The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996)
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An amnesiac schoolteacher discovers her past is linked to a dangerous conspiracy when she uncovers her true identity as a former elite operative.
The story
Samantha Caine is a schoolteacher in small-town Honesdale, Pennsylvania, who has been amnesiac for eight years after being found on a beach. She hires private investigator Mitch Henessey to help her uncover her past. Following a car accident, Samantha begins to exhibit unexplained physical skills. When her home is broken into by a convict who recognizes her face, she realizes she is in danger. Fearing for the safety of her family, she flees with Mitch to investigate a mysterious suitcase that contains clues to her former life, leading them into a web of conspiracy and danger.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After a car accident reveals her latent combat skills, Samantha Caine flees with Mitch Henessey to investigate a mysterious suitcase. They encounter Dr. Nathan Waldman, who reveals she is actually Charlene Elizabeth "Charly" Baltimore, a former CIA assassin. After being tortured and her memories returning, she embraces her identity as Charly. She then faces a conspiracy involving 'Project Honeymoon,' a planned chemical bomb detonation in Niagara Falls. Charly eventually faces off against the conspirators, including a man named Timothy who is her daughter's biological father. In a final confrontation at the Niagara Falls International Bridge, Charly and Mitch manage to rescue her daughter and escape just before the bomb detonates. In the aftermath, Charly returns to her identity as Samantha Caine, choosing to stay with her family while Mitch enjoys the media attention for his role in the crisis.
- First release year
- 1996
- Runtime (minutes)
- 120
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Renny Harlin
- Writers
- Shane Black · writer
- Cast and characters
- Geena Davis · Samantha Caine; Samuel L. Jackson · Mitch Henessey; Tom Amandes; Yvonne Zima; Brian Cox; Patrick Malahide; Craig Bierko; David Morse; Joseph McKenna · One-Eyed Jack; Larry King · himself
- Genres
- action; thriller
- Themes
- Identity; Memory; Conspiracy
- Tone and mood
- Action; Suspenseful
- Premise and plot tags
- Amnesia; Spy; Action
- Reception
- The film received mainly positive reviews and gained a strong cult following, despite some criticism regarding its marketing and the impact of its predecessor's failure.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 67% · scale: percentage · review count: 61; Metacritic · score: 44 · scale: 100 · review count: 20
- Production trivia
- A fire broke out at the Windermere House during filming in 1996.; The character of Mitch Henessey was originally intended to die in an early cut of the film.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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