I absolutely love old private detective movies and this is the first one of many on my list.  The plot of this movie is so convoluted and confusing that I’m not going to go too deep in to it, but it really doesn’t matter. The Big Sleep has it all; the world weary private eye, the two faced femme fetale, the thuggish brutes, the out of nowhere plot twists and lots of people getting randomly offed.   This is classic film noir.  Everything happens in dark shadows, no one can be trusted and the world weary detective is none other than Phillip Marlowe who is played by none other than Humphrey Bogart.   Marlowe’s main love interest in the movie was played by his real life wife Lauren Bacall and the chemistry between the two has become legendary.  The movie was directed by the great Howard Hawks.

Marlowe was created by writer Raymond Chandler back in the 1930’s.  He wrote a series of books about the hard drinking, wise cracking private dick and many of them were turned in to movies.  Some of my favorite actors have played Marlowe over the years; Robert Mitchum, Elliott Gould and James Garner to name a few.  I highly recommend Farewell My Lovely with Mitchum as Marlowe and The Long Goodbye directed by Robert Altman in which Gould took on the role.  As good as the other guys are Bogart was tailor made to play the private detective.  The sharp one liners roll off of his tongue so naturally.  The sad face with the tired and baggy eyes that look like they have seen more bad than any set of eyes are supposed to see in a lifetime.  He just nails it as he does playing another famous private detective who will be mentioned later on in the list.