The Big Sleep features the most confusing and convoluted plot of any movie ever made which makes it impossible to understand without a great a deal of thought. What starts out as a very simple film noir story eventually develops into a mystery with very few easy answers and constant new developments. Howard Hawks directs his narrative with amazing precision that keeps the story front and center through the running time. The best part about The Big Sleep is the interplay by Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall since it offers a small distraction that allows the audience to think about the actual plot of the film. Their scenes together are also some of the most intricately written moments in cinema history which caused the film to be re-shot to add more scenes of the two together. The re-shoots help make the story more accessable but it is still no where close to being easy to understand.