Which actor would be a good Philip Marlowe today?
 

This is a tricky proposition. The best would be modeled not only on Chandler's character, but also on the familiar portrayals by Bogart and Dick Powell.

My choice: Edward Norton

~Doc

Re: Which actor would be a good Philip Marlowe today?
 

Norton's too old.
Marlowe is described in the books as aged 33, 38 and 42... he's also described as 6'1 and 190lb (near 14st)


Problem is there's not many actors like that around at the minute. At least none that are talented.


Only 1 fits the bill in terms of height, weight, age and most importantly... talent.
Ryan Gosling.

Eh, Bogart did it at nearly 50 and at 5’8.

I’d say Robert Downey Jr. but Liam Neeson’s reportedly the next iteration:
https://variety.com/2017/film/news/l...an-1202018969/

So are we disregarding The Long Goodbye, then? I thought that movie was great and so was Elliott Gould.

Re: Which actor would be a good Philip Marlowe today?
 

I'm not real up on current actors, but of the ones mentioned Edward Norton would be my choice as Philip Marlowe. Ryan Gosling, nah he's got this naivety about him, I think he's great in his movies but not as Marlowe...Who ever plays Marlowe needs an edge. Robert Downey Jr. maybe, but not Liam Neeson, I like both of them too, but I don't see Marlowe in either of them. Ed Norton would rock that role.

Re: Which actor would be a good Philip Marlowe today?
 

Clive Owen???? Get this guy back in movies.

Well the best choice is always Idris Elba


https://timedotcom.files.wordpress.c...idris-elba.jpgBut a more realistic choice would be Jeffrey Dean Morgan


https://static.squarespace.com/stati...1000w/dean.jpg


I would personally love it if John Hamm agrees to it, but he's against franchises



https://stylist-assets.imgix.net/app...mat%2Ccompress

Marky Mark!

Re: Which actor would be a good Philip Marlowe today?
 

I'll go outside the box and say Scarlett Johansson.

Re: Which actor would be a good Philip Marlowe today?
 

Bill Murray. He can play it as an aging Philip Marlowe, retired but pulled back into activity duty by a mysterious and very personal case. I think that would be cool. But of course any new Philip Marlowe film has to hit the age demographics, of 14 to 24, so it would never happen. So just hire any lame ass actor and make a crappy remake.

Yes, I intentionally left out Gould. I like him as an actor, but I didn't believe him as Marlowe.

IMO 1973's The Long Goodbye wasn't a bad movie, it was just bad Chandler. It would nice to see a new version which stuck to the novel. And as soon as we've decided who should play Marlowe, I'll notify the studios...:)

~Doc

Re: Which actor would be a good Philip Marlowe today?
 

I guess some of us missed the deconstructionist part.

Re: Which actor would be a good Philip Marlowe today?
 

Guy Pierce I think would be really good, unless he is too old now?

Re: Which actor would be a good Philip Marlowe today?
 

Hugh Jackman.. Can play anyone or anything.

What an interesting question. Here's three picks of mine- btw I love a good mystery/thriller/detective story whether it features a hard boiled guy like Dirty Harry or a soft boiled guy like Hercule Poirot:

1- Daniel Craig - he 's smooth as silk in Bond films , but I think he could muss up just enough for the part - and he DOES have an edge ( plus speaking for the female fan base of mofo. I think he'd be a great box office draw. ;D)


2- Matthew McConaughey - I know he seems even dopier than in those car commercials when he does talk show interviews- but he's actually quite a good actor. I bet he could take this on and surprise everyone with a fine performance.

3- Adrian Brody- haven't seen him in as much as the other two, but in my mind- he LOOKS the part.

Brolin would be good too.

https://image.ibb.co/g8zeu8/576_C513...C73398_A78.jpg

If nothing else, he’s got the classic Hollywood gumshoe look nailed down.

Why not, he's in everything these days anyway. He has 3 movies all out the theatre right now. That guy is busy.

Good choices, LL. I hadn't thought of Brody. He's my favorite choice of your three.

BTW, as a model, I neglected to mention Robert Mitchum's excellent portrayal of Marlowe in 1978's remake of The Big Sleep; although he was a little long in the tooth. He could've even played Gen. Sternwood!..;)

~Doc

Of the current crop of actors, I'm thinking Marlowe might be well represented by: Tom Hardy or Chris Pratt. But-- no beards, no beta-males..:rolleyes:

~Doc

Re: Which actor would be a good Philip Marlowe today?
 

I'd go with a HBO show starring Dominic West.
https://television-b26f.kxcdn.com/wp...minic-West.jpg

His name was linked with a Marlowe series a few years ago.

I don't know the character well and I've never read the stories. My Dad is a fan though, and I think Dick Powell is the actor he liked the best.

You know what actor working today would make a good Dick Powell/Phillip Marlowe?

Paul Dano...what do you guys think?
https://dtvimages.hs.llnwd.net/e1//p...67214_ba_d.jpg

He sure looks the part! I don't know his work.

~Doc

I think the choice would interest many women. For men, I suspect Owen is too lightweight. I can't see him as a tough guy.

If you like noir, and haven't already seen it, The Big Sleep is not only great Raymond Chandler, but a great movie as well-- from 1946 with Bogart & Bacall. Some would argue that Bogart was the best Marlowe.

~Doc

I've seen most of it and it is very good.

Re: Which actor would be a good Philip Marlowe today?
 

I want Owen Wilson to play a lighter comic Philip Marlowe in a remake of The Long Goodbye.

The more I think about it, the more I like your choice. Brolin has demonstrated his acting chops in his last several serious roles. Plus he has that ability to be humorous when called for, just as Bogie had.

A very left-field choice :


Josh Hartnett

If you haven't seen The Wire, then you must. Phenomenal show.

Re: Which actor would be a good Philip Marlowe today?
 

Oh I think Dominic West is a phenomenal choice.

I have, and I agree with you.

I think Dominic West would be a great Phillip Marlowe...a seriously versatile and seriously underrated actor.

Yeah, he has the look. Depends upon whether he could impersonate a convincing Calif. accent from the 1940s..;), although Bogie was good with a Brooklyn accent.

Pretty fair description of Philip Marlowe in Wikipedia:

"Underneath the wisecracking, hard-drinking, tough private eye, Marlowe is quietly contemplative and philosophical and enjoys chess and poetry. While he is not afraid to risk physical harm, he does not dish out violence merely to settle scores. Morally upright, he is not fooled by the genre's usual femmes fatales, such as Carmen Sternwood in The Big Sleep."

Eh, it was certainly very well-written and ambitious on the whole, but it still felt kind of low-energy in general, which kept it from leaving a bigger impression on me than it did.

I had a weird reaction to the show. I started it with my wife and we both fell off about 3, maybe 4 episodes in. The amount of characters and subplots, we just weren't in the mood for that. I went and picked it up some time after and although I grabbed onto it, I will say that it wasn't until season 3, maybe, that it really, really hooked me. And still, I would say that it wasn't until I finished it that I didn't really see and appreciate the whole scope and impact of it, to the point that I find myself referencing it in conversations about current socio-political situations ("see? just like in The Wire"... "you know, in The Wire, they said this or that"). I keep remembering certain monologues and moments that I didn't think had much of an impact, but then they did; like Burrell's monologue towards the end. That's certainly one moment that sticks out for me. So it's something that kinda crept up with me afterwards.

Could definitely see Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Marlowe