After Dark, My Sweet (1990)

After Dark, My Sweet, adapted from cult-favorite crime novelist Jim Thompson's 1955 novel, is a dark and involving yet flawed modern-day film noir. Director James Foley and cinematographer Mark Plummer successfully creates a mood of desperation, which partially explains the motivations of the characters, but are not helped by a weak screenplay by Robert Redlin that fails to fully flesh out the characters. Jason Patric gives a wonderfully smoldering performance as the psychotic Collie, and finds the core of sympathy in an otherwise unpleasant character. Ward, while lovely, lacks the allure and sexuality necessary to make her a memorable femme-fatale and fails to create any real sexual chemistry with Patric. Without this chemistry, her character remains a drunken loser rather than a true film noir seductress. Bruce Dern is adequate as the completely unappealing and repellant Bud, but the character fails to evoke any empathy that would allow the audience to understand or relate to him on any level. Despite these flaws, Patric's performance makes this moody, atmospheric film well worth watching. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide