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Eight years ago, Samantha Caine (Geena Davis) washed up on a beach, pregnant, with no memory. Now she’s a school teacher living an idyllic small town life with a daughter and boyfriend who love her. She’s almost given up on ever finding out about the life she used to lead, until an accident awakens hidden memories and her past comes back with all guns blazing. With the help of low rent private eye Mitch Henessey (Samuel L. Jackson) Samantha must uncover who she was and why so many people want her dead before it kills them both.

What We Thought:

When The Long Kiss Goodnight came out in the 1990s it was a pretty groundbreaking movie. Geena Davis joined the likes of Sigourney Weaver and Linda Hamilton as kick-butt female action leads. Samuel L. Jackson was the classic wise-cracking sidekick bringing comedic relief to Renny Harlin’s over-the-top Christmas action flick. I hadn’t seen it in a long time and watching this 4K today I had one issue with it, it feels super dated.

Everything said in that first paragraph is very true, but unfortunately the 2000s brought the Jason Bourne and John Wick franchises which is what I judge action movies on nowadays. I mention Bourne because that’s pretty much the plot of this movie if you aren’t familiar with it. Davis plays a mother and school teacher in a small town, but with a past she doesn’t remember. As her memories come back after a car crash and new information is brought forth by Jackson’s investigator character, Davis realizes she was a hired gun in a former life. That former life comes back looking for her when she’s seen in a Christmas parade. In the 1990s it was an original storyline, especially for a female lead. Today we get multiple stories a year with a nobody who’s a former somebody (Love Hurts came out a few weeks ago with a similar character).

What also makes it feel dated are the special effects. The mid-90s CGI and effects feel decades old by today’s standards. For some reason the explosions and fires look especially bad. They were cool when we first saw them, but the balls-to-the-walls third act has some suspect effects. The 90s action-explosion based, almost Michael Bay-ish set pieces feel out of place with the realistic action we see today.

If you can separate The Long Kiss Goodnight from today’s movies and compare it to the action flicks of the 1990s then it’s a solid watch. Craig Bierko plays a bad guy, the action is pretty good and Davis might be the the first female character to tell someone to suck her, um, well you know. The building jump with the bullets shooting through the ice is still good as is the water torture scene. It doesn’t quite hold up overall, but it was still fun to revisit. The 4K looks good and sounds even better. The explosions, gun shots and chase sequences are loud and in your face. It has new commentaries on the main 4K disc and also comes with a second disc of nothing, but bonus features which include multiple interviews, essays and more.

Bonus Features:

  • 2-DISC 4K ULTRA HD LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS
  • Limited edition packaging with reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Sam Hadley
  • Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Clem Bastow, Richard Kadrey, Maura McHugh, and Priscilla Page
  • Seasonal postcard
  • Thin Ice sticker
  • DISC 1 (4K ULTRA HD) – FEATURE & EXTRAS
  • Brand new 4K restoration by Arrow Films from the original 35mm negative approved by director Renny Harlin
  • 4K Ultra HD (2160p) presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
  • Original DTS-HD MA 5.1, stereo 2.0. and new Dolby Atmos audio options
  • Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
  • Brand new audio commentary by film critic Walter Chaw
  • Brand new audio commentary by film critics Drusilla Adeline and Joshua Conkel, co-hosts of the Bloodhaus podcast
  • Theatrical trailer
  • Image gallery
  • DISC 2 (BLU-RAY) – BONUS FEATURES
  • Symphony of Destruction, a new interview with stunt co-ordinator Steve Davidson
  • Long Live the New Flesh, a new interview with make-up artist Gordon J. Smith
  • Girl Interrupted, a new interview with actress Yvonne Zima
  • Amnesia Chick, a new visual essay by film scholar Josh Nelson
  • The Mirror Crack’d, a new visual essay by critic and filmmaker Howard S. Berger
  • A Woman’s World, a new visual essay by film scholar Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
  • Deleted scenes
  • Archive promotional interviews with with director Renny Harlin and stars Geena Davis, Samuel L. Jackson and Craig Bierko
  • Making Of, an archive promotional featurette
  • Behind the Scenes, archive EPK footage from the filming of The Long Kiss Goodnight

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