Murder, My Sweet Family Review

After being hired to find an ex-con's former girlfriend, Philip Marlowe is drawn into a deeply complex web of mystery and deceit.This adaptation of the Raymond Chandler novel 'Farewell, My Lovely', renamed for the U.S. market to prevent audiences mistaking it for a musical (for which Powell was already famous) has private eye Philip Marlowe "hired" (almost at the point of forcible servitude) by the menacing, thuggish Joe "Moose" Malloy, a crook just out of prison after a eight year stretch, who suffers from a serious case of tunnel vision, to wit, he is obsessed with finding his former girlfriend, Velma, whom he hasn't seen in years. The case is tougher than Marlowe expected as his initially promising inquiries lead to a complex web of deceit involving bribery, perjury and theft, and where no one's motivation is clear.—Mark Thompson (updated by R.M. Sieger)In police custody and facing a possible murder charge, private investigator Philip Marlowe tells them his story. He was hired by Moose Malloy, who's been in prison for a number years, to find his girl Velma Valento. Soon after, Lindsay Marriott hires him for protection when he's to meet someone in a secluded area to buy back a lady's jewelry. It doesn't go well and the trouble really starts when Marriott is killed. Ann Grayle is next in line claiming that the missing jewelry belonged to her father and her stepmother Helen. The trail leads him to Jules Amthor - Moose works for him - someone well-known to the police who specializes in putting women in precarious situations and then blackmailing them. Helen Grayle appears to have been his latest victim. Not all is as it seems however.—garykmcdWith his eyes bandaged, Los Angeles based private investigator Philip Marlowe is under police interrogation as a murder suspect. Marlowe tells them the story as he knows. In quick succession, he is hired by two different clients for two potentially lucrative cases. The first client is hulking Moose Malloy, an ex-con who hires him to find his ex-fiancée Velma Valento, of who he lost track while he was in prison for eight years. The second client is Lindsay Marriott, who hires him for a one night job, to accompany him to Laurel Canyon to act as the go-between to repurchase some jewels that were stolen from a friend. Marlowe later learns that friend is Helen Grayle, the young second wife of wealthy sixty-five year old Leuwen Grayle, and the jewels are a jade necklace worth approximately $100,000 that Mr. Grayle, a jade collector, gave to her as a gift. In meeting the Grayles, Marlowe also meets Mr. Grayle's daughter, Ann Grayle, who detests her stepmother. Ann goes as far as secretly advising Marlowe not to associate with Helen, and will pay him to break those ties with Helen. Marlowe also discovers that Marriott is associated with a self-described "quack", a psychic consultant name Jules Amthor, who is known to the police. The two cases start to intersect in ways Marlowe never expect. When one of the players is found murdered, Marlowe has to piece together who is the one manipulating the situation to his/her benefit to discover who committed that murder. The last piece in him being able to do so is how the jade necklace fits into the picture.—HuggoPrivate detective Philip Marlowe is hired by a violent and seemingly slow-witted ex-con, Joe "Moose" Malloy, to seek out his former girlfriend Velma Valento. Malloy spent eight years in prison and lost contact with her. Marlowe goes to the night-club where Velma worked but the owner died years ago; then he visits the widow that tells that she does not know Velma. However Marlowe finds a photo of Velma and the woman says that she is dead. The following morning, Marlowe is visited in his office by Lindsay Marriott, who offers Marlowe $100 to work as his bodyguard in an isolated area where he will pay an amount to retrieve the stolen jewels. However, as they so often will, things go wrong and Marriott is killed. Marlowe is knocked out. After reviving, he goes to the police station to report the murder; the detectives ask if he knows a man called Jules Amthor and advise him to stay away from the man. Marlowe meets Ann Grayle in his office asking about the murder while she poses as a reporter. She brings him home and introduces him to her wealthy older father, Leuwen Grayle, and his young wife, her detested stepmother, Helen. Marlowe learns that a rare and expensive jade necklace was reportedly stolen from Helen Grayle when she was dancing with Marriott. Leuwen hires him to retrieve the jewels. While Marlowe is leaving the house, he stumbles upon Amthor. Malloy then forces Marlowe to go to Amthor's house. Marlowe is drugged but escapes and starts to think about different angles of this convoluted mystery. Who might have stolen the jade necklace? What happened to Velma Valento?—Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (updated by R.M. Sieger)1 moreAll