The classic Raymond Chandler character Phillip Marlowe is a noir detective and is currently appearing in a new movie starring Liam Neeson entitled Marlowe. Is the private detective a hit or is he just a private dick? Unfortunately, this detective story bored me to no end.

Liam Neeson was the titular character and was involved in a case brought to him by the blonde dame Clare Cavendish (Diane Kruger). The case was complex and confusing and hardly worth the time it took to unfurl the tale. The part that I enjoyed the most was the scenes from Clare’s on-screen mother, played by the exceptional Jessica Lange. She was chewing up every scene she was in and she had some chemistry with Neeson, which was something that the film lacked a lot of.

Neeson was pretty stoic in his portrayal of Marlowe and I did not find him very entertaining. The best part what picking out the words where you could easily hear the brogue coming through Neeson’s dialogue.

This felt like a much longer film than it was, with so few highlights that I was bored through all of it. Nothing Neeson did brought me any enjoyment. I will say that I was happy to see Mr. Eko himself, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, make an appearance as a secondary character that became important from out of nowhere.

In the end, I had been intrigued by a trailer for this movie earlier this year, but I found this dull and prodding and that the strong cast just lacked any real energy or interest.

2 stars