The Long Goodbye... Altman's Marlowe a bit *too* mellow?

Alright action fans, lemme throw a curveball at you. I just watched "The Long Goodbye" (1973) and I'm torn. Altman's direction is cool and all, and I dig the jazzy soundtrack. But this ain't your typical detective flick, right? Elliott Gould's Marlowe is like... permanently stoned or something. He's mumbling, he barely reacts to anything, and the whole 'detective helping his friend' plot feels kinda secondary to just watching him wander around 70s LA. I'm used to Marlowe being tougher, more cynical, y'know? Bogart, Mitchum... guys who could handle themselves in a brawl. Gould's Marlowe looks like he'd get winded chasing a runaway cat. I gotta admit, the scene where Marlowe gets slapped around by Marty Augustine (oh man, the casual violence from Mark Rydell there!) was pretty effective. It actually made me feel bad for him. But then he just... bounces back? Doesn't really seem to learn anything? Maybe that's the point. Maybe Altman's saying something about the meaninglessness of it all or something. But as a guy who loves a good fight scene and some badass stunts, I was left wanting. So, my question is: Did anyone else feel like this Marlowe was just *too* detached? Did it work for you? I appreciate the movie's different take on the genre, but I'm not sure it really landed for me. I was hoping for a detective, not a dazed observer. What do you all think? Am I missing something here? Maybe I need to give it another watch, but it's hard to imagine seeing that ending and coming away feeling thrilled.