Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe enjoyed a mix of cinematic adaptations in the 1940s but that trail went cold for more than two decades. The character finally returned to theaters via 1969's Marlowe.

After her brother goes missing, Midwesterner Orfamay Quest (Sharon Farrell) heads to Los Angeles to attempt to find him. She hires private detective Philip Marlowe (James Garner) to achieve this goal.

Before long, informants Marlowe uses for leads end up murdered via ice picks. As matters complicate, Marlowe tries to solve the case and avoid his own demise.

Although it doesn't seem clear how well Marlowe performed in 1969, it does appear that a mini-revival of the character ensued. After that 22-year absence in theaters, Robert Altman took a crack at Chandler via 1973's The Long Goodbye with Elliott Gould as the gumshoe.

Robert Mitchum took on the role for two more flicks: 1975's Farewell, My Lovely and 1978's The Big Sleep. Big-screen Marlowe once again took A Big Nap, though, and wouldn't return until 2023's Marlowe.

Boy, what a disappointment that one became! Despite noted director Neil Jordan behind the camera and a strong cast led by Liam Neeson, the 2023 Marlowe became mediocre at best.

I hoped that its identically titled predecessor would fare better. The 1969 movie might do so but it nonetheless disappoints.

Frankly, I don’t think the Marlowe character works when taken out of his natural 1930s/1940s setting. While I appreciate the effort to modernize the role for the late 1960s, it doesn’t really work.

Part of the problem stems from the changes made to Marlowe. Rather than the tough guy of the novels and earlier flicks, the 1969 Marlowe seems soft and genial.

Perhaps the screenplay didn’t depict him that way but Garner’s personality led the character in that direction. Garner did well with charming and amiable personalities but I don’t think he could easily pull off hard-boiled or threatening.

This leads to a Marlowe who seems like he bumbles his way through the story. Garner would go on to career-defining success with The Rockford Files, a TV series that better suited his talents since it used him as a laid-back private detective.

Garner simply feels wrong as Marlowe, though, and he tends to look befuddled too much of the time. We don’t get an insightful gumshoe as much as we find a guy who meanders his way through an investigation.

Director Paul Bogart fails to bring much spirit to the production, and he also ensures that the story progresses almost at random. Marlowe follows a mix of plot points that coalesce eventually but Bogart doesn’t tie them together well.

We find an interesting cast, as in addition to Garner, Marlowe features Carroll O’Connor, Rita Moreno, William Daniels and Jackie Coogan. We even find Bruce Lee in a small part.

Despite its flaws, Marlowe keeps us vaguely interested. It simply fails to turn into the tight and memorable detective tale it aspires to deliver.

Marlowe appears in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. The image held up well after 57 years.

Overall sharpness seemed positive. A little softness impacted a few wider shots, but most of the flick boasted appealing delineation.

No issues with jagged edges or shimmering occurred, and I noticed no edge haloes. Grain seemed natural and the movie lacked print flaws.

The film’s palette leaned toward a mix of browns and ambers. The hues came across well within these choices.

Blacks seemed dark and dense, while low-light shots brought positive clarity. I felt pleased with this solid scan.

In addition, the movie’s LPCM monaural soundtrack worked nicely given its age and limitations. In particular, music seemed surprisingly robust.

Dialogue could lean a little thin but the lines remained easily intelligible and largely natural. Effects appeared accurate and without distortion. This was a nice mix for an older flick.

When we head to extras, $100 A Day (Plus Expenses) spans 51 minutes, 23 seconds. It provides remarks from film historian Howard S. Berger.

“Day” follows the history and legacy of the Philip Marlowe character as well as other genre domains. A few decent notes emerge but Berger casts too broad a new for the scope of this discussion and he also spends too much time on his own opinions for this to become especially interesting.

Along with the movie’s trailer, we get Image Galleries: “Posters” (14) and “Promotional Stills” (89). Both offer decent compilations.

Miscast and oddly directionless, Marlowe becomes a spotty detective story. Though it still musters enough entertainment value to keep us with it, the tale never really clicks like it should. The Blu-ray comes with positive picture and audio as well as a handful of bonus features. This turns into a mediocre attempt to bring a 1930s/1940s noir character into the late 1960s.