Movie Review - The Long Kiss Goodnight

This is a high octane, action movie with a spy element. This was not from a book, solely written for movie. Although there was a book cobbled together from the movie that wasn't done well at all, so don't bother there.  Geena Davis was trying to get some traction for acting career and her husband was the director. See what I thought of this movie. 

What it's about:

Eight years ago Samantha Caine crawled out of a river in Pennsylvania, pregnant with amnesia. She now lives in small town Honesdale, PA with her daughter, Caitlin. Samantha is wholesome and has a job teaching in the local school. She has had private investigators trying to figure out who she was. The latest is Mitch Henessey (Samuel L. Jackson), a cheaper option. But, after a serious bump on her head, some old skills start to return along with scatter memories sending Samantha and Mitch on new leads. Unfortunately, this all attracts the attention of some deadly people from her past.

Taglines:

"...the most spectacular action scenes you've ever seen!"

"Eight years ago she lost her memory. Now, a detective must help her remember the past before it buries them both. What's forgotten is not always gone."

Cast:

Geena Davis as Samantha Caine (Charly)

Samuel L. Jackson as Mitch Henessey

Yvonne Zima as Caitlin

Tom Amandes as boyfriend Hal

David Morse as Luke 

Melina Kanakaredes as Trin

Director: Renny Harlin

Writer: Shane Black

Rated R  2 hours 1 minute

Strong language, alcohol & drug use, some bloody violent scenes

    

Rotten Tomatoes 67% Viewers 71% and critics reviews:

-- "...what makes the film soar—and it does, often—are the performances led by an absolutely commanding Davis. Jackson is no slouch either. This is one of his best" Frank J Avella-The Contending

-- "With fast-paced adventure, detonative mayhem, a decent body count, and an unflinching approach to mouthy dialogue, the project is a shining example of an overlooked actioner." Mike Massie-Gone With The Twins

-- "Despite its often basic action structure, there is enough substance in the script to intrigue those viewers who normally look down on movies loaded-up with blasts, blows and blood." Leigh Paatsch-Herald Sun (Australia)

-- "The Long Kiss Goodnight is the fall's best summer movie." David Ansen-Newsweek

-- "There's an excessive amount of excess -- a mind-numbing plurality of firearm battles, vehicular explosions and brutally frank sexual talk." Desson Thomson-Washington Post

-- "This is almost a poster child for mediocre mid-90s action cinema." Grant Watson-Fiction Machine

-- "The only saving graces are Davis's stripped-down, mean-as-a-wildcat portrayal of the Uzi-toting Charly, and Jackson's engagingly ineffectual turn." Geoff Andrew-Time Out

-- "With square-jawed grimaces and big guns, Geena Davis could be a convincing two-fisted bullet-spraying action hero -- if only she had a convincing movie in which to be one." Peter Stack-San Franciso Chronicle

-- "Here's the supersexy and action-charged Hollywood take on France's La Femme Nikita that Bridget Fonda couldn't pull off in her Girl Scoutish Point of No Return." Peter Travers-Rolling Stone

    

Noteworthy awards or rankings: 

-- Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA

1997 Nominee Saturn Award for Best Actress: Geena Davis

-- Image Awards (NAACP) 1997 Nominee Image Award:  Outstanding Lead Actor in a Motion Picture for Samuel L. Jackson

-- Young Artist Awards 1997 Nominee Young Artist Award Best Performance in a Feature Film - Actress Age Ten or Under for Yvonne Zima

    

Trivia (from IMDB):

-- During development, New Line Cinema considered turning the lead character into a male. Steven Seagal and Sylvester Stallone were considered as suitable choices, if the lead had gone that way.

-- At the time of its release, it was considered "by far New Line's biggest-budget production to date."

-- "Out in the cold" is an expression in intelligence circles for operatives that have gone rogue or missing. The physical, literal cold is used as a cinematic metaphor on multiple occasions in this film.

-- In the scene with Samantha and Mitch at the Dutch Cabins Motorcourt, there is a movie playing on the room TV. That movie is the classic noir film from 1973 titled "The Long Goodbye", starring Elliott Gould as the private detective Philip Marlowe.

-- The motel in Niagara Falls is actually Milford Manor, a former resort in Milford Bay, Muskoka, Ontario. As it was closed for good, it did not matter if it burned down, like Windemere House (which accidentally burned down during filming there.)

-- During an escape attempt, Geena Davis lights gas with a matchbook from Tops. Tops is a grocery store chain based in Buffalo, New York, but also has stores in Rochester, New York, and Pennsylvania.

-- When Samantha and Mitch go to the train station in New Jersey and Mitch goes into his trunk to get his gun, one of Mitch's case files in the car says "Marcia Brady".

-- The movie Argylle release 2024 shares the same premise of former spy with amnesia regains her memory to fight terrorists. Both films star Samuel L. Jackson. The female led roles of Geena Davis and Bryce Dallas Howard start the films with red hair and then reprise their former roles with bleach blonde short and straight hair with dark eye shadow.

-- On the The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (2014) on January 14, 2019, Samuel L. Jackson listed Mitch as his favorite role.

-- Samuel Jackson said in a GQ interview that he read the script and really wanted the role, but the studio said it was written as a white character. Jackson then met Geena and Renny at a Christmas party, and told them that he loved the scripted and wanted the role, and Renny said "You want to be in my film? Then you've got it.". And that was that.

-- Geena Davis and then-husband and director Renny Harlin checked how long she could hold her breath in their bathtub to prepare for the "water torture" scene. The three immersions lasted 51, 81 and 55 seconds of screen time.

    

My Thoughts:

Geena Davis goes from sweet suburban mom to foul-mouthed La Femme Nikita and Jason Bourne with shades of the Black Widow and the Dark Angel in the course of this movie. In fact La Femme Nikita, the Canadian television series, came out a year after this film was released. The original movie was done in 1990 but was a French release.  So you could say that Geena Davis' Charly paved the wave and set the bar for kick a$$ women action roles.  

This film has "over-the-top" action scenes, particularly for its time. The movie races along. Average camera work and fairly good script, but what really makes the movie is Geena Davis and Samuel L Jackson teamed together. Their dynamic is memorable.  Geena Davis' transformation is a testament to her acting because even in full blown "Charly" mode, she is still a mom and a little bit of Samantha can be seen peeking out.  

If you are okay with strong language, alcohol & drug use, some bloody violent scenes but still want some good acting, then this is a great option. This isn't Oscar material, but it is entertaining.

    

Movie Trailer:

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