--- title: "The Long Goodbye: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-long-goodbye/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-long-goodbye" critics_score: 82 critics_reviews: 11 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Long Goodbye (1973): what the critics said Critics' score 82 from 11 reviews: 11 positive, 0 mixed, 0 negative. The reviews are unanimously positive, with praise centred on Altman’s relocation of Chandler’s detective to 1970s Los Angeles and Elliott Gould’s loose, mumbling Marlowe. Most critics find the update intelligent and purposeful, using the detective’s outdated manners and moral code to expose the corruption around him. The camerawork, inventive individual scenes and supporting performances also draw praise, while the humour helps make the revision of the private-eye genre entertaining. The differences concern enthusiasm and interpretation more than outright objections. The Hollywood Reporter admires the wit and cast but finds careless plotting prevents the drama from fully cohering, the clearest reservation in this selection. The Guardian admires the film’s chilliness and deliberate heartlessness, while The AV Club sees Marlowe’s persistence as affirming a surviving core of honour. The consensus therefore allows for different readings of how much faith Altman retains in his detective, with no review here turning against the film. ## The New Yorker — Pauline Kael Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 14 April 2016. Altman turns Chandler's story into a high-flying, whirling sideshow that kisses off the private-eye genre with vitality and originality; Gould gives a loose, woolly performance as the gallant fool in a corrupt world. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/goings-on-about-town/movies/the-long-goodbye) ## The New York Times — Vincent Canby Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 29 October 1973. Altman and Elliott Gould successfully transport Philip Marlowe to the 1970s as an original, eccentric character; the film is richly complex and entertaining with inventive details and strong performances. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1973/10/29/archives/altman-and-gould-make-a-brilliant-long-goodbye.html) ## The Times — Kevin Maher Rating ★★★★☆. 26 November 2021. Altman's hard-boiled noir is an ambitious and artful reinvention of Chandler, boosted by the inspired shift to 1970s Los Angeles and Elliott Gould's discomfited Marlowe. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/the-long-goodbye-1973-review-ambitious-artful-reinvention-elliot-gould-h3kqsngp9) ## Time Out — GA Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 5 January 2015. The critic calls this one of the most intelligent screen adaptations of Chandler’s work, alongside Hawks’ The Big Sleep. Altman’s ironic updating of the story and characters is singled out for praise, along with the steely camerawork, script and performances, making it one of the finest films of the 1970s. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-long-goodbye) ## Little White Lies — Sam May Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 7 March 2018. The piece praises Altman’s revisionist take on the hard-boiled genre, highlighting how Marlowe’s outdated moral code clashes with 1970s LA society and how the director uses visuals, casting and the famous ending to satirise Hollywood and the detective mythos. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/in-praise-of/the-long-goodbye-robert-altmans-hooray-for-hollywood) ## The Guardian — Philip French Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 22 December 2013. Altman's 1973 film is a chilly, elegant and deliberately heartless masterpiece that relocates Chandler's story to the 1970s and exposes the era's decadence and amorality. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/dec/22/the-long-goodbye-dvd) ## Empire — Kim Newman Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. The critic describes Altman's free-form adaptation as a subtle critique of Marlowe, with Elliott Gould as a shambling loser. It highlights astonishing individual sequences including the cat scene, a violent confrontation, and a cynical ending. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/long-goodbye-review/) ## The AV Club — Keith Phipps Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 15 March 2011. In Altman's sun-drenched L.A., Marlowe is an anachronism in a casual, corrupt world; Gould's mumbling performance and the fluid camerawork emphasize the detective's resilience amid moral decay. The film captures the era's earth tones and rot while affirming a hard core of honor. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/new-hollywood-gumshoes-the-long-goodbye-the-late-show-1798224936) ## Evening Standard — Alexander Walker Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 10 April 2012. The critic calls it a subtle Seventies update of the Chandler story, with Gould's laid-back style suiting the mysterious events. It notes Marlowe's moral tenacity and highlights the hilarious classic opening sequence with the cat. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/the-long-goodbye-7434133.html) ## Slant Magazine — Eric Henderson Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 18 April 2007. Altman's film is an act of revisionism and parody of neo-noir, deconstructing the genre through Marlowe's dislocation in 1970s California. The anachronistic detective and Gould's mumbling performance highlight cultural shifts while retaining core noir tenets of betrayal. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-long-goodbye/) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Alan R. Howard Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 7 March 2018. The critic calls the film as witty as any movie ever made, praising its resourceful scenes and Elliott Gould's relaxed, likeable performance as Marlowe. Some careless plotting prevents the drama from fully cohering, but the affectionate genre deconstruction and strong cast stand out. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/long-goodbye-review-1973-movie-1089809/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-long-goodbye.md