The Big Sleep

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The Big Sleep

1946

1h 54m

Mystery & Thriller

Crime

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

96%

Tomatometer

67 Reviews

91%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

Private investigator Philip Marlowe (Humphrey Bogart) is hired by General Sternwood to help resolve the gambling debts of his wild young daughter, Carmen (Martha Vickers). Sternwood's older daughter, Vivian (Lauren Bacall), provides assistance when she implies that the situation is more complex, and also involves casino owner (John Ridgely) and a recently disappeared family friend. As people linked to the Sternwoods start being murdered, Marlowe finds himself getting ever deeper into the case.

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Critics Consensus

A perfect match of screenplay, director, and leading man, The Big Sleep stands as a towering achievement in film noir whose grim vitality remains undimmed.

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SMH Staff

Sydney Morning Herald

07/22/2019

It is a fast-moving drama, knee-deep in corpses, as tough as they come. It is rather'difficult to keep track of who is murdering whom and why, but there is not time to worry about such details with so many bullets flying around.

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Tim Robey

Daily Telegraph (UK)

08/13/2014

5/5

The Big Sleep is the best scripted, best directed, best acted, and least comprehensible film noir ever made.

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Sukhdev Sandhu

Daily Telegraph (UK)

03/07/2014

5/5

The plot is a bundle of confusions, but who cares? Few films have made cigarettes seem so glamorous. Or had such seductive repartee.

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Justine Smith

Vague Visages

11/21/2023

Chandler’s words burn with pain and self-destruction, but Hawks — who valued strength, independence and action — neutered the inefficiency and hatefulness of Marlowe’s rage.

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Cory Woodroof

615 Film

08/30/2022

This is the best plot I’ve ever seen pull this many threads together in such a way where you don’t always have to know what’s going on to know what’s going on. The magic of Bogart.

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Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

05/06/2022

... an American classic, arguably the greatest film made for a Chandler novel, and the definitive pairing of legendary screen team Bogie and Bacall.

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erie C.

@Sonia999 Feb 27

Who cares that the plot is confusing? This film is so enjoyable and such classic film noir that I’ve seen at seven or eight times and enjoy the atmosphere on an occasion.

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Tan C

@TanZoi Jan 10

It shows that a movie doesn’t need to explain everything. It only needs to move forward with conviction. You don’t care who killed whom. You watch Marlowe go deeper into danger. Marlowe is my kind of hero. He knows how to fight back and keep things moving. I love the final setup where he has Mars killed to avenge Jones. It’s clean and satisfying. Still, Bogart doesn’t fit my image of Marlowe. I can’t separate he in Marlowe and Spade. The film is known for its complexity. But the problem isn’t structure—it’s information. It drops the usual pleasure of solving a mystery. So, I’m lost. I’ve rewatched it several times. I still don’t know who killed the chauffeur. It doesn’t matter. Every viewing is a pleasure. The pacing is the film’s greatest strength. The dialogue is fast and sharp, full of dry humor. Scenes cut cleanly. There are no wasted shots. If you want a clear case and perfect logic, this film may disappoint you. That is exactly why I give it five stars.

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Kyle M

@RT77296778 Sep 29

Frankly, it became routine regarding the unpointed intellectuality getting tangled that disengages, powered by ordinary collaborative talents as the film’s substantial solid buoyance. (B)

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Alain E

@AlainE Jul 13

The story is disjointed, but the atmospherics are perfect. The dialogue textbook pulp fiction: “How do you like your brandy, sir?” “ In a glass “. And her tears flowed like wine. If only I had met a dame like that!

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Stephen C

@bob25009 Jun 10

Success in 1 hour and 54 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!! Starring Humphrey Bogart as Philip Marlowe!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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R-Peyman F

@RT92733999 10/15/2024

Chemistry between Bogart and Bacall is undeniable and simply doesn't exist in cinema any longer. If you were thinking of watching this...just do it. I will say, the plot is convoluted and somewhat hard to follow, so pay close attention. A re watch may be in order, but I'd rather watch this twice than anything made by Hollywood the last 10 years.

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Howard Hawks

Director

Humphrey Bogart

Philip Marlowe

Lauren Bacall

Vivian Rutledge

Martha Vickers

Carmen Sternwood

John Ridgely

Eddie Mars

Louis Jean Heydt

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Synopsis

Private investigator Philip Marlowe (Humphrey Bogart) is hired by General Sternwood to help resolve the gambling debts of his wild young daughter, Carmen (Martha Vickers). Sternwood's older daughter, Vivian (Lauren Bacall), provides assistance when she implies that the situation is more complex, and also involves casino owner (John Ridgely) and a recently disappeared family friend. As people linked to the Sternwoods start being murdered, Marlowe finds himself getting ever deeper into the case.

Director: Howard Hawks
Producer: Howard Hawks
Screenwriter: William Faulkner, Leigh Brackett, Jules Furthman
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Production Co: Warner Brothers/Seven Arts
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 31, 1946, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 1, 2008
Runtime: 1h 54m

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