THE LONG GOODBYE (1973) It's okay with me!

Mix together Robert Altman, Raymond Chandler and Elliot Gould, and you’ve got a hip '70s reincarnation of the hardboiled P.I. born on paper in '39, Philip Marlowe. The plot of THE LONG GOODBYE sounds simple enough, Marlowe trying to help a friend who is accused of murdering his wife. But oh, the twists and turns, not to mention commentary on life in the '70s, along the way – and oh, what an unexpected ending. Gould's a hoot as the mumbling Marlowe who at one point tries (unsuccessfully) to trick his cat into eating a can of cheap brand of food by switching labels. Altman's trademarks are rife: dense, overlapping dialogue; sudden jolts in action; and quirky characters played by such quirky character actors as Sterling Hayden, Mark Rydell and Henry Gibson. (Trivia note: The soundtrack of the film consists of two songs, Hooray for Hollywood and a song titled The Long Goodbye, composed by John Williams. Each time the latter song is used it's played in a very different arrangement and instrumentation, making it at times almost unrecognizable.)