Neil Jordan’s “Marlowe” had originally been slated for a December 2022 release before being pushed to a February, 2023 launch. It also didn’t go to any of last year’s primo fall fests (Toronto/Venice/Telluride) and that’s when toxic word of mouth started spreading quickly.
Marlowe” has also been branded as Liam Neeson’s 100th film as an actor. It’s a real shame reviews haven’t been as celebratory. It currently has an 11% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Last August, Open Road Films acquired the North American rights to Jordan’s noir crime thriller. The film finally had its world premiere at the San Sebastien Film Festival a few months later.
Principal photography on “Marlowe” took place for two months, starting in November 2021 and ending in January 2022. They were shopping it around for close to a year before Open Road finally bit.
The film does have an excellent case, which includes Neeson, Diane Kruger, Jessica Lange, Danny Huston, and Alan Cumming. The screenplay comes to us from “The Departed” scribe William Monahan.
The toxic reception “Marlow” received has not deterred Neeson from collaborating again with Jordan. It was announced yesterday that would again team up on “The Riker’s Ghost,” with shooting to take place later this year.
I’m not the biggest Neil Jordan fan, he’s not really given us anything great in a few decades, but the Irish filmmaker is someone who still deserves to be followed. After all, if you’ve directed “The Crying Game,” “Mona Lisa,” and “The Butcher Boy” then attention must be given.