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Promotional Line: "Eight years ago she
lost her memory. Now, a detective must help her remember the
past before it buries them both.What's forgotten is not always
gone."
The basic story is about a housewife and mother
(Geena Davis) who can't remember her past life as a top government
spy. After she is seen in her small New England town, a hi-tech
army of corrupt government renegades tries to kill her. Samantha
(Davis) teams up with a wise-cracking detective (Jackson) who
helps her discover who, what, why, and WHO she really is.
The spectacular action scenes are 90% wonderful,
if a bit farfetched. We wish they spent just a little more time
on a handful. The action staging is first rate. There is plenty
of violence, (rated R) maybe just a tad on the gory side in
one or two scenes. But there is a high degree of suspense, tension,
surprises, and humor to mellow it all out.
While this could have been a"chick movie,"
THE LONG KISS GOODBYE as written by Shane Black (LETHAL WEAPON),
is sort of a female James Bond type of film with family elements
thrown in. It has some elements in common with "True Lies".
Davis and Jackson both seem to be perfectly
cast, while Samantha's old boss (Brian Cox), does a wonderful
job.
Geena Davis does a great job acting as the
top government assassin who has lost her memory and started
a new life in a small town, with a child and fiancee, working
as a school teacher. At the beginning of the film, she starts
to remember bits and pieces, puzzled when she discovers skills
she didn't know she had through both everyday occurrences and
dramatic events.
One such dramatic event is when a nasty killer-type,
(One -eyed Jack), breaks into her home, hitting her fiancee,
taking a shot at her daughter, and trying to kill her as well.
She discovers she knows how to kill, when she gives the creep
his just deserts in her kitchen.
Another great action scene happens at the train
station, when Davis and Jackson are ambushed by more bad guys.
This is a very well done, exciting action sequence, where they
escape through a window, two steps ahead of a load of trouble
and an explosive end. As they fly through the air, Jackson shoots
a big hole in the ice covered water, so they could land safely.
Her old boss rescues them and fills her in on some of the details.
Finally, Davis fully remembers who she was
during the water torture she suffers at the hands of the bad
guys. She was tied to a water wheel in an old barn, and was
wheeled under freezing water, which jolts her memory. She escapes
from this predicament, using formerly known knowledge and skills.
Samuel Jackson has never been better as a struggling
private eye, that helped Davis discover her past. Though he
has his flaws, he basically is a good man, and is a dependable
and brave sidekick, who can think on his feet under pressure.
Other cast members include Patrick Malahide,
Craig Bierko, Brian Cox, David Morse who all provide solid support.
The head bad guy, Craig Bierko, at the train
station, who is probably the father of Samantha's daughter,
talks to Geena at the train station before the ambush. He is
incredibly handsome, cute and charming, and Geena doesn't recognize
him at all. Unfortunately, this hunk of manhood shows himself
to be a dastardly villain, turning into a big disappointment
to this reviewer. (He made it up to me in his performance in
"The Thirteenth Floor.") How can anyone who is so
gorgeous to behold, be so bad?... some female viewers whine.
He did a terrific job in his villainous role, playing an important
role in this film.
If you liked THE LONG KISS GOODNIGHT you might
enjoy THELMA AND LOUISE, CLIFFHANGER, TRUE
LIES, PULP FICTION, TOTAL
RECALL , LETHAL WEAPON 2, DIE
HARD 3, and DIE HARD.
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