The Big Sleep (1978)

Directed by

Michael Winner

Genre

crime film, neo-noir

Country

United Kingdom

Runtime

1h 39m

Rated

R

Rating

5.9 of 10 from 102 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A private detective is hired by a wealthy general to handle a blackmail case. He gets pulled into a world of crime and corruption in 1970s London.

noirgrittyslow-burnmelancholicseedyintricatetensedated

What happens

The Big Sleep is a 1978 neo-noir film, the second film version of Raymond Chandler's 1939 novel. The picture was directed by Michael Winner and stars Robert Mitchum in his second film portrayal of the detective Philip Marlowe (following Farewell, My Lovely three years earlier). The cast includes Sarah Miles, Candy Clark, Joan Collins and Oliver Reed, and features James Stewart as General Sternwood. The story's setting was changed from 1940s Los Angeles to 1970s London. The film contains material more explicit than what could only be hinted at in the 1946 version, such as drug addiction, homosexuality, pornography and nudity. Mitchum was age 60 at the time of filming, far older than Chandler's 33-year-old Marlowe (or the 1946 film's 38-year-old Marlowe, played by Humphrey Bogart, who was 45 at the time). (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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