n ChandlerÆs character of Philip Marlowe, there is no clear-cut morality. If Marlow is victorious, it is because he is more intelligent, wittier, and more aware than those around him, whether they are members of law enforcement or of the criminal underworld. In The Big Sleep, we see this in one scene where Marlow accuses criminal Joe Brody of killing another crime figure, Geiger: ôYou shot Geiger to get it. Last night in the rain. It was dandy shooting weather. The trouble is he wasnÆt alone when you whiffed him. Either you didnÆt notice that, which seems unlikely, or you got the wind up and lamed,ö (Linder, p. 36). The morality in Marlowe is a morality that equates to using intellect and wit to stay one step ahead of both criminals and often incompetent law enforcement officials.
Though influenced by German expressionism and lighting techniques, ôfilm noirö (ôdark filmö) was especially developed in American film during the 1930s and 1940s. Film noir features a gritty, existential world in which the male protagonist is often an average ôJoeö who falls prey to the a
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