Director Renny Harlin got no respect during his most fruitful era of filmmaking. Much like his contemporary Tony Scott (who now has achieved the God-tier status he should have had his entire career). The 1990s saw Harlin direct The Adventures of Ford Fairlane, Die Hard 2: Die Harder, Cliffhanger, Cutthroat Island, Deep Blue Sea, and… possibly his best film The Long Kiss Goodnight. Every single film in that run is visually astute with crackjack action set pieces that in some cases (see Cliffhanger) are some of the best of the decade. What separates The Long Kiss Goodnight from the other films is the sharp script by Shane Black and the winning performance and chemistry of Geena Davis and Samuel L. Jackson.
The story is almost a cliché now – and shows the power of Black’s screenplay. Charlie Baltimore (Davis), a female government assassin with amnesia is discovered by the shadow government agency she worked for -forced to go on the run with the private eye (Jackson) who she hired to find out who she was. As they go deeper into her past life they find that agency has gone rogue and plans an attack that will begin another war.
The Long Kiss Goodnight is the kind of genre film that has reverberated through film over the past thirty years. Many at the time disparaged the film because it was a record-breaking script sale at the time. Though many do not seem to understand the female-led action spy thriller has literally set the template for most modern-day female-led action films (in one way or another) and the modern-day action spy thriller.
To say that Shane Black’s screenplay was both ahead of its time and resoundingly of its era is an understatement. The way the story is structured, and action scenes play out is textbook modern action blockbuster – which was fresh at the time seems almost quaint now unless looking through the optics that Black literally created it for The Long Kiss Goodnight. Atomic Blonde, Jason Bourne, and Mission Impossible have taken liberties from Black’s work here to their success. Black’s panache for crisp witty dialog is very much alive here and, in a few instances, can be considered very troubling for our current era. That aside the script gives not just Davis and Jackson room to shine but also the supporting staff well-written roles.
The Long Kiss Goodnight has become not just a cult classic but a film that has made its mark on action storytelling. No small feat but one that when considering its screenwriter’s place in the pantheon of screenwriters – it makes complete sense. Sometimes a record script sale is justified, it just takes an audience to catch up to that fact.
The Transfer
The all-new 4K restoration by Arrow Films from the original 35mm negative approved by director Renny Harlin and presented in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) is another masterful upgrade like Arrow’s recent release of Harlin’s Deep Blue Sea. The work here by Arrow is jaw-dropping, looking like it was filmed yesterday. The transfer is as crisp as the wintertime setting of the film itself, clean without any hints of scratches or blemishes on the negative. The color reproduction and contrast levels because of the Dolby Vision encoding are both deeper in their details giving us a darker luminous and far more textured than the Blu-ray that was released more than 15 years ago. It is free of any sort of digital artifacting or DNR to remove grain giving the transfer a healthy organic look more akin to a beautifully restored 35mm print.
The Extras
They include the following;
DISC 1 (4K ULTRA HD) – FEATURE & EXTRAS
Brand new audio commentary by film critic Walter Chaw
Brand new audio commentary by film critics Drusilla Adeline and Joshua Conkel, co-hosts of the Bloodhaus podcast
Theatrical trailer
Image gallery
DISC 2 (BLU-RAY) – BONUS FEATURES
Symphony of Destruction
Long Live the New Flesh
Girl Interrupted
Amnesia Chick
The Mirror Crack’d
A Woman’s World
Deleted scenes
Archive promotional interviews with director Renny Harlin and stars Geena Davis, Samuel L. Jackson and Craig Bierko
Making Of, an archive promotional featurette
Behind the Scenes, archive EPK footage from the filming of The Long Kiss Goodnight
DISC 1 (4K ULTRA HD) – FEATURE & EXTRAS
The first of two all-new audio commentaries is by film critic Walter Chaw begins with how he considers this the “signature” film of 1996. Some of the details include a detailed history of the following cast and crew including – Renny Harlin (his career and directorial style); Geena Davis (her ascent to superstardom, and specific actor’s qualities and abilities); Shane Black (the legendary screenwriter, and his epic spec sales which finally led to The Long Kiss Goodnight the biggest script sale in history); how this made for the production of this film; Davis and Harlin’s want to bring a female action hero to the big screen – which at the time there were a few but none in big budget studio pictures; the work and career of Samuel L Jackson; the work and career of Craig Bierko; a discussion of the reason why Shane Black sets many – if not most – of his films during Christmas Time; the work and career of Brian Cox; the horror work of Renny Harlin and how it informs his directorial career in places like here; the middling success of the film and why Chaw thinks this was; a fascinating side discussion of the failure of Cutthroat Island [another Davis Harlin collaboration] and how that it informed some of the backlash that The Long Kiss Goodnight; a great discussion of the Siskel and Ebert section of people outrunning explosions in the 90s – which was a pretty big staple at the time; the fall out for the careers of Davis, Harlin and Black post release of The Long Kiss Goodnight; the reversal of the gender dynamics in the film; a great conversation about the era of action films in which The Long Goodnight was released in; a great side conversation of Harlin’s attachment and leaving Alien3; Shane Black/Renny Harlin’s treatment/idea that he wrote for The Long Kiss Goodnight 2; a larger discussion of the visual and themes of the film as they related to race and feminism; a larger discussion of the various action scenes and stunt work within the film; a larger discussion through out how Shane Black bucks the conventions of the action film cliches; and much more.
The second of two all-new audio commentaries is by film critics Drusilla Adeline and Joshua Conkel, co-hosts of the Bloodhaus podcast begin with the fact they are discussions are usually horror films but are discussing this cult action film. Some of the details include director Renny Harlin’s start in horror; the odd marketing and trailers that went against the film’s actual harder action style; the fact that New Line wanted to re-write the film for a male actor; how this film is a product of the post-modern era of filmmaking; the work of Brian Cox in the film; the personal life and career of Samuel L Jackson; a discussion of the soundtrack for this film and a larger discussion about how big soundtracks were during the 90s; Harlin’s theories about the action set pieces – and discussion about how and why the director sets up multiple cameras for these scenes; how the witty quippy dialog of this script have gone away in this style but how its transmuted into the Marvel Films but more artificial; a larger discussion of the various information from her biography about this film and also her want to do action films post-Oscar; a larger discussion of the original screenplay and what was changed; and much more.
Theatrical trailer (2:33)
Image gallery – the gallery consists of 313 production stills, behind-the-scenes photos, and a few poster images. You can navigate the gallery by using the Next and Back chapter stop buttons.
DISC 2 (BLU-RAY) – BONUS FEATURES
Girl Interrupted (16:02) – in this all-new interview with actress Yvonne Zima, who plays the young daughter, opens with the fact that her sister who had a role in The Nanny was what inspired her to want to be an actress. Some of the details including the audition process consisted of – and how she was going up against Mara Wilson; her working with Shane Black – she’s been in two of his own directorial efforts – and his scripts and what they make them unique; working with Geena Davis; working with Samuel L. Jackson – including a great anecdote about the blood; stunt work and the stunt performer that did her stunts; a discussion of the iconic finale and her memories of it; and more. There’s great footage of Zima auditioning for the role.
Symphony of Destruction (9:06) – in this all-new interview with stunt co-ordinator Steve Davidson opens with a discussion the involvement of Renny Harlin and Shane Black that the stunt work was going to be huge -which to his words it was. Some of the details include how adept of stunt performers both Davis and Jackson were; the production schedule and location (based in Toronto) – to which he felt was the hardest production of his career; a breakdown of the deer crash and how it was accomplished; a breakdown of the jumping from the bus station into the icy river; a breakdown of the water torture scene; a breakdown of the tanker trunk crash; and much more.
Long Live the New Flesh (11:53) – in this all-new interview with make-up artist Gordon J. Smith opens with how getting hired for The Long Kiss Goodnight and how the dummies they created were very different than previous iterations and started modern dummy/casting. Some of the details include the production’s request/needs for Brian Cox and Geena Davis dummies and the very different creations of them; some of the chemical issues that caused making dummies extremely difficult – because of silicone; and much more.
Amnesia Chick (19:32) – is an all-new visual essay by film scholar Josh Nelson that focuses on the dueling identities of the character Geena Davis portrays and also the history of amnesia-based stories – including post-war Noirs and broader scope. The glut of amnesia-based film in the modern era and the years leading up to and following the new millennia. How The Long Kiss Goodnight fits into this era, the themes, the feminism in the film and how that differs from others in the subgenre, how it differs from other amnesia-based films, the production, and more. The essay is wonderfully produced by Neil Snowdon, edited by Jonathan Zaurin, and written by Nelson.
The Mirror Crack’d (38:36) – is another all-new visual essay this one by film historian Howard S. Berger about the themes of domesticity and liberation within the film. The essay proposes the film is basically a mid-life crisis – including examples of the best of the genre. The film’s subversion of the action film and the romantic comedy are both set up in the film – including discussions of feminism, sexism, and other topics found in the film. The visual and thematic elements that support the essay’s thesis are discussed in detail. The essay is wonderfully produced by Neil Snowdon, edited by Berger, and written by Berger (who narrates), Kevin Marr, and Angela McEntee.
A Woman’s World (14:20) – is the final all-new visual essay by film scholar Alexandra Heller-Nicholas discusses the career of Geena Davis (and other female stars) and how 40 spells the end of many a female star’s career. Heller-Nicholas dives into the various avenues that Davis took to promote gender equality beyond her acting career. Also how it relates to Davis’s most iconic roles in The Fly, Thelma and Lousie, A League of their Own, and eventually The Long Kiss Goodnight. The essay is excellently produced by Neil Snowdon, edited by Jonathan Zaurin, and written by Heller-Nicholas.
Deleted scenes (2:32) – consist of two different scenes the ice-skating scene (that has its temp score is set to the Heatbank heist score), and Charlie chasing down the oil rig. Both to be perfectly honest are much better as they take the action to the over-the-top arched tone one wants from a film like this. I will not ruin the very different scenes as these have not ever been released in the US.
Archive promotional interviews – a submenu allows you to choose which interview from the EPK – some of it seen in the Making Of.
Renny Harlin (2:16) – discusses the SFX of the film and the story
Geena Davis (1:28) – discusses the story and working with Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel L. Jackson (1:24) – discusses working with Harlin and Davis
Craig Bierko (0:42) – discusses his character
Making Of (5:53) – an archival making-of featurette that was included in the EPK. This making-of is a little slicker than EPK packages from the era, with stylishly shot interviews with the cast and crew. The content is what you expect as they discuss the story, the themes, and the big sell of action set pieces. All set to The Who’s Who Are You? which was the song featured in all the trailers.
Behind the Scenes (8:14) – this is archive EPK footage from the filming of The Long Kiss Goodnight it appears to be sourced from SD/VHS masters. The b-roll footage is great showing some of the live footage of filming stunt work showing just how much Gene Davis and Samuel L. Jackson did – which is an impressive amount. The finale, the bus station, and the hotel resuce are all shown.
The Final Thought
Arrow has done it again. A worthy 4K UHD upgrade for a cult classic action film, filled to the brim with new and archival special features. Highest possible recommendations!!!
Geena Davis and Samuel L. Jackson star in the action cult classic The Long Kiss Goodnight. Arrow Video has upgraded the film to 4K UHD with a full restoration from the 35mm Camera Negative approved by Director Renny Harlin.
The Film
Director Renny Harlin got no respect during his most fruitful era of filmmaking. Much like his contemporary Tony Scott (who now has achieved the God-tier status he should have had his entire career). The 1990s saw Harlin direct The Adventures of Ford Fairlane, Die Hard 2: Die Harder, Cliffhanger, Cutthroat Island, Deep Blue Sea, and… possibly his best film The Long Kiss Goodnight. Every single film in that run is visually astute with crackjack action set pieces that in some cases (see Cliffhanger) are some of the best of the decade. What separates The Long Kiss Goodnight from the other films is the sharp script by Shane Black and the winning performance and chemistry of Geena Davis and Samuel L. Jackson.
The story is almost a cliché now – and shows the power of Black’s screenplay. Charlie Baltimore (Davis), a female government assassin with amnesia is discovered by the shadow government agency she worked for -forced to go on the run with the private eye (Jackson) who she hired to find out who she was. As they go deeper into her past life they find that agency has gone rogue and plans an attack that will begin another war.
The Long Kiss Goodnight is the kind of genre film that has reverberated through film over the past thirty years. Many at the time disparaged the film because it was a record-breaking script sale at the time. Though many do not seem to understand the female-led action spy thriller has literally set the template for most modern-day female-led action films (in one way or another) and the modern-day action spy thriller.
To say that Shane Black’s screenplay was both ahead of its time and resoundingly of its era is an understatement. The way the story is structured, and action scenes play out is textbook modern action blockbuster – which was fresh at the time seems almost quaint now unless looking through the optics that Black literally created it for The Long Kiss Goodnight. Atomic Blonde, Jason Bourne, and Mission Impossible have taken liberties from Black’s work here to their success. Black’s panache for crisp witty dialog is very much alive here and, in a few instances, can be considered very troubling for our current era. That aside the script gives not just Davis and Jackson room to shine but also the supporting staff well-written roles.
The Long Kiss Goodnight has become not just a cult classic but a film that has made its mark on action storytelling. No small feat but one that when considering its screenwriter’s place in the pantheon of screenwriters – it makes complete sense. Sometimes a record script sale is justified, it just takes an audience to catch up to that fact.
The Transfer
The all-new 4K restoration by Arrow Films from the original 35mm negative approved by director Renny Harlin and presented in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) is another masterful upgrade like Arrow’s recent release of Harlin’s Deep Blue Sea. The work here by Arrow is jaw-dropping, looking like it was filmed yesterday. The transfer is as crisp as the wintertime setting of the film itself, clean without any hints of scratches or blemishes on the negative. The color reproduction and contrast levels because of the Dolby Vision encoding are both deeper in their details giving us a darker luminous and far more textured than the Blu-ray that was released more than 15 years ago. It is free of any sort of digital artifacting or DNR to remove grain giving the transfer a healthy organic look more akin to a beautifully restored 35mm print.
The Extras
They include the following;
DISC 1 (4K ULTRA HD) – FEATURE & EXTRAS
DISC 2 (BLU-RAY) – BONUS FEATURES
DISC 1 (4K ULTRA HD) – FEATURE & EXTRAS
The first of two all-new audio commentaries is by film critic Walter Chaw begins with how he considers this the “signature” film of 1996. Some of the details include a detailed history of the following cast and crew including – Renny Harlin (his career and directorial style); Geena Davis (her ascent to superstardom, and specific actor’s qualities and abilities); Shane Black (the legendary screenwriter, and his epic spec sales which finally led to The Long Kiss Goodnight the biggest script sale in history); how this made for the production of this film; Davis and Harlin’s want to bring a female action hero to the big screen – which at the time there were a few but none in big budget studio pictures; the work and career of Samuel L Jackson; the work and career of Craig Bierko; a discussion of the reason why Shane Black sets many – if not most – of his films during Christmas Time; the work and career of Brian Cox; the horror work of Renny Harlin and how it informs his directorial career in places like here; the middling success of the film and why Chaw thinks this was; a fascinating side discussion of the failure of Cutthroat Island [another Davis Harlin collaboration] and how that it informed some of the backlash that The Long Kiss Goodnight; a great discussion of the Siskel and Ebert section of people outrunning explosions in the 90s – which was a pretty big staple at the time; the fall out for the careers of Davis, Harlin and Black post release of The Long Kiss Goodnight; the reversal of the gender dynamics in the film; a great conversation about the era of action films in which The Long Goodnight was released in; a great side conversation of Harlin’s attachment and leaving Alien3; Shane Black/Renny Harlin’s treatment/idea that he wrote for The Long Kiss Goodnight 2; a larger discussion of the visual and themes of the film as they related to race and feminism; a larger discussion of the various action scenes and stunt work within the film; a larger discussion through out how Shane Black bucks the conventions of the action film cliches; and much more.
The second of two all-new audio commentaries is by film critics Drusilla Adeline and Joshua Conkel, co-hosts of the Bloodhaus podcast begin with the fact they are discussions are usually horror films but are discussing this cult action film. Some of the details include director Renny Harlin’s start in horror; the odd marketing and trailers that went against the film’s actual harder action style; the fact that New Line wanted to re-write the film for a male actor; how this film is a product of the post-modern era of filmmaking; the work of Brian Cox in the film; the personal life and career of Samuel L Jackson; a discussion of the soundtrack for this film and a larger discussion about how big soundtracks were during the 90s; Harlin’s theories about the action set pieces – and discussion about how and why the director sets up multiple cameras for these scenes; how the witty quippy dialog of this script have gone away in this style but how its transmuted into the Marvel Films but more artificial; a larger discussion of the various information from her biography about this film and also her want to do action films post-Oscar; a larger discussion of the original screenplay and what was changed; and much more.
Theatrical trailer (2:33)
Image gallery – the gallery consists of 313 production stills, behind-the-scenes photos, and a few poster images. You can navigate the gallery by using the Next and Back chapter stop buttons.
DISC 2 (BLU-RAY) – BONUS FEATURES
Girl Interrupted (16:02) – in this all-new interview with actress Yvonne Zima, who plays the young daughter, opens with the fact that her sister who had a role in The Nanny was what inspired her to want to be an actress. Some of the details including the audition process consisted of – and how she was going up against Mara Wilson; her working with Shane Black – she’s been in two of his own directorial efforts – and his scripts and what they make them unique; working with Geena Davis; working with Samuel L. Jackson – including a great anecdote about the blood; stunt work and the stunt performer that did her stunts; a discussion of the iconic finale and her memories of it; and more. There’s great footage of Zima auditioning for the role.
Symphony of Destruction (9:06) – in this all-new interview with stunt co-ordinator Steve Davidson opens with a discussion the involvement of Renny Harlin and Shane Black that the stunt work was going to be huge -which to his words it was. Some of the details include how adept of stunt performers both Davis and Jackson were; the production schedule and location (based in Toronto) – to which he felt was the hardest production of his career; a breakdown of the deer crash and how it was accomplished; a breakdown of the jumping from the bus station into the icy river; a breakdown of the water torture scene; a breakdown of the tanker trunk crash; and much more.
Long Live the New Flesh (11:53) – in this all-new interview with make-up artist Gordon J. Smith opens with how getting hired for The Long Kiss Goodnight and how the dummies they created were very different than previous iterations and started modern dummy/casting. Some of the details include the production’s request/needs for Brian Cox and Geena Davis dummies and the very different creations of them; some of the chemical issues that caused making dummies extremely difficult – because of silicone; and much more.
Amnesia Chick (19:32) – is an all-new visual essay by film scholar Josh Nelson that focuses on the dueling identities of the character Geena Davis portrays and also the history of amnesia-based stories – including post-war Noirs and broader scope. The glut of amnesia-based film in the modern era and the years leading up to and following the new millennia. How The Long Kiss Goodnight fits into this era, the themes, the feminism in the film and how that differs from others in the subgenre, how it differs from other amnesia-based films, the production, and more. The essay is wonderfully produced by Neil Snowdon, edited by Jonathan Zaurin, and written by Nelson.
The Mirror Crack’d (38:36) – is another all-new visual essay this one by film historian Howard S. Berger about the themes of domesticity and liberation within the film. The essay proposes the film is basically a mid-life crisis – including examples of the best of the genre. The film’s subversion of the action film and the romantic comedy are both set up in the film – including discussions of feminism, sexism, and other topics found in the film. The visual and thematic elements that support the essay’s thesis are discussed in detail. The essay is wonderfully produced by Neil Snowdon, edited by Berger, and written by Berger (who narrates), Kevin Marr, and Angela McEntee.
A Woman’s World (14:20) – is the final all-new visual essay by film scholar Alexandra Heller-Nicholas discusses the career of Geena Davis (and other female stars) and how 40 spells the end of many a female star’s career. Heller-Nicholas dives into the various avenues that Davis took to promote gender equality beyond her acting career. Also how it relates to Davis’s most iconic roles in The Fly, Thelma and Lousie, A League of their Own, and eventually The Long Kiss Goodnight. The essay is excellently produced by Neil Snowdon, edited by Jonathan Zaurin, and written by Heller-Nicholas.
Deleted scenes (2:32) – consist of two different scenes the ice-skating scene (that has its temp score is set to the Heatbank heist score), and Charlie chasing down the oil rig. Both to be perfectly honest are much better as they take the action to the over-the-top arched tone one wants from a film like this. I will not ruin the very different scenes as these have not ever been released in the US.
Archive promotional interviews – a submenu allows you to choose which interview from the EPK – some of it seen in the Making Of.
Renny Harlin (2:16) – discusses the SFX of the film and the story
Geena Davis (1:28) – discusses the story and working with Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel L. Jackson (1:24) – discusses working with Harlin and Davis
Craig Bierko (0:42) – discusses his character
Making Of (5:53) – an archival making-of featurette that was included in the EPK. This making-of is a little slicker than EPK packages from the era, with stylishly shot interviews with the cast and crew. The content is what you expect as they discuss the story, the themes, and the big sell of action set pieces. All set to The Who’s Who Are You? which was the song featured in all the trailers.
Behind the Scenes (8:14) – this is archive EPK footage from the filming of The Long Kiss Goodnight it appears to be sourced from SD/VHS masters. The b-roll footage is great showing some of the live footage of filming stunt work showing just how much Gene Davis and Samuel L. Jackson did – which is an impressive amount. The finale, the bus station, and the hotel resuce are all shown.
The Final Thought
Arrow has done it again. A worthy 4K UHD upgrade for a cult classic action film, filled to the brim with new and archival special features. Highest possible recommendations!!!
Arrow Video’s 4K UHD Edition of The Long Kiss Goodnight is out April 8th
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