Im Zwielicht

Twilight is a slow burn modern film noir. A more laid back version of LA Confidential. The first scenes feature a young Reese Witherspoon and Liev Schreiber in Mexico with Paul Newman that leaves Newman injured. We then go forward a few years.

Harry Ross (Newman) is a down on his luck detective with an injury and not much money. He lives in California in the guest quarters of Witherspoon's wealthy parents who are his old friends and former film industry executives now in the twilight of their years. Jack (Gene Hackman) is dying of cancer and he and Ross pass time playing cards.

Jack asks Harry to deliver a package in Los Angeles. When Harry arrives to deliver the package he encounters a shot man named who turns out to be a former detective. This begins a chain of events involving a past case that led to the disappearance of Catherine's (Susan Sarandon) ex- husband.

Harry realises that his friends have been deceitful and manipulative of him. His old colleague Raymond (James Garner) tries to persuade Harry to get away from it all.

The film is about immoral people who are wealthy and wish to stay ahead and use others for their own means. As a pot boiler its slow, even meandering as there are betrayals and double crosses. What sustains it is the acting and with the four leads and some rising stars you watch it for the actors and the depth they provide.

I really liked this film, even though I never heard of it until it was on cable. I was afraid at the start that Newman was going to recycle his curmudgeon character from "Nobody's Fool" but instead he played a very different richly complex character. Kudos also to the rest of the nearly all-star cast. One important plot element absolutely jumped out at me, even though none of the characters seemed to notice, but aside from that I have no complaints. Reese Witherspoon was particularly beautiful here. Grade: A

Most critics wrote off the film because of the poor script and the lackluster direction. Yes, it is true that an average viewer should be able to spot the villain, well before the ex-cop and ex-private investigator does so in the film by comparing life-styles. But that is what young audiences will look for in the movie. What I liked about the script were the subtle dialogues ranging from Samuel Johnson misquotes to acerbic one-liners that developed each of the characters slowly. Take the misty-eyed Lt. Verna (Stockard Channing) greeting Ross as an old acquaintance and then closing the dialogue with the icy "Cuff him!" to the arresting officers. You have an extra-ordinary script here and everywhere in the film.

This film is not action-packed; it is heavy on dialogue requiring a mature mind to take in the clever character buildup. Sarandon's character, in particular, was well developed leading to a charming finale.

Benton never appealed to me as a great director; nonetheless this film's strength lies in his script (co-scripted by Russo), a thoroughly delightful cast ensemble, and a notable camerawork by Sobocinsky.

Finally, I thought the film's name was a wonderful and appropriate selection.

In a world where sex, violence, and sleaze in movies seems to dominate, it is refreshing to find a film that is the caliber of movies made from a much earlier decade, when cinema was intended to be a work of art. You could not ask for a better cast than in this movie. All are very well-respected for their acting abilities and their professional demeanor. The score is excellent; the story line captivating. Paul Newman is indeed more than believable in his role as a sexy, no-nonsense gumshoe. Susan Sarandon is sultry in the style of Susan Hayward and Lauren Bacall. Gene Hackman is, well, Gene Hackman. I only wish there were more movies coming out of Hollywood of this nature.

A retired Detective is given a simple job, but his seemingly easy task soon turns into a complex mystery.

It's just wonderful to find a film called Twilight that I actually liked.

It's a bit of a pot boiler, and by modern standards, it is somewhat old fashioned, but it works, I've read a few savage reviews, but I quite liked it.

It's quite a mature cast, but I enjoy that for a change, it's nice to see a group of Detectives that aren't fast tracked children for a change. Newman, Hackman and Sarandon are all great, the acting is faultless.

Overall, I would say, a decent story is elevated by a particularly capable cast, 7/10.