The Long Goodbye

After his best friend is found dead in Mexico, private detective Philip Marlowe uncovers a tangled web involving a nervous gangster, a veteran writer, an alcoholic, and his seductive wife. Though filled with money, threats, and murder, Altman focuses less on the who and more on the atmosphere—capturing how things move and Marlowe's struggle to navigate the complex web of interests. Roger Ebert said it shouldn’t be your first film noir, and while that’s true, it’s undeniably Altman at his peak. With a probing camera, a haunting soundtrack, and characters that perplex both Marlowe and the audience, The Long Goodbye remains one of Altman’s greatest 1970s classics.