''Sunset'' is a 1988 American

crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definit ...

mystery Mystery, The Mystery, Mysteries or The Mysteries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters *Mystery, a cat character in ''Emily the Strange'' Films * ''Mystery'' (2012 film), a 2012 Chinese drama film * ''Mystery'' ( ...

western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

film written and directed by

Blake Edwards Blake Edwards (born William Blake Crump; July 26, 1922 – December 15, 2010) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. Edwards began his career in the 1940s as an actor, but he soon began writing screenplays and radio s ...

and starring

Bruce Willis Walter Bruce Willis (born March 19, 1955) is a retired American actor. He achieved fame with a leading role on the comedy-drama series ''Moonlighting'' (1985–1989) and appeared in over a hundred films, gaining recognition as an action hero a ...

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

actor

Tom Mix Thomas Edwin Mix (born Thomas Hezikiah Mix; January 6, 1880 – October 12, 1940) was an American film actor and the star of many early Western films between 1909 and 1935. He appeared in 291 films, all but nine of which were silent films. He w ...

, who teams up with lawman

Wyatt Earp Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp (March 19, 1848 – January 13, 1929) was an American lawman and gambler in the American West, including Dodge City, Deadwood, and Tombstone. Earp took part in the famous gunfight at the O.K. Corral, during which law ...

, portrayed for the second time in a theatrical film by

James Garner James Garner (born James Scott Bumgarner; April 7, 1928 – July 19, 2014) was an American actor. He played leading roles in more than 50 theatrical films, including '' The Great Escape'' (1963) with Steve McQueen; Paddy Chayefsky's ''The Ameri ...

. Based on an unpublished novel by

Rod Amateau Rodney Amateau (December 20, 1923 – June 29, 2003) was an American film and television screenwriter, director, and producer. Career Among the programs that he directed were ''The Dennis Day Show'', ''The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show'', ...

, the plot has Earp and Mix solve a murder in Hollywood in 1929."Sunset"
''Internet Movie Database''. Retrieved: June 9, 2012. Although ''Sunset'' had some comedic elements, it veered much more to the period mystery genre of old Hollywood. Reviewers, such as

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...

, struggled trying to define the film. Ebert noted, "The strangest thing about 'Sunset' is that it's not a comedy, not exactly. It has some laughs, but it's a sort of low-key, elegiac mood film ..." While Willis received

top billing Billing is a performing arts term used in referring to the order and other aspects of how credits are presented for plays, films, television, or other creative works. Information given in billing usually consists of the companies, actors, direct ...

in ''Sunset'', Garner actually has much more screen time in the film. This was the second film in which Garner played Wyatt Earp, the first being

John Sturges John Eliot Sturges (; January 3, 1910 – August 18, 1992) was an American film director. His films include ''Bad Day at Black Rock'' (1955), ''Gunfight at the O.K. Corral'' (1957), ''The Magnificent Seven'' (1960), '' The Great Escape'' (1963 ...

's ''

Hour of the Gun ''Hour of the Gun'' is a 1967 Western film depicting Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday during their 1881 battles against Ike Clanton and his brothers in the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, and the gunfight's aftermath in and around Tombstone, Arizona, ...

'', released in 1967. This was director Edwards' second collaboration with Willis, whom he directed in ''

Blind Date A blind date is a social engagement between two people who have not met, usually arranged by a mutual acquaintance. Structure A blind date is arranged for by a mutual acquaintance of both participants. The two people who take part in the blind ...

'' (1987).

Plot

In Hollywood in the late 1920s during the waning days of the industry's transition to

sound film A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed before ...

, producer and studio head Alfie Alperin (

Malcolm McDowell Malcolm McDowell (born Malcolm John Taylor; 13 June 1943) is a British actor, producer, and television presenter. He is best known for portraying Alex DeLarge in ''A Clockwork Orange.'' He was born in the Horsforth suburb of Leeds and raised in ...

) wants to produce an epic Western film about

(

) is cast as the great

United States Marshal The United States Marshals Service (USMS) is a federal law enforcement agency in the United States. The USMS is a bureau within the U.S. Department of Justice, operating under the direction of the Attorney General, but serves as the enforcem ...

and the real Earp (

) is on the set as a technical adviser. While Earp and Mix, the "real" and "reel" western heroes, are involved in their film adventure, they also get caught up in an actual case of murder, prostitution and corruption with vicious gangster Dutch Keiffer (

Joe Dallesandro Joseph Angelo D'Allesandro III (born December 31, 1948) is an American actor and Warhol superstar. Having also crossed over into mainstream roles such as mobster Lucky Luciano in the film ''The Cotton Club (film), The Cotton Club'', Dallesandro ...

). Together, they try to straighten out the problems of the missing son of Earp's former girlfriend, Christina (

Patricia Hodge Patricia Ann Hodge, OBE (born 29 September 1946) is an English actor. She is known on-screen for playing Phyllida Erskine-Brown in '' Rumpole of the Bailey'' (1978–1992), Jemima Shore in ''Jemima Shore Investigates'' (1983), Penny in '' Mira ...

). She is now the wife of studio boss Alfie Alperin and he is not pleased by Earp's investigation. Hostess Cheryl King (

Mariel Hemingway Mariel Hadley Hemingway (born November 22, 1961) is an American actress. She began acting at age 14 with a Golden Globe-nominated breakout role in ''Lipstick'' (1976), and she received Academy and BAFTA Award nominations for her performance in ...

) becomes romantically involved with Earp. Alfie's sister, Victoria Alperin ( Jennifer Edwards) is dating a notorious mobster and all three were at the scene of the murder of Madam Candice Gerard. Soon Earp unveils the true sadistic character of Alfie Alperin. Two of his accomplices, studio Chief of Studio Police Dibner (

M. Emmet Walsh Michael Emmet Walsh (born March 22, 1935) is an American actor who has appeared in over 200 films and television series, including small but important supporting roles in dozens of major studio features of the 1970s and 1980s. He starred in ''Bl ...

) whose interest is in protecting Alperin and corrupt Capt. Blackworth ( Richard Bradford) turn nasty. Mix and Earp get to fight a real gunfight at a real isolated ranch, with Mix telling Earp "I wish there was a camera here" before drawing a real gun. After the death of Christina, matters become personal for Earp, leading to the explosive climax between Mix, Alperin, and Earp.

Cast

as Alfie Alperin *

as Cheryl King *

Kathleen Quinlan Kathleen Denise Quinlan Abbott (born November 19, 1954) is an American film and television actress. She is best known for her Golden Globe-nominated performance in the 1977 film of the novel '' I Never Promised You a Rose Garden,'' and her Golden ...

as Nancy Shoemaker * Jennifer Edwards as Victoria Alperin *

as Christina Alperin * Richard Bradford as Captain Blackworth *

as Chief Dibner *

as "Dutch" Kieffer *

Andreas Katsulas Andrew Katsulas (May 18, 1946February 13, 2006), known professionally as Andreas Katsulas, was an American film and television actor, most recognized for portrayals of Narn Ambassador G'Kar on the American science fiction television series ''Bab ...

as Arthur *

Dann Florek Ezekial Dann Florek (born May 1, 1950) is an American actor and film director. He is best known for his role as New York City Police Captain Donald Cragen on NBC's '' Law & Order'' and its spinoff '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'', and Dav ...

as Marty Goldberg * Bill Marcus as Hal Flynn *

Michael C. Gwynne Michael C. Gwynne (born October 1, 1942) is an American film, television and radio actor. His film roles include ''Payday'' (1973), ''A Cold Night's Death'' (1973), ''Harry in Your Pocket'' (1973), ''The Terminal Man'' (1974), '' Special Deliver ...

as "Mooch" *

Dermot Mulroney Dermot Mulroney (born October 31, 1963) is an American actor. He is known for his roles in romantic comedy, western, and drama films. Appearing on screen since 1986, he is known for his work in various films such as '' Young Guns'' (1988), '' Stay ...

as Michael Alperin * Jeffrey Briar as

Stan Laurel Stan Laurel (born Arthur Stanley Jefferson; 16 June 1890 – 23 February 1965) was an English comic actor, writer, and film director who was one half of the comedy double act, duo Laurel and Hardy. He appeared with his comedy partner Oliver Ha ...

* Bevis Faversham as

Oliver Hardy Oliver Norvell Hardy (born Norvell Hardy; January 18, 1892 – August 7, 1957) was an American comic actor and one half of Laurel and Hardy, the double act that began in the era of silent films and lasted from 1926 to 1957. He appeared with his c ...

* John Fountain as John Gilbert *

Peter Jason Peter Edward Ostling (born July 22, 1944), also known as Peter Jason, is an American character actor. He has appeared in over eighty films and a hundred television series. He played Con Stapleton in the series '' Deadwood''. He was a frequent col ...

as Frank Coe

Historical context

Although largely fictitious, the story does contain elements of historical fact. ''Sunset'' depicts Wyatt Earp as a technical advisor to a fictional Tom Mix film of the

Gunfight at the OK Corral The gunfight at the O.K. Corral was a thirty-second shootout between lawmen led by Virgil Earp and members of a loosely organized group of outlaws called the Cowboys that occurred at about 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 26, 1881, i ...

in which Mix portrays the famous western marshal. Earp had been living in the Los Angeles area since about 1910. He had served as an unpaid technical adviser on some early silent

Westerns The Western is a genre set in the American frontier and commonly associated with folk tales of the Western United States, particularly the Southwestern United States, as well as Northern Mexico and Western Canada. It is commonly referred ...

from 1915 on and knew Western stars

William S. Hart William Surrey Hart (December 6, 1864 – June 23, 1946) was an American silent film actor, screenwriter, director and producer. He is remembered as a foremost Western star of the silent era who "imbued all of his characters with honor and integ ...

and Mix.Barra, Allen
"Wyatt On the Set!"
''True West Magazine'' (archive), originally published May 7, 2012. Retrieved: March 25, 2016. When he died on January 13, 1929, at the age of 80, Earp's funeral featured both Hart and Mix as pallbearers. Both Mix's and Earp's personas are part of the plot in ''Sunset'', with each figure alternately exploiting and deflating their public images. While Earp recounts some of his exploits, dropping names like

Doc Holliday John Henry Holliday (August 14, 1851 – November 8, 1887), better known as Doc Holliday, was an American gambler, gunfighter, and dentist. A close friend and associate of lawman Wyatt Earp, Holliday is best known for his role in the event ...

and

Calamity Jane Martha Jane Cannary (May 1, 1852 – August 1, 1903), better known as Calamity Jane, was an American frontierswoman, sharpshooter, and storyteller. In addition to many exploits she was known for being an acquaintance of Wild Bill Hickok. Late ...

, he remains a taciturn and steadfast former lawman. The gunfight in

Tombstone, Arizona Tombstone is a historic city in Cochise County, Arizona, United States, founded in 1877 by prospector Ed Schieffelin in what was then Pima County, Arizona Territory. It became one of the last boomtowns in the American frontier. The town grew si ...

had lasted only 30 seconds, but it would end up defining Earp for the rest of his life. Mix also deals with his personal story, dismissing much of the conjecture about his origins, yet showing some of the bravado and derring-do that characterized his screen career. He compared himself as a "movie star cowboy" to the made-up heroics of

Buffalo Bill Cody William Frederick Cody (February 26, 1846January 10, 1917), known as "Buffalo Bill", was an American soldier, bison hunter, and showman. He was born in Le Claire, Iowa Territory (now the U.S. state of Iowa), but he lived for several years in ...

. His skills as a horseman, however, were faithfully derived from an early life as a cowboy; the impresario personality came later.

Production

Mariel Hemingway, like Bruce Willis and James Garner, signed up for the film for the chance to work with Blake Edwards. Hemingway confessed, "The movie sounded a little chaotic, but it had a secret weapon: it was directed by Blake Edwards who had made '' Breakfast at Tiffany's'', a movie that was almost a religion with me. I couldn't pass up the chance to work with him." Garner had fond memories of working with Edwards in ''

Victor Victoria ''Victor/Victoria'' is a 1982 musical comedy film written and directed by Blake Edwards and starring Julie Andrews, James Garner, Robert Preston, Lesley Ann Warren, Alex Karras, and John Rhys-Davies. The film was produced by Tony Adams and sco ...

'' (1982), and Willis and Edwards had a close working relationship after Willis had made his film debut in Edwards' ''

''. Throughout the pre-production phases of the film, Edwards counseled his young star that, "... he couldn't rely on the jokes and the leer" that had been his trademark in the ''

Moonlighting Moonlighting may refer to: * Side job A side job, also informally called a side hustle or side gig, is an additional job that a person takes in addition to their primary job in order to supplement their income. Side jobs may be done out of nec ...

'' television series (1985–1989). The relationship between the two male leads was not as sunny. After filming, Garner said he would never work with Willis again. "Willis is high school. He's not that serious about his work. He thinks he's so clever he can just walk through it, make up dialogue and stuff. I don't think you work that way." ''Sunset'' featured numerous stunts similar to those performed in early silent films. The stunt coordinator for the film was Joe Dunne. Stunts were performed by Eddie Braun, Roydon Clark, Cheryl Wheeler Duncan, Tom Elliott, Cindy Folkerson, Allan Graf, Bill Hart, Bob Herron, Norman Howell, Jimmy Medearis, Denney Pierce, Jeff Ramsey, Neil Summers, Mike Washlake, Ted White, Brian J. Williams, Bobby Burns, Linda Fetters, and Keii Johnston, who was the stunt double for Bruce Willis."Full cast and crew for Sunset"
''IMDb''. Retrieved: March 25, 2016. The running gag throughout the film was that Wyatt Earp cannot drive, though he does so on more than one occasion. Garner was considered an expert stunt driver and did quite a lot of his own driving on his TV series, ''

The Rockford Files ''The Rockford Files'' is an American detective drama television series starring James Garner that aired on the NBC network from September 13, 1974 to January 10, 1980, and remains in syndication. Garner portrays Los Angeles private investigator ...

'' (1974–1980). Edwards went to great lengths to recreate the 1920s Hollywood era, including a recreation of the 1929 Academy Awards dinner, complete with a mime act that closely resembled the antics of silent screen comedians such as

Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is consider ...

. This focus on period detail was noted as one of the serious flaws in the staging of the film. Principal photography on ''Sunset'' took place from April 6, 1987 and wrapped on July 2, 1987. The filming locations included locations in southern California: Ambassador Hotel, 3400 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, 7000 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood. For exteriors, the Orange Empire Railroad Museum, Perris, California (railroad scenes) and the Bell Ranch, Santa Susana, California and Melody Ranch, 24715 Oak Creek Avenue, Newhall, California were utilized. Studio work took place at Culver City Studios."Locations for Sunset"
''Internet Movie Database''. Retrieved: June 9, 2012.

Historical inaccuracies

* The film features Earp attending the

1st Academy Awards The 1st Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) and hosted by AMPAS president Douglas Fairbanks, honored the best films from 1 August 1927 to 31 July 1928 and took place on May 1 ...

which took place on May 16, 1929. Historically, Wyatt Earp died on January 13, 1929 (at the age of 80). He was ill prior to his death. * The film omits any mention of

Josephine Marcus Josephine Sarah "Sadie" Earp (née Marcus; 1861 – December 19, 1944) was the common-law wife of Wyatt Earp, a famed Old West lawman and gambler. She met Wyatt in 1881 in the frontier boom town of Tombstone in Arizona Territory, when she w ...

, who had been Earp's common law wife for over twenty-five years at the time of his death. In 1929 she lived in Los Angeles with Earp.

Soundtrack

The musical soundtrack for ''Sunset'' was scored by

Henry Mancini Henry Mancini ( ; born Enrico Nicola Mancini, ; April 16, 1924 – June 14, 1994) was an American composer, conductor, arranger, pianist and flautist. Often cited as one of the greatest composers in the history of film, he won four Academy Award ...

. The film features the song "Black and Tan Fantasy" by Duke Ellington and His Orchestra."Soundtracks for Sunset"
''Internet Movie Database''. Retrieved: June 9, 2012.

Reception

Box office

Studio executives were divided on how to promote ''Sunset'' as most filmgoers would have expected a Blake Edwards film to be a comedy. The trailer began with the catchphrase "The following story is almost true ... give or take a lie or two" and emphasized comedic scenes. Upon release, ''Sunset'' was a

box office failure A box-office bomb, or box-office disaster, is a film that is unprofitable or considered highly unsuccessful during its theatrical run. Although any film for which the production, marketing, and distribution costs combined exceed the revenue after ...

, produced on a $19 million budget, and making only $4.6 million domestically.

Critical

''Sunset'' earned predominately negative reviews from critics and the public alike. Most reviewers noted that Garner's screen presence was the only thing that made the film watchable. Hal Hinson in his review for ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' contrasted the impact of the two male stars: "Ultimately, 'Sunset' plays like deluxe dinner theater fare. It's a diversion to take along with your after-meal coffee and dessert. Garner's western suavity is the only grace note. Few performers have generated the sort of good will that Garner has, and this may be the most solid work he's ever done in the movies. The figure he cuts is an evocative one. Watching him, you may think you smell a trace of sagebrush." Film critic Robert Horton was scathing in his review of ''Sunset'', calling it "... a moribund movie made by a collection of people who have an abundance of talent. How does a movie like this go wrong?" He laid the blame squarely on Edward's limp direction. "... Edwards seems to have lost his verve. Sunset crawls along with little conviction or life." On

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, the film has an approval rating of 21% based on 14 reviews, with an average score of 3.70/10.

Awards and nominations

Patricia Norris, costume designer for ''Sunset'' was nominated for Best Costume Design at the 1989

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

s. However, winning the 1989

Razzie Award The Golden Raspberry Awards (also known as the Razzies and Razzie Awards) is a parody award show honoring the worst of cinematic under-achievements. Co-founded by UCLA film graduates and film industry veterans John J. B. Wilson and Mo Murphy, ...

for Blake Edwards for Worst Director and nominating Mariel Hemingway for Worst Supporting Actress, was a dubious distinction.

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* Garner, James and John Winokur. ''The Garner Files: A Memoir''. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2011. . * Hemingway, Mariel and Ben Greenman. ''Out Came the Sun: Overcoming the Legacy of Mental Illness, Addiction, and Suicide in My Family''. New York: Regan Arts, 2015. . * Jensen, Richard. ''The Amazing Tom Mix: The Most Famous Cowboy of the Movies''. Bloomington, Indiana: IUniverse, 2006. . * Parker, John. ''Bruce Willis: The Unauthorised Biography''. London: Virgin Books, 1997. .

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sunset 1988 films 1980s crime thriller films 1980s mystery thriller films American buddy films American crime thriller films American mystery thriller films American Western (genre) films 1988 Western (genre) films Films scored by Henry Mancini Films about Hollywood, Los Angeles Films directed by Blake Edwards Films with screenplays by Blake Edwards Films set in 1929 TriStar Pictures films Cultural depictions of Wyatt Earp Cultural depictions of Laurel & Hardy 1980s buddy films Golden Raspberry Award winning films 1980s English-language films 1980s American films