The Big Sleep (1978)

Set in London, a private detective (Robert Mitchum) is asked by a seriously ill millionaire (James Stewart) to find out who is blackmailing him. But the case turns out to be far more complex and deadly than the initial impression. Based on the novel by Raymond Chandler and directed by Michael Winner, this is the second film adaptation of the novel which was made by Howard Hawks in 1946 with Humphrey Bogart. Not nearly as bad as its reputation would lead you to believe but not very good either. Mitchum had played Philip Marlowe three years earlier in FAREWELL MY LOVELY and he brings a genuine noir-ish authority to the role but almost everything else is off. As Stewart's two daughters, Sarah Miles and Candy Clark give bizarre performances. Miles seems to be acting with her tongue and breasts while Clark acts out her character as if in a constant epileptic fit until finally, she literally has a fit! Not a patch on the 1946 version but more entertaining than it has a right to be. The cast includes Oliver Reed, Joan Collins, Richard Boone, John Mills, Richard Todd, Edward Fox, Colin Blakely, Harry Andrews, James Donald, John Justin and Diana Quick.