Liam Neeson takes on the role of Philip Marlowe, an ex-cop turned private investigator, who is recruited by Clare Cavendish (Diane Kruger) to uncover the disappearance of her secret lover after a mysterious dead body is found outside a private nightclub in 1930s Hollywood. Things are not as they seem as Marlowe continues to unfold the truth and delve deeper into Mrs. Cavendish's life, both personal and professional. Clare's mother, Dorothy Quincannon (Jessica Lange), a glamorous movie star, also expresses an interest in the goings on of Marlowe and her daughter and forcefully interferes with the investigation.

We follow Marlowe as he turns corners and uncovers clues to get to the final conclusion of the mystery, but due to the overstuffed script and bland plot points, the film falls flat after the first act. Unlike the writing skills we have seen in murder mysteries of the last 12 months, from the likes of See How They Run and Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, there is no motivation to try and work out the ending for yourself in Marlowe. The intention of the plot is lost due to the red herrings not only taking you out of the narrative, but also causing confusion rather than the desired distraction. Despite its 90 minute run time, which should be a welcome change from the 3 hour epics of the recent award season, the moments dragged and the script structure was lost in the hodgepodge of storylines and side characters.

Writer director Neil Jordan ensembled a cast of esteemed actors. Leading performances from Neeson, Kruger and Lange are joined by an onslaught of great supporting performers from the likes of Ian Hart, Danny Huston and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje but the show was stolen by Alan Cumming, who brings an element of both class and comedy to the piece that desperately needs it.

The film acts as an attempt to reinvent Neeson as a leading dramatic actor, but sadly his performance doesn't do enough to excel him in a genre that is seemingly new to him. His dialogue heavy performance is somewhat broken up by “Liam Neeson style” action sequences that both confuse the plot and don't match the calm, educated nature of his character.

Despite its struggles in the writers room, the visual style of the film is pleasing. The production and costume department have managed to successfully recreate 1930s Hollywood, despite the film being shot in Barcelona and Dublin. As Liam Neeson said, when introducing the film, “That's the magic of filmmaking.”

Marlowe loses its way, but thanks to the skills of the cast, the lousy script doesn't completely devastate the film as a whole.

Marlowe is available on Sky Cinema now.