The Long Goodbye (1973)

Robert Altman's 1973 film *The Long Goodbye* offers a strikingly anachronistic and deeply melancholic reimagining of Raymond Chandler's iconic detective, Philip Marlowe. Here, Altman's Philip Marlowe, portrayed by Elliott Gould, is a modern, almost shambling figure lost in a sun-drenched, cynical 1970s Los Angeles. The plot kicks into gear when Detective Philip Marlowe tries to help a friend, Terry Lennox (Jim Bouton), who is accused of murdering his wife. What begins as a simple act of loyalty quickly spirals into a labyrinthine investigation involving mobsters, a beautiful but troubled heiress (Nina van Pallandt), and a world where loyalty and morality seem to have become commodities. The film eschews the hard-boiled certainty of traditional noir, presenting a protagonist who is often bewildered and out of sync with the callous world around him, forever muttering to himself and his cat. *The Long Goodbye* firmly belongs on any "Best Robert Altman Movies" list due to its masterful subversion of genre, distinct stylistic choices, and profound thematic depth. Altman expertly deconstructs the classic private eye narrative, replacing gritty heroism with apathetic cynicism and the traditional "whodunit" with a meditation on loyalty and moral decay. Elliott Gould's performance is a quintessential Altman anti-hero – naturalistic, idiosyncratic, and subtly improvisational. The film embodies Altman's signature style: naturalistic, overlapping dialogue that creates an immersive, often chaotic soundscape; Vilmos Zsigmond's hazy, dreamlike cinematography that gives Los Angeles a perpetually washed-out, uncaring sheen; and a cynical gaze at the American dream and its illusions. Its controversial, brutally honest ending, which flies in the face of conventional genre expectations, further solidifies its place as one of Altman's most distinctive, challenging, and enduring masterpieces, truly reflecting his unique vision of American life.