"What's the matter? Haven't you ever seen a gun before? What do you want me to do, count three like they do in the movies?"

Private investigator Philip Marlowe is hired by General Sternwood to stem off some blackmail demands on his family. But things are not all they seem, particularly the involvement of Sternwood's two daughters. Pretty soon Marlowe is knee deep in a trail of corruption, gambling, pornography and murder. And then it gets really confusing...

"So you're a private detective. I didn't know they existed, except in books, or else they were greasy little men snooping around hotel corridors. My, you're a mess, aren't you?"


skyjude review
From the start of this movie it becomes clear it's going to be an electric ride and it really is one of the definitive film noir experiences. The streets are dirty and the girls are flirty for our hero Philip Marlowe played in consummate style by the ultimate noir detective - Humphrey Bogart. This film is famed for it's re-shot scenes with Lauren Bacall adding extra spark to their on-screen relationship and also for it's convoluted plot. With a complex and intricate web of murder and corruption stories, The Big Sleep adds to the viewer's confusion by hurtling through the dialogue and refusing to clear up some of the detail. But this does not detract from the whole experience, infact it adds to it, bringing the viewer directly into the world of the private detective. A world that Raymond Chandler expertly penned and Howard Hawks superbly recreates for the big screen - a world
that you should definitely visit.

Top 5 Reasons for Watching The Big Sleep

[5] Bogart in disguise
Having endured plastic surgery to disguise himself as a Humphrey Bogart look-a-like in the classic Dark Passage, Bogart was never going to go overboard with his disguise. But it's still hilarious catching him simply tip his hat and shades to disguise himself on entering the bookstore.

[4] Marlowe visits the Sternwood's
Marlowe's initial visit to the Sternwood's is full of sparkling sexual chemistry and mystique. Carmen's flirting, the General's predicament, the interfering butler and Vivian's entrance are all played in an electric fashion setting this film off in teriffic style.

[3] The girls
If only real life was like this - from the Sternwood girls, to the bookstore clerks and even the female cabbie - they're all gorgeous and they all flirt outrageously with Marlowe. Some true glamour in the midst of a classic film noir.

[2] To untangle the script!
A famously complicated script that initially annoys soon becomes a quest to conquer the intricacies of the murders. It will almost certainly confuse at first but repeated viewing's will help piece together most of it. Now how did the chauffeur cop it?

[1] Bogart and Bacall
The second pairing of one of cinema's greatest couples included extra scenes designed to maximise their sexual chemistry. They really do hit it off and the additional dialogue where they compare each other to racehorses is, while a little unnecessary in the context of the film, a classic noir moment.


The Big Sleep quotes

Carmen Sternwood: You're not very tall are you?
Philip Marlowe: Well, I, uh, I try to be.

Philip Marlowe: She tried to sit in my lap while I was standing up.

Norris: Are you attempting to tell me my duties, sir?
Philip Marlowe: No, just having fun trying to guess what they are.

Vivian Sternwood Rutledge: I don't like your manners.
Philip Marlowe: And I'm not crazy about yours. I didn't ask to see you. I don't mind if you don't like my manners, I don't like them myself. They are pretty bad. I grieve over them on long winter evenings. I don't mind your ritzing me drinking your lunch out of a bottle. But don't waste your time trying to cross-examine me.

Carmen Sternwood: You're cute.
Philip Marlowe: And you're higher than a kite. Come on, wake up.

Eddie Mars: Convenient, the door being open when you didn't have a key, eh?
Philip Marlowe: Yeah, wasn't it? By the way, how'd you happen to have one?
Eddie Mars: Is that any of your business?
Philip Marlowe: I could make it my business.
Eddie Mars: I could make your business mine.
Philip Marlowe: Oh, you wouldn't like it. The pay's too small.

Female Taxi Driver: If you can use me again sometime, call this number.
Philip Marlowe: Day and night?
Female Taxi Driver: Uh, night's better. I work during the day.

Philip Marlowe: By the way, how's Mrs. Mars these days?
Eddie Mars: You take chances, Marlowe.
Philip Marlowe: I get paid to.

Vivian Sternwood Rutledge: Speaking of horses, I like to play them myself. But I like to see them workout a little first, see if they're front runners or come from behind, find out what their whole card is, what makes them run.
Philip Marlowe: Find out mine?
Vivian Sternwood Rutledge: I think so.
Philip Marlowe: Go ahead.
Vivian Sternwood Rutledge: I'd say you don't like to be rated. You like to get out in front, open up a little lead, take a little breather in the backstretch, and then come home free.
Philip Marlowe: You don't like to be rated yourself.
Vivian Sternwood Rutledge: I haven't met anyone yet that can do it. Any suggestions?
Philip Marlowe: Well, I can't tell till I've seen you over a distance of ground. You've got a touch of class, but I don't know how, how far you can go.
Vivian Sternwood Rutledge: A lot depends on who's in the saddle.

Philip Marlowe: My, my, my! Such a lot of guns around town and so few brains! You know, you're the second guy I've met today that seems to think a gat in the hand means the world by the tail.

Agnes Lowzier: Is Harry there?
Philip Marlowe: Yeah, yeah, he's here.
Agnes Lowzier: Put him on, will you?
Philip Marlowe: He can't talk to you.
Agnes Lowzier: Why?
Philip Marlowe: Because he's dead.

Philip Marlowe: Let me do the talking, angel. I don't know yet what I'm gonna tell them, but it will be pretty close to the truth. And you'll have to send Carmen away from a lot of things. They have places for that. Maybe they can cure her - it's been done before. And we'll have to tell your father about Regan. I think he can take it.
Vivian Sternwood Rutledge: You've forgotten one thing. Me.
Philip Marlowe: What's wrong with you?
Vivian Sternwood Rutledge: Nothing you can't fix.


Production company: Warner Bros.