Sunset (1988)

Director:

Blake Edwards

Writers:

Rodney Amateau (story)
Blake Edwards (screenplay)

Release Date:

29 April 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Action | Comedy | Thriller | Western

Tagline:

They broke every rule, loved every woman, took every risk and solved the most shocking murder in the history of Beverly Hills. And it's all true. Give or take a lie or two.

Plot:

Tom Mix and Wyatt Earp team up to solve a murder at the Academy Awards in 1929 Hollywood.

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Film In Film | Celebrity Look Alike | Spoof | Laurel And Hardy Spoof

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Bruce Willis	...	Tom Mix
James Garner	...	Wyatt Earp
Malcolm McDowell	...	Alfie Alperin
Mariel Hemingway	...	Cheryl King
Kathleen Quinlan	...	Nancy Shoemaker
Jennifer Edwards	...	Victoria Alperin
Patricia Hodge	...	Christina Alperin
Richard Bradford	...	Captain Blackworth
M. Emmet Walsh	...	Chief Marvin Dibner
Joe Dallesandro	...	Dutch Kieffer
Andreas Katsulas	...	Arthur
Dann Florek	...	Marty Goldberg
Bill Marcus	...	Hal Flynn
Michael C. Gwynne	...	Mooch
Dermot Mulroney	...	Michael Alperin

Also Known As:

Catalina (USA) (cable TV title)

Runtime:

102 min | Argentina:107 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Singapore:PG | Iceland:14 (original rating) | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:12 | Ireland:15

Filming Locations:

Ambassador Hotel - 3400 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Cecchi Gori Group Tiger Cinematografica

Trivia:

Although the film's plot is mostly fiction, it is true that Wyatt Earp and Tom Mix were friends. After retiring from law-enforcement work, Earp and his wife drifted around, eventually setting in Los Angeles where he and Mix met. They became good friends and Mix even tried to get Hollywood to produce a movie about Earp, but they weren't interested. Earp was, however, hired as a technical consultant for movies starring Mix and William S. Hart. When Earp passed away in 1929, Mix and Hart were his pallbearers.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Several scenes depicted Wyatt Earp consuming alcohol, which he never did.

Quotes:

Tom Mix: She's a grand girl.
Wyatt Earp: She's a grand 26 year old girl. I could have done myself permanent injury.

Movie Connections:

Follows Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957)

Soundtrack:

Black And Tan Fantasy

AN OFFBEAT AND UNUSUAL FILM FOR BLAKE EDWARDS

Blake Edwards' "Sunset" has the misfortune of following a series of films that are among his all time best: "10", "S.O.B.", "Trail of the Pink Panther" (a surprisingly cohesive film considering the circumstances; see my review for more details), "Victor/Victoria", "The Man Who Loved Women" (an underrated film), "Micki and Maude", "A Fine Mess" and the remarkable "That's Life!" By comparison, "Sunset" is a weak film.

But it is a good Blake Edwards film and good Edwards ("Blind Date", "Curse of the Pink Panther") is much better than horrible Edwards ("Switch", "Bring Your Smile Along", "Justin Case"). "Sunset" is Edwards' attempt at a risky genre, film noir, which if handled wrong, gives us films such as "Palmetto". When handled right, the results can be very entertaining.

"Sunset" is indeed very entertaining. It has laughs, but they're not important here. The atmosphere is what's important here and Edwards drenches us in it. And his casting of James Garner and Bruce Willis is inspired and right. They work wonderfully together and it is a testament to Garner and Willis as actors that they are so utterly believable as Wyatt Earp and Tom Mix, respectively. The bigger surprise here is Willis, who has a fresh faced charm that he doesn't show all that much anymore. I had forgotten what a solid actor he really is beneath that cliched "ACTION STAR" persona.

What prevents "Sunset" from approaching greatness is that Edwards is weighed down by the plot. He wants to create a complex mystery and he achieves that. But after getting to know such rich and likable characters, I really wish he had just forgotten about the plot and focus on them. All of his very best films are about character. Look at the list in the beginning. Each and every one of those films has characters we care about and he wisely forgets about resolving the plot. He observes and that's how he gets our attention (and laughs where appropriate). I only wished he had remembered. Luckily, his next film "Skin Deep" remembered that.

I still recommend "Sunset", if only for the charm of Willis and Garner and that wonderful atmosphere. This isn't a great film, but you just can't resist smiling at the end.

*** out of 4 stars