The Long Kiss Goodnight

Geena Davis takes her turn at comic book heroics

Features: Geena Davis, Samuel Jackson
Director: Renny Harlin (Geena's husband)
Davis is an eight-year amnesia victim who's former self is resurrected. Trouble is, that "self" is a government assassin. Your tax dollars at work. She was grade school teacher, but now she has to improvise buku ways to take out her enemies as we reach the Big Denouement.

I'll admit a very soft spot for the Geena Davis Eye Candy Factor. The woman is genetically blessed with stunning looks. Her lips by themselves qualify as voluptuous. But then, Ms. Davis has got her Oscar, so it's not as if she's looks only.

She pulls this comic book action "hero" character off with aplomb. After all the men who've done this genre, Davis turns in a performances which fills the bill nicely. (Given the physical nature of the part (At one point Geena is tied to water wheel and is mercilessly dunked), one wonders if her husband goes too far.)

Before I go on, I must point out the hoary comic book/action movie cliches rampant with Long Kiss. If you don't mind the cliches, then the movie is an enjoyable experience; if they rub you the wrong way...

The hoary cliches:

  • Bad guys armed with automatic weapons firing cannot hit the target person across a room. (I've fired an M-16 on automatic--you can't help but to hit the target.)
  • Meanwhile, the Hero is armed with a pistol and every shot is smart-bomb on target.
  • Bad guys have a Batmannish-villain way to kill the Hero (freeze to death in a meat locker) as opposed to the efficient bullet on the spot.
  • Heroes love to tell their plans of killing the perpetrators upon upon escaping the death-causing trap and do just that.
  • Bad guys have an overpowering urge to spill the beans to the Hero right before the Hero makes like Houdini and escapes the death-causing trap.

    With all that in mind, the movie is a good action flick. The screenplay has some snap, crackle, pop to the dialogue. Davis' and Jackson's scenes have a true ring to them versus actors saying fall-flat lines. The action sequences are quite good, especially the business at the lake and the finale at the bridge. Davis out-Scharzeneggers Schwarzenegger's T2 tractor/trailer sequence with a great line on top of that.

    Overall, a good effort. Movie has some weird plots points: why is the Big Evil Project reaching fruition eight years later--just when Geena can stop it? But hey, it could be the start of a Geena Davis Die Hard-like franchise.

    Movie's suitability for:

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