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Writer's pictureCarrie Specht

Lee Marvin Point Blank


Do you like tough guys? Do you have a penchant for the anti-hero. I’m talking about the kind of man’s man who lived life off screen as big as his characters onscreen. I’m talking about someone like Lee Marvin. If the answer is yes, then I have a book to recommend to you.

Dwayne Epstein’s Lee Marvin Point Blank is the first full-length, authoritative, and detailed story of the iconic actor's life. This truly in-depth account offers a unique appreciation for the man and his acting career and the classic films he starred in, painting a portrait of an individual who took great risks in his acting, as well as his career. Although Lee Marvin is extremely well known for his icy tough guy roles (such as his chilling villain in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance or the paternal yet brutally realistic Sergeant in The Big Red One) very little is known of his personal life. That is until now.

The legendary star’s background, his experiences in WWII, his relationship with his father, family, friends, and wives has never before been revealed in such detail as it has been in Lee Marvin Point Blank. Even his ongoing battles with alcoholism, rage, and depression, occasioned by his postwar PTSD are explored in the book that critics have called an unforgettable examination crafted by a true admirer. After years of researching and compiling interviews with family members, friends, and colleagues, while gathering rare photographs and illustrative material, Hollywood writer Dwayne Epstein has provided a full understanding and appreciation of this acting titan’s place in the Hollywood pantheon in spite of his very real and human struggles.

Hailed by Booklist, Noir City, Cinema Retro, Leonard Maltin and now me, Lee Marvin Point Blank is the kind of book every classic film fan will cherish as a must read.

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