Twilight highlights
Tim Durkin

Paul Newman is at his (old age) best in Twighlight, a mystery about greed and love. Newman, who plays a retired private detective, is asked to do one more job for his buddy Gene Hackman, which he accepts to repay a longstanding debt. When Newman finds himself shot at by a dying man the fun begins.

Twilight begins with a flashback of Newman on his last case. James Garner, Newman’s buddy and peer, has taken pity on the poor sod and had his friends, millionaire producer Gene Hackman and wife/leading lady Susan Sarandon, take him in as a handyman/tenant. Hackman hires Newman to retrieve Sarandon’s daughter (Reese Witherspoon) from Mexico. This flashback is the worst part of the entire film as it is completely out of step with the rest of the movie. The only reason I don’t recommend fast forwarding past it altogether is the joke that starts here runs throughout the rest of the movie.

Two years later, and one year after Newman has let his detective license expire, Hackman, bothered by a blackmailer, hires Newman to make the drop-off. Suspicion mounts about the nature of the blackmail, but nothing is said. It is not so much trust between the two men as it is a recognition of past deeds done. Both men recognize they have done things they are not happy with and Newman knows it is his job to help people get out of their jams. So much of the movie is about what is left unsaid. One gets the impression immediately, that these characters know each other intimately and know when to ask questions and when to just do as they are told.

Newman’s attraction to Sarandon, his real reason for staying with the couple, is extremely powerful. It is intrinsic to the plot that all these characters are distantly intimate, as it builds the intrigue. When Newman begins to ask questions, bodies start dropping and skeletons begin to appear from closets.

The thing I most liked about this entire movie is that it is in slow motion.

These are all lead actors who are at least in their fifties and no one tries to hide that. There is no fancy chase scene, the fight scenes are short and afterwards people are tired. Filmmaker Robert Benton (Kramer vs. Kramer) doesn’t try to stretch any of his actors out of shape, but he does have them try a different look. A small but funny moment, (especially if you are a big fan of Newman) is hearing him snort and watch him act bashfully. Not typical Newman.

Sarandon and Garner stretch themselves too. From her role as a compassionate nun in Dead Man Walking to a murder suspect here, Sarandon proves her talents again. Garner has made a career (Rockford Files, Maverick) out of the cool guy who is good with the ladies. Here, he plays that role with a glint of nasty. He’s Rockford’s black sheep brother.

There are some crummy parts about this movie also. Already mentioned is the intro flashback scene with Witherspoon. The other aspect of the film which made me cringe was the performance of Giancarlo Esposito (Smoke) as an African-Chicano limousine driver.

I actually feel bad for Esposito in this movie because he has done some decent work in the past (Usual Suspects). Not only is his character stupid, he’s unnecessary, too.

Benton tries to infuse a bit of the buddy-flick motif into the movie and it just doesn’t work. Fortunately, one gets over it quickly enough to enjoy the rest of the movie.

The cast of Twilight is spectacular. They do a great job with a fine script. Watch it over and over again.