2017 Cannes Marathon: The Nice Guys

(Played Out of Competition at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival)

Directed by Shane Black and written by Black and Anthony Bagarozzi, The Nice Guys is the story of a down-on-his-luck private detective who teams up with an enforcer to find a missing young woman in 1977 Los Angeles amidst a world of corruption and pornography. The film is an offbeat neo-noir film that explores two mismatched men who work together to try and do good as they go into a wild adventure. Starring Russell Crowe, Ryan Gosling, Angourie Rice, Margaret Qualley, Matt Bomer, Keith David, and Kim Basinger. The Nice Guys is a thrilling and exciting film from Shane Black.

The film revolves the worst private detective who reluctantly teams up with a brutish enforcer to find a missing young woman as she is connected to the death of a porn star. It’s a film with a simple premise involving mismatched men who work together to find this young woman as they venture into the world of pornography and its relation to the world of crime. The film’s screenplay by Shane Black and Anthony Bagarozzi is a mixture of noir with some offbeat humor as it play into the two protagonists who aren’t part of the police force nor do they do anything conventional which makes them a perfect team. The enforcer Jackson Healy (Russell Crowe) is a guy hired to beat people up as he would meet this loser private detective in Holland March (Ryan Gosling) during an assignment where he beats him up. When Healy is attacked by two thugs who is trying to find this missing young woman in Amelia Kuttner (Margaret Qualley), he turns to March for help with March’s young daughter Holly (Angourie Rice).

It’s not just the mystery that is so interesting but it’s also the characters as Healy and March are guys who try to help people but they never reach their full potential until they work together. During the course of the film as they work together to solve this mystery, Healy and March learn more about each other as they become unlikely friends with Holly gaining a second father of sorts in Healy. When the two meet up with a high-ranking official from the Department of Justice in Judith Kuttner (Kim Basinger) who is revealed to be Amelia’s mother. The search for Amelia becomes more complex as it becomes clear someone is after her since she knows something as it doesn’t just relate to her mother’s disdain towards pornography but also something to do with the auto industry.

Black’s direction is definitely stylish as it play into the world of 1970s culture as it begins with a young boy (Ty Simpkins) sneaking under his parents bed to see a porno magazine when a car suddenly crashes into his home with the body of the same naked woman from that magazine. Shot largely in Atlanta and Decatur, Georgia with many exterior locations in Los Angeles, the film play into a world that is in disarray with a gas shortage as well as a smog pollution looming over Los Angeles. Black would use some wide shots to establish some of the locations as well as go into this world of decadence as well as it play into a period where everything is unruly but exciting. Black would use some medium shots and close-ups to focus on the characters as well as some of these offbeat moments such as Holly reading a book in a yard next to her home or these surreal moments as it relates to some of the things March sees whenever he’s drunk.

Still, it help play into the story and development of these characters as it is about these two mismatched men trying to do good in the world no matter how fucked up things are. Even as it leads to this very extravagant yet thrilling climax involving all sorts of shit where it proves that these are two guys that can get the job done. Overall, Black creates a fun and exhilarating film about two mismatched men trying to find a missing young woman.

Cinematographer Philippe Rousselot does excellent work with the film’s colorful cinematography with its usage of colorful lights for some of the scenes at night as well as some natural lighting for the scenes set in the day with the exception of the low-lit bars. Editor Joel Negron does nice work with the editing as it has some unique style in its usage of jump-cuts as well as using rhythmic cuts to play into the comedy and suspense. Production designer Richard Bridgland, with set decorator Danielle Berman and art director David Utley, does brilliant work with the look of the different houses and places the characters go to as it play into the world of the late 1970s. Costume designer Kym Barrett does fantastic work with the period costumes from the dresses and clothes the women wear as well as the suits that Healy and March wear.

Visual effects supervisor Josh Saeta does terrific work with the visual effects as it is mainly some set dressing to recreate the look of 1977 Los Angeles as well as some backdrops for some of the driving scenes at night. Sound designer James Harrison and sound editor Oliver Tarney do superb work with the sound in creating some unique sound effects as well as play into the atmospheres involving the parties and some of the violence. The film’s music by John Ottman and David Buckley is wonderful as it is a mixture of orchestral-based pieces with elements of funk and jazz to play into the feel of the 1970s while music supervisor Randall Poster creates a fun soundtrack that features music from the Bee Gees, Earth, Wind, & Fire, the Temptations, Kool & the Gang, Andrew Gold, America, A Taste of Honey, Climax Blues Band, Brick, KISS, Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, Al Green, and Rupert Holmes.

The casting by Sarah Finn is incredible as it feature some notable small roles from Ty Simpkins as the kid who finds the dead body of a naked porn star, Daisy Tahan as Holly’s friend Jessica, Yvonne Zima as a porn princess, Jack Kilmer as a friend of Amelia named Chet, Murielle Telio as the dead porn star Misty Mountains, Beau Knapp as a thug known as Blue Face, Yaya DeCosta as Judith Kuttner’s secretary Tally, Keith David as a thug who teams up with Blue Face, Matt Bomer as a mysterious hitman named John Boy, and Lois Smith as an old lady who claims her niece Misty is alive. Kim Basinger is excellent as Amelia’s mother Judith Kuttner as a top official for the department of justice who is eager to find her daughter as well as be very ambiguous about her war against pornography as well as dealing with a case involving the auto industry.

Margaret Qualley is brilliant as Amelia as a young woman that is trying not to be found by anyone as she knows something that could cause a lot of trouble as she is full of energy as well as naiveté thinking she could do something when it’s really more complicated. Angourie Rice is amazing as Holly March as Holland’s daughter who is a lot smarter than her father as well as be the conscious of sorts as she brings a lot of energy but also some wit as she is the real standout in the film. Finally, there’s the duo of Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling in phenomenal performances in their respective roles as Jackson Healy and Holland March. Crowe is the straight man of the two as someone that is cool with beating people up as he uses his street smart to get things done while also being very funny in a restrained manner. Gosling is definitely the funnier of the two as someone who is kind of a bumbling idiot that always screw things up despite his good intentions. Crowe and Gosling have a great sense of rapport together as they’re always fun to watch while bringing out the best in each other.

The Nice Guys is a remarkable film from Shane Black that features top-notch performances from Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling. Along with a great supporting cast, nice visuals, and a fun premise, the film is definitely a neo-noir film that doesn’t take itself seriously while bringing in the things needed for an action-suspense film. In the end, The Nice Guys is an incredible film from Shane Black.

Shane Black Films: (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang) - Iron Man 3 - (The Predator (2018 film))

© thevoid99 2017

Lethal Weapon

Directed by Richard Donner and written by Shane Black, Lethal Weapon is the story of two very different Los Angeles detectives who become partners as they battle a retired general who has become a drug smuggler and his psychotic enforcer. The film is a strange mixture of the buddy comedy films with high-octane action as it is led by two men who have nothing in common as Mel Gibson plays the crazed, suicidal Martin Riggs and Danny Glovers as the straight-laced veteran Roger Murtaugh. Also starring Gary Busey, Mitchell Ryan, Darlene Love, Traci Wolfe, Tom Atkins, Mary Ellen Trainor, and Steve Kahan as Captain Murphy. Lethal Weapon is an explosive yet extremely entertaining film from Richard Donner.

What happens when a middle-aged family man who is straight as an arrow is teamed up with a lonely and crazed man with a death wish as they go around chasing bad guys? That is basically the premise of the film as it plays into this odd world where two guys who have nothing in common other than being part of the LAPD as they deal with a drug smuggler who was once a general in the Vietnam War who also has an enforcer that is extremely insane in terms of dealing with situations. Especially as the veteran Roger Murtaugh is asked to investigate the death of a young woman whose father is an old friend of Murtaugh as he and Martin Riggs deal with many revelations about the drug trade that is connected with this woman’s death. During this investigation, Riggs and Murtaugh would become this unlikely duo that takes name and kick some ass as they also find more to like about each other outside of their work.

Shane Black’s screenplay definitely has this strange mix of action, suspense, and humor all rolled into a story that is offbeat but also filled with a lot of excitement. At the heart of the script is this unlikely partnership between Riggs and Murtaugh as they’re different in many ways not just in age, personalities, skills, morals, backgrounds, and in lifestyles. Yet, this duo manage to become partners that get things done as well as be there for one another. In Murtaugh, he’s this middle-aged veteran who lives in the suburbs as he’s been in the force for many years as he has three children as one of whom in Rianne (Traci Wolfe) is becoming a young woman. In being this veteran, he copes with being middle-aged as he often states that he’s too old for this shit which is among the many aspects of the film’s humor.

In Riggs, there’s a man who is an absolute mess as he is known for being very crazy in his tactics where he has no qualms in killing criminals as he has an offbeat sense of humor inspired by the Three Stooges. Yet, he’s also someone that is suicidal due to the death of his wife as he would often put himself or anyone else near him in danger. Having these two men as partners definitely seems like a combustible partnership but once they deal with revelations of this young woman’s death as well as it plays into this world of drug smuggling run by General Peter McAllister (Mitchell Ryan) whose enforcer in Joshua (Gary Busey) is a man that doesn’t just get things done but he has tactics that are far more brutal. Even as it would involve Murtaugh’s family which would have Riggs and Murtaugh go into great lengths to stop these two men at any cost.

Richard Donner’s direction starts off with a bang as it opens with aerial shots of Los Angeles and moves into a close-up of a drugged-out young woman in her hotel room as she would then jump off the building. It sets up the tone of what kind of film it would be as Donner infuses a lot of style from high-octane aerial shots as well as some unique camera angles to play into the action. Much of the action is often intense as it also include some moments of dark humor as it relates to the mismatched partnership of Riggs and Murtaugh in the things they would encounter. While many of the action sequences are elaborate in its presentation with wide shots and stylistic camera angles to play into the vast look of the film. It is balanced by the intimate approach to humor and suspense for the film.

Donner’s use of close-ups and medium shots play into the humor as well as the developing friendship between Riggs and Murtaugh as the former gets to know the latter and his family. It adds to something that feels very intimate as well as special into something that Riggs is in need of as he is a man that lives in a trailer on a beach with his dog. Once the two are in great danger as they meet their adversaries, the sense of drama and suspense do intensify where Murtaugh would realize that he needs to play dirty if he is to make sure the world is a safer place. It adds to the dramatic stakes where Riggs needs Murtaugh to keep him in control and Murtaugh needs Riggs to push his buttons. Overall, Donner creates a very riveting yet exhilarating film about two mismatched detectives who work together and kill some bad guys.

Cinematographer Stephen Goldblatt does excellent work with the cinematography from the colorful and sunny look of the scenes set in the daytime in Los Angeles and the Californian deserts to more stylish usage of lights for its nighttime interior/exterior scenes. Editor Stuart Baird does brilliant work with the editing with its usage of stylish slow-motion cuts as well as jump-cuts to play into the action and suspense. Production designer J. Michael Riva and set decorator Marvin March do terrific work with the set pieces from the look of the homes of some of suspects as well as the different homes of Riggs and Murtaugh to play into their different lifestyles.

Costume designer Mary Malin does nice work with the clothes to play into the different looks of Riggs and Murtaugh with the former wearing street clothes and the latter wearing a shirt and tie. Sound editors Robert G. Henderson and Alan Robert Murray do amazing work with the sound to play into layers of gunfire as well as explosions and other moments to play into the film‘s humor and action scenes. The film’s music by Michael Kamen, Eric Clapton, and David Sanborn is superb for its mixture of Kamen‘s soaring orchestral music to play into the film‘s suspense while Clapton brings in some blues-based guitar to showcase the sense of melancholia surrounding Riggs and Sanborn bringing some snazzy jazz with his saxophone for some of the film‘s humorous moments.

The casting by Marion Dougherty is phenomenal for the ensemble that is created as it features some small performances from Jackie Swanson as the young woman who would jump off a building in the film’s opening sequence, Grand Bush and Jack Thibeau as a couple of fellow detectives, Blackie Dammett as a thug Riggs beats up early in the film, Lycia Naff as a hooker Riggs and Murtaugh interrogate, Al Leong as Joshua’s man of torture, and Sally Field in an un-credited cameo as a TV news reporter. Other notable small roles include Ebonie Smith and Damon Hines in their respective roles as Murtaugh’s younger children Carrie and Nick, Mary Ellen Trainor as the police psychiatrist Dr. Stephanie Woods, and Steve Kahan in a terrific performance as Riggs and Murtaugh’s superior Captain Murphy.

Traci Wolfe is wonderful as Murtaugh’s teenage daughter Rianne who has a crush on Riggs while taken hostage by McAllister. Darlene Love is excellent as Murtaugh’s wife Trish who is has this sense of warmth and comfort that intrigues Riggs while being the person that grounds her husband from doing dangerous things. Tom Atkins is superb as Michael Hunsaker as the old friend of Murtaugh who asks for his help following his daughter’s death as he would reveal some things about why his daughter jumped off a building to her death. Mitchell Ryan is fantastic as General Peter McAllister as a once-revered army leader who decides to go into the world of drug smuggling as he sees money in the operation and will do anything to be rich.

Gary Busey is brilliant as the devious enforcer Joshua who knows Riggs via reputation as he is very insane guy who can push people’s buttons and do things to get the job done. Finally, there’s the duo of Mel Gibson and Danny Glover in incredible performances as Martin Riggs and Roger Murtaugh. Gibson brings that mix of craziness and vulnerability to his character as this man that is teetering on the edge as he tries to find something to live for. Glover is the perfect straight man as he has these little moments that make him very funny as well as very serious in the way he does his job. Gibson and Glover have a chemistry that is often fun to watch in the way Riggs makes Murtaugh tick or how Murtaugh tries to show Riggs how it’s done as they are the heart and soul of the film.

Lethal Weapon is an outstanding film from Richard Donner that features top-notch performances from Mel Gibson and Danny Glover. Featuring an inventively witty script from Shane Black as well as a noteworthy supporting performance from Gary Busey. The film is definitely a standard bearer for not just buddy cop films as well as action-comedies but it’s also one of the most enjoyable films that still holds up since its initial release. In the end, Lethal Weapon is a gloriously enthralling and exciting film from Richard Donner.

Richard Donner Films: (X-15) - (Salt and Pepper) - (Twinky) - (The Omen) - (Superman) - (Inside Moves) - (The Toy) - (The Goonies) - (Ladyhawke) - (Scrooged) - Lethal Weapon 2 - (Radio Flyer) - Lethal Weapon 3 - (Maverick) - (Assassins) - (Conspiracy Theory) - Lethal Weapon 4 - (Timeline) - (16 Blocks) - (Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut)

© thevoid99 2014

Iron Man 3

Based on the Marvel Comics by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, Don Heck, and Jack Kirby and from the Extremis story arc by Warren Ellis, Iron Man 3 is the third installment of the Iron Man story in which Tony Stark faces with a new, mysterious enemy who is eager to wreak havoc into Stark’s life. Directed by Shane Black and screenplay by Black and Drew Pearce, the film picks up where The Avengers left off as Stark must deal with his role as Iron Man as he’s once again played by Robert Downey Jr. Also starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall, James Badge Dale, Ty Simpkins, Jon Favreau, and Ben Kingsley as the Mandarin. Iron Man 3 is a thrilling and adventurous film from Shane Black.

The film revolves around Tony Stark battling an unknown enemy known as the Mandarin who is wreaking havoc on the world as he’s targeting the U.S. President (William Sadler). Yet, things become more complicated as Stark is dealing with anxiety issues relating to the events in The Avengers as he starts to alienate people close to him. Meanwhile, Stark is also dealing with the presence of Adrian Killich (Guy Pearce), who has been known for creating a virus that can help regenerate body parts, as he wants to go after Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) to get Starks to help fund his work. It’s all part of a world in which Stark becomes overwhelmed as he has no idea what to do while eventually realizing that he’ll need to do things to help those he care for.

The screenplay by Shane Black and Drew Pearce explores not just Stark’s anxieties as well as his obsession to perfect the Iron Man suits he wears but also to use it so he can protect Pepper. Yet, he’s also dealing with the sins of the past as it relates to Killich who made an offer to Stark back in New Year’s Eve 1999 only to reject the offer while on that same night, he had a one-night stand with a botanist named Maya Hansen (Rebecca Hall) who would be one of the people that would create the Extremis virus. These sins would come back to haunt him as Stark tried to target the Mandarin in which one of his bombs put his former bodyguard Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) into a coma. All of these incidents and the presence of the mysterious Mandarin would cause a lot of issues for Stark as he finds refuge in a small Tennessee town where he befriends a boy named Harley (Ty Simpkins) who would help Stark get back on his feet.

The script allows the Tony Stark character to not just face his demons and flaws but also face more brushes with death as he finally comes to the conclusion that he’s not just invisible. It’s not just Stark that is given a great character arc as the script also pays attention to Pepper Potts who grows into a much stronger woman who can put on an Iron Man suit and be helpful. There’s also a bit of buddy-comedy elements when it comes to Stark and his friend Colonel James Rhodes aka the Iron Patriot (Don Cheadle) who would later help Stark out in battling the Mandarin. Upon Starks’ eventual confrontation with the Mandarin, it becomes much more complex than it actually seems as it relates more to Killich’s work with the Extremis virus.

Black’s direction is quite typical of what is expected in an action blockbuster but Black does things to make it so much more. Notably as he creates scenes that are fun and full of humor while keeping the action thrilling as well as have some meaning. Black does create some unique shots that are simple including the scenes involving Starks and Potts while opening the film with this very humorous New Year’s Eve party in Switzerland that would set the tone for the entire film as it’s narrated by Stark. Many of the compositions are simple while the humor has the right note of just being unexpected but also natural where there is that sense of improvisation. Overall, Black creates a very solid and enjoyable action-blockbuster that manages to do a lot more than what is expected in its genre.

Cinematographer John Toll does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography as it‘s mostly naturalistic in some of its exteriors while using some more stylish lights for the scenes at night. Editors Jeffrey Ford and Peter S. Elliot do terrific work with the editing to create some rhythmic cut for the action scenes as well as a few montages for the flashback scenes. Production designer Bill Brzeski, along with set decorator Danielle Berman and supervising art director Desma Murphy, does amazing work with some of the set pieces such as the Stark mansion and the places set in Tennessee and Miami. Costume designer Louise Frogley does nice work with the costumes as it’s mostly casual with the exception of the Iron Man suits.

Visual effects supervisors Mark Bakowski, Erik Nash, Saravanan Stalin, and Christopher Townshend do brilliant work with the visual effects from the scenes of Iron Man flying in the air to some of the intense action scenes. Sound designer Ann Scibelli and sound editor Mark P. Stoeckinger do wonderful work with the sound from the layer of sound effects is used to some of the intimate moments in the mixing such as a bar scene where Stark gets information about the Extremis virus. The film’s music by Brian Tyler is very good as it‘s filled with bombastic orchestral music to play out its actions while music supervisor Dave Jordan brings in a few late 90s pop songs for the 1999 opening sequence as well as some funk music.

The casting by Sarah Finn is amazing as it features a massive collection of actors as it includes appearances from Miguel Ferrer as the vice president, Ashley Hamilton as an Extremis soldier, Shaun Toub reprising his role as Yinsen from the first film in the 1999 party scene, Paul Bettany as the voice of J.A.R.V.I.S., and Stan Lee as a beauty pageant judge. Other notable small roles include James Badge Dale and Stephanie Szostak as a couple of vicious Extremis soldiers, Jon Favreau as Stark Industries security officer Happy Hogan, and Ty Simpkins as the boy Harley who helps out Stark in repairing the Iron Man Mk 42 suit. William Sadler is terrific as the American President as someone who is threatened by the Mandarin as he tries to maintain some sense of order. Rebecca Hall is wonderful as Extremis co-creator Maya Hansen as a botanist who had good intentions for the virus only to go into conflict of her own about working for Killian.

Ben Kingsley is great as the Mandarin as a mastermind terrorist who creates mysterious videos with great intimidation as Kingsley brings a lot of chew-scenery to his performance as the Mandarin. Guy Pearce is excellent as Aldrich Killian as a businessman who has a grudge towards Tony Stark as he uses the Extremis virus to become something that is very menacing. Don Cheadle is superb as Col. James Rhodes as a man who is concerned for Tony Stark while dealing with his new role as Iron Patriot as he would deal with the Extremis forces.

Gwyneth Paltrow is brilliant as Pepper Potts as she goes from someone who is dealing with Stark’s anxieties to being a woman that got tired of being pushed around as Potts finally gets to kick some major ass. Finally, there’s Robert Downey Jr. in a marvelous performance as Tony Stark/Iron Man as someone struggling with his role as well as with his own demons as Downey just adds more layers to the characters as someone who is flawed and vulnerable as well as finding a way to get back up.

Iron Man 3 is a remarkable film from Shane Black that features another winning performance from Robert Downey Jr. Thanks to a fantastic script and a brilliant supporting cast, the film is definitely a major improvement over its predecessor while being something more than just a typical blockbuster film. It’s also a film that has something for everyone while not wanting to take itself too seriously. In the end, Iron Man 3 is an excellent film from Shane Black.

Marvel Cinematic Universe: Infinity Saga: Phase One Films: Iron Man - The Incredible Hulk - Iron Man 2 - Thor - Captain America: The First Avenger - The Avengers (2012 film)

Marvel Phase Two Films: Thor: The Dark World - Captain America: The Winter Soldier - Guardians of the Galaxy - The Avengers: Age of Ultron - Ant Man

Marvel Phase Three Films: Captain America: Civil War - Doctor Strange - Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 - Spider-Man: Homecoming - Thor: Ragnarok - Black Panther - Avengers: Infinity War - Ant-Man & the Wasp - Captain Marvel - Avengers: Endgame - Captain Marvel - Spider-Man: Far from Home

Multiverse Saga: Phase Four: Black Widow (2021 film) - Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings – Eternals – Spider-Man: No Way Home – Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness – Thor: Love and Thunder – Werewolf by Night - Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special

Phase Five: Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania - Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 – The Marvels – (Deadpool & Wolverine) - (Captain America: Brave New World) - (Thunderbolts*)

Phase 6: The Fantastic Four: First Steps - (Avengers: Doomsday) - (Avengers: Secret Wars)

Related: MCU is Cinema: Pt. 1 - Pt. 2 - Pt. 3 – Pt. 4 – (Part 5) – (Part 6) – (Part 7) - The MCU: 10 Reasons Why It Rules the World

Shane Black Films: (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang) - The Nice Guys - (The Predator (2018 film))

© thevoid99 2013

LAMB Movie of the Month: The Long Kiss Goodnight

Directed by Renny Harlin and written by Shane Black, The Long Kiss Goodnight is the story of a small town schoolteacher whose life following a car accident changes when she starts to have memories of her old life as an assassin. With help from a private detective, the two evade people trying to kill her while they also try to save her kidnapped daughter. Starring Genna Davis, Samuel L. Jackson, David Morse, Yvonne Zima, Craig Bierko, and Brian Cox. The Long Kiss Goodnight is a thrilling yet exciting film from Renny Harlin.

Samantha Caine (Geena Davis) is a schoolteacher from a small Pennsylvanian town as lives a quaint, happy life with her daughter Caitlin (Yvonne Zima) and boyfriend Hal (Tom Amandes). Though she has no recollection of her life following Caitlin’s birth where she’s paid investigators to find any information, she seems content until driving an intoxicated man home where she has an accident. Despite her recovery, Caine starts to have awful dreams about another woman that looked like her as other things start to pop up. When a one-eyed convict named Jack (Joseph McKenna) escapes from jail to attack Samantha after seeing her on TV, an attempt on Samantha’s life failed due to Samantha’s sudden defense skills.

Mitch Hennessey (Samuel L. Jackson), a private investigator, arrives to help Samantha uncover her old identity as the two go on a road trip. Though Hennessey is a low-rent investigator with little accomplishments, he helps Samantha as they hope to meet a man named Dr. Nathan Waldman (Brian Cox) to help uncover Samantha’s true identity. Yet, an old suitcase that Hennessey found reveals to be a sniper rifle as Samantha wonders who she was as she and Mitch deal with people out to get her until Waldman arrives to help them. After refusing to believe Waldman about Caine’s true identity as Charlene “Charly” Baltimore, Samantha and Mitch decide to meet a named Luke (David Morse) for answers. Yet, the two realize it’s a trap as they learn that Luke was an intended target that Charly was supposed to kill.

After a horrific torture, Samantha escapes along with Hennessey where she regains her old identity and becomes Charly again. With Charly dismissing her life as Samantha, Mitch becomes worried where they learn that Charly’s old CIA boss Leland Perkins (Patrick Malahide) has teamed up with a terrorist named Timothy (Craig Bierko), who was Charly’s old lover. Realizing that they want to rid of her and plan a big terrorist attack near Niagara Falls, Charly/Samantha and Mitch decide to stop them while learning that Timothy has kidnapped Caitlin. With an ever bigger revelation that involves Timothy, Samantha has to embrace both herself and Charly to stop Timothy and his plans.

The film is about a woman who eventually regains her memory realizing that she used to be a trained assassin for the CIA. With the help of a wise-cracking investigator, they figure who is trying to kill her and why that leads to a climatic battle filled with gun battles, knife-fights, and explosions. Yet, it’s part of what Shane Black creates with his script about the idea that this quaint, lovely schoolteacher used to kill people for a living. The script has a lot of Black’s sense of humor and one-liners along with thrilling action sequences. Yet, it’s the first script Black wrote where the protagonist is a woman as he brings a wonderful complexity to Samantha Caine/Charly Baltimore. A woman who seems content until parts of her past including knife-play and being a bit tougher starts to appear.

Black’s portrayal to give characters like Caine and Mitch Hennessey some development and make them more than caricatures are one of the reasons why he is a cut above most Hollywood screenwriters. Hennessey may be a bit of a comic relief and reluctant partner but he’s also a man that is trying to redeem himself towards his ex-wife while finding the moment that would break him out of low-paying gigs. While some of the villains, with the exception of the Luke character, are caricatures. They do provide enough motivation for Caine and Hennessey to stop them as Black creates a very engaging yet fun script that does more with what its genre intends.

Renny Harlin’s direction is very stylish but also straightforward as he goes to basics for many of the film’s lighter moments such as the comedy and light-dramatic moments. He does manage to create some interesting compositions for some of those scenes including a scene late in the film where Mitch is lying down on the road having a smoke as Harlin shoots the scene from above with a crane shot. The action sequences has all of the touches that Harlin is known for that is bombastic and thrilling. Yet, he does restrain himself a bit to let audience see what is going on. While he creates a film where people know what’s going to happen that is typical of a lot of action films. Harlin does manage to create something that is solid and entertaining.

Cinematographer Guillermo Navarro does some excellent work with the cinematography from snowy exteriors of the scenes that were shot mainly in Ontario along with stylish camera work for some of the nighttime action scenes. Editor William Goldenberg does a fantastic job with the editing as he maintains a rhythmic yet stylish feel to the film with jump-cuts and fast-paced action while it doesn’t move too fast for the audience to see what is going on.

Production designer Howard Cummings, along with art directors Steve Arnold and Dennis Davenport plus set decorator Michael Taylor, does some very good work with the set pieces such as the homes the characters live in to the hotel lodge for the film‘s climatic showdown. Costume designer Michael Kaplan also does some good work with the costumes from the golf-like clothing that Mitch wears to the different array of clothes that Samantha/Charly would wear throughout the film. Visual effects supervisor Steven Robiner does some nice work with some of the visual effects provided such as Samantha‘s flashback scene though the final battle has a few that looks quite scratchy.

Sound editor Stephen Hunter Flick does some stellar work with the sound to capture the sounds of carolers to the chaos of the gunfights as it‘s some notable work that is expected in action films. Alan Silversti’s score is a worthwhile highlight of the film for the way it plays up the suspense and action with some bombastic moments though it does get over-used in parts of the film. Music supervisor Bonnie Greenberg does create a wonderful soundtrack that includes cuts by Santana, LaBelle, Elvis Presley, Dean Martin, Dan Seals and John Ford Coley, Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, Muddy Waters, Neneh Cherry, and Tracy Bohnam to add some diversity and humor to the film.

The casting by Mary Vernieu and Ronnie Yeskel is brilliant as it features some notable appearances from Sharon Washington as Mitch’s ex-wife, Edwin Hodge as Mitch’s son, G.D. Spradlin as the President of the United States, Melina Kanakardes as Mitch’s assistant Trin, and Joseph McKenna as the one-eyed killer Jack. Other notable small roles include Tom Amandes as Samantha’s boyfriend Hal, Patrick Malahide as the corrupt government official Perkins, and David Morse as the cool but devious Luke. Brian Cox is very good in a small role as Dr. Nathan Waldman, a former mentor of Charly who tries to help her while Yvonne Zima is also good as Samantha’s daughter Caitlin. Craig Bierko is pretty decent as the smarmy villain Timothy as Bierko gets to ham it up despite the fact that it’s a typical caricature of all villains in action films like this.

Samuel L. Jackson is phenomenal as Mitch Hennessey, a humorous yet street-smart private investigator who helps out Samantha while dealing with her true identity and the danger they encounter. Jackson brings a lot of fiery humor too his character that often has him singing a Muddy Waters tune with different lyrics as Jackson gives one of his most entertaining performances of his career. Geena Davis is excellent in the dual roles of Samantha Caine and Charly Baltimore. For Caine, she plays her as a woman that is quaint and sweet only to be scared by the dark skills she has. When she becomes Charly, Davis lets herself be loose and cool as she brings a nice complexity to her role as it’s one of better performance that is complimented by her chemistry with Samuel L. Jackson.

The Long Kiss Goodnight is a stellar yet fun action film from Renny Harlin and screenwriter Shane Black. Featuring superb performances from Geena Davis and Samuel L. Jackson, this is one of Harlin’s better films along with Cliffhanger and Die Hard 2. For Black, it’s one of his better scripts following the somewhat-underrated 1993 action film Last Action Hero as it features a lot of the humor that Black puts into his film. In the end, The Long Kiss Goodnight is an entertaining yet captivating film from Renny Harlin and Shane Black.

© thevoid99 2011