Still of the Night

PG

1982

1 hr. 31 min.

Mystery & Thriller

Crime

Drama

List

63%

8 Reviews

Tomatometer

48%

500+ Ratings

Audience Score

When one of his patients is found murdered, psychiatrist Dr. Sam Rice (Roy Scheider) is visited by the investigating officer (Joe Grifasi) but refuses to give up any information. He's then visited by the patient's mistress, Brooke Reynolds (Meryl Streep), whom he quickly falls for despite her being a likely murder suspect. As the police pressure on him intensifies, Rice decides to attempt solving the case on his own and soon discovers that someone is trying to kill him as well.

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Northern R

Boy this is apparently way underrated. I just happened to watch it last night. Never even heard of it. I was struck by how beautifully it was shot. The cast, Streep is breathtaking, and Scheider was impressive. Reminded me of Hitchcock, was full of great NYC shots, art, mystery. Just very good. Watch it.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/21/24

Full Review

Jocelyn

This movie is supposed to be an hommage to Hitchcock, but for some reason Roger Benton completely forgot to give his thriller a musical score. Boring with no thrills whatsoever. A good cast wasted.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

07/02/23

Full Review

Audience Member

You can guess who the killer is half way through the movie which means the story is dumb. Streep is miscast.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

11/05/22

Full Review

Vin E

I guessed who the killer was half way through the movie, why didn't the characters know? Meryl Streep is miscast.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

11/05/22

Full Review

john e

It's the early 1980's and everyone smokes… a lot! The one character that doesn't smoke likes to kick back with his preppy collar up and drink lots of Tab! So goes things in Still of the Night, a 1982 psychological thriller starring Roy Scheider as psychologist Sam Rice, and Meryl Streep as Brook Reynolds, the onetime mistress of George Bynum (Joseph Sommer), a patient of Dr. Rice who turns up dead in the film's first few minutes. The movie is an obvious homage to the filmmaking of Alfred Hitchcock. Sadly, it seems to be a film where the story was built around that homage rather than having the homage sewn into a more well-crafted story. Plot holes add up as the film mimics scenes or events from Rear Window, The Birds, North by Northwest, Spellbound, Rebecca, and Vertigo. There may be more I missed! The editing includes lots of foreshadowing closeups and jarring transitions which distract from the story's fluidity. That said, the acting is superb, and the premise is a good one, though it requires some pretty heavy-handed exposition monologues. The underlying question throughout the movie is whether Brook is the person responsible for George Bynum's murder, or not. I had a pleasant time watching this one because I'm a huge fan of the genre. It did indeed scare me on a couple occasions, and I enjoyed trying to keep on top of Hitchcock references once I caught on. It was sometimes silly, but so what? It was fun, and it accomplished what it set out to do. I personally found it Hitchcocky more by way of Rod Serling's Night Gallery.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

IF you had trouble with this gem you might be clinically dead..... bravo.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/06/23

Full Review

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Robert Benton

Director

Roy Scheider

Doctor Sam Rice

Meryl Streep

Brooke Reynolds

Jessica Tandy

Grace Rice

Joe Grifasi

Joseph Vitucci

Sara Botsford

Gail Phillips

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Still of the Night: Official Clip - George's Nightmare

2:13

Still of the Night: Official Clip - Bidding to Save Brooke

2:09

Still of the Night: Official Clip - Snooping in Brooke's Office

1:18

Still of the Night: Official Clip - Sam Solves the Mystery

2:33

Still of the Night: Official Clip - Park Pursuit

2:13

Still of the Night: Official Clip - Glad He's Dead

2:13

Still of the Night: Official Clip - Laundry Room Scare

2:13

Still of the Night: Official Clip - The Murderess Reveals Herself

2:11

Still of the Night: Official Clip - Massage Talk

2:13

Still of the Night: Official Clip - I've Got to Do It

2:09

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Molly Haskell

Vogue

[A] spare, superbly tingling psychological thriller.

Feb 27, 2020

Full Review

Diego Galán

El Pais (Spain)

Despite the great performances, this thriller ends up becoming a cliché when it fails to propose authentic novelties. [Full Review in Spanish]

Aug 27, 2019

Full Review

Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

Slavishly imitative of all those B-film noir clichés.

Rated: C+

Jan 13, 2007

Full Review

Chuck O'Leary

Fantastica Daily

Rated: 3/5

Oct 21, 2005

Full Review

Philip Martin

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Rated: 3/5

Jan 26, 2005

Full Review

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Rated: 3/5

Nov 5, 2004

Full Review

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Synopsis

When one of his patients is found murdered, psychiatrist Dr. Sam Rice (Roy Scheider) is visited by the investigating officer (Joe Grifasi) but refuses to give up any information. He's then visited by the patient's mistress, Brooke Reynolds (Meryl Streep), whom he quickly falls for despite her being a likely murder suspect. As the police pressure on him intensifies, Rice decides to attempt solving the case on his own and soon discovers that someone is trying to kill him as well.

Director: Robert Benton
Screenwriter: Robert Benton, David Newman
Production Co: Metro Goldwyn Mayer
Rating: PG
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 17, 2016

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