How others will see it. The editing isn't very good. Aside from that, it is a decent 'B' movie. Powell is credible and likeable as famous gumshoe Philip Marlowe, played in better days for the character by Humphrey Bogart in The Maltese Falcon.
Those who enjoy classic movies or detective stories will enjoy this picture. The stereotypes are there, of course. Stupid big guy, the man hopelessly in love with the wrong woman, a priceless and exotic relic. There are tough guy cops who can't solve any crimes on their own, so they have to lean on the private dick, who gets drugged and beaten by the bad guys. But it all works out in the end, at least for the good guys, although Marlowe doesn't get rich, and has to wear bandages over his eyes for the next few months.
Still, neither the characters or the story are as important as the direction: how it is told. Well photographed and expertly directed, but the magic isn't there. Part of the problem is the typically elaborate Raymond Chandler plot, with its myriad crimes, secondary characters, and murky motives. Claire Trevor wants to keep her wealthy old husband, and cheat on him at the same time. Okay. But only in a movie could a streetwise dame like her get into such a tangled web of infidelity, blackmail, murder, and hypocrisy.
How I felt about it. The story is so complex it defies understanding, much less appreciating. Still, one has to mention that if the killer has time to beat Marriott into apple sauce, there would also be time to kill Powell. Leaving him alive to take the fall isn't such a frame-up that even the cops (none too clever in these movies) could fall for.
Then there's the gorgeous and virtuous young daughter (shades of Double Indemnity) Ann (Anne Shirley) who loves her father and the detective hired to protect him. He fails to anyway, much like he couldn't protect Marriott, Helen, or Moose, his other clients. But even though the father is killed, not only doesn't she grieve, but she wants to play seeing eye dog to Marlowe at the end of the movie. Murder, My Sweet walks the walk and talks the talk. But it is better at providing atmosphere than credibility.