It suffers from a frustratingly deliberate pace, but with nuanced performances from Paul Newman, Gene Hackman, Susan Sarandon, and Reese Witherspoon to fall back on, Twilight can't help but be compelling.
It suffers from a frustratingly deliberate pace, but with nuanced performances from Paul Newman, Gene Hackman, Susan Sarandon, and Reese Witherspoon to fall back on, Twilight can't help but be compelling.
The Nobody's Fool (1994) team of Paul Newman, director Robert Benton, and scripter Richard Russo reassembled for this L.A. detective drama, beginning with a Puerto Vallarta prologue showing private eye Harry Ross (Newman) accidentally shot by 17-year-old Mel Ames (Reese Witherspoon) during his efforts to get her to return home. Two years later, the broke and divorced Ross lives in a garage apartment on the estate of Mel's parents, his movie-star friends Jack and Catherine Ames (Gene Hackman and
Susan Sarandon). The cancer-ridden Jack is not unaware that Harry is attracted to Catherine. Delivering a package for Jack, Harry encounters elderly Lester Ivar (M. Emmet Walsh), who shoots at Harry and then dies. Harry's curiosity is provoked when he discovers that Ivar was an investigator checking into the disappearance of Catherine's first husband, written off 20 years earlier as an unsolved case, but now reactivated as Harry's sleuth-work leads him on a trail of past crimes and cover-ups. The Ames residence is actually the former Cedric Gibbons-Delores Del Rio home, and a never-completed Frank Lloyd Wright house near Malibu served as the Ames' ranchhouse. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi
Despite its pluses, despite trying to do all the right things, Twilight comes up lacking in both energy and plot, two areas that no noir, geezer or otherwise, can afford to be caught short in.
Part of Twilight's charm is the way it reconfigures Rio Bravo, El Dorado, and Rio Lobo in the process of making its own discoveries, not so much imitating or appropriating the earlier films as applying their strategies to goals quite alien to Hawks.
neither day nor night and neither fish nor fowl. The picture swaggers from moody mystery to raunchy comedy, and neither style is Benton or Russo's forte.
If this movie were cast with no-name actors or even rising stars, it would only be boring and undistinguished. But with a bill full of high-powered names like these, it's a downright disappointment.
Mr. Benton's smart script, co-written with Richard Russo, allows the fine cast to explore honor, betrayal and desire among people who have lived long enough to know who they really are.
A slow moving mystery film that won't appeal to all audiences. It's so good to see this cast working together that you're willing to forgive the film's little shortcomings.
Cast is far above the material in this throwback try at a noir in color. If you like any of the actors worth checking out.
May 4, 2008
jay nixon
Super Reviewer
A decent slow paced thriller, more of a detective story really. It has a great cast Gene Hackman, Susan Sarandon, Paul Newman and a very early, memorable role for Reese Witherspoon. If you like detective stories and a plot with a slight twist you might like this, but it could do with a bit more action at least. It
seems to have slipped by most people but it's worth a watch if it's on.
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