Film Review: Murder, My Sweet (1944)
1944 was one of the better years for Hollywood and among the best for film noir. The genre-defining Double Indemnity was accompanied by a number of film noirs that would earn notable places in film history books. One of those was Murder, My Sweet, a film directed by Edward Dmytryk, also known as the first to feature private detective Philip Marlowe as the protagonist.
The film is based on Farewell, My Lovely, a 1940 novel by Raymond Chandler that was the second in his Marlowe series. It was first adapted in 1942, but only as the plot for The Falcon Takes Over, the third film in the series starring George Sanders as the suave amateur detective Gay Lawrence. 1944 saw the first “proper” adaptation with Marlowe as the actual protagonist, here played by Dick Powell.
The plot begins when Marlowe, temporarily blinded by a gun flash, gives a statement to the police about the complicated case he was involved in. Through flashbacks we see how it all started when Moose Malloy (played by Mike Mazurki), a huge ex-convict, hires him to locate Velma Valento, a girlfriend who disappeared while he was serving a prison sentence. Marlowe reluctantly takes the case and even more reluctantly agrees to serve as bodyguard for the effeminate Lindsay Marriot (played by Douglas Walton), who wants to buy back stolen jewels. Marriot gets killed during the exchange and Marlowe becomes a possible suspect.
Trying to clear his name, he investigates and finds that the case might have something to do with Jules Amthor (played by Otto Kruger), a sinister self-declared psychic healer, while the beautiful Ann Grayle (played by Anne Shirley) wants him to stop investigating. Marlowe discovers that the jewels were apparently owned by Ann’s weak, old father, Leuwen (played by Miles Mander), whose young, attractive and apparently promiscuous wife, Helen (played by Claire Trevor), might have been the object of blackmail.
Murder, My Sweet was produced by RKO Pictures on a relatively low budget, but it doesn’t show, at least not to more experienced viewers. Experienced director Edward Dmytryk handles limited resources very well and creates a distinctively noirish atmosphere through nighttime cinematography and a series of sets. The tempo is fast, but audiences would have no problem following the relatively complicated plot that involves a number of larger-than-life characters with different agendas. The most noirish thing about Murder, My Sweet is the snappy, Chandleresque dialogue by scriptwriter John Paxton, especially when delivered by the protagonist in voice-over in the recognisable genre tradition. Dmytryk also shows an ability to go beyond conventions in the scene when Marlowe is forcibly drugged and has bad dreams and hallucinations – a scene that was, until that point, unusual for 1940s Hollywood.
Murder, My Sweet benefits a lot from a good cast. Dick Powell, an actor and singer who was at the time best known for light comedies and musicals like 42nd Street, was losing his boyish looks and desperately wanted to show a broader acting range. After an unsuccessful attempt to land the main role in Double Indemnity (snatched by Fred MacMurray), he settled for Marlowe as a consolation prize and made the best of it. His portrayal of a tough, world-weary and cynical private detective is not the most iconic or memorable of all Marlowe’s screen incarnations, but it was more than good enough to do the job. Powell was so impressive that he was cast in a series of other film noirs and similar films where he played “tough guys”.
His female co-stars were somewhat less impressive – Anne Shirley is somewhat bland in the role of the “good” girl, while Claire Trevor is only slightly better in the role of the vampish “bad girl”. The general impression is improved by the supporting players, most notably Mike Mazurki, a professional wrestler who was quite intimidating in the role of a gigantic man whose size and capacity for violence were proportional to his ability to be manipulated.
Murder, My Sweet is, like all 1940s film noirs, partially constrained by the strict censorship standards of the Hays Code and doesn’t live up to the high standards set by Double Indemnity. Yet, it is a more than well-made, short and easily digestible genre classic that could still be enjoyed by today’s audience. In 1975, Chandler’s novel received a new adaptation under its original title starring Robert Mitchum.
RATING: 7/10 (+++)
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