Marlowe

One of the most underrated actors from both film and television going back to the late 1950s, James Garner passed away in mid-July at the age of 86. The star of TV's Maverick and The Rockford Files, he's also a scene-stealing member of a great ensemble in one of my two favorite movies, The Great Escape. In a tribute to Garner's impressive career, Turner Classic Movies aired a 24-hour marathon of some of Garner's best -- but NOT The Great Escape -- allowing me to catch up with 1969's Marlowe, a flick I'd never even heard of.

A private detective working in Los Angeles, Phillip Marlowe (Garner) will take just about any case that presents itself in his office. His most recent case though is providing some problems, but not the one he would think. A small-town Oklahoma girl, Orfamay Quest (Sharon Farrell), is worried that something happened to her brother who's gone missing for first a few days and then more than a week. Marlowe looks into the case but doesn't think there's too much to look into, telling Orfamay to go back to Oklahoma and things will figure themselves out. They don't though. Looking into one last lead, Marlowe finds a man he interviewed with an ice pick buried deep in his neck. The next day, another source turns up dead via the exact same fashion. What exactly has Marlowe gotten himself into? Has he gone too far?

From famed noir author Raymond Chandler, the character Phillip Marlowe is synonymous with tough, hard-edged film noirs, both written and on the big screen. The name became even more recognizable when Humphrey Bogart played Marlowe in 1946's The Big Sleep. It is a great, lasting character that's been played by several famous actors. Made 15 years after the heyday of the film noir genre, 'Marlowe' then is an interesting development for the character. Movies by the late 1960s could get away with more and in far more aggressive fashion. But all that said, is this 1969 neo-noir from director Paul Bogart and based off a Chandler novel any good? Well, I'm not a huge fan.

When you look at James Garner's career filmography, I can't really identify one singular role. Yes, he's excellent in The Great Escape. He was good to very good to great in more than a few movies, but he didn't have that one AMAZING performance in a classic film. None of that is a negative. This was a reliable, steady actor who was almost always incredibly likable on screen, and I'm always glad to see him pop up in credits. That's what type of performance this is. His Marlowe is a little worn-out, but still stubborn to a fault and always looking for answers. He's not below some under-handed shenanigans to get the job done and let it be known, he's very good at being a private detective. As the story develops, Garner's Marlowe becomes almost the straight man to all the craziness that he discovers. It's a part that sure seems like a big influence on The Rockford Files, Garner always ready with a quick, disarming and charming smile that can quickly turn into a disgusted shrug.

Beyond Garner though, the movie is a bit of a mess. The supporting players are recognizable but not necessarily interesting unfortunately. One of the first suspects Marlowe starts to look into is a rising TV sitcom star and all-around sex symbol Gayle Hunnicutt who looks worried all the time and refuses to cooperate. There's also Farrell as the shrill, whiny country girl who keeps after Marlowe. In the more interesting department, Rita Moreno plays Dolores, a high-class dancer/stripper, friend of Hunnicutt's and possibly interested in Marlowe. Her striptease at the end is pretty scandalous for the times and ends up being a somewhat reasonable reason to stick with this one.  Because we need someone stupid to make Marlowe look good, Carroll O'Connor and Kenneth Tobey play detectives always one step behind the case. Also look for future Mr. Feeney, William Daniels, in a small part and Bruce Lee even gets a chance to show off his athleticism and karate ability as a henchman sent to intimidate Marlowe.

For all the good things that could have been though, they just don't add up. I liked the locations, but there wasn't enough of them. The tone of the story is all over the place from a phone routine that seems more appropriate for a James Garner/Doris Day flick than a hard-boiled 1969 film noir. The same for a fight scene when Marlowe dispatches a villainous killer after him. The payoff is almost laughable, playing like a comedy spoof as opposed to what it is. As the story develops, one layer of the onion is revealed one after another to the point I wasn't sure who did what and to whom by the end of the movie. There's a twist, a reveal, a payoff, and I felt like I missed it entirely. Who killed who for goodness sake?!?

So, Mr. Garner, I'm sorry to see you go. You were one of my favorites. Onto The Great Escape!

Marlowe (1969): **/****

Way of the Dragon

Taken long before his time, Bruce Lee died at age 32 from cerebral edema.  For a man who was only in a handful of movies in his too-short career, Lee is still remembered fondly for his ability both as a martial artist and generally as a performer.  Like any pop culture icon who died young, what is left behind can too often be heavily criticized or over-analyzed.  His movies are prime examples of the incredible skill he had and was able to perfect in such a short time.  The only other Lee movie I've seen was his classic Enter the Dragon (loved it) but thanks to DVD availability switching at Netflix, I was able to watch 1972's Way of the Dragon.

Movies from foreign markets can be completely hit or miss depending on the print of the movie you're watching and the general quality of the film itself. 'Way' is an odd mix of the two with a carefully-shot, enjoyable movie to look at, but the general quality is lacking.  There's not so much a plot as various excuses for Lee to wail on various, nameless thugs.  There's some horrific dubbing, cringe-inducing attempts at humor, and some jumps in geography that I don't think anyone in their right mind could explain.  That said, the movie is worth seeing almost solely for the quality fight scenes.

Dispatched from Hong Kong, kung fu master Ah Lung (Lee) is sent to Rome to help clear up a problem.  His employer is related to the owners of a small restaurant, young and pretty Chen (Nora Miao) and her getting older uncle Wang (Chung-Hsin Huang), that is being harassed by some local low-level mafiosos.  The business is struggling so Ah Lung intervenes, helping teach the staff some karate techniques and ways of defending themselves against the waves of nameless thugs.  Ah Lung though is the key for he has yet to fight anyone on his own level.  That is until the mafiosos decide to pull out all the stops and hire an American karate expert, Colt (Chuck Norris) to come and face off with him, winner take all.

I'll get the criticisms out of the way first before talking about the good portions of the movie.  First off, the story is basically nonexistent.  The movie is an excuse for Lee to ham it up with some out of place comedy in the first 20 or 30 minutes, and then get to business and start kicking some ass.  Characters are never really developed, the precarious situation isn't all that precarious, and it all feels like an excuse to set up more and more elaborate fight sequences.  As for the dubbing, I've seen my fair share of spaghetti westerns where English-speaking actors dubbed over the voices of Italian actors with mixed results.  This one was one of the worst.  Lee's voice just sounds odd and completely takes you out of the movie.  Making it worse, the subtitles were like a cliff note's version of what was actually being said.  The horrifically bad dubbing eventually just wears you down with its badness, making almost every scene with dialogue laughable.

But come on now, this is a Bruce Lee movie and no one signs up for...um, talking...I guess.  The fight scenes are this movie's bread and butter.  It takes too long to get to the fights, but when they do pop up they're worth it.  Lee's ability as a fighter -- even in expertly staged, choreographed sequences -- has rarely been matched on screen.  Watching him fight, you just get that feeling that you're watching a master do what he does best.  The fights have since inspired countless other scenes in countless other movies.  They've got everything from the great stuntwork to the very distinct sound effect of a fist smashing into someone's face.  You know that sound, don't deny it.  Sure, the thugs attack one at a time, rendering their attempts useless, but what kung fu/karate movie doesn't utilize that tactic.  After all, they are just nameless thugs waiting to be punched, kicked or maimed.

The highlight of all this action is the finale with Lee's Ah Lung battling Norris' Colt in the Roman Colosseum.  The build-up to this scene is great -- including using a sample of Ennio Morricone's Once Upon a Time in the West score -- as Ah Lung and Colt circle each other through the Roman ruins waiting for the other one to strike.  The actual fight sequence was filmed on a set somewhere with a backdrop serving as the Colosseum, but even knowing they weren't really there, the sequence is a doozy.  It's just close enough to be the real thing, and the one-on-one fight is so well-handled you don't even notice.  The entire sequence from beginning to end is nearly 15 minutes long (watch some HERE) and is by far the best thing going for the movie.  As for that geographical misstep, Lee chases a bad guy into the Colosseum from an Italian villa.  Now I've never been to Rome, but I could have sworn the ruins were in downtown Rome.  Ah, no big deal, it works here even if it makes no sense at all.  And also, don't watch the ending if you're a fan of any of the many Chuck Norris-isms.  You'll be sorely disappointed.

So overall, a really eclectic mix of the good and bad that comes with lower-budget foreign movies.  At its worst, this movie is pretty bad, and I struggled getting through the early portions of the story.  The final run time is 98 minutes so we're not talking a long, epic movie, but it sure did feel like it at times.  For me, the only way I can recommend this movie is because of Bruce Lee's immense talent and some still unmatched fight sequences, especially the finale.  Know what to expect from 'Way' and you won't be disappointed. Just don't expect a classic like Enter the Dragon.

Way of the Dragon <---trailer (1972): **/****