Im Zwielicht

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.

This movie didn't do well with the critics or at the box office but if you're in a nostalgic mood I'll think you'll enjoy it. The nostalgia is not just for the stars, Newman, Hackforth and Garner but for the whole private eye genre of the forties. All three stars show why they have been tops for so long. At 73 Newman can still make the action and the sex scenes creditable. It gives new hope to men of a certain age everywhere! It is a film that probably plays better on TV than in a movie house. The pace is leisurely but there is some nice sharp dialogue and atmospheric camera work. All this plus a moody score by Leonard Bernstein make for a highly professional entertainment. The more I think about it the more I like it.

Lots of people will sit through a well-known symphony, already knowing how the tune goes, but not minding because they want to see how this particular orchestra will play it.

The same goes for "Twilight." We've all heard this tune. The fun is watching how the Newman-Hackman-Sarandon-Garner orchestra will play it.

For my money, they can sure carry a tune.

This won't ever be anyone's favourite movie. It sets its sights fairly low, so it doesn't have any difficulty in hitting its targets. Nevertheless, it will trump many other thrillers simply because of the sheer professionalism of its cast. Esposito is an irritation and Liev Schreiber is fantastically dull as ever, but the real joy comes from seeing the old pros, Newman, Hackman, Sarandon, Channing and Garner doing their thing. Authority oozes from the screen whenever any one of them is on, which fortunately is nearly all the time. Hackman is particularly fine, especially considering he has virtually nothing to do.

This must be the oldest cast since Cocoon!

7 out of 10. It would be nothing without its principals.

With all the action-schlock movies coming out of Hollywood, and all the obsession with special effects, it is nice to have a movie about real characters with some real acting. This is a great cast with Newman in his usual fine form, and Hackman, Sarandon, and Garner reminding us what real acting is all about. I don't know why this film reminded me of L. A. Confidential in the story line, but this film's characters have depth and texture, unlike the cardboard cutouts of that movie. The gritty plot, about past crime, betrayal, friendship, and loyalty, is not without its moments of sardonic humor. As a matter of fact, the movie observes all the conventions of film noir; if it had been made in B&W it would have looked like something from the 1940's. Elmer Bernstein, who has been around forever, can still churn out a great score. A grownup movie for grownups.