Tequila Sunrise

"A business on the line. A friendship on the edge. A woman caught in the middle."

1988 1h 55m EN

😐

6.1

MID

★6.1TMDB · 612

ThrillerCrimeRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In a seaside California town, best friends Mac and Nick 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. Soon Nick's loyalties are put to the test when he begins an affair with restaurateur Jo Ann -- a love interest of Mac's -- unwittingly leading his friend into a police-orchestrated trap.

“A business on the line. A friendship on the edge. A woman caught in the middle.”

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Cast

Mel Gibson
Dale "Mac" McKussic
Michelle Pfeiffer
Jo Ann Vallenari
Kurt Russell
Lieutenant Nick Frescia
Raúl Juliá
Commandante Xavier Escalante
J.T. Walsh
DEA Agent Hal McGuire
Arliss Howard
Gregg Lindroff
Arye Gross
Andy Leonard
Gabriel Damon
Cody McKussic

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Robert Towne
Writers: Robert Towne
Languages: English, Spanish
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 4.6× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

38 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Robert Towne, shot by Conrad Hall. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Dave Grusin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Claire Simpson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Mel Gibson and Michelle Pfeiffer and Kurt Russell carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "A business on the line. A friendship on the edge. A woman caught in the middle.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Robert Towne directs. Conrad Hall behind the camera. Dave Grusin scores. Claire Simpson cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, Spanish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 4.6× over at the box office.
238 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.
4Directed by Robert Towne, shot by Conrad Hall. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Dave Grusin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Claire Simpson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Mel Gibson and Michelle Pfeiffer and Kurt Russell carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "A business on the line. A friendship on the edge. A woman caught in the middle.".
9IMDB entry: tt0096244 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 11 themes, including "drug dealer", "restaurant owner", "woman between two men", "cop".
11Released under 25 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Conrad Hall
Original score: Dave Grusin
Editing: Claire Simpson
Production design: Richard Sylbert
Costume design: Julie Weiss
Makeup / hair: Toni-Ann Walker
Sound: Robert J. Litt
Stunt coordinator: David S. Cass Sr.
Runtime: 115 min · 1h 55m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $23,000,000
Box office: $105,900,000
Return: 460% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Tequila Sunrise (1988)

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Robert Towne

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What people are saying

kevin20192024-12-13
★ 5/10
"Tequila Sunrise" is an incredibly turgid film for the most part and it seems to be much longer than it actually is which is the sort of underachievement any director worth their salt would be perfectly happy not to boast about at lavish Hollywood cocktail parties. The film has a desperately limited ration of surprises to offer any viewer willing to stay the course and such brave souls as these are apt to be very few and far between and for those gallant few of us willing to stubbornly persevere to the bitter end such eminently forgettable surprises hardly make the effort worthwhile because in the end they contribute absolutely nothing to the languid pacing.

Production companies