The Long Kiss Goodnight

Play trailer

The Long Kiss Goodnight

R

1996

2h 0m

Action

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

67%

Tomatometer

61 Reviews

70%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

Schoolteacher and single mother Samantha Caine (Geena Davis) lives an average suburban life -- until she begins having strange memories of unexplained violence and discovers that she has physical skills that she never imagined. Hiring private detective Mitch Hennessey (Samuel L. Jackson) to probe into her past, Samantha discovers that she's a well-trained government assassin who went missing after suffering a bout of amnesia and that her former handlers want her back in their employ.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

Critics Consensus

Smart, sharp-witted, and fueled by enjoyably over-the-top action, The Long Kiss Goodnight makes up in impact what it lacks in consistent aim.

Read Critics Reviews

Jonathan Rosenbaum

Chicago Reader

Frankly, if I had to see either Harlin-Davis movie again, I'd opt for the klutzy unpleasantness of Cutthroat Island over the efficient if equally stupid unpleasantness of this 1996 release.

Oct 25, 2011

Full Review

David Ansen

Newsweek

The Long Kiss Goodnight is the fall's best summer movie.

Feb 16, 2011

Full Review

Richard Corliss

TIME Magazine

Like the heroine, the movie has two personalities that smartly coexist.

Feb 16, 2011

Full Review

Grant Watson

Fiction Machine

This is almost a poster child for mediocre mid-90s action cinema.

Rated: 5/10

Jan 17, 2025

Full Review

Kat Halstead

Common Sense Media

Just a year after Davis teamed up with director, and then husband, Renny Harlin on the box office flop Cutthroat Island, the two returned with another overegged and overlong action thriller.

Dec 4, 2024

Full Review

David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

...a decent-enough actioner trapped within the confines of a wildly overlong misfire.

Rated: 2/4

Apr 13, 2022

Full Review

Read all reviews

Tom F

I enjoyed this when I first saw it, now it is a strange time capsule of the strengths and flaws of the period’s action films.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

01/17/25

Full Review

Farah R

Despite a couple of top-notch action sequences, the story is too far-fetched and structurally flawed. Davis and Jackson add a fun flare though.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/12/25

Full Review

Alana J

Absolute banger of a Female Led Christmas Action movie!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/30/24

Full Review

Juli M

This movie is stupidly bad. The plot, the script, the overkill... I kept falling asleep only to keep waking up, thinking I had been dreaming about watching a stupidly bad movie. I can't believe it got so many good reviews. That borders on tragic. God have mercy on us.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

12/29/24

Full Review

Audience Member

Honestly this movie felt all over the place. Like they couldn’t commit to showing one thing at a time, and instead tried to be as ambitious as possible. It’s unfortunate this movie didn’t click with me, because the on screen chemistry was actually awesome. I feel this movie could have been a lot more interesting if she was switching between Samantha and Charlene the whole time. Watching them contradict each others emotions and slowly come to a resolution throughout the movie would have been a very interesting conflict. I also think Sam L. J was the best performance in the movie. But it’s still so damn close between Geena and Sam, they should have done more stuff together (with better scripts of course). Maybe I’ll rewatch this someday and find that I’ve changed my mind. For now it’s a 2.5/5 stars from me.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

11/23/24

Full Review

mark g

Great action, very sharp and witty banter. Definitely worth the ticket, popcorn and Mr. Pibb.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/13/24

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Renny Harlin

Director

Geena Davis

Samantha Caine; Charly Baltimore

Samuel L. Jackson

Mitch Henessey

Patrick Malahide

Leland Perkins

Craig Bierko

Timothy

Brian Cox

Dr. Nathan Waldman

Most Wanted

15%

40%

Most Wanted

Watchlist

Live Wire

0%

29%

Live Wire

Watchlist

Surviving the Game

35%

48%

Surviving the Game

Watchlist

The Corruptor

48%

43%

The Corruptor

Watchlist

Excessive Force

20%

36%

Excessive Force

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Synopsis

Schoolteacher and single mother Samantha Caine (Geena Davis) lives an average suburban life -- until she begins having strange memories of unexplained violence and discovers that she has physical skills that she never imagined. Hiring private detective Mitch Hennessey (Samuel L. Jackson) to probe into her past, Samantha discovers that she's a well-trained government assassin who went missing after suffering a bout of amnesia and that her former handlers want her back in their employ.

Director: Renny Harlin
Producer: Renny Harlin, Stephanie Austin, Shane Black
Screenwriter: Shane Black
Production Co: Forge, New Line Cinema
Rating: R
Genre: Action
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 21, 2018
Box Office (Gross USA): $33.4M
Runtime: 2h 0m
Sound Mix: Surround

Most Popular at Home Now