These are two of the most hardboiled American films of the post-World-War-II era. In Murder, My Sweet, Dick Powell stars as Raymond Chandler’s private eye, Philip Marlowe, at the center of a mystery that, like most of Chandler’s, isn’t particularly easy to follow but has tons of atmosphere and witty rejoinders. Though not the most famous cinematic adaptation of Chandler, it’s considered by some fans to be closest to his original work. Gun Crazy, a 1950 film, predated Bonnie and Clyde in its depiction of two lovers on the run, as turned on by violence as they are by each other. Cowritten by a pseudonymous, blacklisted Dalton Trumbo, it features a number of forward-looking sequences, including an extended single-take scene of a bank robbery seemingly shot entirely from the backseat of a sedan. Despite its B-movie background, Gun Crazy gained an A-list reputation among critics and filmmakers, and the title is still sadly relevant today./p>
