The stage curtains open ...
"Past Midnight" had all the earmarks of being a worthy entry in its genre, a sleeper, a hidden gem. However, despite Natasha Richardson's undeniable onscreen charm, and some pretty good cinematography, this thriller came off as a lost opportunity.
Richardson plays the part of a social services worker, Laura Matthews, who is assigned the task of helping a parolee, Ben Jordan (Rutger Hauer), find employment upon being released from prison. Jordan was tried and convicted for the murder of his pregnant wife, yet after meeting with Ben, Laura is not entirely convinced that he did it. Despite warnings from her well-meaning co-worker and ex-lover, Laura takes it upon herself to investigate the events of that night which eventually leads to the revelation of the truth behind a man who she is beginning to fall in love with.
The movie actually started out really good. The characters were strong, the acting fairly decent, and, as I mentioned before, the cinematography was spot on. They even threw in a joke to get you smiling, no doubt the influence of Quentin Tarantino. But, about halfway through, the movie starts to lose itself. The screenplay was pretty weak, which surprises me, since Tarantino had a hand in it. The love scene between Richardson and Hauer had no chemistry, and in fact, it seemed like they were only doing that scene because they had to. I didn't buy any of the dynamics between them. And the story and final reveal was pretty absurd by movie's end.
I cannot recommend this one. I saw it late night, and as something to do when there is nothing else to do, it will fill the void. However, you would be better served watching an old favorite than taking a chance on this lost dud. It is easy to see why it wasn't a hit back in the day. 3 stars out of 10.
