Someone to Watch Over Me (1987)

Director:

Ridley Scott

Writer:

Howard Franklin (written by)

Release Date:

9 October 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

A classic thriller with a twist of romance.

Plot:

A married New York cop falls for the socialite murder witness he's been assigned to protect.

Plot Keywords:

Murder | New York | Marriage | Socialite | Witness

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Tom Berenger	...	Det. Mike Keegan
Mimi Rogers	...	Claire Gregory
Lorraine Bracco	...	Ellie Keegan
Jerry Orbach	...	Lt. Garber
John Rubinstein	...	Neil Steinhart
Andreas Katsulas	...	Joey Venza
Tony DiBenedetto	...	T.J. (also as Tony Di Benedetto)
James E. Moriarty	...	Koontz (as James Moriarty)
Mark Moses	...	Win Hockings
Daniel Hugh Kelly	...	Scotty
Harley Cross	...	Tommy Keegan
Joanne Baron	...	Helen Greening
Anthony Bishop	...	Waiter
David Berman	...	Cop #1
Sharon K. Brecke	...	Bimbo (as Sharon Brecke)

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Norway:15 | Iceland:16 | Brazil:14 | Finland:K-16 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:16 | Australia:M | Canada:A

Filming Locations:

Forest Hills, Queens, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

The nightclub scenes were filmed on board the Queen Mary in Long Beach, California. The murder scene was filmed in the Queen Mary's pool area.

Goofs:

Continuity: The newspaper which Mike is carrying on his way to his first shift guarding Claire has the word "SUPERMEN!" on the back page. He is carrying an identical newspaper three or four days later.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Det. Mike Keegan: Hey! We got food back there, you know; all right? Hey, thanks for comin' - good to see ya. Come on in, get a drink. T.J...
T.J.: Yeah?
Det. Mike Keegan: Set 'em up with a drink.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Dangerous Days: Making Blade Runner (2007) (V)

Soundtrack:

WALK RIGHT IN

A Sentimental Favorite

I saw this movie when I was younger and for some reason it always stuck with me. I'll always remember the music (the title song as well as the classical pieces used throughout), the vestibule of Mimi Roger's apartment palace, the scene of Tom Berenger having breakfast with his family, Lorraine Bracco's fiery performance as his wife, and the haunting opening aerial shots of NYC lit up at night. I watched it again for the first time in probably nine or ten years and it was like visiting with an old friend or curling up with a good book you had read before. You knew the story, but it was all fascinatingly interesting. The plot here is pretty basic: working class cop has to babysit upper class babe who witnesses heinous murder. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out how it all ends, but director Ridley Scott somehow manages to keep it compelling thanks to some great direction and wonderful performances from the cast. Somewhere I saw this billed as an erotic thriller, which is way off base. Scott keeps everything here extremely classy. It's more of a romantic thriller and throwback to the noir films of the 1940's. This may not be the best film you'll ever see, but it's one of the better thrillers of the 1980's, and a worthy testament to Ridley Scott's versatility as a director. It's also nice to see Jerry Orbach in a supporting role that probably paved the way for his part in the never ending "Law and Order" TV series.