The Story Archive

The Big Sleep

Howard Hawks · 1946 CE · Film · Modern / American · Contemporary

A private detective is hired by a dying general in a hothouse of orchids to settle gambling debts run up by his younger daughter, and turns over blackmail, a pornography racket and a missing man. The elder sister shadows the case, matching him line for line and never quite telling the truth. Hawks left several plot knots untied on purpose and let the banter carry the picture instead.

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