Rating: 
Summary: Fine adaption of Raymond Chandler's "Farewell, my Lovely"
Review: "Murder, My Sweet", released in 1944, is a taunt film noir thriller based on Raymond Chandler's novel, "Farewell, My Lovely". The story goes that the studio [RKO] changed the title so that audiences wouldn't think it was yet another Dick Powell musical. Powell, whose career was flagging, wanted a new image, and he certainly got it playing hard-boiled detective Phillip Marlowe. Two years later, Humphrey Bogart became the quintessential Marlowe in "The Big Sleep", but that doesn't change the fact that Powell is himself quite memorable. Marlowe is hired by a playboy to accompany him in the retrieval of a jade necklace he claims was stolen from a wealthy friend of his. At the place where the exchange is to take place, Marlowe is knocked out and awakens to find the man has been murdered. Other new [and unwelcome] clients are also knocking at his door. One is a huge ex-con who is looking for his old girlfriend. Another is the daughter [Anne Shirley] of the man whose wife owned the jade necklace. The woman is Helen Grayle [Claire Trevor], a beautiful, seductive woman with a past. Marlowe, as usual, finds himself surrounded by people whose motives are questionable and often dangerous. He puts himself and others in jeopardy as he relentlessly pursues the truth. Claire Trevor, one of Hollywood's greatest character actresses, gives a fine, edgy performance as Helen. Otto Kruger is deliciously sinister as Jules Amthor, shady underground figure and chief suspect. The Chandler novel was remade in the 1970s using the original title. Robert Mitchum played Marlowe and the remarkable Charlotte Rampling starred as Helen Grayle. This version is more faithful to the book, but I find "Murder, my Sweet" to be a slightly better movie.
Rating: 
Summary: "You're not a detective, you're a slot machine."
Review: Dick Powell makes a fine Philip Marlowe in this splendid film noir. The film is based on Raymond Chandler's "Farewell, My Lovely," which marks the second appearance of Marlowe in print. The book was actually adapted once before for an entry in the Falcon series ("The Falcon Takes Over"), which featured George Sanders. That film, however, simply adapted the plot of "Farewell, My Lovely" for the Falcon series; hence, the character is named Gay Lawrence, not Philip Marlowe. So in effect, "Murder, My Sweet" is the first screen appearance of Philip Marlowe. In addition, "The Falcon Takes Over" is a decent but lightweight thriller - not the noir classic of "Murder, My Sweet."
The plot is typically convoluted for a film noir written by Chandler. Marlowe, a somewhat down-on-his-luck private detective, is approached by Moose Malloy, a giant of a man who has just been released from the pokey and is searching for his ex-girlfriend. He reluctantly accepts the case. However, before he can make headway, Marlowe gets a second client, the effete Lindsay Marriott who wants Marlowe to accompany him on a late night pay-off. These two cases quickly become enmeshed and lead to numerous complications and murders.
"Murder, My Sweet" is first-rate film noir in every way. Director Edward Dmytryk (The Caine Mutiny, Crossfire) was one of the best noir film makers of all time, and he uses the conventions of the genre (shadows and unusual lighting, hard-boiled dialogue) with fine subtlety. The cast is also extraordinary - lead by Powell as Marlowe. Arguably, Humphrey Bogart was a more forceful Marlowe two years later in "The Big Sleep." However, Powell is convincing as the straight-shooting but somewhat desperate detective. Furthermore, he's joined by femme fatale Claire Trevor, who is always terrific in this type of hard-bitten role. Screenwriter John Paxton adapted Chandler's novel - managing to save some of the best bits, such as Marlowe's encounter with Mrs. Florian ("She was a charming middle-aged lady with a face like a bucket of mud"). All of the elements really come together for one of the finest noirs ever made, and this DVD transfer is solid.
DVD extras: The original theatrical trailer and an informational, but somewhat boring commentary by Alain Silver, who is a film producer and has written several books on film noir.
Rating:
Summary: Best Marlowe on Film
Review: Forget about following the plot, to begin with. Essentially, there isn't one; Raymond Chandler used a kind of stream-of-conciousness technique in stringing together his stories, though he never would have used that high-falutin' expression. For Chandler, an ex-oil executive who turned to fiction when he busted in Los Angeles, the whole point was character, mood and dialogue. You get plenty of all three here, and the best performance of Dick Powell's career, as Phillip Marlowe. Next to Bogart in "The Maltese Falcon," it's probably the most believable private eye in the American movies. Edward Dmytryk didn't put together another great directing job like this until "The Caine Mutiny" ten years later. The character actor Mike Mazurki also turns in a memorable job as a demented hood.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Film Noir
Review: I don't usually like the Chandler-Hammet type detective movies. I've probably seen "The Maltese Falcon" 3 times and I still scratch my head. When viewing these type films it is probably best to subordinate the story to how well the characters and mood are developed. On this point "Murder My Sweet" succeeds. It's my understanding that Dick Powell prior to tackling the role of hardboiled detective Philip Marlowe he was typecast as a song and dance man. Having never seen any of Powell's musicals, I'll have to assume he succeeded in his change of pace. Claire Trevor is, as usual, excellent as the millionaire's trophy wife. Anne Shirley is sexy as the millionaire's daughter from a previous marriage. The plot at first seems a bit convoluted. But a patient viewer will watch the pieces of this puzzle come together in a satisfying conclusion. The setting is pre-war Los Angeles and the black and white photography is scintillating.
Rating:
Summary: HOW SWEET IT IS ON DVD!
Review: Interesting choice of career change for Dick Powell. After establishing himself as the light hearted lothario of 1930s Busby Berkeley musicals at Warner Brothers, the crooner side stepped his squeaky clean, boy-next-door image entirely with a string of deep and powerful dramatic performances. In "Murder My Sweet" Powell carries off Raymond Chandler's hard-boiled detective, Philip Marlowe to perfection. Okay, he's no Bogart, whom film buffs will recall played Marlowe in "The Big Sleep." But Powell's performance is a close second, buffeted by his quick thinking, deeply cynical, smart-shooting dialect. In "Murder My Sweet" Marlowe is hired by an ex-con (Mike Mazurki) to hunt down his old flame. But the plot spins out of control when a murder leads to Marlowe's engagement by a manipulative woman (Claire Trevor), to recover her missing jewels. But a drug induced nightmare fraught in symbolism and expressionism turns Marlowe's world on end, devouring his soul beneath a seedy underbelly that permeates both high-society and the dangerous post war bars and flophouses of inner city Los Angeles. "Murder My Sweet" is one of the first great, though often overlooked, film noirs; an absolute must see.
Warner's transfer on "Murder My Sweet" is better than average. In fact it's remarkably clean. The gray scale is very well balanced with deep solid blacks and whites that are vibrant and sharp. There's some film grain but few age related artifacts for a visual presentation that is over all a considerable improvement over previously issued VHS tapes. The audio is mono but nicely balanced. The more intent listener will notice slight pops. Alain Silver delivers a very thorough audio commentary that will most surely enhance your appreciation for this film. A very good disc to add to your library of classic cinema.
Rating:
Summary: Seminal film noir--B&W perfection
Review: January 1945: Murder, My Sweet is released starring former movie musical crooner Dick Powell as tough detective Philip Marlowe, Claire Trevor as femme fatale Mrs. Grayle (aka Velma Valentino) and Mike Mazurki (in his first major role) as big lug-thug goofball Moose Malloy. Based on Raymond Chandler's Farewell, My Lovely, this baby is the real deal when it comes to film noir. Yeah, there were others before this--The Maltese Falcon and especially, Double Indemnity with a phenomenal performance by Barbara Stanwyck. But this is the one that put detective-based film noir on the map. The 1975 version (same title as the book) with Robert Mitchum, John Ireland, and some of the other classic film noir stalwarts is, in fact, a pretty good piece of work. But Murder, My Sweet is the ne plus ultra of film noir. The director, Edward Dmytryk, had a limited budget and so confined much of his shooting to low-lit interiors to save money. Not only that--he also has some ultra-cool sequences of poor Marlowe, having been force-fed a syringe or two of dope, hallucinating something awful. This shows the influence of German Expressionism to the max; the contrast of black and white has never been sharper, more vibrant, more startling in an American film. And dig those crazy images--multiple doors to go through trying to avoid a doc who walks through doors; larger than life images of two of the bad guys looming above, peering down at Marlowe with spooked up backlit faces; a giant syringe ready to plunge. There's the good girl and the bad girl, sure. There's the supposedly innocent older husband of the femme fatale. There's the evil brains of the picture who loves blackmail, brutality, and backbiting. And of course there's the hard-bitten cops dogging Marlowe throughout his journey from cynical onlooker to active tough guy to sentimental joe. What's not to like? So far the only DVD of this is being released in France. Hey, movie studios! Wake up! Time to get more film noir on DVD! Yeah. A great piece of work; that's what I say.
Rating: 
Summary: The singing detective
Review: Movie musical crooner Dick Powell tried to darken up his image in this Raymond Chandler adaptation, but some will find him a snippy Philip Marlowe. Regardless, ''Murder'' is a straight shot of noir, thanks to Edward Dmytrk's inspired direction. The DVD looks great -- there's a nice bed of black for all that gray smoke. The look of film noir usually is traced back to German Expressionism; the influence is much in evidence here. About half of the narration comes directly from Chandler's book. Commentator Alain Silver knows his stuff -- he wrote the book ''Raymond Chandler's Los Angeles.'' He points out that only about a dozen true film noir films featured private detectives -- half of them based on Chandler books.
Rating:
Summary: HARD BOILED NOIR....
Review: One of the better ventures on the darker side of film noir with Raymond Chandler's PI Philip Marlowe (Dick Powell) enmeshed in a complicated search for a jade necklace. He's hired by a thick brute named Moose Malloy (Mike Mazurki) to find former night club singer Velma Valenti. After numerous attempts to throw him off the scent, he tracks her down. She's now Mrs.Grayle (Claire Trevor), married to a much older man with a grown daughter (Anne Shirley) who despises her. The jade necklace comes into play and so does Mrs.Grayle. Marlowe enters a weird plot that eventually finds him drugged and held prisoner before he fights his way back with the help of Shirley. "Murder My Sweet" is good and salty film noir with hard bitten performances, brittle dialogue, thugs, mystery and a sexy femme fatale in Mrs. Grayle. When Marlowe first meets her, she's wearing a revealing white dress that allows her entire leg to be casually exposed when she sits down. Very sexy for the 40's. Excellent b&w photography with almost everything occuring at night drenches the film with heavy noir atmosphere. This is a classic film to be savored and the DVD print is great. A real collectors' treat.
Rating:
Summary: Noir 101---a must see!
Review: This is as classic a Noir as they get. I would recommend this to those who are just discovering this genre and want to sink their teeth into something real. This is it! Dick Powell does Marlowe better than anyone. He portrays the gritty, scruffy hard-boiled detective so true, you almost think you're watching a reality show. The storyline is somewhat hard to follow, but that's not what Noirs are really about anyway. It's about the atmosphere, the sense of danger, the grittiness, the somber, complicated characters, the wicked devious femme fatale. This film has all these elements. Watch it and enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Film Noir 101
Review: This is the movie that hooked me on "Film Noir." I first saw this on the late show while suffereing a killer flu. Even through local TV editing and enough medicine to tranquilize a circus tent, it had me sitting at attention from start to finish. It wasn't until several years later that I got to see it uncut on cable that I got the full effect. Having grown up with Bogart's hard-boiled private eye archetype, Dick Powell was a complete revelation to me. If you double-bill this with Bogart's "Big Sleep," you see at once that Powell truly IS Phillip Marlowe (even Raymond Chandler thought so), and Bogart is much better suited to portray Hammet's colder, meaner Sam Spade. Powell gives Marlowe a vulnerable cynicism as well as a touch of the "everyman," that Bogart wouldn't be able to pull off until later in his career. Powell's background in romantic musicals gives him access to a far deeper emotional range, needed to play the complex and conflicted Marlowe; his cynicism, his humour, his loyalty to his code...it's all there. Powell manages to give extra resonance to some of Chandler's throw-away similes! No wonder he claimed this as his favorite role! The direction by Edward Dmytryk and cinematography by Harry Wild are perfect, giving the film a tight, economical yet alluring vintage "feel". Working on a tight budget, they manage to infuse it with all the seedy, chaotic topography that would serve as the touchtones for every film of this type from "Night of the Hunter" to "Blade Runner." While this isn't the first Noir film, it may well be the best.
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