After Dark, My Sweet (1990)

An ex-boxer is drifting around after escaping from the mental hospital. He meets a widow who convinces him to help fix up the neglected estate her ex-husband left. Her Uncle talks them both... See full summary »

Director:

James Foley

Writers:

Jim Thompson (novel), Robert Redlin (screenplay)

Stars:

Jason Patric, Rachel Ward, Bruce Dern

1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Jason Patric	...	Collie
Rocky Giordani	...	Bert
Rachel Ward	...	Fay
Bruce Dern	...	Uncle Bud
Tom Wagner	...	Counterman
Mike Hagerty	...	Truck Driver (as Michael G. Hagerty)
James E. Bowen Jr.	...	Second Driver
George Dickerson	...	Doc Goldman
Vincent Mazella Jr.	...	Flashback Fighter (as Vince Mazzella Jr.)
Napoleon Walls	...	Boxing Referee
Corey Carrier	...	Jack
Jeanie Moore	...	Nanny
James Cotton	...	Charlie
Burke Byrnes	...	Cop

Storyline

An ex-boxer is drifting around after escaping from the mental hospital. He meets a widow who convinces him to help fix up the neglected estate her ex-husband left. Her Uncle talks them both into helping kidnap a rich boy for ransom money, and the ex-fighter must make decisions about his loyalties and what is right.

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Plot Keywords:

widow | self sacrifice | tragedy | tragic hero | distrust | 

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Taglines:

Seduced beyond the limits of deception. Betrayed beyond the limits of desire.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to Roger Ebert, After Dark, My Sweet "is the movie that eluded audiences; it grossed less than $3 million, has been almost forgotten, and remains one of the purest and most uncompromising of modern films noir. It captures above all the lonely, exhausted lives of its characters."

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Goofs

Early in the film, the person in the emergency room's heart flatlines; asystole or absence of any electrical activity. Shocking or defibrillating will do no good in the absence of cardiac activity. The proper treatment would be to give intracardiac epinephrine, followed appropriately as necessary.

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Quotes

Kevin 'kid' Collins: [voiceover] There's something inside of every man that keeps him going long after he has any reason to. For years I kept going when going didn't seem to make any sense. And now I just had to keep going. I had to have the end come.

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Connections

Featured in At the Movies: Postcards from the Edge/Saving Grace/White Hunter, Black Heart/After Dark, My Sweet (1990)

User Reviews

Jim Thompson noir, true to his style

While watching the exquisitely photographed film After Dark, My Sweet, one has to admire Jason Patrick's heartbroken voiceover. His narration is a combination of punch-drunkenness, paranoia, and a surrendering to fate. Like in many noirs, Collie knows there is no way to escape one's destiny; the only thing to do is ride it out and see what happens.

After Dark, My Sweet is one of those little gems, a film that came out just as independent cinema was experiencing an upswing in popularity. And, although the film was no huge hit when it was released, After Dark, My Sweet was at the beginning of a new trend: the neo-noir film. John Diehl would later impress us with Last Seduction and Red Rock West, but while those noirs had the style of the older genre, After Dark...has the dialogue and attitude of old; the words coming out of Patrick's mouth are clearly classic Jim Thompson. That sort of dementia, a kind of poetry, is hard to fake. James Foley has translated the novel to screen without losing the feel. When Collie is flashing-back to his boxing days, our heart races with him. When Collie recalls all of his past regrets and his own self-loathing, the sound of his voice and the words he is speaking are haunting and haunted. Jason Patric's performance is his best; he is pathetic yet endearing, stupid but savvy. A tough role to pull off, but he does it in true shaggy-dog ease. Rachel Ward and Bruce Dern(always the crazy one) play good backup, especially Ward with her 1940's-era fast-speak witty banter, straight out of Barbara Stanwick movies. But, this is Patrick's (and Thompson's) show.

Bravo to James Foley for this top-notch adaption of Jim Thompson's nightmarish reality, one that is desperate and life-threatening and sometimes all too real.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 August 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

After Dark, My Sweet

Filming Locations:

Mecca, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$244,919, 26 August 1990

Gross USA:

$2,678,414

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,678,414

Company Credits

Production Co:

Avenue Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1