Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Dense
- Violence
- Moderate
- brooding
- sardonic
- paranoid
- classic noir night
- mystery movie marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly found the remake handsome and well cast but confusing, emotionally disengaged, and weakened by relocating Chandler's story to Britain.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The Chandler investigation is moved from Los Angeles to Britain, changing the geography and social atmosphere of the private-eye story.
Marlowe follows blackmail, a missing husband, mobsters, hired killers, and murder through a deliberately tangled case.
Philip Marlowe pursues the Sternwood case amid corruption, criminal violence, sexual intrigue, and unreliable motives.
Critics repeatedly noted the handsome costumes, sets, and locations surrounding the film's dark procedural plot.
Films like The Big Sleep, and why
The Long Goodbye
private-eye mystery, neo-noir atmosphere, blackmail, and a labyrinthine criminal investigation
Chinatown
classic detective fiction adapted into a stylish but morally murky neo-noir mystery
Farewell, My Lovely
hard-boiled private investigator, missing-person case, criminal underworld, and noir fatalism
Movie Details
- Director
- Michael Winner
- Release Date
- 1978-03-13
- Runtime
- 100 min
- Rating
- 5.8 / 10 (105)
Cast
- Robert Mitchum
- Sarah Miles
- Richard Boone
- Candy Clark
- Joan Collins
- Edward Fox
- John Mills
- James Stewart
- Oliver Reed
- Harry Andrews
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Shout! Factory Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Big Sleep about?
- A weary private detective untangles blackmail, disappearance, and murder around a wealthy British family while mob violence closes in.
- What is The Big Sleep like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Big Sleep as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as dense.
- Is The Big Sleep violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in The Big Sleep as moderate.
- What did critics think of The Big Sleep?
- Critics broadly found the remake handsome and well cast but confusing, emotionally disengaged, and weakened by relocating Chandler's story to Britain.
- Which films are like The Big Sleep?
- Films with a similar feel include The Long Goodbye, Chinatown, and Farewell, My Lovely.
- How long is The Big Sleep?
- The Big Sleep runs 100 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Big Sleep?
- In United States, The Big Sleep streams on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Shout! Factory Amazon Channel.
