Back in the mid-90s, filmgoers eagerly read movie magazines including Premiere. This is where I first heard about The Long Kiss Goodnight. It made immediate waves when Shane Black’s script sold for $4 million. This was a rather impressive achievement and also a bit of a burden. What could make a movie script worth $4 million? When it was announced that the film was going to be directed by Renny Harlin (Die Hard 2) and starring his then wife Geena Davis (The Fly), there was a bit of hesitation from those of us who actually saw their Cutthroat Island on the big screen. Turns out there was no need to fear that The Long Kiss Goodnight was going to be a letdown. This was an E-ticket thrill ride.
Samantha Caine (Geena Davis) is a schoolteacher in a small town in Pennsylvania. She’s happily raising her daughter Caitlin (ER‘s Yvonne Zima) and dating a sweet guy. But there’s a lot that she doesn’t know about herself. Turns out that eight years ago, she was found washed up on a beach and pregnant. She has no memory of how she ended up in the water or anything else about her past. She’s curious about her past life and over the years hired various private investigators to look into her identity. She’s down to Mitch Henessey (Pulp Fiction’s Samuel L. Jackson). He does find a clue to her past. But before he can reach Samantha, she survives a massive car crash involving a deer. The accident begins to jar her memory and past skills. She discovers a few hidden talents including knifeplay and how to crack a neck. This is good since someone from her past shows up at her door after busting out of prison. Her family learns she is no ordinary housewife as she turns her kitchen into deadly battleground. When Mitch arrives with his news, she decides to uncover the secrets of her real identity and skip holiday fun. Turns out that involves a lot of Top Secrets.
The Long Kiss Goodnight works best when Samuel L. Jackson is dealing with the outrageous transition when his client goes from sweet and mild mother to sleek professional killer. He is not fully ready to be dragged into an outrageous adventure with so much firepower. But he has to be game for it. This is a serious flip from a normal action film where it’s the female character who gets dragged unexpectedly into the insanity and mayhem by the male lead. But it’s more than just a gender swap on the genre norms. She is a mom and that adds to the complexity of the characters.
The big letdown is that The Long Kiss Goodnight is the peak of Geena Davis’ cinematic climb. After this film, she played the mother of a mouse in three Stuart Little films. She was no longer a massive action star. She’s great at both the mousey mom and the bold killer. She takes full advantage of the film’s power struggle inside her character which is why after 30 years, the film is still exciting and bold.
The Long Kiss Goodnight is a Christmas time action film like Die Hard except there’s a lot of snow and seasonal decorations. She plays Mrs. Claus in the opening scene. It feels even more like a holiday gone wrong. There’s no arguing about whether or not this is a Christmas movie. You’ll definitely want The Long Kiss Goodnight part of your Christmas time viewing. Shane Black wrote a script that was so worth the money.
The Video is 2.35:1 anamorphic. The transfer is a band new 4K restoration by Arrow Films from the original 35mm negative approved by director Renny Harlin. The Audio options include the original DTS-HD MA 5.1, stereo 2.0. and new Dolby Atmos. You’ll want to go full out to take in the sound effects of bullets zipping around the screen. The movie is subtitled.
Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Clem Bastow, Richard Kadrey, Maura McHugh, and Priscilla Page
Seasonal postcard that’s suitable for framing.
Thin Ice sticker is perfect for your skateboard.
DISC 1 (4K ULTRA HD) – FEATURE & EXTRAS
Audio commentary by film critic Walter Chaw has him discuss all the things happening in the film. He gives the background on Renny Harlin, Geena Davis and Shane Black.
Audio commentary by film critics Drusilla Adeline and Joshua Conkel, co-hosts of the Bloodhaus podcast is fun. The duo quote from Geena Davis’ autobiography. They debate Cutthroat Island. Best is talking about Craig Bierko from his days on Sex and the City. They enjoy the film.
Theatrical trailer (2:33) gets into the amnesia and suddenly your memories return “one bullet at a time.” Also used The Who’s “Who Are You” song.
Image gallery has over 300 press photos, behind the scenes shots, Geena and Renny nearly kissing shots (they were married at the time) and the poster.
DISC 2 (BLU-RAY) – BONUS FEATURES
Symphony of Destruction (9:06) gets a rundown from stunt co-ordinator Steve Davidson. He gets into working with Renny Harlin. It was all about big stunts in this film. He was amazed working with Samuel L. Jackson and Geena Davis in the action scenes. He calls it the hardest film he ever worked on. He describes what went into the deer hitting stunt. There’s also the jumping into the ice water stunt.
Long Live the New Flesh (11:53) has make-up artist Gordon J. Smith talk about his dummies. He gets into how they made the Brian Cox dummy for a scene that won’t be mentioned to keep from spoiling the film. He also did a facial mask for Geena Davis’ stunt double. He talks about silicone and working with Dick Smith.
Girl Interrupted (16:02) is a new interview with actress Yvonne Zima who played the daughter. She talks about growing up while her sister Madeline Zima was on Nanny. She thought she’d take over her sister’s role when she too old. She did get spotted by a casting director. She beat out Mara Wilson for the role at the end. She talks about the final audition scenes. There is actual video of the moment. She talks about the joy of reading a Shane Black script. He drops jokes into the directions of his pages. She talks of Geena Davis being such a role model on the set for six months.
Amnesia Chick (19:32) is a visual essay by film scholar Josh Nelson. He talks about how many amnesia films came out in the ’40s alone. He reads some of Shane Black’s quotes about the film including how he wanted a female character that’s a mother and killer. He gets into the memory and identity elements in the film compared to other amnesiac movies. There’s also the co-existence of the mother and professional killer inside of her.
The Mirror Crack’d (38:36) is a new visual essay about the domestic life and liberation shown in the film. The participants are film historians Howard S. Berger, Kevin Marr and Howard S. Berger. There’s a Christmas feel to the piece. It explores a woman rediscovering herself in the movie. We’re also told she’s drowning in Christmas rom-com kitsch.
A Woman’s World (14:20) is a new visual essay by film scholar Alexandra Heller-Nicholas. She brings up how Geena Davis turned 40 when she made the film. There is talk of what the actress did after this role. We learn about the Geena Davis Institute.
Deleted scenes (2:32) include two scenes including more of her ice skating with firepower and hijacking Santa’s sleigh during the Christmas parade.
Archive promotional interviews with director Renny Harlin (2:16) and stars Geena Davis (1:28), Samuel L. Jackson (1:24) and Craig Bierko (0:42). Most of the interviews are done in front of an overturned semi-truck that’s on fire. Renny talks about “finding the script” made me laugh. It was a $4 million script and not something lurking in the slush pile.
Making Of (5:53) is the archive promotional featurette that really makes this rom-com feel with the soft music at the opening. They use The Who’s “Who Are You” as the theme music.
Behind the Scenes (8:14) is taken from the archive EPK footage from the filming of The Long Kiss Goodnight. You get to see Geena Davis fighting in the snow and flying around.
Arrow Video presents The Long Kiss Goodnight: Limited Edition. Directed by Renny Harlin. Screenplay Shane Black. Starring Geena Davis, Samuel L. Jackson, Patrick Malahide as Perkins, Craig Bierko, Brian Cox, David Morse, G. D. Spradlin, Tom Amandes, Larry King & Yvonne Zima. Boxset Contents: 1 4K UHD disc and 1 Blu-ray disc. Running Time: 121 minutes. Rating: Rated R. Release Date: April 8, 2025.
