Who would play Phillip Marlow today? And would the film be modern or a period piece?

[jobycom]

[wildhorses]

1. what about robert downey, jr and, i would go with a stylized

period piece...but would not object to modern:shrug:

[jobycom]

6. That's a choice I hadn't thought of

He does look good in 30s in garb, and he can act. Good pick. He'd have to do it period, I would think. He's got a formality that doesn't work as well in a modern setting.

[blueraven95]

38. I don't know, he could do modern

go see Kiss Kiss, Bang, Bang. Trust me.

[Spider Jerusalem]

2. How about Clive Owen?

"Sin City" showed he can play an American and pull off the film-noir thing. He'd probably be able to bring the right touch of world-weary cynicism to the role, too. I don't know about updating the film; something like "The Big Sleep" probably works better set in late '30's LA.

[wildhorses]

yes, i thought of him,too...

he would work just as well, if not better

[wildhorses]

3. self delete

sometimes i amaze myself:silly:

[wildhorses]

4. self delete

damn triple post:wow:

[Auggie]

5. Bruce Willis. Period

[mitchum]

10. I'm sure he would appreciate the opportunity to wear a fedora...

throughout a movie :)
Sorry, I just can't stand that slob. And his politics have nothing to do with my dislike.

[Auggie]

32. No offense taken. Clive Owen seems to be the answer anyway.

[mitchum]

7. No one should...

but you probably knew I would say that

[jobycom]

8. That you, Bobby?

After Mitchum and Bogart, it'd be hard to follow.

[mitchum]

9. Big Bob and Bogart are indeed hard acts to follow...

and even Robert Montgomery and Elliot Gould (in Altman's update)turned in decent performances.
As much as I love noir, it really has been done to death by this point. What is often forgotten is that originally noir was MODERN, but now it always smacks of period even when it is "updated" as neo-noir, postnoir, neo-postnoir, or whatever. Kinda like a pirate movie or something with jousting knights trying to come across as gritty.

[NYCGirl]

11. No surprise that I agree with you. Montgomery's "Lady in the Lake" was a

strange exercise — and even Dick Powell wasn't too bad.

[mitchum]

14. "Lady in the Lake" was indeed strange, and you're right...

Dick Powell wasn't bad as Marlowe either (despite my forgetting about him)

[jobycom]

12. I hear you, but it could be done. "Casino Royale" was a modernized

noir. There's no need to stick to a formula, even done as a period piece. Chandler's novels have a lot of historical setting, and some timeless characters. The whole reality of police work has changed, so many devices in the novels couldn't work in a modern piece, but "Casino Royale" managed a way around that with Flemming's novel, by putting Bond into a situation where he couldn's too many modern gadgets, and where the ones he did use didn't take over the film.

[Richard Steele]

13. Modern version: Harvey Keitel.

[jobycom]

15. Marlowe's in his mid 30s, Keitel is nearly 70. If that would work, I'd pick Harrison Ford

Who basically played Marlowe in "Blade Runner," anyway.

[mitchum]

17. y'know, "Blade Runner" really IS the best update of Chandler...

However, a friend of mine swore that when the beautiful woman goes crashing through the glass- "Man, that's like Mickey Spillane's ultimate wet dream!"

[jobycom]

19. Heh. Your friend has a point.

But still, Ford seemed more Marlowe than Hammer.

[Richard Steele]

18. Well, I'm starting from the premise that the entire project would be a bad idea to begin with.....

...and its only hope for success would be a very 'different' take
on the subject matter.

I really can't think of anyone who whould be 'right' for the role
today. If it actually happened (and was GOOD), it would likely be
some relatively unknown actor who surprised us all with the performance
of his career.

[jobycom]

21. Seems a recurring opinion on this thread, and it may be the right one.

I cringe at the period detective films recently, like "The Black Dahlia" and the George Reeves story. Even films like "Sin City," which isn't specifically retro, but still follows that mold, are bad, to me. They are too pretentiously noir, I think, whereas noir itself wasn't aware it was noir. The term wasn't coined until film noir had passed its peak.

Still, I was impressed with Casino Royale, which shaved off all the baggage of previous Bond films and went back to the original book, modernizing it while keeping the same basic literary elements. True, it's still twenty years younger than Chandler's novels. I just wonder if someone could do it.

[mitchum]

22. I honestly don't think anyone could pull off the whole "I walk down...

these mean streets without becoming mean myself" ethos.
I've argued with many "classicists" that, yes Spillane/Hammer was a brute, but the brutuality was actually a natural "progression" that reflected the coarsening of culture. A reflection of reality. Sad, but true.

[jobycom]

23. Culture jumps around like a rabbit.

Some films in recent years have succeeded by leaving the brute behind. "Speed," for instance, or Will Turner in the "Pirates" series, or the main guy in "The Da Vinci Code." Or even Harry Potter. That's actually why I've been thinking about it, because I think films have worn out the wise-cracking, dirty glass of whiskey for breakfast, meaner than the bad guys characters. I don't like the "Dragnet" kind of clean character, but Marlowe was never that. He got dirty, he just wasn't dirty.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

16. Clooney would be good...

Doncha think?

And definitely a period piece.

[jobycom]

20. Maybe. Depends on the director.

Clooney is a good actor, and can play smooth and tough, but when he tries to act too tough, he blows it. I'm thinking of "The Peacemaker" and whichever Batman film he was in. He was good in "Ocean's Eleven" (haven't seen the sequels yet), and some of his later stuff. Marlowe isn't really smooth, he's got a blue-collar edge to him. Not Clooney's strong point, but then again, he did it in "O! Brother, Where Art Thou?" as comedy.

[Robeson]

27. Spot on. My first thought too....

...would make an excellent one.

[Bryan]

24. Not to kill the thread or nothin, but apparently, the answer is: Clive Owen

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117957929.html?categoryid=13&cs=1

Universal Pictures and Strike Entertainment have found a new vehicle for Clive Owen: Raymond Chandler's hardboiled private eye Philip Marlowe.

Strike has made a deal with Phil Clymer at U.K.-based Chorion to get rights to a Chandler mystery series that includes "The Big Sleep" and "Farewell My Lovely." Strike's Marc Abraham and Eric Newman will produce the film, with Owen exec producing. The project is in a nascent stage -- they are courting writers and filmmakers -- and they haven't decided which title to adapt.

But they sparked to having Owen narrate the dramas in Chandler's testosterone-laced prose, something Owen did well in "Sin City." The plan is to keep the noir spirit of the Chandler books, and keep the mysteries set in the 1940s in Los Angeles, with Marlowe continuing to be the hard-drinking, wisecracking gumshoe.

[mitchum]

25. Well, there's no business like show business like old business...

[jobycom]

33. Well, there it is. LOL. His role in "Sin City" was the only thing watchable

about that film for me (I understood and appreciated what Rodriguez was doing, I just didn't like it).

Period peace, Clive Owen. Hope they do it well. Wonder if it will be a Mystery-type series or an actual big budget movie. 1940's LA is a fascinating setting in itself, I hope they can capture it, and not just do a lot of formula noir stylization.

[murielm99]

26. Tom Hanks, because he can do anything.

His presence grows and changes to fit the role.

Marlowe isn't supposed to be too young or handsome. He is rough around the edges.

I think it would be a fun challenge for one of my favorite actors.

[jobycom]

34. Yeah, he could. And he has the ability to nuance, which fits a period piece.

Modern actors like over-the-top performances, Hanks can be subtle (and over-the-top, when he wants).

I agree with you, Hanks is one of the best in Hollywood. I don't understand the flap he gets around here, except that anyone who becomes popular gets trashed around here.

[chknltl]

28. Jean Luc Piccard, period piece from a future time.

I hear he kept his fedora

[pokerfan]

29. I don't care who plays him

as long as the Coen brothers are producing/directing.

[jobycom]

35. Coen brothers, eh? They could add a dimension to the film noir format

that might work, with their ability to spoof a genre while respectfully reproducing it at the same time.

[BlueIris]

30. Sean Penn. Period piece.

My best guess anyway.

[terrya]

31. I can picture Greg Kinnear, actually.

Weirdly enough.

But as we've seen, Greg Kinnear has developed into quite a fine actor.

[jobycom]

36. That's like wildhorse's choice of Robert Downey, Jr.

I wouldn't have thought of him, but you're right, he could bring something to the role. His acting has only gotten better over time, and he looks good in a trenchcoat and hat, if they go that route.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

37. Or Garrison Keillor...in a spoof!

As Guy Noire...

[Joe Chi Minh]

39. Powers Booth. He'd look meaner than the baddies.

[gmoney]

40. Track down Ian Shoales

Maybe not the most handsome guy, but would definitely do a great job with the rapid-fire dialogue, and he looks like a rumpled cheap detective... I gotta go!