Review of The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996) by Clintus M — 20 Dec 2014

This is an excellent action movie, underrated in my opinion. Geena Davis shines in the dual roles of amnesia-victim schoolteacher and CIA assassin. It's unusual for an action film to have a female lead, not terribly successful prior to the Hunger Games films. Davis, though well-known for her Thelma and Louise and A League of their Own roles, is surprisingly adept at playing the dual roles. I thought her dialogue as "Charlie" overdid it though. Samuel L. Jackson is great as well, very reminiscent of his Die Hard 3 role. In fact, the whole movie reminds me a lot of Die Hard 3. Villain Craig Bierko is good too, in a wild-eyed amoral evil sort of way.

The film's climax at Niagara Falls reminds me of several Hitchcock movies, so while it isn't too original-why not copy the best? All of this: amnesia, wise-cracking sidekick, diabolical villains, and government conspiracy have been done before, but that really doesn't matter. Like the Die Hard series or an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie, it's a fun ride.