Marlowe(2023)

Open Road Films

R
Rated R for language, violent content, some sexual material and brief drug use
1h 49m

Release Date: Feb 15, 2023 | Wide

In late 1930s Bay City, a brooding, down on his luck detective is hired to find the ex-lover of a glamorous heiress.

Official Website

Releases

Original Release | Feb 15, 2023

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Box Office Results

Results

Opening Weekend US & Canada:
$1,814,094
Total US & Canada:
$4,350,243
Total International
$2,027,360
Total Worldwide:
$6,377,603

Current Showtimes

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(U.S. Only)

Director & Top Cast

Neil Jordan
Director

Jessica Lange
Actor

Technical Specifications

Sound Mix: Dolby Digital

Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1

Other Details

Country of Origin: Ireland,Spain,France,United States

Language: English

Summaries

Plot Summary

In 1939 Los Angeles, private detective Philip Marlowe (Liam Neeson) is hired by glamorous heiress Clare Cavendish (Diane Kruger) to find her missing lover, Nico Peterson (François Arnaud), a prop master at Pacific Film Studios. He quickly learns that Peterson is dead, having been killed after falling down drunk before a car ran over his head outside the exclusive luxury Corbata Club. Marlowe visits Cavendish to tell her of Peterson's demise, also meeting the Pacific's owner, Philip O'Reilly, the soon-to-be Ambassador to England. O'Reilly is also the financial advisor to Clare's mother. Clare is married to Richard (Patrick Muldoon). Clare tells Richard that Marlowe is helping her find a missing necklace. Marlowe also learns from a homeless guy, living across Peterson's house, that he had seen people coming and going from the house. 2 guys coming to Peterson's house asking for him, had come from Mexico. The car was stolen and was re-sprayed in Mexico.Cavendish reveals she has seen Peterson since his supposed death, driving past her in Tijuana, Mexico. Clare says that Nico was a collector and stored his antiques in his aquarium. Annoyed at her withholding this information, Marlowe goes to leave, running into Cavendish's mother, film star Dorothy Quincannon (Jessica Lange), who fails to learn what service Marlowe is providing to her daughter.Marlowe visits Peterson's grave and encounters a mourning woman but she escapes before he can talk to her. Marlowe convinces his friend, homicide detective Joe Green (Ian Hart), to open a murder investigation now they know the body was not Peterson's. Green admonishes Marlowe for his relentless pursuit of the truth and reveals that the body was identified by the Corbata Club owner, Floyd Hanson (Danny Huston). Marlowe meets with Hanson at the club, the pair failing to extract information from each other. Hanson maintains that Nico is dead, and he died on a public road. He refuses to say who is the owner of the club. Marlowe reveals to Hanson that Nico might be alive. While leaving, Marlowe notices the woman from the grave, Peterson's sister Lynn (Daniela Melchior), and clandestinely agrees to meet with her at the Cabana club later that evening; their discussion is observed by Hanson. When he arrives, Marlowe is assaulted by two men but beats them unconscious.Quincannon tries to hire Marlowe to find Peterson for her instead. She reveals that her contentious relationship with her daughter is because she spent many years pretending Cavendish was her niece on the advice of O'Reilly, Dorothy's former lover. Dorothy says that acknowledging having a daughter would not have been good for her movie career. Dorothy says that Clare is unstable, like her father, who committed suicide before she was born.Quincannon's former private investigator had learned that Peterson was also acting as a talent agent for actress Amanda Toxteth (Seána Kerslake). Toxteth tells Marlowe that Peterson was a serial womanizer and regularly imported cocaine from Tijuana. Amanda also says that Nico was seeing Clare, the actress with the terrible mother Dorothy. She says that O'Reilly kept Dorothy and even bought a studio for, where Dorothy was a slave for many years. Out of leads, Marlowe breaks into Peterson's house and encounters Lynn before the pair are attacked by two Mexican men looking for someone named Serena. Marlowe is knocked unconscious while Lynn is taken captive.After waking, Marlowe is taken by drug lord Lou Hendricks (Alan Cumming) and his henchman Cedric (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje). Hendricks reveals he is after Peterson, his former drug courier, who stole a large amount of cocaine and the Corbata helped fake Peterson's death. Marlowe has his officer friend Bernie Ohls (Colm Meaney) begin searching for Lynn, while Cavendish visits Marlowe to seduce him; he rejects her advances but shares a dance before she leaves. Marlowe secretly follows Cavendish to a rendezvous with O'Reilly and runs into Quincannon who shares her anger at her daughter's relationship with the much older and powerful O'Reilly. The following day, Ohls takes Marlowe to Lynn's body, revealing she was tortured and raped before being killed. Ohls traces the Mexicans to the Corbata club and gives Marlowe his unofficial support to infiltrate the club and avenge Lynn.Marlowe confronts Hanson who offers him a drink. Marlowe says that Lynn was addicted to cocaine and worked for Hanson, who was basically her pimp. Marlowe is suspicious Hanson poisoned it, Marlowe throws it away and feigns that he is dying. Convinced he is dead, Hanson has his men take Marlowe's body through the hedonistic areas of the club to a secret area where the Mexicans have been killed, Hendricks is being tortured, and Cedric has been restrained. Under torture, Hendricks reveals that Serena is actually the mermaid statue Peterson placed in the adjacent fish tank and it contains the missing cocaine. Marlowe frees Cedric and the pair kill Hanson and his men, inadvertently destroying the mermaid and the drugs. Cedric also kills Hendricks after being told he will be indebted for years to repay the value of the drugs. Cedric decides to work with Marlowe so they can look out for each other.Marlowe returns home to find Peterson waiting for him. Peterson admits he does not feel guilty about Lynn's death because of her association with him and asks Marlowe to tell Cavendish to meet him in the studio prop house for information he has gathered about O'Reilly.The fake Peterson was a musician who resembled Peterson. Peterson meets Cavendish and reveals his extensive records of every drug deal performed through the prop house with Hendricks, believing it will destroy the reputation of the studio and O'Reilly. Dorothy sought Nico to expose O'Reilly, while Clare sought Nico to protect O'Reilly.As Marlowe arrives, Cavendish betrays Peterson, shooting him and setting both him and the evidence on fire, immolating the prop house, intending to use this deed to earn favor with O'Reilly and become vice president of the studio. Dorothy starts acting in studio's pictures again. She offers Marlowe a job as the studio's head of security, but he declines, instead recommending Cedric.

Storyline

In 1939 Los Angeles, private detective Philip Marlowe is hired by wealthy heiress Clare Cavendish to find her missing lover, Nico Peterson, a prop master at Pacific Film Studios. Marlowe discovers that Peterson is believed to be dead after allegedly falling down drunk and being run over by a car outside an exclusive club. However, Marlowe is skeptical of the circumstances surrounding Peterson's supposed death and begins to investigate further, despite lack of interest from his friend, homicide detective Joe Green. Marlowe delves deeper into the case, uncovering a web of deceit and corruption among the city's elite. — Frank Liesenborgs In 1939 Los Angeles, private detective Philip Marlowe ( Liam Neeson ) is hired by glamorous heiress Clare Cavendish ( Diane Kruger ) to find her missing lover, Nico Peterson ( François Arnaud ), a prop master at Pacific Film Studios. He quickly learns that Peterson is dead, having been killed after falling down drunk before a car ran over his head outside the exclusive luxury Corbata Club. Marlowe visits Cavendish to tell her of Peterson's demise, also meeting the Pacific's owner, Philip O'Reilly, the soon-to-be Ambassador to England ( Mitchell Mullen ). Cavendish reveals she has seen Peterson since his supposed death, driving past her in Tijuana. Annoyed at her withholding this information, Marlowe goes to leave, running into Cavendish's mother, film star Dorothy Quincannon ( Jessica Lange ), who fails to learn what service Marlowe is providing to her daughter. Marlowe visits Peterson's grave and encounters a mourning woman but she escapes before he can talk to her. Marlowe convinces his friend, homicide detective Joe Green ( Ian Hart ), to open a murder investigation now they know the body was not Peterson's. Green admonishes Marlowe for his relentless pursuit of the truth and reveals that the body was identified by the Corbata Club owner, Floyd Hanson ( Danny Huston ). Marlowe meets with Hanson at the club, the pair failing to extract information from each other. While leaving, Marlowe notices the woman from the grave, Peterson's sister Lynn ( Daniela Melchior ), and clandestinely agrees to meet with her at the Cabana club later that evening; their discussion is observed by Hanson. When he arrives, Marlowe is assaulted by two men but beats them unconscious. Quincannon tries to hire Marlowe to find Peterson for her instead. She reveals that her contentious relationship with her daughter is because she spent many years pretending Cavendish was her niece on the advice of O'Reilly, her former lover. Quincannon's former private investigator had learned that Peterson was also acting as a talent agent for actress Amanda Toxteth ( Seána Kerslake ). Toxteth tells Marlowe that Peterson was a serial womanizer and regularly imported cocaine from Tijuana. Out of leads, Marlowe breaks into Peterson's house and encounters Lynn before the pair are attacked by two Mexican men looking for someone named Serena. Marlowe is knocked unconscious while Lynn is taken captive. On waking, Marlowe is taken by drug lord Lou Hendricks ( Alan Cumming ) and his henchman Cedric ( Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje ). Hendricks reveals he is after Peterson, his former drug courier, who stole a large amount of cocaine and the Corbata helped fake Peterson's death. Marlowe has his officer friend Bernie Ohls ( Colm Meaney ) begin searching for Lynn, while Cavendish visits Marlowe to seduce him; he rejects her advances but shares a dance before she leaves. Marlowe secretly follows her to a rendezvous with O'Reilly, and runs into Quincannon who shares her anger at her daughter's relationship with the much older and powerful O'Reilly. The following day, Ohls takes Marlowe to Lynn's body, revealing she was tortured and raped before being killed. Ohls traces the Mexicans to the Corbata club and gives Marlowe his unofficial support to infiltrate the club and avenge Lynn. Marlowe confronts Hanson who offers him a drink, but suspicious Hanson poisoned it, Marlowe throws it away and feigns that he is dying. Convinced he is dead, Hanson has his men take Marlowe's body through the hedonistic areas of the club to a secret area where the Mexicans have been killed, Hendricks is being tortured, and Cedric has been restrained. Under torture, Hendricks reveals that Serena is actually the mermaid statue Peterson placed in the adjacent fish tank and it contains the missing cocaine. Marlowe frees Cedric and the pair kill Hanson and his men, inadvertently destroying the mermaid and the drugs. Cedric also kills Hendricks after being told he will be indebted for years to repay the value of the drugs. Cedric decides to work with Marlowe so they can look out for each other. Marlowe returns home to find Peterson waiting for him. Peterson admits he does not feel guilty about Lynn's death because of her association with him, and asks Marlowe to tell Cavendish to meet him in the studio prop house for information he has gathered about O'Reilly. The fake Peterson was a musician who resembled Peterson. Peterson meets Cavendish and reveals his extensive records of every drug deal performed through the prop house with Hendricks, believing it will destroy the reputation of the studio and O'Reilly. As Marlowe arrives, Cavendish betrays Peterson, shooting him and setting both him and the evidence on fire, immolating the prop house, intending to use this deed to earn favor with O'Reilly and become vice president of the studio. Marlowe witnesses this but decides not to sell out Cavendish, confiscating her pistol. Cavendish offers Marlowe a job as the studio's head of security but he declines, instead recommending Cedric. He also gives Cavendish's pistol in Cedric's hands as the film ends.