Twilight (1998)

As my summary title suggests, I found this to be an enjoyable "reunion" movie, not only in reference to the reuniting of old star favorites getting together for old times' sake to make a film, but also because the screenplay is about old Hollywood cronies from yesteryear getting involved in some updated and dicey melodrama.

The interplay amongst the "old guard" is highly entertaining. Newman, Hackman, Garner, Channing and Sarandon provide sophisticated and amusing banter. Although Ms. Sarandon and Channing are somewhat younger than the aforementioned actors, they blend in with the "boys" smoothly. The talents of the supporting cast, Liev, Reese, Giancarlo and "mucho"(Margo Martindale) are not lost either. The depth and intricacy of the story line does not suffer as a result of the cute and witty banter: rather, the humor augments the tone and helps to set the stage for the evolving dramatic plot twists.

I would be remiss to exclude lauding the hauntingly beautiful and appropriate soundtrack and recurring theme by Elmer Bernstein. His contribution is as important to the subtlety and color of the story line as any cast member's.

Although all the characters shine in this Hollywood detective escapade, Mr. Garner shines the brightest in his sardonically gritty role, even in its more limited time allotment.

A good flick to catch, especially if you like the subtlety of substance over form!

Fmovies: 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.

The late actor Paul Newman portrays a fly in the ointment, the anti-hero version of Dick Tracy, herein Twilight. I've read some reviews of people wondering why widely acclaimed filmmaker Robert Benton has made this movie. A short answer: To provide screen experience to new starlets with veteran actors.

There are 3 of those starlets in this film. First one is Reese Witherspoon. 1998 was an important milestone for her. She's been busy whole year long with Pleasantville and Overnight Delivery. Through 1998 summer she played in Twilight, thus she has bold scenes with Liev Schreiber. Even though she has a cameo role as Mel Ames in the film, her role includes the only nudity content of her box-office movies career. Yet, Twilight features its queen Susan Sarandon. For me, this is Sarandon's third best after Atlantic City and White Palace. She comes out of pool, starts walking in Eve outlook, looking for her Adam, then Newman comes by.

The second starlet is Liev Schreiber. He plays Mel's date at Mexico. While Mel lies naked on a couch, she asks him "Do you love me?". He keeps his silence a bit while staring at her tits, and hinders himself from replying "No, I just love your tits". Thankfully Mel speaks before him: "I mean it doesn't really matter you love me or not". If all the movie critics thought the same way that Robert Benton has written the worst script of his life, they might be right.

The third starlet is Patrick Malone. If you read this review right now, and don't know who Patrick Malone is, it's because herein Twilight he wasted his chance of a lifetime due to his imitation of Will Smith. A young actor in Hollywood must not copy other actors of same career level. I actually liked Malone's harmony with Newman playing his partner, if only he could have played his own style. He was one of the supporting actors in Lawrence Kasdan's Grand Canyon(1991).

Even though the cast is rich on paper, the whole plot is turning around Paul Newman. No one is able to come closer to him, and he acts only with his self-belief. From my point of view, the main issue is not the script nor the cheapness of the story telling methods. Nobody but Benton and Newman, is in the mood of making a movie. Gene Hackman, James Garner, Stockard Channing spoil the story. So many stars make it darker. Only Newman and Sarandon could have been enough to fill the cast, since the storyline is so simple.

Twilight fmovies. Perhaps it's 'cause I'm pushing 65, but this film just grabbed me from the start. Besides the fact that all the key actors are "seniors," or almost, they got all my buttons pushed from the start. Having been an NYPD auxiliary for several years and getting to hang around with the "real" cops, I saw a lot of the cynical stuff but a surprising amount of "the real stuff" too. This film reflected that -- world-weary but hanging in there -- and within that framework it was interesting to see the plot develop. The whole mood of the film struck me as dead on, and I'm one who usually doesn't like many films. It struck me as exactly on par in the 90s with some of the best noir films of generations past. Nine and maybe even 10. Thanks.

This may be one of the most underrated movies ever. Robert Benton's sharp, smart, moving and funny tribute to the "film noire" genre was undeservingly scolded by most of the critics and it is a real shame. "Twilight" is one of a few movies I saw this year, that reminds us the taste of a really good cinema. It stars a team of Hollywood's greatest stars, it has a truly great script, it's relatively short (and you will be sorry it ended that fast) and it is a total enjoyment for any movie lover. And if it's not enough, there is an incredibly hot sex scene with an amazingly sexy Rhis Witherspoon. You shouldn't miss that, I guarantee you.

Have you ever imagined what would happen to Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe lived to be seventy? A genuine hard-boiled detective film forty years later. The myth behind Newman's accident is hilarious. A must see!