Dying in the snow seems to be a perfect fit for action movies, and The Long Kiss Goodnight is certainly one of the more explosive Christmas flicks.
The Long Kiss Goodnight
(USA 1996, director: Renny Harlin)
An amnesiac housewife soon finds out with the help of a private detective that she was a hard-boiled killer.
Renny Harlin knows how to do action movies with lots of snow and gunfights in a Christmas setting, as he proved himself in Die Hard 2. While this movie’s original title doesn’t refer to the yuletide season at first glance, the German one translated Deadly Christmas does, even if the references and backdrop aren’t as obvious as in John McClane’s second outing.
The story isn’t as straightforward as in other action movies. It’s more like a spy movie that plays with the past slowly being revealed. This makes it quite suspenseful, because it’s not often clear who the main protagonist can trust. Put together chronologically it might not be the most complex plot, but switching between these different time frames keeps the audience guessing.
The action is over-the-top and well choreographed, the villain is refreshingly charismatic and evil at the same time, and there are some great comic scenes due to either absurd situations or witty dialogues between Geena Davis and Samuel Jackson. The balance between violent shoot-outs in addition to stabbings and the humorous parts make this two hours of action-packed fun. Only the melodrama between mother and daughter could have been toned down a bit, as the acting can be unintentionally funny. However, this is still a great step up from Die Hard 2, because it has a wittier and more engaging original script.
Score: 9/10
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