas (12 November 2021). "Marlowe: Diane Kruger & Jessica Lange Among Cast To Join Liam Neeson's Philip Marlowe Thriller, Filming Underway". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 12 November 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  8. Wiseman, Andreas (15 November 2021). "Marlowe: Suicide Squad Breakout Daniela Melchior & The Borgias Star Francois Arnaud Join Liam Neeson Thriller". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 15 November 2021. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  9. "SJP and Cynthia Nixon Film And Just Like That... in N.Y.C., Plus Kieran Culkin, Erykah Badu and More". People. 6 November 2021. Archived from the original on 8 November 2021. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  10. Weintraub, Steve (6 January 2022). "Diane Kruger on The 355, Why Jessica Chastain Is Such a Great Producer, and Neil Jordan's Marlowe". Collider. Archived from the original on 6 January 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  11. Weintraub, Steve (5 February 2022). "William Monahan on Writing The Tender Bar, How He Adapts Material, and Neil Jordan's Philip Marlowe Movie Starring Liam Neeson". Collider. Archived from the original on 16 February 2022. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  12. "Colm Meaney crosses another thing off the wish list". Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 3 February 2022. Archived from the original on 16 February 2022. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  13. Foreman, Liza (24 September 2022). "Liam Neeson, Diane Kruger Talk Marlowe as Neil Jordan's Film World Premieres in San Sebastian". Variety. Archived from the original on 25 September 2022. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  14. Yossman, K.J. (24 September 2022). "Liam Neeson, Diane Kruger to Attend World Premiere of San Sebastian Closer Marlowe". Variety. Archived from the original on 21 September 2022. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  15. Fleming, Mike Jr. (29 August 2022). "Open Road Acquires NA Rights To Liam Neeson Noir Crime Thriller Marlowe; December 2 Theatrical Release Set For Neil Jordan-Helmed Pic". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  16. Chitwood, Adam (13 February 2023). "2023 Movie Release Dates: A Schedule of Upcoming New Films". The Wrap. Archived from the original on 14 February 2023. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  17. D'Alessandro, Anthony (19 February 2023). "Kang Conquers The Box Office As 'Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania' Swells To Franchise Record Opening Of $118M 4-day – Sunday Update". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 17 February 2023. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
  18. "Marlowe (2023)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Archived from the original on 28 September 2022. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
  19. "Marlowe Reviews". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Archived from the original on 7 March 2023. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
  20. "'Marlowe': San Sebastian Review". Screen International. 24 September 2022. Archived from the original on 6 March 2023. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  21. Lodge, Guy (24 September 2022). "'Marlowe' Review: Liam Neeson's Outing as the Iconic Private Eye is Less a 'Big Sleep' Than a Major Snooze". Variety. Archived from the original on 7 March 2023. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  22. "'Marlowe': Liam Neeson suitably world-weary as the tough private eye". Chicago Sun-Times. 13 February 2023. Archived from the original on 13 February 2023. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  23. LaSalle, Mick (13 February 2023). "Review: Everything about Neil Jordan's 'Marlowe' is off, including Liam Neeson". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on 14 February 2023. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  24. Scheck, Frank (13 February 2023). "'Marlowe' Review: Liam Neeson in Neil Jordan's Tired Raymond Chandler Reboot". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 14 February 2023. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
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