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Tequila Sunrise

Play trailer Poster for Tequila Sunrise R 1988 1h 54m Crime Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
53% Tomatometer 34 Reviews 41% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
In a seaside California town, best friends Mac (Mel Gibson) and Nick (Kurt Russell) are on opposite sides of the law. Mac is a former drug dealer trying to clean up his act, while Nick is a high-profile detective trying to take down a Mexican drug lord named Carlos (Raul Julia). Soon Nick's loyalties are put to the test when he begins an affair with restaurateur Jo Ann (Michelle Pfeiffer) -- a love interest of Mac's -- unwittingly leading his friend into a police-orchestrated trap.
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Tequila Sunrise

Tequila Sunrise

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Critics Consensus

Tequila Sunrise unites three of its decade's most in-demand stars for a slickly packaged crime drama that looks great without ever going anywhere particularly interesting.

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Critics Reviews

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Pauline Kael The New Yorker 09/13/2023
Most of the dialogue is sprightly -- it’s easy, everyday talk that actors can breathe to. But Towne’s directing is, surprisingly, better than his construction -- maybe because when he plans to direct he leaves things loose. Go to Full Review Sheila Benson Los Angeles Times 08/12/2020
Towne has acres of plot here, lashings of it, plot so complicated and so intricate that if you're not clenched to follow every second of it, you're lost. The sheer details of what he has created finally engulf Towne's handsome trio. Go to Full Review Dave Kehr Chicago Tribune 08/12/2020
3/4
Towne has a tremendous gift for creating dialogue that is concise, expressive and distinctive without advertising its own cleverness, and ''Tequila Sunrise'' is worth seeing just to be heard. Go to Full Review David Nusair Reel Film Reviews 03/20/2024
2.5/4
...Tequila Sunrise fares best in its deliberate yet involving first half... Go to Full Review Rene Jordan El Nuevo Herald (Miami) 07/07/2022
The film is absolutely incomprehensible. [Full review in Spanish] Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Mireille M @RT54922496 Jan 3 Well contrary to most opinions Tequila Sunrise is still one of my favorites movies. Atmosphere, style,action and romance,is what this movie offers. Beautifull settings,beautiful actors that certainly do their role to perfection,including Michele Pheiffer. Everytime i watch it .i want to move there and live this life,go to that restaurant,live next to that beach. Stunning sun sets,which happen to be the same color as tequila sunrise. I still have nt quite figured everything out yet,but everytime i watch i figure a little more. This movie oozes with slick...beautifull slick. See more thiago s @Thiagostone May 26 Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom. See more Ari V @RT59419633 04/22/2025 Saxy soft pornish aspects aside, it's actually somehow a very cozy and enjoyable character study. Pfeifer especially, had a real knack for this sort of thing. See more Marcus T @MarcusT12 03/14/2025 The plot is totally preposterous, but the characters are having so much fun acting it out that you don't really care. Michelle Pfeiffer never looked more gorgeous and that's saying something. My only criticism is I don't think she and Mel Gibson had much chemistry. Still a very entertaining watch. See more wes c @RT90453966 02/19/2025 3 of my favorite actors. See more Jelisije J @jjosifovic 07/25/2024 This film should not have been this good, but the three leads really bring their A game to provide a dark romantic comedy and left me satisfied at the end of the day. See more Read all reviews
Tequila Sunrise

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Cast & Crew

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Robert Towne

Director

Mel Gibson

Dale "Mac" McKussic

Michelle Pfeiffer

Jo Ann Vallenari

Kurt Russell

Det. Lt. Nicholas "Nick" Frescia

Raul Julia

Carlos

J.T. Walsh

DEA Agent Hal Maguire

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Tequila Sunrise

Tequila Sunrise (1988) Tequila Sunrise (1988) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis In a seaside California town, best friends Mac (Mel Gibson) and Nick (Kurt Russell) are on opposite sides of the law. Mac is a former drug dealer trying to clean up his act, while Nick is a high-profile detective trying to take down a Mexican drug lord named Carlos (Raul Julia). Soon Nick's loyalties are put to the test when he begins an affair with restaurateur Jo Ann (Michelle Pfeiffer) -- a love interest of Mac's -- unwittingly leading his friend into a police-orchestrated trap.
Director
Robert Towne
Producer
Thom Mount
Screenwriter
Robert Towne
Distributor
Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co
Warner Bros., Cinema City Film Productions
Rating
R
Genre
Crime, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 2, 1988, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 1, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA)
$39.7M
Runtime
1h 54m
Sound Mix
Surround