The Long Goodbye (1973)'s comments

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greenhorg

The best part of this movie was Arnold out of nowhere.

12 years ago

Robert Altman's reinvention of noir stereotypes in The Long Goodbye is fantastic. Marlowe is much more interesting as the bumbling, friendly, clueless detective, than the grizzled cynic of 1940's detective fiction. Not to mention the dazzling finale, music and use of red herrings and misdirection. A must-see movie that's absurdly under-rated.

9 years 8 months ago

Fester the Sloth

quote:
Ha, ha. He's got a girl, I got a cat.

Now this is what i'd call a "cool" film. Awesome all around, Gould's performance is excellent. Entertaining, well written, and wonderfully executed by Altman. Love the soundtrack and the humour too.

10 years 11 months ago

Siskoid

I'm not alone thinking Raymond Chandler plots are unfathomable, right? But that's hardly ever the point, at least in movie form. Robert Altman's The Long Goodbye reimagines Philip Marlowe as... well, as Elliott Gould, and basically as the midpoint between Bogart and the Dude in The Big Lebowski. Gould plays the private eye as a man who just rolled out of bed (in fact, he literally does at the start of the film, and when it happens again later, I was half expecting the entire adventure to have been a noir dream), mumbling and stumbling through life as bad stuff happens around him. Who would Marlowe be in the decadent 1970s? He's lost his edge. He's a loser because he can't navigate the corruption all around him. And yet, he's a cool cat, in a live ad let live kind of way. Befuddled, but not judgmental. And calling him a cat is just. The film is filled with barking dogs, and correspondingly, violent characters. He's the only one who owns a cat, and indeed, a lost cat who likes discontinued cat food, a perfect avatar for this sleepy relic from another time. People might bristle at the fact this isn't THEIR Philip Marlowe, but I think the unusual take is exactly why I'd recommend it.

4 years 6 months ago

Shazaaaam

Agree, Gould is terrific. I wish there were more private eye movies like this.

12 years 8 months ago

MM

Awesome film. Perfect for anyone who liked Chinatown.

12 years 7 months ago

Forzelius

Those impressions were spot on! Also couple of funny scenes (Marlowe mentoring his follower, the one where they all took their clothes off) had me in stitches. Great flick. Love characters who talk to themselves constantly. Elliot Gould was a great choice for the lead.

5 years 10 months ago

Henry K Hurtin

Loved Elliot Gould in this one. Before it I only knew him from "Friends" (and loved hin there as well), but his performance in this one is really great.

13 years 8 months ago

Seba237

This movie made me want to have a cat.
Nice acting by Elliot Gould, btw.

3 years ago

Esiersdale

Elliot Gould was my second favorite part of this film next to the gatekeeper's constant impressions.

9 years 11 months ago

V012

Holy shit, Monica's dad is a pretty cool dude

10 years 6 months ago

jerichoholic

So many things in Tarantino's Once upon a time in hollywood were taken from this movie.

Tarantino changed the cat to a dog. The hippies had a slightly bigger role. And the shot of Margot Robbie in the car was also taken from this movie.

2 years 2 months ago

wetwillies

Elliot Gould's performance is easily one of my favorites

13 years 5 months ago

Jettrink4

The Walter Brennan impression was the best! Great gumshoe/cat relationship and great location filming at High Tower.

4 years 6 months ago

AfterTheParade

An awesome movie living by it's great characters and interesting plot-twists. Elliott Gould's performance is indeed incredibly good.

11 years 6 months ago