The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996)

Director:

Renny Harlin

Writer (WGA):

Shane Black (written by)

Release Date:

11 October 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

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.

Plot:

A women suffering from amnesia begins to recover her memories after trouble from her past finds her again.

Plot Keywords:

Amnesia | Self Loathing | Hidden Gun | Blood | Wetting Pants

Awards:

3 nominations

Cast

Geena Davis	...	Samantha Caine / Charly Baltimore
Samuel L. Jackson	...	Mitch Henessey
Yvonne Zima	...	Caitlin Caine
Craig Bierko	...	Timothy
Tom Amandes	...	Hal
Brian Cox	...	Dr. Nathan Waldman
Patrick Malahide	...	Leland Perkins
David Morse	...	Luke / Daedalus
Joseph McKenna	...	One-Eyed Jack
Melina Kanakaredes	...	Trin
Dan Warry-Smith	...	Raymond
Kristen Bone	...	Girl #1
Jennifer Pisana	...	Girl #2
Rex Linn	...	Man in Bed
Alan North	...	Earl

MPAA:

Rated R for a substantial amount of strong bloody violence, and for strong language.

Runtime:

120 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Singapore:M18 | Iceland:16 | Australia:M (TV rating) | USA:R (certificate #34389) | South Korea:18 | Philippines:PG-13 | UK:15 (2008) | Malaysia:18SG | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R18 | Norway:18 | Portugal:M/16 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | Canada:R (Nova Scotia/Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

Company:

Forge

Trivia:

In the first draft of the script, the name "Sam Caine" was not an alias used by Charly Baltimore (as it is in the finished film) but was instead a creation of her mind, as an anagram of "amnesiac".

Goofs:

Continuity: During the scene when Sam is first cutting the carrot, she is shown cutting with two separate motions, depending on the shot. Generally, in shots where only her hands are visible, she is cutting by pivoting the knife against the board, raising and lowering the blade at the rear; in long shots, she is chopping by swinging the knife up and down from her wrist, raising and lowering the point.

Quotes:

Mitch: You're telling me that you're gonna fake some terrorist thing, just to scare some money out of Congress?
Leland Perkins: Well, unfortunately, Mr. Hennessey, I have no idea how to fake killing 4,000 people - so we're just gonna have to do it for real. Blame it on the Muslims, naturally. Then I get my funding.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Be Kind Rewind (2008)

Soundtrack:

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow

Clever dialogue gets me every time (no spoilers)

Definitely a movie for people who ask only to be entertained and who do not over-think their movies.

Lots of action, lots of great dialogue (e.g. fun to quote), a little intrigue, and stuff blowing up all over the place. Samuel L Jackson and Geena Davis had great chemistry. Violent, but not gory. The fact that the female part was the competent action lead is a pleasant turn-about.

Have seen the movie more than a dozen times and still enjoy it enough to put it back in my favorite films rotation every 3 or 4 months. I initially rented the movie because Samuel L Jackson was in the film, but was caught up in the events surrounding Samantha's quest to regain her memory and have never looked back.

All you cerebral folks out there -- suspend disbelief for once, take yourself a little less seriously -- you might actually enjoy yourselves!