Genre: Mystery
Director: Joel & Ethan Coen
Writer: Dwight Gallo
Based on the novel by Raymond Chandler
Cast: George Clooney, Abbie Cornish, Bobby Cannavale, Ed Helms, Barry Pepper, Christopher Abbott, Stephen Root, Norman Reedus
Plot: Derace Kingsley (Ed Helms), a wealthy businessman, pays private detective Philip Marlowe (George Clooney) a visit and asks him to find his estranged wife, Crystal. Although separated from his wife, Kingsley fears that Crystal may become involved in a scandal that could jeopardize his position with the shareholders of his company if left to her own devices. The last definite place Crystal was known to have been was their vacation cabin on Little Fawn Lake. Kingsley had received a telegram from Crystal about two weeks before stating that she was divorcing him and marrying her hustler boyfriend, Chris Lavery. But when Kingsley ran into Lavery in L.A. and asked him where Crystal was, Lavery told him that he hadn't seen her, didn't know where she was, and never agreed, or wanted, to marry her. This, Kinglsey tells Marlowe, is why he has hired him to find his wife.
Marlowe begins his investigation with a visit to Chris Lavery (Christopher Abbott) in Santa Monica. Lavery disclaims any interest in or involvement with Crystal Kingsley. Lavery then sucker punches Marlowe, knocking him out. Marlowe wakes up at the Santa Monica police station where he is harrassed by Detective Al Degarmo (Bobby Cannavale), who accuses him of being a prowler. Degarmo then drags Marlowe into the office of Captain Tom Webber (Barry Pepper) who questions him about Lavery's missing neighbor, Mrs. Almore. Marlowe doesn't know what Kane is talking about. Kane has Degarmo and some other officers rough Marlowe up before tossing him out of the police station.
Marlowe moves his investigations to Kingsley's property on Little Fawn Lake. Kingsley has given him a note to give to the caretaker of his vacation home, Bill Chess (Norman Reedus). When Marlowe arrives, he finds Chess in an alcoholic haze, depressed over having been abandoned by his wife, Muriel, at about the same time as Crystal disappeared. As Marlowe and Chess walk over the property, they discover a drowned body that Chess identifies as his wife, bloated from decomposition and almost unrecognizable except by her clothes and jewellery. Chess is immediately arrested for his wife's murder, and Marlowe, doubtful of Chess's guilt, returns to Los Angeles. Before he returns, Marlowe interviews some hotel employees who remember a woman matching Crystal's description and volunteer that a man was with her, with their description of the man being similar to that of Lavery.
Marlowe returns to Santa Monica to re-interview Chris Lavery. At the house he finds Mrs. Fallbrook (Abbie Cornish), who says she is the owner and has found a gun on the stairs. Once she has left, Marlowe ascertains that the gun has been fired six times and, after a search, finds Lavery murdered in the bathroom. Marlowe looks out the window and sees Det. Degarmo and some uniformed officers approaching the house. Marlowe quickly escapes through the back of the house. Then he goes back to Kingsley, who offers him a fat bonus to prove Crystal didn't murder Lavery.
Marlowe returns to his office, where he finds a note from Kingsley's secretary giving him the names and address of Almore's wife's parents. Confused about the connection between Crystal and this mysterious Mrs. Almore, Marlowe visits the parents and talks with her father Mr. Almore (Stephen Root). From Almore, Marlowe learns the name and address of the detective they hired to investigate their daughter's death and that Dr. Almore's nurse was named Mildred Haviland. Mr. Almore also tells him he believes the doctor killed their daughter by drugging her and then putting her in the garage with the motor running on her car. The detective they hired was charged with drunk driving, spent 6 months in jail and is now not in contact with them. Marlowe goes to the detective's modest home, where he is rebuffed by the wife. Upon leaving Marlowe realises he is being followed. He is confronted by the police again, who force him to drink liquor, beat him up and arrest him for speeding, resisting arrest and drunk driving, charges similar to those levelled against the parents' detective. Marlowe talks to Captain Webber. Although Webber isn't convinced by Marlowe's theories on the case, he is convinced that Marlowe is mostly telling him the truth, and he turns him loose.
Returning to his office, Marlowe receives a call from Kingsley who tells him that Crystal has called Kingsley's secretary, begging for $1,000. Kingsley gives the money to Marlowe to deliver. Marlowe is to wear a distinctive scarf so Crystal will recognize him, though she expects Kingsley. He gets to the rendezvous, a bar, where a Mexican boy enters to tell Marlowe that Crystal is at a nearby apartment and gives him the addres. At the apartment, Marlowe immediately recognizes her as Mrs. Fallbrook, the woman he met in Lavery's house, and accuses her of being the murderer of Lavery. She pulls a gun on him. As Marlowe is about to take the gun away, someone hits him from behind with a sap, knocking him out once again.
When Marlowe wakes up he is stinking with gin and Crystal is lying naked, bloody and strangled to death on the bed. Soon the Santa Monica police are banging on the door. Degarmo tries to frame Marlowe for the murder, but Marlowe convinces him that the two of them can more easily frame Kingsley. They travel to Little Fawn Lake together to get some evidence Marlowe tells Degarmo is there.
At Little Fawn Lake, Marlowe reveals to Degarmo that he's finally figured ot the mystery. The murdered woman in Santa Monica, assumed to be Crystal Kingsley, was actually Mildred Haviland, killed in a jealous rage by Al Degarmo, who was her ex-lover, while the murdered woman in Little Fawn Lake, supposed to be Muriel Chess, was actually Crystal Kingsley, killed by Mildred Haviland, who then assumed her identity. Mildred, who had been Dr. Almore's nurse, had murdered his wife and had also murdered Lavery. Degarmo congratulates Marlowe on solving another mystery and pulls a gun on Marlowe. Just then, Captain Webber arrives and tells Degarmo to put the gun down and quietly surrender. Degarmo turns the gun toward Webber, who quickly guns down his own officer. Webber thanks Marlowe for solving the murder, but tells him to stay the hell out of Santa Monica. Marlowe returns to Kingley's office for payment, but Kingsley 's office has been cleared out. Having been stiffed for his detective services, Marlowe decides to head to a bar for a stiff drink.
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