The Brasher Doubloon

The acting is highly questionable, but the film is gloriously short. Passable, but disappointing.

A true test of the power of Philip Marlowe. He passes, but not without some bumps. Raymond Chandler's writing is fantastic, witty dialogue and a convoluted story. It's exactly what I like. A good thing too, because the acting is mediocre all the way down the line. Not quite bad, except Nancy Guild, she's pretty bad, but certainly not up to the potential of the material. It also doesn't help that the film is in terrible shape. I still enjoyed it, though.

George Montgomery makes a terrible Marlowe. He comes off like a kid. There's a few nice touches, particularly some of the lighting and the POV shots, but on the whole it has a "quickie cash-in on the success of The Big Sleep" vibe to it. It's all passable, but kind of a disappointment coming from John Brahm. To be fair, though, I don't really get jazzed up about any of the Marlowe stories. They're fun for a lark, but they don't scratch my noir itch.

The kind of story I usually like and the kind of film I usually enjoy despite some inconsistencies and convenient setups. As well as that, the choice of George Montgomery as Marlowe seems a mistake throughout the picture. Not that the other players deserve any praise for their part.

Had all the earmarks of a quality detective story, except for George Montgomery being a abysmal Philip Marlowe. Thankfully he didn't ruin the whole experience, but it definitely prevented it from being a classic of the genre.