''Mike's Murder'' is a 1984 American

neo-noir Neo-noir is a film genre that adapts the visual style and themes of 1940s and 1950s American film noir for contemporary audiences, often with more graphic depictions of violence and sexuality. During the late 1970s and the early 1980s, the term ...

mystery film A mystery film is a film that revolves around the solution of a problem or a crime. It focuses on the efforts of the detective, private investigator or amateur Detective, sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of an issue by means of clues, ...

written and directed by

James Bridges James Bridges (February 3, 1936June 6, 1993) was an American screenwriter, film director, producer, and actor. He is a two-time Oscar nominee: once for Best Original Screenplay for '' The China Syndrome'' and once for Best Adapted Screenplay fo ...

and starring

Debra Winger Debra Lynn Winger (born May 16, 1955) is an American actress. She starred in the films '' An Officer and a Gentleman'' (1982), '' Terms of Endearment'' (1983), and '' Shadowlands'' (1993), each of which earned her a nomination for the Academy Awa ...

, Mark Keyloun and

Paul Winfield Paul Edward Winfield (May 22, 1939 – March 7, 2004) was an American actor. He was known for his portrayal of a Louisiana sharecropper who struggles to support his family during the Great Depression in the landmark film '' Sounder'' (1972), whi ...

Plot

In Los Angeles, bank teller Betty Parrish (

) has a one-night stand with a young tennis instructor named Mike Chuhutsky (Mark Keyloun), but then has only random contact with him over the course of the next two years. Mike is a drug dealer on the side. One day she sees him on the street and gives him a ride. He tells her he is being chased for encroaching on another criminal's territory. Later, a friend of his calls to tell her that Mike is dead, brutally murdered. Betty cannot let go of him without understanding him better and tries to find out more. It leads to her discovering Mike's hidden side, including a disturbed acquaintance of his named Pete (

Darrell Larson Darrell Ray Larson (born December 13, 1950) is an American film and television actor who appeared in the 1990 action/comedy film ''Men at Work''. Larson's work includes roles in ''The Student Nurses'' (1970), ''Kotch'' (1971), '' The Magnifice ...

) and a record producer named Philip (

) who apparently was involved with Mike in a gay relationship. Betty's life is placed in peril by the story's end.

Cast

as Betty Parrish * Mark Keyloun as Mike Chuhutsky *

as Pete * Brooke Alderson as Patty *

as Philip Green * Robert Crosson as Sam Morris * Daniel Shor as Richard * William Ostrander as Randy * Kym Malin as Beautiful Girl #1

Production

Bridges wrote the film specifically for Winger, having worked with her on ''

Urban Cowboy ''Urban Cowboy'' is a 1980 American romantic Western film directed by James Bridges. The plot concerns the love-hate relationship between Buford "Bud" Davis (John Travolta) and Sissy ( Debra Winger). The film's success was credited for spurri ...

''. Filming began in May of 1982 and was announced as completed the following August. After disastrous preview screenings in January of 1983, Bridges decided to re-structure the original version, from a subjective film focused on Betty’s point of view to a more objective, chronological story. Flashbacks and Betty’s fantasy sequences were removed, and only the aftermath of the killing was shown. He shot additional scenes (expanding the role of “Pete”) and re-scored the film with music composed by John Barry.

Release

The film had a very brief theatrical run during March of 1984 in New York City and Los Angeles. In late September 1984, Warner Bros. tried a different distribution pattern and released the film on one or two screens, particularly in college towns. Among the cities included in the re-opening were New Haven, CT, Columbus, OH, Seattle, WA, and Minneapolis, MN. It had a one-week run in San Francisco, CA that November. Winger's performance in ''Mike's Murder'' led the critic

Pauline Kael Pauline Kael (; June 19, 1919 – September 3, 2001) was an American film critic who wrote for ''The New Yorker'' from 1968 to 1991. Known for her "witty, biting, highly opinionated and sharply focused" reviews, Kael often defied the conse ...

to describe the actress as "a major reason to go on seeing movies in the 1980s".

Home video release

Warner Home Video issued ''Mike's Murder'' on VHS in 1985 and 1991. Warner Bros. Digital Distribution released it on 4 August 2009, as part of the Warner Archive Collection series.

References

External links

* * * * {{James Bridges 1984 films 1984 crime thriller films American crime thriller films American mystery thriller films 1980s English-language films Films scored by John Barry (composer) Films about the illegal drug trade 1984 LGBTQ-related films Films directed by James Bridges Films set in Los Angeles Warner Bros. films The Ladd Company films 1980s mystery thriller films American neo-noir films 1980s American films American LGBTQ-related films LGBTQ-related thriller films English-language crime thriller films English-language mystery thriller films