Robert Altman's provoking revision of a late, intricate Raymond Chandler detective novel is devoted less to creating a mystery than a muddle. The impenetrable darkness, the stealthy zooms and circuitous tracks of Vilmos Zsigmond's cinematography, and the ceaseless buzzing or humming of the actors, conspire together to cover up the leaks sprung in Altman's altering of the original plot (he changes a couple of the who-does-whats and the to-whoms, and thereby loses the whys). Elliott Gould, a mussed Philip Marlowe who appears to be led around by the constant cigarette in his teeth and whose largest show of ingenuity is in seeking out spots to strike a match, mutters to himself distractedly as he makes the acquaintances of a fruity supporting cast, including Mark Rydell, Henry Gibson, Sterling Hayden, Nina Van Pallandt, and ex-baseballer Jim Bouton. (1973) — Duncan Shepherd
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