Dick Powell did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Phillip Marlowe in Murder, My Sweet.
Murder, My Sweet is a rather effective adaptation of private detective Phillip Marlowe naturally trying to uncover some criminal plot.
The character of Philip Marlowe is one of the original hard-boiled P.I.'s from novels that were well suited for the 40's period of the film noirs. The first time the character received an adaptation, where he remained named as Philip Marlowe, was this film featuring a less well known Dick Powell, at least compared to Humphrey Bogart who played the part a couple years later or Robert Mitchum who eventually would be cast in the role despite being far too old for the part. I'll admit going into the film, as much as tried not to, a preconceived notion about an early often forgotten performer of a famous role itched at my mind. Perhaps a side of effect of seeing the pre-Bogart Sam Spade Ricardo Cortez's thoroughly underwhelming performance. I'll say those notions thankfully were unearned when finally seeing the film. Although that isn't to say that Powell is a precursor to Bogart or Mitchum's work, in fact I'd say his performance is closer to Elliott Gould's downright brilliant portrayal of the anachronistic Marlowe in The Long Goodbye. Although he's naturally not as off-beat as that performance, Powell's work really isn't to craft a glamorous, even in a downtrodden sort of way PI, but rather someone who probably would more likely be one. Powell's performance not trying to make Marlowe's the end all be all PI, but rather just a PI whose going try to solve things best he can no matter how many hits to the head it takes.
Powell's performance emphasizes kind of a "why not" approach to Marlowe's as in many ways it is all a game, in turn a day in the life to the PI. This as he brings a nice sort of blithe manner particularly in his narration. A narration that he offers an edge of a comical quality as he almost seems bemused by his own existence. Powell's actually rather wonderful here in his delivery of so many of the hard-boiled lines that he makes sing through the right degree of showing Marlowe deriding those around him while also still being within the moment. Powell's portrayal being quite compelling in the way he brings you into really a tangible sense of Marlowe's world right down to the way he explains his being knocked out as going "head first into a black pool". Powell's work manages to give a strong sense of the man's personality as someone who knows what he's doing, but also kind of knows how much of a joke all of it is in his series of bad luck. Powell in some way playing more so into a later type of protagonist in that he doesn't present Marlowe as having a perfect cool, but rather what makes him so remarkable is how he's flying by the seat of his pants to a degree. Powell making for that professional, but also the professional who is a man after all, with more than a few parts of imperfections.
Powell quite honestly is fun to watch here in just finding ways to enliven the proceedings to make the mystery both easier to follow and more digestible. One of my favorite moments, that seems like Gould might have ran with, is this brief moment where Marlowe going to a not particularly interesting meeting with some potential leads does a little skip dance on his way. It's just an exceptional moment that so well conveys the spirit of his performance and in turn how his Marlowe works. This as Powell lets the viewer in on the mystery very much so every step of the way. I particularly love how he handles even the romantic moments that we the femme fatale (Claire Trevor) and the less step-daughter fatal (Ann Shirley). In Powell's work both he shows that even when obviously knowing the fatale's game Powell shows Marlowe's almost not minding the fringe benefits he can get from it. This against the step-daughter where Powell finds a sweetness within suspicion. Again as someone who always seems to find his way around a situation no matter how odd or potentially fatal. Unfortunately my only complaint comes into the sequence where Marlowe's is drugged and has to escape from an asylum of sorts. This just as Powell goes a bit too broad in portraying the off his rocker Marlowe. Although it is fitting that this would be one part where he isn't in control even in his off-beat way, but even then it just more feels it is the one part Powell doesn't seem fully comfortable with in his portrayal. This is unfortunate essentially because I actually really enjoy the rest of his performance here. This as though obviously his take would be original, being the first after all, his take and approach is absolutely worthwhile and worth mentioning right along with his successors in the role.
