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Marlowe (2022 film)

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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 byMetropolitan Filmexport (France)
Diamond Films (Spain)
Sky Cinema (Ireland)
Release dates
  • 24 September 2022 (2022-09-24) (San Sebastián)
  • 15 February 2023 (2023-02-15) (United States)
Running time
109 minutes
Countries
LanguageEnglish
Budget€22.3 million[2]
Box office€5,9 million[3][4]

Marlowe is a 2022 neo-noir crime thriller 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 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.

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 made $6.2 million in theaters and received mostly negative reviews from critics.

Plot

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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. Marlowe discovers that Peterson was killed after being run over outside the exclusive Corbata Club. When he informs Cavendish of Peterson's death, he also meets Pacific's owner, Joseph O'Reilly. However, Cavendish insists she recently saw Peterson driving past her in Tijuana. Frustrated by her secrecy, Marlowe leaves, encountering Cavendish's mother, former film star Dorothy Quincannon.

Marlowe visits Peterson's grave and encounters a grieving woman, but she flees. His friend, homicide detective Joe Green, declines to investigate the true victim as he was positively identified by the Corbata Club owner Floyd Hanson. Marlowe meets Hanson at the club, but both fail to extract information from each other. As he leaves, Marlowe spots the woman from the grave—Peterson's sister, Lynn—and discreetly arranges to meet her later at the Cabana Club. Their conversation is observed by Hanson. When Marlowe arrives, he is ambushed by two men but manages to overpower them.

Quincannon attempts to hire Marlowe to find Peterson herself. She admits that her strained relationship with Cavendish stems from years of pretending her daughter was her niece, following the advice of her former lover, O'Reilly. Quincannon discloses that Peterson was acting as a talent agent for actress Amanda Toxteth, who informs Marlowe that Peterson was a serial womanizer who frequently smuggled cocaine from Tijuana. With no other leads, Marlowe breaks into Peterson's house and finds Lynn, but they are ambushed by two Mexican men searching for a woman named "Serena". Marlowe is knocked unconscious, and Lynn is taken captive.

When Marlowe regains consciousness, he is picked up by drug lord Lou Hendricks and his henchman, Cedric. Hendricks reveals that he is searching for Peterson, his former drug courier, who stole a large amount of cocaine. Marlowe enlists his friend, police officer Bernie Ohls, to search for Lynn. Meanwhile, Cavendish visits Marlowe and attempts to seduce him. He rejects her advances but agrees to dance with her. Later, he secretly follows her to a rendezvous with O'Reilly and encounters Quincannon, who expresses her anger over her daughter's relationship with the much older and influential O'Reilly. The next day, Ohls takes Marlowe to Lynn's body, revealing that she was tortured, raped, and murdered. He traces the Mexican assailants to the Corbata Club and gives Marlowe his unofficial support to avenge Lynn.

At the club, Marlowe confronts Hanson, who offers him a drink. Suspecting it is poisoned, Marlowe disposes of it and feigns death. Hanson has Marlowe's body taken to a hidden area where the Mexicans have been killed, Hendricks is being tortured, and Cedric has been restrained. Under duress, Hendricks reveals that "Serena" is actually a mermaid statue that Peterson hid in a nearby fish tank, containing the stolen cocaine. Marlowe frees Cedric, and together they kill Hanson and his men, inadvertently shattering the statue and destroying the drugs. When Hendricks threatens Cedric with lifelong debt to repay the lost drugs, Cedric kills him and aligns himself with Marlowe.

Marlowe returns home to find Peterson waiting for him. Peterson admits to feeling no guilt over Lynn's death, and his "dead body" was a musician who resembled him. He asks Marlowe to arrange a meeting with Cavendish at the studio prop house.

Peterson meets Cavendish and reveals his intent to sell records of every drug deal made through the studio to the highest bidder, which would destroy O'Reilly's reputation. As Marlowe arrives, Cavendish betrays Peterson, setting both him and the evidence on fire. Marlowe deduces that she hired him to find Peterson to ensure he was dead, and O'Reilly will now be indebted to her. He chooses not to turn her in, but takes her gun.

Sometime later, Cavendish has become vice president of the studio and is attempting to reconcile with her mother, who has returned to acting. She offers Marlowe a job as the head of security, but he declines and recommends Cedric. He later gives Cavendish's gun to Cedric for security.

Cast

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Production

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Marlowe is actor Liam Neeson's 100th film.[5] 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,[6] and Neil Jordan signed on to direct in June 2021.[7] Additional castings were announced in November 2021.[8][9]

Principal photography took place for two months, starting in November 2021.[10][11] Filming for exterior scenes set in Los Angeles took place in Barcelona, Spain,[12] while interior scenes were shot in Dublin, Ireland.[13] 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."[14]

Release

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Marlowe had its world premiere on 24 September 2022, as the closing film of the 70th San Sebastián International Film Festival.[15] It was originally set for a 2 December 2022 release in the United States, but was delayed to 15 February 2023.[16][17]

Reception

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Box office

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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.[18]

Critical response

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On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 26% rating based on 108 reviews, with an average rating of 4.9/10. The critics 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."[19] Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 41 out of 100, based on 24 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[20] Audiences polled by PostTrak gave the film a 51% positive score, with 27% saying they would "definitely recommend" it.[18]

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".[21] 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".[22]

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".[23] 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."[24] 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".[25]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f "'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. ^ "La Rémunération de Neil Jordan". Siritz (in French). 15 February 2023.
  3. ^ "Marlowe (2023) - Financial Information". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
  4. ^ "Marlowe (2022)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ "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.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ "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.
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ 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.
  16. ^ 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.
  17. ^ 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.
  18. ^ a b 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 7 May 2023. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
  19. ^ "Marlowe (2023)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Archived from the original on 28 September 2022. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  20. ^ "Marlowe Reviews". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Archived from the original on 7 March 2023. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
  21. ^ "'Marlowe': San Sebastian Review". Screen International. 24 September 2022. Archived from the original on 6 March 2023. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  22. ^ 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 January 2023.
  23. ^ "'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.
  24. ^ 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.
  25. ^ 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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