The Big Sleep (1946)

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  • Trailer 1

Movie Info & Cast

Director:

Howard Hawks

Writer:

William Faulkner, Leigh Brackett, Jules Furthman

Release Date:

Aug 31, 1946

Runtime:

1hr 54m

Synopsis

Private detective Philip Marlowe is hired by a rich family. Before the complex case is over, he's seen murder, blackmail, and what might be love.

Cast

  • Humphrey Bogart
  • Lauren Bacall
  • John Ridgely
  • Martha Vickers
  • Dorothy Malone
  • Peggy Knudsen
  • Regis Toomey
  • Charles Waldron
  • Charles D. Brown
  • Bob Steele

Letterboxd User Reviews

4.0
152.3K
67.0K
40.8K
RATINGS 705 FANS
4.0
  • Nov 4, 2017

    my left brain: this makes no sense my right brain: lauren bacall is so beautiful

    2.5K Likes
    eely 👻
    eely 👻

    Great movie for those of us who like to use pen and paper to keep track of what's happening.

    2.5K Likes
    Jizzmonkey
    Jizzmonkey
    Jan 27, 2014

    also goes by its subtitle: "Or Los Angeles is populated by scores of ridiculously beautiful women in everyday jobs like librarians, rare booksellers, cab drivers, coat-check girls, and cigarette girls that ALL want to fuck the shit out of Humphrey Bogart for some reason."

    2.0K Likes
    Timcop
    Timcop
  •
    Mar 30, 2022

    At no point did I have even the slightest idea what was going on. 4 stars

    1.4K Likes
    brendan o'hare
    brendan o'hare
    Jan 2, 2025

    Feels like a detective video game where, instead of focusing on the main quest, you’re watching someone try to unlock the secret ending that happens if you seduce every woman you encounter

    1.2K Likes
    Hesse
    Hesse
    Feb 8, 2020

    hawks understands more than anyone that the plot of a film doesn't matter, so keep it nonsensical; that the emotions of a film do matter, so keep them volcanic

    824 Likes
    comrade_yui
    comrade_yui
  •
    Feb 15, 2016

    If anyone ever sees anything sexier than Bogart and Bacall sitting in a bar, drinking, smoking and talking, please let me know and I will send you five dollars.

    610 Likes
    Anna Imhof 🌸
    Anna Imhof 🌸
    Apr 1, 2013

    I collect blondes and bottles too. -Philip Marlowe The second film to feature Raymond Chandler's hard boiled detective Philip Marlowe in less then two years, but usually the one that's remembered as Marlowe's earliest incarnation. The first film, Murder, My Sweet, is…

    581 Likes
    🎃 Count DuLacula 🦇
    🎃 Count DuLacula 🦇
    Nov 12, 2022

    one of the ultimate 'i have no idea what happens in the story, but the vibes are impeccable' films. bogie and bacall's romance is a cinematic gift; we need more movies that don't explain themselves to the audience, more movies that are willfully obscure and obtuse. there's…

    578 Likes
    comrade_yui
    comrade_yui

Queue Community Reviews

87%
Community 638
❤️ LOVE
31%
👍 LIKE
56%
😐 MEH
12%
👎 DISLIKE
2%
Top Reviews
  • ty
    ty loved
    The Big Sleep

    bruh marlowe was not that hot how did he get all of those lovely ladies swooning over him

    😭 1 3Y
    James New
    James New liked
    The Big Sleep

    Excellent noir and one of the best ever. Bogart and Bacall carry and the chemistry between Bogart and anyone on screen is so strong you can feel it. The mystery unfolds satisfyingly and it’s excellently written. A staple of how a good crime thriller is made/ looks like

    2Y
    CvptvinHowdy
    CvptvinHowdy liked
    The Big Sleep

    When it comes to Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall together, I prefer this over "To Have and Have Not." But it's still not so easy to follow, which makes it feel like it's slowly paced. With that said, you can't help but enjoy it even when it gets kind of boring.

    9M
  • Mahdi
    Mahdi is "meh" on
    The Big Sleep

    I liked the Maltese falcon by Hammett better 🤷‍♀️ I know they’re two different authors with different styles but this one had too many characters and was more confusing that the Maltese falcon

    1Y
    Mickerdoo
    Mickerdoo liked
    The Big Sleep

    The actors boost this one up (Bogart, Bacall, Vickers and other cute girls). Wish story had a little more of a bow on it. Little ambiguous.

    3Y
    Carson Withers
    Carson Withers liked
    The Big Sleep

    This would’ve been better if Humphrey Bogart looked longingly into the camera and explained what was going on ever 5 minutes. 7/10

    2Y
  • Laura
    Laura liked
    The Big Sleep

    Love love love the silly banter and sexy exchanges. The story is a bit muddled however. Gotta love a good bogart PI flick though

    2Y
    Zack
    Zack disliked
    The Big Sleep

    Has not aged well. New forgettable characters constantly being introduced. Plot threads left open. The romance makes no sense.

    3M
    Wagner Freitas
    Wagner Freitas loved
    The Big Sleep

    and that's why black and white pictures will always be superior pictures!

    2Y

Atom Users Reviews

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Metacritic

86
metacritic
Based on 19 Critics
8.2

USER SCORE (16)

Universal acclaim based on 16 Reviews
75

A very good movie (1946), and by far the best Raymond Chandler adaptation, but it isn’t one of Howard Hawks’s most refined efforts—it lacks his clarity of line, his balance, his sense of a free spirit at play within a carefully set structure.

Metacritic review by Dave Kehr
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
100

It is one of the great film noirs, a black-and-white symphony that exactly reproduces Chandler's ability, on the page, to find a tone of voice that keeps its distance, and yet is wry and humorous and cares.

Metacritic review by Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
100

Bogart as Marlowe is compelling in this classic thriller that is complex but triumph of atmospheric cool.

Metacritic review by Kim Newman
Kim Newman
Empire

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is The Big Sleep (1946) (1946)?
The movie is 1hr 54min long.
What's The Big Sleep (1946) (1946) about?
Private detective Philip Marlowe is hired by a rich family. Before the complex case is over, he's seen murder, blackmail, and what might be love.
Who's the cast of The Big Sleep (1946) (1946)?
  • Humphrey Bogart as Philip Marlowe
  • Lauren Bacall as Vivian Rutledge
  • John Ridgely as Eddie Mars
  • Martha Vickers as Carmen Sternwood
  • Dorothy Malone as Acme Book Shop Proprietress
  • Peggy Knudsen as Mona Mars
  • Regis Toomey as Chief Inspector Bernie Ohls
  • Charles Waldron as General Sternwood
  • Charles D. Brown as Norris
  • Bob Steele as Lash Canino
Who's the director behind The Big Sleep (1946) (1946)?
Howard Hawks directed The Big Sleep (1946) (1946).