What a great film! I love the snappy lines of film noir and this film did not disappoint :) It got a little convoluted in one part but overall held together pretty well.

That's the trouble with watching old movies: you are always going to compare them to others you've seen. I found Farewell, My Lovely to be inferior in almost every way to Murder My Sweet when it comes to performances. Mitchum was probably 20 years too old to be playing Marlowe; there is very little snap in his dialogues with other actors whereas Dick Powell had a wonderful blend of sarcasm and directness. Charlotte Rampling has played women in jeopardy throughout her career, but here she's playing a hard-bitten villain and she just can't rise to the demands of the part. This is a great casting flaw. Mike Mazurki was a marvellous Malloy, far and away superior to the bland O'Halloran here. Sylvia Miles supplies enough vitality to keep things going in her scenes. Art direction and music are no more than perfunctory. Noir fans should stick to the Dmytryk version from 1943; it has evocative b/w photography and a better pace.

This looks like one of those movies that gets better with age. Raymond Chandler is my favourite author, and all the Marlowe books are favourites except Playback. The best two are probably Farewell my lovely and The long goodbye. Age wise, Mitchum was probably better suited to playing Marlowe in the long goodbye. There was a version before this with Dick Powell playing the legendary private eye. Powell up to then had been known as a crooner. This version was called "murder my sweet" in the states, in case the title "farewell my lovely" gave audiences the idea that it was another Powell musical. Both versions are favourites of mine. I'll have to watch the version again to compare. Mitchum is terrific in the lead role. THe rest of the cast are solid. There is a great 1940's atmosphere. fav

Philip Marlowe is the embodiment of a 1930's-40's Private Eye/Film Noir Gumshoe. Raymond Chandler's Cynical, Wise-Cracking Dick has become a cultural Eye-Con. "All I got is a hat, coat, and a gun" says Robert Mitchum's Marlowe and We believe it. We also believe this vision and reflection of Vintage Film Noir. A Retro Look at the Decades old Genre that rarely looked or felt so authentic, a Time Jump for the Modern Generation that dreams in Color.If You're looking for an introduction to this Era's Style (Film-Noir) in its recent incarnations, that have become embraced and revered by Fans and Devotees, this overlooked and Under-Appreciated Film is a great place to begin.