The Long Goodbye (1973)

Huge fan of this film. Robert Altman's direction is just flawless, and I loved Elliot Gould's portrayal of Philip Marlowe. It provides the perfect blend of suspense, mystery, and comedic quips, and the dialogue is just top-notch. Along with Chinatown, and Body Heat, The Long Goodbye is a top 3 noir favorite of mine from the 70s/80s. It's been about three years since I've last seen it, and I think it's due for a rewatch soon.

10/10

“He’s got a girl, I got a cat.”

"You're a born loser, Marlowe."

"Yeah, I even lost my cat."

Augustine was such a prick. Altman had a knack for these sort of minuscule villains. McCabe & Mrs. Miller sort of had one too.

Oh, and a textbook definition of “the 70s ending”. You don’t even care if the hero* wins, you just want him to make it out with some semblance of dignity.

*hero is a strong word for Marlowe. Protagonist.

**** it, it’s Noirvember. I’m putting this on as soon as I get back home.

Ohhhhh damn! I literally just saw the Noirember thread! I would have just mentioned The Long Goodbye on there.

I'm a HUGE noir fan. By far my favorite genre, as you can probably tell looking at some of my favorite movies.

As a big Robert Altman fan, I am ashamed to admit I've never seen this one, but I will get around to it someday, have heard nothing but great things about it.