Philip Marlowe's no easy character to pull off, his distinctive air of nonchalance and razor-sharp wit requiring an actor who can embody simultaneously a wiseguy and a dark loner. Elliot Gould does a great job of carrying on the character's screen success, living up to the legacy of performers like Bogart and Powell and even adding his own unique twist on the famous detective. This is a film as dark as it is hilarious; I found myself laughing far more than I expected to, be it at the recurring gag of lighting matches off any available surface (calls to mind Murder, My Sweet big time) or Gould's near manic mumblings to himself. Altman brings a number of great scenes to the mix, his capturing of the sea providing maybe the film's finest images. I'm impressed; never did think a character I love so much could be brought to life this well outside of the 1940s.