L'assassinio di Mike

Seems like many films fall into this category- especially when they were not blockbusters, had an interesting plot, and do not conform to the formulaic Hollywood trend.

Debra Winger is very good in this film as a 20-something girl, living on her own, who soon gets in over her head. Mark Keyloun plays Mike, her tennis coach, with whom she develops an interest.

The backdrops of LA are interesting and mood inspired, as was the score- if it wasn't I wouldn't be remembering it right now. Brooke Alderson ("Urban Cowboy") also has a brief part as Winger's friend- who tells her to get out- get out of the relationship. Apparently Mike has ties to the drug world- and Winger's character is embroiled in the plot. There are also some interesting scenes with Paul Winfield as a corrupt record producer.

Watch this film. The story is film-noir, set in L.A. Debra Winger is excellent, as always. You will not be disappointed.

There's a lot of good things to say about this obscure mystery from the 80s. The best thing is Debra Winger, who never looked better. She is beautiful and sexy, earthy and smoldering, yet she possesses an approachable, naive quality.

The story is intriguing, with a different way of looking at the drug underworld in Los Angeles. This is not about cops, gangsters and car chases. It's about an innocent woman who accidentally becomes involved in a drug-related murder. It's really all about Winger's character, although Paul Winfield stands out in a small role as a gay music producer.

The mood is low-key and dreamlike with a subtle erotic undertone. It also has a nice score that stays with you. Give it a chance.

This movie is compelling because the character of Betty is so innocent about what is going on in this murky tennis coach. It makes it easy to see how a normal person could find themselves in way over their heads without knowing it. The kitchen scene with the pal of Mike's who manages to get away from the bad guys is gut wrenching. Debra Winger has never gotten the breaks that she richly is due. I feel that it is compelling that the late Bette Davis stated that of the new actresses that Ms Winger was the most like her and I don't think that she was merely referring to their bad press.

For some inexplicable reason, critics find this film hard to follow. Actually, it's very coherent and surprisingly powerful. Debra Winger plays a bank employee who falls for her tennis coach, a young stud named Mike. When Mike is brutally murdered by drug dealers, Winger's character, Betty, is drawn into the L.A. underworld in her quest to find out why he was killed. What makes this film so great is its quiet realism. Most latter day noirs suffer from over-the-top plotting, mega-violence, and cartoonish effects. Moving by indirection and inference, MIKE'S MURDER skirts a hellish world rather than diving in, a narrative strategy that makes it eerily believable and deeply disturbing. Check it out.

This is one of the most harrowing pictures I have ever seen. It is a very good and very underrated film. All of the actors do a great job in their roles and Darrell Larson gives an outstanding portrayal of a young man who inadvertently signed his own death warrant.

I only wish that this film was nominated for an Academy Award for best picture, best actress and best supporting actor.!!

If you have not seen this film, be sure and check it out--nerve wracking, nail-biting, and an edge of your seat film--you don't know what to expect from minute to minute.

One of the best films of any year!!