Heart Of Midnight (film)
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''Heart of Midnight'' is an American
thriller film Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre. ...
written and directed by Matthew Chapman and starring
Jennifer Jason Leigh Jennifer Jason Leigh (born Jennifer Leigh Morrow; February 5, 1962) is an American actress. She began her career on television during the 1970s before making her film breakthrough in the teen film ''Fast Times at Ridgemont High'' (1982). She re ...
. The story follows a young woman with a troubled past who has a hard time dealing with the reality of her new surroundings. The original soundtrack for the film was composed by
Yanni Yiannis Chryssomallis (; born November 14, 1954), known professionally as Yanni ( ), is a Greek composer, keyboardist, pianist, and music producer. Yanni continues to use the musical shorthand that he developed as a child, blending jazz, clas ...
and it marks one of his first major recordings.


Plot

Carol (
Jennifer Jason Leigh Jennifer Jason Leigh (born Jennifer Leigh Morrow; February 5, 1962) is an American actress. She began her career on television during the 1970s before making her film breakthrough in the teen film ''Fast Times at Ridgemont High'' (1982). She re ...
) is a young woman recovering from her recent, although not the first, nervous breakdown. She has just inherited "Midnight", a defunct nightclub in a now seedy neighborhood, from her mysterious Uncle Fletcher (Sam Schacht). Against the advice of her mother Betty (
Brenda Vaccaro Brenda Buell Vaccaro (born November 18, 1939) is an American stage, film and television actress. In a career spanning over half a century, she received one Academy Award nomination, three Golden Globe Award nominations (winning one), four Primet ...
) to simply sell the property, Carol not only commits to reopening the club, but moves in as well. As Carol settles in, she discovers oddly designed rooms and whole sections of the building, soon realizing that the club was a brothel, catering to clients with sexually perverted tendencies. On her first night in the empty club, three men outside the building spot Carol through the window. Watching her change into a dress, the men observe the front door open. Taking it as an open invitation, the three enter the building and find Carol alone. While two of the intruders take turns raping Carol, the third thwarts the attack, and allows Carol to escape. Police arrive, and shoot the one who thwarted the attack. In the aftermath, the police learn of Carol's psychological history, and begin doubting her version of the events. The police tell Carol that she will be contacted by Lieutenant Sharpe and dismiss her. Shortly after returning to the club, she finds another uninvited man (
Peter Coyote Peter Coyote (born Robert Peter Cohon; October 10, 1941) is an American actor, director, screenwriter, author, and narrator of films, theater, television, and audiobooks. He worked on films, such as ''E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'' (1982), '' C ...
) waiting for her. Begging him to tell her that he is Lieutenant Sharpe, he reassures her that he is. He also proves to know much about Fletcher and the club. Although he is more sympathetic than the other police, his revelations of Uncle Fletcher lead to Carol angrily ejecting him from the building. Mysteriously, a bike falls down the steps, nearly hitting him. Soon after the visitor leaves, another arrives - this proves to be the ''real'' Lieutenant Sharpe. Speaking with him over the intercom, and not knowing that the visitor is a completely different person, Carol angrily tells him to leave. Sharpe begins to leave, but is then drawn into the building. Following a sound, he enters a room, and is killed off-screen. The man who identified himself as Lieutenant Sharpe returns, and he sparks a friendship with Carol, who remains oblivious to his impersonation. Over dinner in the club, "Sharpe" tells Carol about himself. He also drugs her. Later, the Police return to the club. Searching, they find two boys hiding in a space in the club, but narrowly miss discovering the corpse of Lieutenant Sharpe. The police are as skeptical as ever to Carol, especially when she describes having dinner with Lieutenant Sharpe, who is married. Even after the unwelcome intruders leave, mysterious sounds continue to reverberate through the club, while Carol begins experiencing mysterious visions. Coupled with her continuing discovery of hidden spaces in the building, Carol is forced to confront repressed memories of Uncle Fletcher, and the possibility that some of her experiences are more than just memories.


Cast

*
Jennifer Jason Leigh Jennifer Jason Leigh (born Jennifer Leigh Morrow; February 5, 1962) is an American actress. She began her career on television during the 1970s before making her film breakthrough in the teen film ''Fast Times at Ridgemont High'' (1982). She re ...
as Carol Rivers *
Peter Coyote Peter Coyote (born Robert Peter Cohon; October 10, 1941) is an American actor, director, screenwriter, author, and narrator of films, theater, television, and audiobooks. He worked on films, such as ''E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'' (1982), '' C ...
as Sharpe / Larry *
Brenda Vaccaro Brenda Buell Vaccaro (born November 18, 1939) is an American stage, film and television actress. In a career spanning over half a century, she received one Academy Award nomination, three Golden Globe Award nominations (winning one), four Primet ...
as Betty Rivers * Sam Schacht as Uncle Fletcher * Jack Hallett as Lawyer * Nicholas Love as Tom *
James Rebhorn James Robert Rebhorn (September 1, 1948 – March 21, 2014) was an American character actor. Rebhorn appeared in over 100 films, television series, and plays. Rebhorn portrayed George Wilbur in '' My Cousin Vinny'', Dr. McElwaine in '' Basic In ...
as Richard * Tico Wells as Henry *
Steve Buscemi Steven Vincent Buscemi (,As stated in interviews by Buscemi himself. It is not uncommon for people to pronounce his name or instead. ; born December 13, 1957) is an American actor. He is known for his work as an acclaimed character actor. Mul ...
as Eddy *
Frank Stallone Francesco Stallone Jr. (born July 30, 1950) is an American actor and musician. He is the younger brother of actor and filmmaker Sylvester Stallone and has written music for Sylvester's movies. His song " Far from Over" appeared in the 1983 film ...
as Ledray *
Denise Dumont Denise Dumont (born 20 March 1955 in Fortaleza, Ceará) is a Brazilian television and film actress. Filmography Film Television References External links

* 1955 births Living people Brazilian film actresses Brazilian television a ...
as Mariana * Gale Mayron as Sonny


Release

''Heart of Midnight'' opened in Los Angeles and New York on Los Angeles March 3, 1989.


Reception

The film received mixed reviews from critics with some praising the filmmaking and acting while others criticized the storytelling. Film critic
Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert ( ; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American Film criticism, film critic, film historian, journalist, essayist, screenwriter and author. He wrote for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. Eber ...
of the ''
Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily nonprofit newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has long held the second largest circulation among Chicago newspaper ...
'' awarded the film two and a half stars out of four and proclaimed that "Chapman is a better director than he is a writer" as well as concluding that "I am not sure he knows where he's going with this film, but he gets there in style." Ebert, Roger
Heart Of Midnight
''
Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily nonprofit newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has long held the second largest circulation among Chicago newspaper ...
'', March 3, 1989. Accessed October 8, 2008.
Vincent Canby Vincent Canby (July 27, 1924 – October 15, 2000) was an American film and theatre critic who was the chief film critic for ''The New York Times'' from 1969 until the early 1990s, then its chief theatre critic from 1994 until his death in 2000. ...
of ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' stated that "the dialogue is clumsy and the suspense is nil" and gave his reason for this by explaining that Carol is a "young woman who may or may not be crazy. This gives the director license to be bizarre without having to justify anything." Canby, Vincent
Heart of Midnight (1989)
''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', March 3, 1989. Accessed October 8, 2008.
''Variety'' magazine noted in its review that the "performances are strong all around, particularly by Leigh and Vaccaro."Heart of Midnight
''Variety'', January 1, 1988. Accessed October 8, 2008.
Hal Hinson of ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'' noted that the storytelling is "haute macabre and hopelessly silly" but, at the same time, admits that "Leigh is a marvel."Hinson, Hal
Heart of Midnight
''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'', March 6, 1989. Accessed October 8, 2008.
In spite of the generally agreed upon consensus that the story of the film was flawed, it still won the Best Film award at 1989's
Festival de Cine de Sitges SITGES - International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia () is an annual film festival held in Sitges, Catalonia, Spain. It specializes in fantasy, horror and cult films. Established in 1968, the festival takes place every year, usually in ...
.


See also

*
Cinema of the United States The cinema of the United States, primarily associated with major film studios collectively referred to as Hollywood, has significantly influenced the global film industry since the early 20th century. Classical Hollywood cinema, a filmma ...
*
List of American films of 1988 This is a list of American films released in 1988. Box office The highest-grossing American films released in 1988, by domestic box office gross revenue, are as follows: January–March April–June July–September October–D ...


References


External links

* * {{Matthew Chapman 1980s psychological thriller films American psychological thriller films Films directed by Matthew Chapman The Samuel Goldwyn Company films 1980s English-language films 1980s American films English-language thriller films