Humphrey Bogart plays my favorite character. The detective who's instinct and judgement are his best skills. That and a smooth manner. This movie and The Maltese Falcon are primarily about how to play your cards right in sticky situations. It's a sweet character that I feel American cinema has lost. There's nothing here for the kids, all the humor is adult and maintains the an amount of sophistication.
Female characters are more than occasionally token, but Bacall never is. These women are witty and intelligent. Every character has an agenda too! It makes them more realistic. I mean in real life how often do you spend time with people who don't have plans? These people all act in calculated ways that are unique to their identity. I really get the feeling like there's a whole world that I'm not seeing behind this picture. Mice and Spies! or uhh Mise-en-scene? We see important scenes but we definitely don't see all the things that are going on in the story's world.
In fact were always a little bit behind the action. We're on the scene after things are at least in motion and often just right after they've happened. Or maybe I'm just distracted by the sexually intense one liners. It's like whenever our hero detective finds himself in a scene that might have been a dull conversation, his company just so happens to be a model. They're cab drivers or neighboring rare book dealers. Beautiful women are in every other shot and the pick up lines are running wild. This is how James Bond is supposed to be, loveably sleazy!
I'll post more a little later.
Yes, The Big Sleep is a classic, Nick.
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