(Robert Altman, US 1973, 112 min., DCP)
“It’s OK by me.” This laconic line, delivered repeatedly by Elliott Gould’s completely fresh version of Raymond Chandler's offbeat private investigator Philip Marlowe, acts as an assuaging mantra in a world, and a case, that is far from OK. Unraveling the threads of a murder-suicide involving his friend Terry Lennox (pitcher and author Jim Bouton) mixes with the police, washed-up writers, quack doctors, and a sadistic gangster who all carry a piece of the puzzle. Vilmos Zsigmond’s camera mirrors Marlowe’s attitude, as it follows his lead, sometimes at a distance. One of director Robert Altman’s finest achievements, the film contrasts Chandler’s Los Angeles with the city of the 1970s, while proving that some things, such as money and desire, never change.