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Tequila Sunrise

Play trailer Poster for Tequila Sunrise R Released Dec 2, 1988 1h 54m Crime Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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53% Tomatometer 34 Reviews 40% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
In a seaside California town, best friends Mac (Mel Gibson) and Nick (Kurt Russell) are on opposite sides of the law. Mac is a former drug dealer trying to clean up his act, while Nick is a high-profile detective trying to take down a Mexican drug lord named Carlos (Raul Julia). Soon Nick's loyalties are put to the test when he begins an affair with restaurateur Jo Ann (Michelle Pfeiffer) -- a love interest of Mac's -- unwittingly leading his friend into a police-orchestrated trap.
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Tequila Sunrise

Tequila Sunrise

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Critics Consensus

Tequila Sunrise unites three of its decade's most in-demand stars for a slickly packaged crime drama that looks great without ever going anywhere particularly interesting.

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Critics Reviews

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Pauline Kael The New Yorker Most of the dialogue is sprightly -- it’s easy, everyday talk that actors can breathe to. But Towne’s directing is, surprisingly, better than his construction -- maybe because when he plans to direct he leaves things loose. Sep 13, 2023 Full Review Sheila Benson Los Angeles Times Towne has acres of plot here, lashings of it, plot so complicated and so intricate that if you're not clenched to follow every second of it, you're lost. The sheer details of what he has created finally engulf Towne's handsome trio. Aug 12, 2020 Full Review Dave Kehr Chicago Tribune Towne has a tremendous gift for creating dialogue that is concise, expressive and distinctive without advertising its own cleverness, and ''Tequila Sunrise'' is worth seeing just to be heard. Rated: 3/4 Aug 12, 2020 Full Review David Nusair Reel Film Reviews ...Tequila Sunrise fares best in its deliberate yet involving first half... Rated: 2.5/4 Mar 20, 2024 Full Review Rene Jordan El Nuevo Herald (Miami) The film is absolutely incomprehensible. [Full review in Spanish] Jul 7, 2022 Full Review Tom Hutchinson Radio Times Writer/director Robert Towne has done better work, as scriptwriter on classic movies such as Chinatown, for example, but this thriller is still an extremely entertaining illustration of his work. Rated: 3/5 Aug 12, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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wes c 3 of my favorite actors. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/19/25 Full Review Jelisije J This film should not have been this good, but the three leads really bring their A game to provide a dark romantic comedy and left me satisfied at the end of the day. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 07/25/24 Full Review Bahad j This idea of ​​the filmmaker made the movie more accessible to more people. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/11/24 Full Review Phil F No cinematic masterpiece, but a snappy screenplay by Robert Towne and some good performances by top shelf actors such as Raul Julia and JT Walsh (not to mention Pfeiffer, Russell and Gibson at the peak of their sexy primes) make Tequila Sunrise an entirely watchable crime thriller. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 07/03/24 Full Review Alec B A bizarre dud of a thriller. Every scene feels like it should be working because of the cast and the cinematography but it just doesn't. The issue is Towne's screenplay which feels both over and underwritten (too much dialogue which doesn't so much explain the characters as obfuscate them in a fog of nonsense) and at certain point you just wish everyone would just shut-up and shoot something. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 02/28/24 Full Review Test T I watched this on DVD recently. It's a very easy film to watch with top actors, nice locations, good soundtrack and slick cinematography. However, I found the story over complicated and lacking credibility which ultimately undermines everything else I liked. The problem is that the film is fundamentally conflicted by trying too hard to be a crime thriller and a love story. It's still pleasant to watch but leaves the viewer unfulfilled and feeling sold short at the end. It's a shame, because with some story tweaks and better direction this could have been a great movie. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/15/24 Full Review Read all reviews
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Tequila Sunrise

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Movie Info

Synopsis In a seaside California town, best friends Mac (Mel Gibson) and Nick (Kurt Russell) are on opposite sides of the law. Mac is a former drug dealer trying to clean up his act, while Nick is a high-profile detective trying to take down a Mexican drug lord named Carlos (Raul Julia). Soon Nick's loyalties are put to the test when he begins an affair with restaurateur Jo Ann (Michelle Pfeiffer) -- a love interest of Mac's -- unwittingly leading his friend into a police-orchestrated trap.
Director
Robert Towne
Producer
Thom Mount
Screenwriter
Robert Towne
Distributor
Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co
Warner Bros., Cinema City Film Productions
Rating
R
Genre
Crime, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 2, 1988, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 1, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA)
$39.7M
Runtime
1h 54m
Sound Mix
Surround
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