''Mike's Murder'' is a 1984 American neo-noir mystery film 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 for ...

and starring Debra Winger, Mark Keyloun and Paul Winfield.

Plot

In Los Angeles, bank teller Betty Parrish ( Debra Winger) 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. He is a drug dealer. One day Mike calls to tell her he is being chased for encroaching on another criminal's territory. Later, a friend of his calls to say 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 ( Paul Winfield) who apparently was involved with Mike in a gay relationship. Betty's life is placed in peril by the story's end.

Cast

* Debra Winger as Betty Parrish * Mark Keyloun as Mike Chuhutsky *

as Pete * Brooke Alderson as Patty * Paul Winfield as Philip Green * Robert Crosson as Sam Morris * Daniel Shor as Richard * William Ostrander as Randy * Kym Malin as Beautiful Girl #1

Production

Warner Brothers Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American Film studio, film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios, Burbank, Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, Califo ...

reportedly was unhappy about the project because of its premise with the drug-fixated underpinnings of the L.A. entertainment world and refused to release it until Bridges made some cuts and changes. Pauline Kael ''Hooked'' p.176 The film originally was edited so that the events played chronologically backwards and featured a score by singer Joe Jackson. Bridges' original edit was poorly received by test audiences, and Warner Bros. forced him to re-edit it so the story unfolded in a more conventional way. Jackson's score was replaced by a new John Barry score. However, most of Jackson's songs remain in the film. Bridges wrote the film for Winger, having worked with her on '' Urban Cowboy''. Her performance in ''Mike's Murder'' led the critic Pauline Kael to describe Winger as "a major reason to go on seeing movies in the 1980s".

DVD release

Warner Bros. Digital Distribution released ''Mike's Murder'' on 4 August 2009, as part of the Warner Archive Collection series.

References

External links

* * * * * * {{James Bridges 1984 films 1980s 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 LGBT-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