ShangLuda
Admirable film.
Fairaher
The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.
Arianna Moses
Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.
highwaytourist
I saw this film during the 1990's and I was really disappointed. It seemed to go on forever and the main storyline, about the kidnapping, was just a backdrop for dull characters who never stop talking and their boring, ill-chosen lives. It has to do with an washed-up ex-boxer who escapes form a mental hospital and drifts into a kidnapping plot for quick cash which goes awry. After that happens, we wait for something interesting to happen. Very little does and nearly all of it is dull. The action is virtually non-existent and the murders are devoid of suspense. The film began well enough and the locations are very well chosen and photographed. But very little was done with them. The acting is passable, but that's all. I have no desire to see this movie again.
seymourblack-1
Director James Foley's movie version of Jim Thompson's 1955 pulp novel "After Dark, My Sweet" provides an intriguing insight into the lives of three characters who've all seen better times. Their profound feelings of loss, despair and defeat contribute significantly to the downbeat atmosphere of the piece and its steady pace also reflects perfectly their lack of urgency, focus and direction.In common with many other neo-noirs, the action in "After Dark, My Sweet" takes place in an extremely hot environment. Its story however, with its themes of betrayal, treachery and hopelessness is classic film noir material.Kevin "Collie" Collins (Jason Patric), an ex-boxer who's escaped from a mental institution meets Fay Anderson (Rachel Ward) an alcoholic widow, in a bar in the southern Californian desert. She offers him a place to stay in return for doing work on the rundown estate that she'd inherited from her late husband.Fay's acquaintance, Uncle Bud (Bruce Dern) has, for some time, been working on a plan to kidnap the son of a local wealthy family and he and Fay persuade Collie to join them in carrying out the plan but predictably, after kidnapping the boy, things start to go out of control.Jason Patric's portrayal of the emotionally troubled and consistently misunderstood Collie is tremendous. He appears to be in bad shape physically and mentally but appearances can be deceptive as he's actually smarter than other people think and he's also quick to recognise when they try to exploit his apparent deficiencies for their own ulterior purposes. The experience of having killed an opponent in the ring haunts him and his attempts to befriend other people only attract abuse, exploitation or open hostility. His capacity for sudden violence at unpredictable times is also probably a manifestation of his despair and loss of hope for the future.Rachel Ward conveys Fay's despondency and bitterness very capably. Her mood swings and reliance on copious amounts of alcohol often make her relationship with Collie uncomfortable and her purposeless existence is reflected in the rundown condition of her estate.Bruce Dern is suitably slimy as the insincere and manipulative ex-police detective who's always working on a scheme and who patronises Collie because his flawed judgement makes him underestimate the one time pugilist. George Dickerson is also excellent in a minor role as the very creepy Doctor Goldman who befriends Collie, ostensibly to help him, but also for his own dubious motives.The setting for "After Dark, My Sweet" contributes strongly to the atmosphere of the movie and mirrors very powerfully, the desolation which is such a strong feature of the lives of its characters.
pmgray
A film so insecure the creaters perhaps hoped to milk an original film noir classic title, "Farewell My Lovely", thinking the gullible would assume it a remake. The characters are so foul and unappealing that it deserved its cold reception when first released. Time only adds to it its absurdity. Having none of the guile, cinematography, desperation or despair of classic noir it relied instead on a convoluted and senseless crime plot that would have easily resulted in several arrests within hours. As if that weren't enough it threw in an utterly sexless attempt at erotica in which at least one of the participants hadn't bothered to bathe in several days. This only made this mess all the more painful to watch. Find a good classic forties or fifties film noir instead of wasting two hours on this failure.
mrezyka
If in the 90's you're adapting a book written in the 50's, set the bloody thing in the 50's and not the '90's. See, 40 year old mores and values tend not to play as well, or ring as true, that far down the road. It's a simple rule that Hollywood habitually keeps violating. And that's the problem with this film. It should have been set in the era it was written in. You'd think that would be a no-brainer, but nooo. I'd elaborate, but bmacv's comment spells it out quite well. I'll limit my commentary to Rachel Ward. She looks like she dieted her ass completely out of existence for this role. As a result, she looks like a crack ho' on chemotherapy, and is about as sexy as a gay leather couch in drag. I found her "I could die at any moment" look quite disconcerting, and it greatly detracted from her supposed "hotness" and the "sexual tension" the film intended to create. Other than that, the film was quite good; a 7+ out of 10.
