Sunset (1988)

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

Director:

Blake Edwards

Writers:

Rod Amateau (story), Blake Edwards (screenplay)

Stars:

Bruce Willis, James Garner, Malcolm McDowell

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

Whilst making a silent film about the life of the legendary lawman Wyatt Earp, veteran actor 'Tom Mix' (Bruce Willis) discovers that the real Earp ('James Garner') is on the film set as a technical advisor. The two become friends, but when a murder takes place, the two become partners and set about tracking down the killer.

---

Plot Keywords:

tom mix | cowboy | reference to arizona | reference to tombstone arizona | murder | 

---

Taglines:

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.

---

Genres:

Crime | Mystery | Thriller | Western

---

Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Movie Channel [United States]

Country:

USA Italy

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

29 April 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Catalina

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$19,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$4,594,452

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cecchi Gori Group Tiger Cinematografica, Hudson Hawk Films Ltd., ML Delphi Premier Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The movie takes place during a transitional time in Hollywood film history where the motion picture industry due to the development of sound on film technology is transitioning from silent films to the talkies.

---

Goofs

One of the musicians in the mariachi band in the restaurant is playing an Ovation guitar; however, no Ovations existed before 1964.

---

Quotes

Wyatt Earp: Martha Jane Canary was a dear and selfless woman, but she looked like an unmade bed. This young lady's far too pretty.

---

Crazy Credits

The final frame of the picture freezes, and the following text appears: "And this is how it really happened. Give or take a lie or two."

---

Connections

References Singin' in the Rain (1952)

---

Soundtracks

Black And Tan Fantasy
Performed by Duke Ellington and the Duke Ellington Orchestra
Courtesy of RCA Records

User Reviews

Great chemistry between to top Stars in a very underated moviee

After reading the other user comments I felt a need to write about this wonderful film. Sunset is a fictionized account of the meeting of two famous cowboys, Marshal Wyatt Eurp and Western film star Tom Mix. This is the second time that James Garner played Wyatt Eurp as he played the part in John Sturges' under-rated film, "Hour Of the Gun" which told the story of what happened after the famous Gunfight at The O.K. Corral. Though in that film Garner played him very downbeat, and here he is his usual likeable cowboy.

Eurp and Mix (played by Bruce Willis in his second staring film)getting involved in an complicated mystery involving a Studio head played by Malcom McDowell (playing a sort of evil Charlie Chaplin). It's not only the wonderful chemistry between th two stars that makes the film enjoyable, but it's all the situations that they go thru.

Also a high point in the film is the score by master composer Henry Mancini. Mancini has score most of Director Blake Edwards films, since they first teamed up on the TV show Peter Gunn. Here Mancini shows why he was such a great composer, adaptable to any film genre, his western theme is as good as anything done by Elmer Bernstein and Dimitri Tiomkin, two of the highly regarded composers of western movies.

While parts of the film are a little uneven, and Director Edward should have not casted his daughter Jennifer Edwards in such a crucial role. She was totally miscast as McDowell's sister. She worked much better in Edwards "S.O.B". and "That's Life" and even more in a film not directed by her dad, called "The Perfect Match".

The main reason to watch this film is that it's fun and it's fun watching two legends getting together, I mean both Garner and Willis as well as the real men they portray, Erup and Mix, and remember like the film says, "it's all true give or take a lie or two.