Product Details

• Actors: Geena Davis, Samuel L. Jackson, Yvonne Zima, Craig Bierko, Tom Amandes
• Directors: Renny Harlin
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: New Line Home Video
• VHS Release Date: September 23, 1997
• Run Time: 120 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (130 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6304342780
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #20,781 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

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  #5 in	Video > Action & Adventure > Action Directors > Renny Harlin
  #20 in	Video > Action & Adventure > Action Stars > Samuel L. Jackson

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential video

Geena Davis and her former husband, director Renny Harlin, attempted to pick up the pieces after the debacle of their box-office disaster, Cutthroat Island. What they came up with was this repulsive ode to American film noir, based on a script by Shane Black (Lethal Weapon) about an amnesiac schoolteacher (Davis) who searches for her true identity and finds she is actually a secret agent immersed in a deadly plot to topple the government. Mechanistic in its violence, obnoxious in its attitude, the film makes Davis, a once-promising actress, nothing more than a special effect. She tosses one to sadists in the audience by allowing her character to be beaten, punched unconscious, and tortured. The DVD release has optional full-screen and widescreen presentations, plus Dolby surround sound, theatrical trailer, cast information, optional French-language soundtrack and optional Spanish subtitles. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 39 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

By	Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

This review is from: The Long Kiss Goodnight (DVD)

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.

30 of 31 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

By	T. Sparks (Leesville, LA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Long Kiss Goodnight (DVD)

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.

28 of 30 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

By	Ryan Costantino (Nowhere, Special) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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!