One of them is The Long Goodbye. Starring Altman regular Elliot Gould, it's based on Raymond Chandler's novel. Altman, however, tweaks Chandler's work to fit to 1970's life. Does it work? Indeed it does.
The protagonist of The Long Goodbye is noted private eye Philip Marlowe. Marlowe has been depicted on screen many times, more famously by Humphrey Bogart in The Big Sleep. Gould's Marlowe is a little different than Bogart's Marlowe. (One thing they have in common is that they both smoke a lot.) Gould is more aloof than Bogart was. Personally, I like that.
I did like The Long Goodbye but like The Big Sleep, the muddled plot made me lose focus. It's a good movie nonetheless. The way the plot unfolded is my only peeve.
My Rating: ****1/2
I have been working through Altman too. I didn't see this one, but I think I am done for now. I'll revisit his other work eventually. It was hit (McCabe and Mrs Miller, Nashville, The Player) and miss (Popeye, Short Cuts) and in between (MASH).
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