Twilight

"Some people can buy their way out of anything. Except the past."

1998 1h 34m EN

😐

6.1

MID

★6.1TMDB · 232

CrimeThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A retired detective accepts a simple task, unaware that it will tear open old, forgotten, but deadly wounds.

“Some people can buy their way out of anything. Except the past.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Paul Newman
Harry Ross
Susan Sarandon
Catherine Ames
Gene Hackman
Jack Ames
Reese Witherspoon
Mel Ames
Stockard Channing
Lt. Verna Hollander
James Garner
Raymond Hope
Giancarlo Esposito
Reuben Escobar
Liev Schreiber
Jeff Willis

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Robert Benton
Writers: Robert Benton, Richard Russo
Languages: English
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

Earned back only 41% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Robert Benton, shot by Piotr Sobociński. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Paul Newman and Susan Sarandon and Gene Hackman carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Some people can buy their way out of anything. Except the past.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0119594 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Robert Benton directs. Piotr Sobociński behind the camera. Elmer Bernstein scores. Carol Littleton cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 41% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
228 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Directed by Robert Benton, shot by Piotr Sobociński. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Elmer Bernstein. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Carol Littleton shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Paul Newman and Susan Sarandon and Gene Hackman carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Some people can buy their way out of anything. Except the past.".
8IMDB entry: tt0119594 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Piotr Sobociński
Original score: Elmer Bernstein
Editing: Carol Littleton
Production design: David Gropman
Costume design: Joseph G. Aulisi
Makeup / hair: Candace Neal
Runtime: 94 min · 1h 34m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $37,000,000
Box office: $15,055,091
Return: 41% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Twilight (1998)

Also by

Robert Benton

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-09-03
★ 6/10
Whilst this boasts a really strong cast, it isn't really anything much to write home about as thriller. Retired cop "Ross" (Paul Newman) lives with the wealthy, but terminally ill, actor "Ames" (Gene Hackman) and his wife "Catherine" (Susan Sarandon). When a young girl is kidnapped, he is asked to deliver the ransom money - but as ever, no good deed goes unpunished, and soon he is embroiled in a twenty year old cold case involving her former husband that becomes distinctly perilous! James Garner appears and somehow that just put me in mind of one of the episodes from the "Rockford Files" upon which this could easily have been based. The cast are on screen, but they - especially Hackman - don't really seem to care. Their efforts are flat - not helped by an unremarkable screenplay and a plot that offers us nothing at all new. Indeed, one has to wonder what Paul Newman saw in it when he accepted the part. It's fairly clear to the audience who is pulling the strings and thereafter it's all just a procedural effort made watchable only by the charisma that is on the screen in spades. It is aptly named for the two leading gents; I doubt this is a film they would have touched in their prime.
JPV8522022-12-05
★ 6/10
Great cast in a so-so neo-noir thriller. Paul Newman, Gene Hackman and Susan Sarandon were great and Newman's scenes with Hackman was some of the highlights. Also get to see Reese Witherspoon (and all her glory) and Liev Schreiber in supporting roles, along with James Garner who was always great even in a smaller role here. But the script and noir never quite clicked for me and the ending was a bit predictable, however at the very least this never dragged. 3.0/5