Prismark10 Twilight is a slow burn modern film noir. A more laid back version of LA Confidential. The first scenes feature a young Reese Witherspoon and Liev Schreiber in Mexico with Paul Newman that leaves Newman injured. We then go forward a few years.Harry Ross (Newman) is a down on his luck detective with an injury and not much money. He lives in California in the guest quarters of Witherspoon's wealthy parents who are his old friends and former film industry executives now in the twilight of their years. Jack (Gene Hackman) is dying of cancer and he and Ross pass time playing cards.Jack asks Harry to deliver a package in Los Angeles. When Harry arrives to deliver the package he encounters a shot man named who turns out to be a former detective. This begins a chain of events involving a past case that led to the disappearance of Catherine's (Susan Sarandon) ex- husband.Harry realises that his friends have been deceitful and manipulative of him. His old colleague Raymond (James Garner) tries to persuade Harry to get away from it all.The film is about immoral people who are wealthy and wish to stay ahead and use others for their own means. As a pot boiler its slow, even meandering as there are betrayals and double crosses. What sustains it is the acting and with the four leads and some rising stars you watch it for the actors and the depth they provide.

Spikeopath Twilight is directed by Robert Benton who also co-writes the screenplay with Richard Russo. It stars Paul Newman, Susan Sarandon, Gene Hackman, James Garner, Stockard Channing, Reese Witherspoon, Giancarlo Esposito and Liev Schreiber. Music is scored by Elmer Bernstein and cinematography by Piotr Sobocinski.Harry Ross (Newman) is working for Jack (Hackman) and Catherine Ames (Sarandon). When one day he is sent to deliver a package for Jack, it turns out to be the starting point of trouble that opens up a 20 year old missing persons case involving Catherine's ex-husband.Twilight, the word in this case signifying persons in the twilight of their lives, is on the surface a standard murder mystery infused with noirish blood. But although the film never gets above a steady beat, where subtlety of performances and tone are key, it's a better picture than the poor box office it garnered suggests. However, in spite of the quality that comes with said performances and script, the latter sinewy and begging for the mature film fan's attention, picture is a little too subtle for its own good. When action does come into play it feels like an intrusion, misplaced even, which shouldn't be the case as there is, after all, a suspected murder and private investigation going on in the plot. The blend isn't quite right in spite of the intelligence and thought that's gone in to make the characters engaging.The whole calm over chaos approach taken by Benton (Kramer vs. Kramer) is however admirable, many people like dialogue driven movies, especially ones dripping with noir atmospherics, myself included, but it does put itself out as being only accessible to a select audience. That's why it failed at the box office; well that and the fact that this A list cast of some distinction meant expectations went through the roof prior to its release! But there's still much to enjoy as the seasoned performers dally around themes of mortality, loyalty and forbidden fruit, with the rose tinted cloud of nostalgia hovering constantly over head. It's apt that the film clearly harks back to noirish movies of yesterday, for its main characters are forced to constantly look backwards, to times passed, times never to be had again.The good far outweighs the bad here, but you need to be in a select band of film lovers to get the best rewards from it. 7/10

Cihan "Sean Victorydawn" Vercan (CihanVercan) The late actor Paul Newman portrays a fly in the ointment, the anti-hero version of Dick Tracy, herein Twilight. I've read some reviews of people wondering why widely acclaimed filmmaker Robert Benton has made this movie. A short answer: To provide screen experience to new starlets with veteran actors.There are 3 of those starlets in this film. First one is Reese Witherspoon. 1998 was an important milestone for her. She's been busy whole year long with Pleasantville and Overnight Delivery. Through 1998 summer she played in Twilight, thus she has bold scenes with Liev Schreiber. Even though she has a cameo role as Mel Ames in the film, her role includes the only nudity content of her box-office movies career. Yet, Twilight features its queen Susan Sarandon. For me, this is Sarandon's third best after Atlantic City and White Palace. She comes out of pool, starts walking in Eve outlook, looking for her Adam, then Newman comes by.The second starlet is Liev Schreiber. He plays Mel's date at Mexico. While Mel lies naked on a couch, she asks him "Do you love me?". He keeps his silence a bit while staring at her tits, and hinders himself from replying "No, I just love your tits". Thankfully Mel speaks before him: "I mean it doesn't really matter you love me or not". If all the movie critics thought the same way that Robert Benton has written the worst script of his life, they might be right.The third starlet is Patrick Malone. If you read this review right now, and don't know who Patrick Malone is, it's because herein Twilight he wasted his chance of a lifetime due to his imitation of Will Smith. A young actor in Hollywood must not copy other actors of same career level. I actually liked Malone's harmony with Newman playing his partner, if only he could have played his own style. He was one of the supporting actors in Lawrence Kasdan's Grand Canyon(1991).Even though the cast is rich on paper, the whole plot is turning around Paul Newman. No one is able to come closer to him, and he acts only with his self-belief. From my point of view, the main issue is not the script nor the cheapness of the story telling methods. Nobody but Benton and Newman, is in the mood of making a movie. Gene Hackman, James Garner, Stockard Channing spoil the story. So many stars make it darker. Only Newman and Sarandon could have been enough to fill the cast, since the storyline is so simple.

bkoganbing Twilight casts Paul Newman as a former police detective, former private detective now living as a family retainer to glamorous movie star couple Gene Hackman and Susan Sarandon. He's living with them because he was hurt on the job when after being hired to bring back their daughter Reese Witherspoon from running away with Liev Schreiber, Reese accidentally shoots Newman. Don't ask for the circumstances, they have to be seen.Anyway because of what Reese did, Newman is living with her family and one day, he's asked to deliver a package by Hackman to a woman. At the location he finds a fatally shot M. Emmett Walsh still able to shoot at Newman. That sends the whole plot starting which involves the disappearance of a prominent actor and Sarandon's former husband twenty years before.Imagine Philip Marlowe now middle-aged, but entering senior citizenry and you've got Paul Newman in this part. Actually Newman was 74 when he did this role, but could have passed for a dozen years younger. Better still imagine Newman's own Harper which he did in two films and you have a better example.Director Robert Benton assembled a really crackerjack cast in support of those already mentioned. Keep note for James Garner as another retired cop turned private eye, though someone nothing like Jim Rockford, Stockard Channing as Newman's former partner at the LAPD, John Spencer as Channing's boss who would like some explanations as some bodies start to pile up around Newman.Most of all note Margo Martindale who was the woman Newman was supposed to deliver the package to. Note her relationship, personal and professional to at least one other of the cast members. It's a really touching performance of a lonely and frustrated woman.Up to the end of his life, the quality of Paul Newman's work never went down even if he did a clunker or two among his films. Twilight is a perfect example of what I just said.