MovieChat Forums > The Long Goodbye (1973) Discussion > Coolest Film Character Ever?

Coolest Film Character Ever?

posted 20 years ago by Armyofthe12Monkeys
26 replies | jump to latest

I just watched this movie for the first time ever a few weeks ago, and while watching it I was amazed at how cool Marlowe is. I have yet to see the big sleep but from what I hear Bogart's Marlowe is very different than Gould's. And aside from the fact that the film was amamzing this Marlowe may have unseated Jule's Winfield as the single coolest character ever, at least in my book.

"Where did you learn your trade you stupid f***ing c**t!?" - Richard Roma

[–] TigerMann 20 years ago

Hmm ... not exactly sure if the "coolness" of the character was intended. Personally, one of the many reasons why I loved Gould in this film was because he's so out of sorts ... staggering along. He's a fish out of water. Gould's Marlowe IS a loser ... just like it's stated in the movie. Why? Because he cares. I respect everyone's opinion ... but if you really want bad-ass, go rent "Point Blank" with Lee Marvin. If you really want cool ... go rent "Bullitt."

[–] 20 years ago

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[–] Jim A 20 years ago

Read the books, and see Murder, My Sweet with Dick Powell. Marlowe is the original terminally cool detective. Bullitt was great, but probably derivative of Marlowe. Marlowe know that the only thing a man could depend on was himself. He did the job, saw it through to the end, and yes he was kind of a small time loser, but it didn't matter. He could look himself in the mirror in the morning without flinching. Seriously, read the book. It's a lot longer than the movie with a lot more detail. The plot is a lot more involved, too.

[–] McGonigle 20 years ago

I kept hearing about how great Dick Powell was in Murder My Sweet, and when I saw it, quite frankly, I thought he was kind of a pussy.

Don't try to read my mind because it's full of disappearing ink

[–] Noir-It-All 15 years ago

Really? He was pretty sharp but, yes, he DID get knocked around a lot.

"Two more swords and I'll be Queen of the Monkey People." Roseanne

[–] MangeyOldeQat 20 years ago

da real deal is dat da koolest character in TLG is da qat!!!!

Mangey Olde Qat
http://feline.visit.ws

[–] captain-elguapo 17 years ago

Yeah I agree elliot gould was pretty cool in this movie, very likeable. What happened though? Going from very cool to playing ross's dad on friends??? Damn thats a fall from grace

[–] toshiro-mi-fune 17 years ago

Gould's Marlowe is cool but nothing compared to Jean Paul Belmondo and Michel Poiccard in Godard's A Bout de Souffle

[–] rjameshhall666 17 years ago

Nice one egghead.

[–] gazz_brown 20 years ago

Coolest character?

What about Marlow as Sam Sapde in The Maltese Falcon. Humphrey Bogart is your man if you want cool

[–] TigerMann 19 years ago

Sorry, man ... but Bogart is WAY too overrated. Cool, yes. But painstakingly so. He embodied the quintessential private detective. And he did it well. But it's too cliched, man. Dick Powell performed well as Marlowe. I perfer Powell's portrayal to Bogart's ... simply because Powell seemed like a natural smart ass. And Marlowe is, among many other things, a smart ass. Check out Powell's radio performances as Richard Diamond.

I don't think that Gould's Philip Marlowe can be considered "cool" in that way. He is ground in Chandler's mythos ... perhaps a little differently, but all of his characteristics are present.

[–] TearsInRain 19 years ago

I think Gould's performance is AMAZING in thsi movie, this is sucha hidden gem, and an underated movie. Gould is soooooo good

http://www.imdb.com/mymovies/list?l=9635205

[–] peterg667 18 years ago

I think perhaps the coolest part of Gould's Marlowe is the way he strikes a match to light a cigarette of pretty much everything, (doors, tables, walls)without seeming to give much of a damn. In the very first shot you can see how the wall of his bedroom is just covered in little scratch marks from the matches

[–] BornFree-2 15 years ago

In this movie Gould is way cooler than Belmondo in A bout de souffle. I also love Marvin and Bogart, both cool in their own way.

[–] ridge-m-1 10 years ago

I had to chuckle when Marlowe struck a match off the wall of the Wade's chic abode in Malibu in the presence of Eileen.

Although a chain smoker, and after viewing the picture many times, I have never seen Marlowe use an ashtray.

I think it's cool that he is always smoking no matter where he is and the fact that Altman is poking some fun at film noir with all of Marlowe's cigarettes.

[–] Noir-It-All 14 years ago

Dick Powell had a way with dialog bar none.

"Two more swords and I'll be Queen of the Monkey People." Roseanne

[–] 17 years ago

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[–] johnnylightning76 15 years ago

I loved Gould in this film. He was a cool/lovable/smart ass loser.

My vote for coolest characters:
Paul Newman - Cool Hand Luke
Jack Nicholson - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Clint Eastwood - The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

I almost forgot. When I stumbled, I attached a magnetic capsule to your plane.

[–] vbfhenrmreturns 15 years ago

I am not a fan of Gould but I really enjoyed this movie and I liked his performance. He was a really cool detective!

[–] nutsberryfarm 11 years ago

balls baby! balls!!!!!!!!!!!!

Where there's smoke, there's barbecue!

[–] 14 years ago

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[–] colt_89 14 years ago

I've gotta agree with, Marlowe in this film is very cool in a weird way. I honestly think the constant smoking helps do it lol. He's just a very fun character to watch, and Gould was perfect.

[–] mpeachhead 14 years ago

He's pretty cool as Trapper John in Altman's MASH as well.

[–] chriswaco2 14 years ago

If you want to see a really good Elliot Gould movie, watch "The Silent Partner".

As for the coolest film character ever, I say either Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry or Robert Redford in Butch Cassidy. Bogart in Casablanca wouldn't be a bad choice either.