The picture they were born for!
Private Investigator Philip Marlowe is hired by wealthy General Sternwood regarding a matter involving his youngest daughter Carmen. Before the complex case is over, Marlowe sees murder, blackmail, deception, and what might be love.
The Big Sleep (1946) is a mystery, crime and thriller film directed by Howard Hawks, released on August 22, 1946 with a runtime of 1h 54m. It stars Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, John Ridgely and Martha Vickers. Viewers rate it 7.6 out of 10 across 1,194 ratings.
Watch the official trailer for The Big Sleep before you stream it.
Official trailers, teasers, clips and featurettes for The Big Sleep.
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Humphrey Bogart
as Philip Marlowe
Lauren Bacall
as Vivian Sternwood Rutledge
John Ridgely
as Eddie Mars
Martha Vickers
as Carmen Sternwood
Louis Jean Heydt
as Joe Brody
Charles Waldron
as General Sternwood
Regis Toomey
as Chief Inspector Bernie Ohls
Sonia Darrin
as Agnes Lowzier (uncredited)
Elisha Cook Jr.
as Harry Jones
Bob Steele
as Lash Canino
Dorothy Malone
as Acme Bookstore Proprietress
Peggy Knudsen
as Mona Mars
Directed by Howard Hawks, written by Leigh Brackett, William Faulkner and Jules Furthman, produced by Howard Hawks.
Average viewer score of 7.6/10 from 1,194 ratings.
Oh, man, what a movie! Perfect on every sense. Great cast, with terrific Bogart and Bacall. Complex and interesting plot and smart dialogues. Only "funny" thing, if we want to say something, is the "perception" of the women roles in the movie. They are strangely all sexy and attracted to and tempting Philip Marlow.
Reviewed on December 9, 2012
This continues the incredible run of films Bogie made with now-wife Lauren Bacall. Crackling script ran to perfection by Howard Hawks. Essential, especially for fans of detective thrillers or simply well-made movies.
Reviewed on February 20, 2016
"General Sternwood" (Charles Waldron) has two daughters and poor old private detective "Philip Marlowe" (Humphrey Bogart) might be forgiven for ever getting involved with a case that sees him employed to investigate a case of blackmail against his youngest - "Carmen" (Martha Vickers). It looks like she is the target of the venal rare book seller "Geiger" but swiftly we realise that that's just the tip of an iceberg…
Reviewed on December 26, 2023
**A film that would be truly memorable if the script wasn't so poorly written.** In general, I really like noir films, it's a style that I like. However, despite the great reputation, I didn't particularly like this film. It's good, and from a style point of view, it gives us everything we like to see in a noir. However, the film fails too much when it comes to the script and the story it intends to tell us. This…
Reviewed on February 8, 2024
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The Big Sleep (1946) is currently available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube and Fandango At Home. No subscription streaming option is listed right now, so availability may change.
The main cast of The Big Sleep (1946) includes Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, John Ridgely, Martha Vickers and Louis Jean Heydt. The film was directed by Howard Hawks. You can see the full cast and crew list, with character names, further up this page.
The Big Sleep was released on August 22, 1946 and runs for 1h 54m.
The Big Sleep (1946) holds an average rating of 7.6 out of 10 from 1,194 viewer votes, and is a good pick if you enjoy mystery, crime and thriller films. Read the viewer reviews on this page to decide for yourself.
Yes. The official The Big Sleep trailer is embedded in the trailer section of this page and plays instantly, no download or sign-up required.
