Film Review – Marlowe

“Marlowe” is the latest attempt to bring the work of author Raymond Chandler to the screen. A writer of crime fiction, Chandler created the character Philip Marlowe to help guide multiple short stories and novels, generating an iconic private detective with a habit of falling into trouble during his cases. Liam Neeson is the choice for Marlowe in the picture, with the hulking Irishman trading his usual paycheck interests in action cinema for something a little easier on the body, hoping to turn on the charm as the investigator tours Los Angeles on the hunt for a missing man. Screenwriter William Monahan (“The Departed,” “The Tender Bar”) hopes to bring some Chandler-esque energy to the endeavor, but can’t quite lift this collection of guilty characters. Director Neil Jordan (“The Crying Game,” “Greta”) isn’t much help either, spending more time trying to simulate a noir experience than deliver one, with “Marlowe” more tiresome than expected, presenting little in the way of mystery or malice. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com