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.

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Plot Keywords:

cowboy | reference to arizona | reference to tombstone arizona | tom mix character | woman dresses as a man | 

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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.

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Genres:

Crime | Mystery | Thriller | Western

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film-within-a-film that Tom Mix was to star in and Wyatt Earp was technical consultant on was "The Lawman".

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Goofs

In the restaurant, one of the musicians in the mariachi band plays an Ovation guitar, first introduced in 1964.

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Quotes

Cheryl King, Owner of Candy Store: Will you sleep with me?
Wyatt Earp: Cheryl, I'm old enough to be your father.
Cheryl King, Owner of Candy Store: Wyatt, you're old enough to be my grandfather. Now answer the question.

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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."

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Connections

Spoofs Hour of the Gun (1967)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

My brief review of the film

A very interesting premise ends up with a rather tame execution here, however the cast is full of talent, and they help to pull the film through. The best performance of the film is delivered by James Garner as Wyatt Earp. Although, no thanks to a poor makeup job, Garner does not look or act like he is approaching eighty years of age, Garner still portrays the charisma that one would expect from Earp very well. Of interest also is Mariel Hemingway, who is quite good as needing woman. The main problem with the film is that the mystery is rather dull, and its implementation into the plot comes at the cost of sacrificing room for further character development. Blake's directing work is slightly heavy-handed here, full of silly spectacles and violence that add little flavour to the film - and his work directing the film won him a Razzie award. It is not half bad as a film overall though. Garner and the rest of the cast, which includes Malcolm McDowell, help make some interesting segments when on screen, and Henry Mancini's music is as good as ever.

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:

$16,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,031,678, 1 May 1988

Gross USA:

$4,594,452

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$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 Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1