Marlowe-66

Sappy and sentimental? Of course. The conflict is off screen; it's the war. And the war is what America was about in 1943. 600,000 young men stripped from their homes and killed. In every neighborhood at least one. Ah, you had to be there. In a way I feel sorry for you sad cynics who weren't. It was the last time we saw an America to believe in. My war came later and ruined all that. This movie's a time trip, sentimental and bittersweet. But, remember, behind its saccharine coating is the...horror.

Ordinarily I try to avoid softcore. Much too silly for my taste. Dry sex is a sufficient euphemism, I suppose. But this film caught me by surprise, although I was warned by a softcore fan with a droll sense of humor who recommended it. I was therefore knocked down by the script and the performances.

What are these women doing in this silly genre? Tracy Ryan's monologue about her high school sweetheart was pitch perfect. My heart broke when she said, "Hi, Chad." The other three women are equally nuanced and gifted. They can be proud of their work on this film. And so can the director and writer. Because I believe in rating each movie on its own terms, within its own genre, this is a ten. I was very moved by its simplicity and its charm. I wholeheartedly recommend it to both cynics and sentimentalists.

This is an amusing, if trashy, steal of Raymond Chandler's classic novel, "The Lady In The Lake.: If you're going to steal, steal from the best, right? Hammett comes in for it too: Is Sam Sharpe sharper than a Sam Spade?