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| Twilight | 
 enlarge | Director: Robert Benton
Actors: Paul Newman, Susan Sarandon, Gene Hackman, Reese Witherspoon, Stockard Channing
Studio: Paramount
Category: DVD
List Price: $9.98
Buy New: $4.57
You Save: $5.41 (54%)
New (38) Used (23) Collectible (4) from $4.24
Avg. Customer Rating:  34 reviews
Sales Rank: 11991
Format: Ac-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dvd-video, Letterboxed, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), French (Original Language), Spanish (Subtitled)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 96
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
DVD Layers: 1
DVD Sides: 1
Picture Format: Letterbox
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.3 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: 097363349570
ISBN: 6305127654
UPC: 097363349570
EAN: 9786305127659
ASIN: 6305127654
Theatrical Release Date: March 6, 1998
Release Date: October 7, 1998
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: BRAND NEW, Factory Sealed items direct from the Studios. 30 Day Satisfaction Guarantee. Quick International Airmail!
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com essential video
If it hadn't been released in 1998 with a veteran cast of Hollywood's finest, you could swear that Twilight was a movie from the 1940s--the kind of intelligent mystery that would've made Humphrey Bogart feel right at home. To be sure, that was exactly the intention of director and co-writer Robert Benton (in collaboration with Nobody's Fool writer Richard Russo), but the film's blessing is also its curse. Benton and Russo are so enamored of vintage mystery plots and characters that their movie nearly succumbs to the burden of old-fashioned familiarity. As the title suggests, the movie's aging characters, led by Newman as a private eye who's almost literally on his last legs, are all on the downhill of life, their Hollywood glory days behind them. Newman's character lives in the luxury home of two fading stars (Gene Hackman, Susan Sarandon) who may or may not be connected to a murder plot that also involves one of Newman's old colleagues (James Garner). Whether they're literally in their final days (as in the case of Hackman's character) or just grasping for some comfort in their twilight years, these characters interact with the kind of worldly, intelligent dialogue that was common in the better movies of Hollywood's past. But while Twilight gives Newman yet another role to fit into like a favored old suit, the movie's so low-key that some viewers may find it hard to sit through. That's a shame, because the bombastic, frenetically paced films that dominated the 1990s may have diminished our collective capacity to appreciate the solid, character-driven movie tradition that Twilight attempts to revive. --Jeff Shannon
Product Description
Burned-out private eye plunges into a murder mystery tied to a long-unsolved case involving an aging actor.
Genre: Feature Film-Drama
Rating: R
Release Date: 28-MAR-2006
Media Type: DVD
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| Customer Reviews: Read 29 more reviews...
An All-Star Cast, a Good Story July 6, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I was in the mood for an old-school style murder/detective flick, and plugged this one in. 60 seconds into the film I get hit with a MAJOR "double" topless scene starring Reese Witherspoon (10 years younger). Gratuitous? Anyway, after re-gathering and re-trenching from that, I did indeed settle down into a Humphrey Bogartesque murder mystery.
Maybe the most significant mark of this film is the very heavy-duty cast . . . Paul Newman (aged like fine wine), Gene Hackman (the BEST), Susan Sarandon (hate her politics but enjoy her work, and again, a gratuitous look at her backside), James Garner (fortunately, no skin shots here), Reese Witherspoon (all of her), Stockard Channing (I don't care for her, personally, but she is a NAME).
A good whodunnit tale. Fading starlets, ex-cop private eyes, slithering opportunists, the always pleasant L.A. vista as seen from Mulholland Drive. Enjoy. Adults only please (nudity, language, shooting/beating violence).
Solid performances by top actors June 10, 2008
This film features fine performances from screen legend Paul Newman, up and comer Reese Witherspoon, and more. This is a better film than the reviews it typically gets from most professional reviewers. Well worth watching, especially if you like the Paul Newman performance in Nobody's Fool.
 Terrific cast. That's all. September 9, 2007
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
There is a terrific cast here, and their acting is as good as usual. The story is good enough to keep you interested, but not really any better than a typical episode of some old detective show like the Rockford Files or Hart to Hart. It's not really about solving the crime from clues, but just Newman getting involved in murders and beat up, and I figured out who the real bad guy was right away. But if you're a fan of Paul Newman, Gene Hackman, Susan Sarandon, Stockard Channing, or James Garner, you'll get to see good acting by all of them. And even if you're not, you'll get to see both Sarandon and Reese Witherspoon naked in the same movie.
 Old pros doing what they do best April 19, 2007
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
"Twilight" is an underrated gem, a modern classic that too few people have heard of and fewer seem to have seen. I usually get blank stares when I recommend it, but hear the movie's praises once people have watched it. If you're a fan of film noir, private eyes, mysteries or the trio of lead actors (Paul Newman, Gene Hackman and Susan Sarandon), "Twilight" should definitely take a spin in your DVD player.
It's the best "modern-day" film noir I've seen, and it proudly wears its noir origins on its sleeve. Whether it's Harry Ross' voice-over narration ("The door was unlocked, so I let myself in..." as he breaks the glass panel), or the cast itself (Newman played a variation of Lew Archer in two films, and James Garner played Rockford, as well as Philip Marlowe). The Amazon.com reviewer is right on the money. "Twilight" could have come out of 1940s or 1950s Hollywood.
And that's another ace up its sleeve. The plot is rich, but its themes are very simple. Love, jealousy, betrayal...murder. Such a tale could have been spun by Chandler, Hammett or MacDonald, and it's refreshing in an era of thrillers that love nothing more than to chuck out the plot of the movie in favor of a "gotcha!" twist ending. "Twilight" builds to its devastating climax, with each step taking us closer to the end, and bringing that ending into focus.
It's a relatively action-lite movie, with a pair of gunfights (and even they aren't all that intense). But the mystery is the draw here...if you want shoot-outs, look elsewhere. Besides, they would only distract from the meat of the movie: the acting and the crackling dialogue. Newman is surrounded by a top-notch cast, and virtually every cast member gets a chance to verbally spar with Harry Ross. Whether it's the dangerously flirtatious midnight conversations with Susan Sarandon, or the wry musings on aging and the past with James Garner and Gene Hackman, everyone shines. Characters who only make a brief appearance (Giancarlo Esposito, the late John Spencer, a young Liev Schrieber) make strong impressions on the viewer, the perfect marriage of a strong script and talented actors.
I'll avoid a plot summary, because I think it's better to go in and watch the mystery unfold around you, but I will say that the story doesn't cheat with you. The characters are real, tangibly real, and it makes what happens to them resonate with the audience. I'd suggest a rental, but with the cheap price on Amazon (and the fact that you'll want to see it again) I recommend a purchase of "Twilight."
Nostalgic, melancholy mystery saved by good performances May 27, 2006
5 out of 7 found this review helpful
Retired policeman, former P.I., and recovering drunk Harry Ross (Paul Newman), lives above the garage on the sequestered Los Angeles estate of his one-time employers - movie stars Jack and Catherine Ames (Gene Hackman and Susan Sarandon). Jack Ames is gravely ill, and Harry is strongly attracted to Jack's immensely sympathetic wife. But matters take a dark turn when Jack asks Harry to deliver a package. Jack is being blackmailed, and Harry soon discovers that his friends' past may be darker than anyone suspects ... This rather melancholy mystery feels like an exercise in nostalgia. There's nothing wrong with that, per se - and it does suit the mortality theme - but it doesn't exactly make for enthralling viewing. Benton relies on power casting, noirish touches and good old-fashioned sensibilities to make this film exude an aura of class it doesn't quite deserve. The plot is thoroughly predictable, so it's really more a tissue of nostalgic suggestions than good storytelling. Similarly, Elmer Bernstein's languorous score deftly evokes Old Hollywood, but it isn't what the film needs (stirring music is used in the trailer to much better effect). What it lacks in narrative gusto, however, it more than makes up for in performances. Newman and Hackman are always good, and are capably supported by James Garner and Stockard Channing in solid minor roles. But Susan Sarandon is the standout as Jack's elegantly manipulative femme-fatale of a wife. She shows that if someone is ever dumb enough to mount a remake of "Sunset Boulevard", she's a shoo-in for the Norma Desmond part.
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