This year's Noirpocalypse featured Robert Altman's adaptation of another of Raymond Chandler's classic Philip Marlowe novels (last year was The Big Sleep). So it seemed natural to read the original of this one as well. For some reason I enjoyed it more than The Big Sleep, even though I couldn't point to any very deep differences in the twisty storyline or the alternately sultry and salty characters. Perhaps it was just that this time I noticed more of Chandler's exuberant and often hilarious language. However, in this case, I have to admit that I enjoyed the film more than the book. I think Altman's alteration of the ending and his elaboration on the character of Mendy Menendez (aka Walter Sobchak) improves the story.
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