Someone to Watch Over Me (1987)

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

Director:

Ridley Scott

Writer:

Howard Franklin

Stars:

Tom Berenger, Mimi Rogers, Lorraine Bracco

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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. (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)

Storyline

In Queens, Mike Keegan is celebrating with his wife Ellie, his son Tommy and friends his recent promotion to detective in a precinct in Manhattan. Meanwhile, in a fancy club, the socialite Claire Gregory witnesses the murder of the owner of the place by the powerful mobster Joey Venza. Mike is assigned to protect her in the night shift in her apartment in Manhattan. When Venza threatens Claire, the contact of Mike with Claire gets closer and conflicts him, dividing between the love for his family and the heat passion for Claire and the fascination for her world.

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Plot Keywords:

murder | socialite | new york | marriage | apartment | 

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Taglines:

A classic thriller with a twist of romance.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Romance | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 October 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

Der Mann im Hintergrund

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$17,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$10,278,549 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

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.

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Goofs

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.

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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.

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Connections

Featured in Retrosexual: The 80's (2004)

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Soundtracks

"Aria"
(from "Goldberg Variations")
Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach

User Reviews

Underrated Masterpiece

In Queens, Mike Keegan (Tom Berenger) is celebrating with his wife Ellie (Lorraine Bracco), his son Tommy and friends his recent promotion to detective in a precinct in Manhattan. Meanwhile, in a fancy club, the socialite Claire Gregory (Mimi Rogers) witnesses the murder of the owner of the place by the powerful mobster Joey Venza (Andreas Katsulas). Mike is assigned to protect her in the night shift in her apartment in Manhattan. When Venza threatens Claire, the contact of Mike with Claire gets closer and conflicts him, dividing between the love for his family and the heat passion for Claire and the fascination for her world.

Today I have just watched "Someone to Watch Over Me" maybe for the sixth or seventh time, and every time I see this movie, I conclude that it is an underrated stylish masterpiece. Everything works perfectly in this film. The story may be not original, the conclusion is quite moralist, but there is an important and unusual approach regarding the difference of classes and consequently of worlds, which is the basis for the conflictive romance between Claire and Mike. The direction of Ridley Scott is tight and perfect, as usual, using different angles camera and magnificent photography and shadows in the night, to express the differences between the two worlds. There is one specific scene that I love, when Mike is sat with his face half illuminated in the hall of Claire's apartment, totally confused and with his feelings divided. The cast is very inspired, and in my opinion, this is the best role of Mimi Rogers, amazingly perfect as an elegant, wealthy and needy of love woman and wearing a beautiful hair style. Tom Berenger is outstanding as Mike, and Lorraine Bracco is also fantastic in the role of a simple woman and wounded wife. The music score is awesome, highlighting the three versions of the song of George and Ira Gershwin, which gives the title of the film, specially the last one with the interpretation of Roberta Flack. My vote is ten.

Title (Brazil): "Perigo na Noite" ("Danger in the Night")