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Not to be confused with the 1969 film, 2023’s Marlowe features Liam Neeson as the titular protagonist Philip Marlowe, taken from the fictional character created by Raymond Chandler. The film comes from an award-winning production team with a star-studded cast that includes the likes of Jessica Lange and Diane Kruger, to name a few. Based on the 2014 novel The Black-Eyed Blonde by John Banville, the neo-noir crime thriller is directed by Neil Jordan and written by William Monahan. Set in 1930s Los Angeles, the plot follows Marlowe, a down-on-luck private eye who is hired by a very wealthy heiress to look for her former lover.
In his acting career spanning nearly 50 years, we have seen Neeson play a wide array of roles, from historical and mythological heroes to Jedi masters, as well as hard-boiled detectives in several of his projects. But the upcoming period crime thriller is set to be the actor’s 100th film, which makes it quite special. So, if you are a fan of the Schindler’s List star, then Marlowe is something to add to your watchlist. While you wait for the film to come to the theaters this February, check out our handy guide below to find out about the plot, trailer, release date, cast and characters, and everything we know so far about Marlowe.
When Is Marlowe’s Release Date?
Marlowe is releasing in theaters on February 15, 2023. The movie had its world premiere at the 70th San Sebastian International Film Festival on September 24, 2022, and was originally set for a theatrical release in December 2022.
Watch the Marlowe Trailer
We are living in a time of reinventing classics and reimagining the golden days of Hollywood and the official trailer of Marlowe is one such successful reimagination. The balance of sophisticated characters and their dirty secrets is what makes noirs to appealing and Marlowe fits right into that framework. The two-and-half-minute clip is sleek and slick, with all the glam and glitz of Old Hollywood that dominates the entire setting. The period film, as the trailer nicely portrays, seems to boast all the right elements of a noir thriller – a brooding hero, a glamorous heroine, a very vamp-ish mother of the heroine, a cutthroat politician, and a bunch of bad guys trying to corner in on the hero. And all this, set in the backdrop of a gold-tinted, yesteryear’s Angeltown. If the trailer video is any indication of what to expect from the film, then it would be fair to say that Marlowe has the potential to become the best noir-thriller of the year.
Who's In the Marlowe Cast?
Marlowe boasts an ensemble cast featuring award-winning actors like Diane Kruger (Inglourious Basterds), Jessica Lange (Tootsie), Alan Cumming (The Good Wife), and Danny Huston (The Constant Gardener). Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Wetlands), Francois Arnaud (Midnight, Texas), Ian Hart (The Last Kingdom), Daniela Melchior (The Suicide Squad), Colm Meaney (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), Patrick Muldoon (Days of Our Lives), and Seána Kerslake (The Hole in the Ground) also star in various roles.
Neeson stars as the private investigator Philip Marlowe, the protagonist, in his 100th film role. In the novelization of Marlowe’s character, he is described as a “wisecracking, hard-drinking, tough private eye”, traces of which we see in the trailer. Neeson is the 18th actor to portray the fictional detective, who was earlier played by the likes of Humphrey Bogart, Dick Powell, James Garner, Danny Glover, and Elliot Gould, among many others. Neeson is also set to appear in six upcoming movies, including Thug, In the Land of Saints and Sinners, and The Naked Gun, all of which are currently in production.
National Treasure star Kruger stars as Clare Cavendish, a glamorous blonde heiress who hires Marlowe to find her former lover. Two-times Academy Award-winner Lange plays the role of Dorothy Cavendish, a leading Hollywood star and Clare’s mother. Kruger is next set to portray the role of legendary German actor-singer Marlene Dietrich in the eponymous biographical series, while Lange will be seen next in the film, Long Day’s Journey Into Night. In other roles, Akinnuoye-Agbaje stars as Cedric, Cumming as Lou Hendricks, Huston as Floyd Hanson, Hart as Joe Green, Meaney as Bernie Ohls, Melchior as Lynn Peterson, Arnaud as Nico Peterson, Kerslake as Amanda Toxteh, Muldoon as Richard Cavendish, Jose Manuel Maciá as López and Roberto Peralta Maya as Gómez.
Who's Making Marlowe?
The character of Philip Marlowe takes after the classic fictional detective created by American-British novelist and screenwriter, Raymond Chandler, which was then novelized by Irish novelist William John Banville, in his 2014 book, The Black-Eyed Blonde. The novel is adapted for the screen by Academy Award-winning screenwriter William Monahan. Monahan is best known for writing Martin Scorsese’s The Departed, as well as Body of Lies, London Boulevard, and The Tender Bar.
Academy Award-winning Irish filmmaker, Neil Jordan directs the upcoming noir thriller. Jordan is best known for previously directing The Crying Game, which won him the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, as well as other movies like Interview with the Vampire, The Butcher Boy, The End of the Affair, and Greta, among many more. He is also the creator, writer, and executive producer of the television series Riviera.
If you are wowed by the fascinating camera works and cinematic frames, as the movie’s trailer showcases, it’s because Goya Award-winning Spanish cinematographer, Xavi Giménez is behind the artistry. He is best known for his work in popular movies like The Machinist and Agora, as well as Spanish films like Mirage, The Legacy of the Bones, and The Invisible Guest, among others. Marlowe is produced by Philip Kim, Patrick Hibler, Alan Moloney, Gary Levinsohn, Mark Fasano, and Billy Hines.
When and Where Was Marlowe Filmed?
The principal photography for Marlowe started in November 2021 and went on for two months, with production taking place across Barcelona and Dublin.
What Is the Story of Marlowe?
Set in 1939, in a post-Depression LA, Marlowe follows the titular private eye, Philip Marlowe, who gets entangled in a dangerous game of love, betrayal, and politics when a beautiful blonde woman hires him to find her former lover. Here's the official synopsis of the film, as released with the trailer:
Marlowe is a gripping noir crime thriller set in late 1930’s Los Angeles, centers around a street-wise, down-on-his-luck detective; Philip Marlowe, played by Liam Neeson, who is hired to find the ex-lover of a glamorous heiress (Diane Kruger), daughter of a well-known movie star (Jessica Lange). The disappearance unearths a web of lies, and soon Marlowe is involved in a dangerous, deadly investigation where everyone involved has something to hide.