CAROLINE AT MIDNIGHT (director: Scott McGuinness; screenwriter: Travis Rink; cinematographer: Christian Sebaldt; editor: Lorne Morris; music: Mark Snow; cast: Clayton Rohner (Jack Lynch), Virginia Madsen (Susan Prince), Paul LeMat (Emmet), Stacy Travis (Christine), Zach Galligan (Jerry), Mia Sara (Victoria Dillon), Ben Meyerson (Miguel), Thomas F. Wilson (Officer Keaton), Caroline Barclay (Caroline), Tim Daly (Ray Dillon), Judd Nelson (Gallo); Runtime: 88; MPAA Rating: R; producers: Roger Corman/Mike Elliot; New Horizons; 1994)
“The sordid story was underwhelming, and the acting was undistinguished.”
Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz
A lurid neo-noir film. It has a lively jazz, blues and rock score. But is confusingly directed by the actor Scott McGuinness(“Last Gasp”). It’s annoyingly told through a series of flashbacks, and the screenplay by Travis Rink is melodramatically overwrought.
Ray Dillon (Tim Daly) is a sadistic member of the LAPD. His partner Gallo (Judd Nelson) is all in on the corruption, drug deals and killings. Ray’s untrustworthy femme fatale hottie wife Victoria (Mia Sara) has a number of dark secrets that when they surface will explain how she could be married to the dirty cop.Jack Lynch (Clayton Rohner), the film’s hero,is an investigative reporter who Victoria falls for when his girlfriend, her best friend Caroline (Caroline Barclay), dies in a suspicious car crash. The reporter knows all the secrets about Victoria’s hubby and could bring him down if he does his job and informs Internal Affairs.The underused Virginia Madsen plays a drug dealer. Paul LeMat plays a cop. Stacy Travis, Zach Galligan and Thomas F. Wilson play detectives.The sordid story was underwhelming, and the acting was undistinguished. The inept film went straight to video, where it belongs.If you so choose, you can play it at midnight so you can be in synch with the title.
REVIEWED ON 2/1/2015 GRADE: C+
Dennis Schwartz: “Ozus’ World Movie Reviews”
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