Mortal Thoughts (1991)

Two detectives interrogated a hairdresser on two homicides she may or may not have been involved in.

Director:

Alan Rudolph

Writers:

William Reilly, Claude Kerven

Stars:

Demi Moore, Glenne Headly, Bruce Willis

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Demi Moore	...	Cynthia Kellogg
Glenne Headly	...	Joyce Urbanski
Bruce Willis	...	James Urbanski
John Pankow	...	Arthur Kellogg
Harvey Keitel	...	Det. John Woods
Billie Neal	...	Det. Linda Nealon
Frank Vincent	...	Dominic, Joyce's Father
Karen Shallo	...	Gloria, James' Mother
Crystal Field	...	Jeanette, Joyce's Mother
Marianne Leone	...	Aunt Rita (as Maryanne Leone)
Marc Baron	...	Usher (as Marc Tantillo)
Doris McCarthy	...	Pat - Cynthia's Mother
Christopher Scotellaro	...	Joey, James' Brother
Ron J. Amodea	...	Band Leader
Leonid Merzon	...	Yuri

Storyline

The hairdresser, wife and mother Cynthia Kellogg is in police department being interrogated by the experienced detective John Woods and his partner, Detective Linda Nealon. Through flashbacks, she reveals how her best friend and colleague Joyce Urbanski married the scum and nasty James Urbanski; how hard Joyce's life with James was; and why Joyce became a criminal. The smart detective finds some contradictions in her statement and presses Cynthia, trying to disclose the truth of two murders.

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Plot Keywords:

neo noir | detective | friend | best friend | murder | 

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Taglines:

Something terrible happened that night. Something everyone wanted to talk about. Something no one was telling the truth about.

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Genres:

Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong language, momentary violence, and for some drug content

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Movie Channel [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 April 1991 (USA)

Also Known As:

Pensamientos mortales

Filming Locations:

Bayonne, New Jersey, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$8,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$19,018,321

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, New Visions Pictures, Polar Entertainment Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of a cycle of thrillers made during the early 1990s which were set around husband and wife characters. The films include Malice (1993), Deceived (1991), Shattered (1991), Mortal Thoughts (1991), Consenting Adults (1992), Unlawful Entry (1992), Presumed Innocent (1990), Guilty as Sin (1993), Sleeping with the Enemy (1991) and A Kiss Before Dying (1991).

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Goofs

Camera crew reflected in the van when Joey drives away from Cynthia.

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Quotes

James: You take a pencil, a piece of paper, S-U-G-E-R, this is what we need.

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Connections

References The Simpsons (1989)

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Soundtracks

JUST THE WAY YOU ARE
Written by Billy Joel (uncredited)
Performed by Billy Joel

User Reviews

Interesting film falls short of real satisfaction.

"Mortal Thoughts" manages to sustain your interest throughout: it is a well-structured murder mystery with good performances by the entire cast, particularly from Bruce Willis (in one of his most unconventional roles) and Harvey Keitel who, despite his limited screen time, steals the show. But the film still falls short, maybe because it never really takes off. The final twist probably influenced the screenwriter of a very popular mid-90's cop film; those who have seen both films will understand which one I'm talking about.