The Big Sleep (1946)

The Big Sleep (1946) - Review

A fast-talking Shamus and a dame that needs saving, what more can you ask for?

The old western and Neo-Noir have always been one of my favorite genres. Answering a visit -all by a retired General, our protagonist played by the ever-excellent Humprey Boghart, a private detective is asked to take solve a dilemma that's pestering our good-old general.Throw in a dame or two and you have one heck of good neo-noir cocktail.

A tale of Noir is almost never complete without a nosy detective hot on a case especially on a murder, a who-dunnit. Well, this time its all a mystery, the shamus is hired to make some of the troubles go away, but this one trouble leads to something bigger and the only witness is a young gal high as a kite. Its credit to humprey's acting chops and the witty dialogues

that moves the plot along at a high pace without ever making it feel over-stuffed and allowing enough character development.

The only down-side is that there's no singular antagonist in sight, everyone is a shady character. By the end of it, the entire plot seems to revolve around a McGuffin, only this time it happens to be a man.

Thematically, it addresses a varies degrees of deduction, eroticism and as in any neo-noir, a wide array of betrayal, theatricality, trickery, violence and gun-fare. It is to the credit of the screenwriters and actors that the plot maintains the intrigue without giving us any clue as to what could've occurred on THE NIGHT OF. It is truly impeccable how all the loose ends are tied off by the end.

OUTCOME:

Re- watch-ability: (1.5/2)

Element of Surprise: (1.2/2)

Enjoyment : (2/2)

Plot line : (2/2)

Memorability : (1.7/2)

OVERALL: : 8.4 out of 10