Out of the episodes I have seen of "Phillip Marlowe: Private Eye", this is the best.
The atmosphere of "Blackmailers Don't Shoot" feels true to the Raymond Chandler stories it was based on. Noire fans will definitely find it worth a look. If you have a favorite sordid dealing, it's in here. Blackmail, stalking, abduction, drugs, and murder. And all crammed into forty-five minutes of tight storytelling.
The leading lady is the most attractive actress to ever appear on the series. She plays a glamorous movie star who provides a major headache for Investigator Phillip Marlowe. Powers Boothe, as always, is a perfect embodiment of Raymond Chandler's hero. However, he's trapped in the long, trench coated and fedora'd shadow of Humphrey Bogart.
For those craving action with their hard-edged humor and hard-boiled crime story, Marlowe delivers in spades. There are fistfights and shoot-out galore. The mystery is also among Chandler's slickest. However, as was Chandler's great flaw, the mystery provides too many plot complications, and the episode ties everything up to neatly. Plot- wise, anyway. Emotionally, the episode ends unresolved, leaving us feeling like a good Raymond Chandler book would, unsure whether to laugh or to cry.
The atmosphere of "Blackmailers Don't Shoot" feels true to the Raymond Chandler stories it was based on. Noire fans will definitely find it worth a look. If you have a favorite sordid dealing, it's in here. Blackmail, stalking, abduction, drugs, and murder. And all crammed into forty-five minutes of tight storytelling.
The leading lady is the most attractive actress to ever appear on the series. She plays a glamorous movie star who provides a major headache for Investigator Phillip Marlowe. Powers Boothe, as always, is a perfect embodiment of Raymond Chandler's hero. However, he's trapped in the long, trench coated and fedora'd shadow of Humphrey Bogart.
For those craving action with their hard-edged humor and hard-boiled crime story, Marlowe delivers in spades. There are fistfights and shoot-out galore. The mystery is also among Chandler's slickest. However, as was Chandler's great flaw, the mystery provides too many plot complications, and the episode ties everything up to neatly. Plot- wise, anyway. Emotionally, the episode ends unresolved, leaving us feeling like a good Raymond Chandler book would, unsure whether to laugh or to cry.
