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Farewell, My Lovely

Farewell, My Lovely

Crime · Mystery · Thriller · 1975

Private eye Philip Marlowe is hired by ex-con Moose Malloy to find his girlfriend, a former lounge dancer. While also investigating the murder of a client and the theft of a jade necklace, Marlowe becomes entangled with seductress Helen Grayle and discovers a web of dark secrets that are better left hidden.

Movie details

Farewell, My Lovely

“"I need another drink... I need a lot of life insurance... I need a vacation.... and all I've got is a coat, a hat, and a gun!"”

1975 Crime · Mystery · Thriller 1h 35m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.6 / 10

Community rating

Private eye Philip Marlowe is hired by ex-con Moose Malloy to find his girlfriend, a former lounge dancer. While also investigating the murder of a client and the theft of a jade necklace, Marlowe becomes entangled with seductress Helen Grayle and discovers a web of dark secrets that are better left hidden.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Farewell, My Lovely?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Dick Richards

Written by

David Zelag Goodman

Robert Mitchum

Robert Mitchum

Philip Marlowe

Charlotte Rampling

Charlotte Rampling

Mrs. Grayle

John Ireland

John Ireland

Nulty

Sylvia Miles

Sylvia Miles

Mrs. Florian

Anthony Zerbe

Anthony Zerbe

Brunette

Harry Dean Stanton

Harry Dean Stanton

Billy Rolfe

Jack O'Halloran

Jack O'Halloran

Moose Malloy

Court is in session

Put Farewell, My Lovely on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Auteur Devotee

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.