50 of 53 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Oh my, the amazing things that professional chefs can do..., July 16, 2002
Okay, so sometimes I call this movie "The Long Kiss Goodbye" instead of "The Long Kiss Goodnight," but that does not detract from the fact this is one of my favorite action films from the post-"Die Hard" era (yes, more than "Speed"). The hook is fairly simple: Samantha Caine (Geena Davis) has had amnesia for eight years when suddenly Mitch Henessey (Samuel L. Jackson), the fourth-rate private investigator she hired to work on her case, actually stumbles over a clue. However, that becomes rather academic when some guy comes bursting through Samantha's front door trying to kill her and she dispatches him on pure reflexes.
What we have in this film are the requistie elements for a great action film: interesting characters, memorable dialogue, and great set pieces for the action. Geena Davis comes on like a next generation Sigourney Weaver, going through a fairly intense gamut of emotions as her new life collides violently with her old one (I think this might have been the film were Davis learned her hand/eye coordination was good enough for her to take up archery on a level just below Olympic caliber). Then there is Samuel L. Jackson: is there another action in America today who curses as well as this guy? Every time he swears it comes across as character development rather than profanity (okay, really kewl profanity, the type our parents would never want to hear coming out of our mouths). Think of this as a buddy film where the buddies have neither gender nor race in common.
The supporting cast features Craig Bierko as Timothy, a terrorist who prides himself on knowing when somebody is lying to him, Brian Cox as Dr. Nathan Waldman, the person who knows the truth about Sam, and David Morse as Luke, another important person from her past. The government as boogey man comes into play yet again in this film, but that old chestnut is not central to the fun and games. Despite Jackson's profanity laced tirades (although Davis holds her own at times), most of the really great lines in this film are not obscene. To make lines like "Chefs do that," "I took lessons," and "Am I lying?" great lines, you have to set them up in term of the characters.
The bottom line is nicely expressed by Henessey's character early in this film. When it comes to judging the quality of "The Long Kiss Goodnight," never make an assumption, because when you do, you make an "ass" out of "u" and "mption." You will not fall asleep during this film.
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41 of 43 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the Better Action Movies of the Mid-90s, December 6, 2003
Quite frankly, I'm surprised that more people don't know about this movie. The plot has been worked to death in many regards, but this movie offers much more than other books and movies of its type ("The Bourne Identity" by Robert Ludlum and "Code to Zero" by Ken Follet are both "spies with amnesia" stories.)
What makes this movie so different? It's that the Samantha Kane character is cold-blooded, ruthless, and has no regard for human life. In short, she's much more effective in what she does than Ludlum's or Follet's characters.
The movie is filled with suspense and plot twists, but its strongest points are the action scenes. Many movies of this type get bogged down in explosion after explosion (like "Lethal Weapon 4"), but "The Long Kiss Goodnight" manages to keep its momentum throughout the entire movie. I've never met a person who didn't like this movie--the problem is getting people to realize that it exists in the first place.
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34 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Classic Action Movie, Essential For Any True Movie Fan!, December 4, 1999
Apparently the so called "Movie critics" didn't take a liking to this movie that much, but ya know what? Screw 'em! This movie is pure, unadulterated fun! Samuel L. Jackson in his most dialogue funny role since Pulp Fiction plays a down on his luck PI who just happens to stumble across a pretty school teacher(Geena Davis) who, when her memory served her, was a ruthless spy! This movie is hilarious with plot twists to boot! No one directs an action movie like Renny Harlin, he just goes all out and you find yourself almost questioning whether or not you are watching a cartoon. Fantastic explosions, great one liners and a really cool story. This is one of those must see movies of the 90's, so don't listen to what the critics say check it out for yourself!
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