The Long Kiss Goodnight

"What's forgotten is not always gone."

1996 2h 1m EN

👍

6.6

SOLID

★6.6TMDB · 1,402

CrimeActionMysteryThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Samantha Caine is a small-town schoolteacher and mom with no memory of her life before washing up on a beach eight years ago. After a car accident and a violent home invasion trigger flashes of her past, she discovers she used to be a deadly CIA assassin. Teaming up with a wisecracking private investigator, Samantha must return to her old ways to take down the people who tried to erase her.

“What's forgotten is not always gone.”

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Cast

Geena Davis
Samantha Caine / Charly Baltimore
Samuel L. Jackson
Mitch Henessey
Patrick Malahide
Leland Perkins
Craig Bierko
Timothy
Brian Cox
Dr. Nathan Waldman
Sharon Washington
Fran Henessey
David Morse
Luke / Daedalus
G.D. Spradlin
President

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Renny Harlin
Writers: Shane Black, Rick Newsome, John Mann
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America, Canada

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

Mid-budget at $65M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United States of America, Canada.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

CAST

Did you know

422+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Renny Harlin, shot by Guillermo Navarro. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

ERA

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Geena Davis and Samuel L. Jackson and Patrick Malahide carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Renny Harlin directs. Guillermo Navarro behind the camera. Alan Silvestri scores. William Goldenberg cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America, Canada. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Mid-budget at $65M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.
230 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3International production across 2 countries: United States of America, Canada.
4422+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.
5Directed by Renny Harlin, shot by Guillermo Navarro. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Alan Silvestri. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor William Goldenberg shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Geena Davis and Samuel L. Jackson and Patrick Malahide carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "What's forgotten is not always gone.".
10IMDB entry: tt0116908 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 31 themes, including "martial arts", "amnesia", "assassination", "strong woman".

The technical file

Cinematography: Guillermo Navarro
Original score: Alan Silvestri
Editing: William Goldenberg
Production design: Howard Cummings
Costume design: Michael Kaplan
Makeup / hair: Russell Cate
VFX supervisor: Mitchell S. Drain
Sound: Paul Massey
Stunt coordinator: Steve M. Davison
Runtime: 121 min · 2h 1m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $65,000,000
Box office: $89,456,761
Return: 138% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996)

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Renny Harlin

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Community reviews

What people are saying

JPV8522020-07-12
★ 7/10
Fun and entertaining action flick. Sure, the effects look dated and a few unintentionally funny moments, but Geena Davis and Samuel L. Jackson were good together. 3.5/5
Filipe Manuel Neto2024-04-08
★ 6/10
A good action and suspense film, although with several flaws to point out. This is a pleasant thriller, which presents us with a story that does not seem original or unusual, but that works perfectly and pleasantly entertains the audience. It all starts when a young suburban teacher, married and mother of a girl, begins to have particularly violent flashes of memory. She has amnesia, she doesn't know who she is, and the increasingly palpable prospect of a dark past leads her to investigate things further, fearing the consequences that could come to her family. In order to carry out her inquiries, she hires a private detective, who appears to be just trying to charge her as much money as possible. I prefer not to reveal much more about the script, in order not to spoil it, but the truth is that I felt, when I saw the film, that the ideas were not at all original and that I have seen some films that sound similar. Of course, considering the number of films made per year, it is a reasonably minor problem and the most important thing is whether things work as they should. In this case, the film is effective and offers the audience what it promises. Director Renny Harlin is competent enough for the job at hand, and ensures capable direction, but not without flaws. For example, he was unable to realize that the plot sounded excessively far-fetched, after a certain point, and that the film was a little long for its genre, making it advisable to make some surgical cuts in the editing room to remove fifteen or twenty minutes without notable damage. Somewhat as a result, the film has an uneven pace and sometimes wastes too much time, immobilizing the action and damaging the build-up of suspense. Considering that it is a film with a lot of action, I believe it is fair to give special praise to the work of the stunts and also the makeup, special and sound effects teams. They are the ones who help create the chases, the shootouts, the explosions and all the other incredible scenes that put the audience on the edge of their seats. Without originality, but with effectiveness and professionalism, these artists made a magnificent contribution to the film, and it must be said. Without much original material (just one or two melodies), the soundtrack includes a series of quality themes that include Muddy Waters, Patti & Labelle and other artists, as well as a beautiful song by Neneh Cherry as the final theme. The cinematography, sets and costumes are standard and only give what they have to give. Geena Davis heads a cast full of good actors. She is a creditable protagonist and a good bet, giving us a consistent interpretation. However, she is much more insecure when the plot enters the romance. She is not a good romantic actress, and does not seem to have established a very good partnership with Samuel L. Jackson. This actor, who has no difficulty with action scenes, also seems like a fish out of water if things take a turn for romance. Luckily, the film doesn't require much of that, and the actor does an essentially positive job. Craig Bierko is a competent villain, and David Morse is a good addition, even if he has little time to do anything. Brian Cox didn't have time for anything, and I honestly think he was wasted.