Marlowe

Marlowe

Year: 2023

Runtime: 110 min

Language: English

Director: Neil Jordan

MysteryThrillerCrime

In 1930s Los Angeles, private investigator Philip Marlowe accepts a complex case involving the disappearance of a woman’s former lover. The missing man is connected to a wealthy heiress and her powerful Hollywood family. As Marlowe investigates, he navigates a dangerous world of secrets and lies, finding himself caught in a perilous game with deadly consequences and uncovering a tangled web of deceit.

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Marlowe (2023) – Spoiler-Free Movie Summary & Plot Overview

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In the smoky haze of 1930s Los Angeles, the city’s glittering façades hide a maze of whispered deals and half‑remembered promises. The streets pulse with the roar of engines and the soft jazz drifting from speakeasies, while the looming silhouettes of studio lots remind everyone that fame is a fragile commodity. Amid this restless backdrop, a lone gumshoe walks the line between glamour and grit, his instincts honed by years of navigating both the law and the undercurrents of a city that never sleeps.

When the poised heiress Clare Cavendish walks into his office, she brings a request that seems simple on the surface: locate her lover who vanished without a trace. The man in question, Nico Peterson, is a prop master whose work ties him to the glamorous yet cut‑throat world of Pacific Film Studios. What begins as a routine missing‑person inquiry quickly hints at a tangled web of family expectations, Hollywood ambition, and the silent pressures that keep the elite’s secrets from surfacing.

Philip Marlowe approaches the case with his trademark blend of dry wit and relentless curiosity, trusting his intuition as much as any badge or contract. He moves through opulent mansions, dimly lit clubs, and the bustling backlots, picking up fragments of conversation that suggest more than just a lost lover—there are hints of hidden histories, unspoken loyalties, and the kind of concealed motives that can turn a simple search into a perilous game. Every encounter feels like a dance between revelation and denial, and the detective’s growing sense that the truth lies deeper than anyone is willing to admit.

The tone of the story is steeped in classic noir elegance, where the romantic sheen of old Hollywood collides with the darker currents that run beneath it. As Marlowe follows the faint trail left by the missing man, the audience is invited to share his sense of unease and fascination, wondering just how far the shadows of Los Angeles stretch when wealth, power, and desire converge.

Last Updated: August 09, 2025 at 20:55

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Marlowe Summary

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Characters, Settings & Themes in Marlowe

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Characters, Settings & Themes in Marlowe

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