Still of the Night (1982)
When one of his patients is found murdered, psychiatrist Dr. Sam Rice is visited by the investigating officer but refuses to give up any information. He's then visited by the patient's mistress, Brooke Reynolds, whom he quickly falls for despite her being a likely murder suspect. As the police pressure on him intensifies, Rice decides to attempt solving the case on his own and soon discovers that someone is trying to kill him as well.
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Let's be realistic.
Good story, Not enough for a whole film
At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.
Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.
OK, so it's no Vertigo, but I enjoyed this homage to the Hitchcock genre.Multiple references to Hitchcock's work. Some are obvious (a blonde, a suspenseful auction) some enjoyably less so (a stuffed bird, and the house that is in Glen Cove). It's fun to pick them out.An atmospheric and suspenseful story, which holds interest. Streep is beautiful and plays the brittleness of her character very well I thought. Scheider is his usual dependable self.Overall, I think a tad underrated and well worth a spare ninety minutes.
Not bad, but as often seems to be the case with this kind of film, the payoff is somewhat less than the set-up (or should we say, the destination is less interesting than the trip). An interesting exercise, with some twists and turns and good visuals and New York locations. Roy Scheider gives a VERY appealing performance, and a young Meryl Streep is quite lovely and affecting (if a little affected) as the Mystery Woman. Other performers are also good: Josef Sommer very much so as the Patient, Veteran actress Jessica Tandy interesting and effective as Scheider's mom, and Canadian actress Sara Botsford is very striking as the Surprise in Waiting. The cop (Joe Grifasi) was somewhat perfunctory, as arguably was the movie as a whole. Still, with everything going on in it, an enjoyable and not unmeaningful film.
Despite its Hitchcock influence (which is a benefit), Robert Benton provides a good job in directing actors.As an inevitable consequence of having used the techniques of the British Master, the film has quite disturbing scenes which keeps the viewer in suspense, due to the visual and dramatic tension. Roy Scheider and specially a young Meryl Streep, shine in their performances. There's a mystery surrounding Meryl Streep's role in this movie. She is attractive, insecure, it seems that she is looking for company, but at the same time she's unreachable.There is a significant dramatic and psychological aspects that make this thriller deserves more attention.7/10
A psychological thriller, Robert Benton's "Still of the Night" stars Roy Scheider as a psychologist who falls in love with a woman (Meryl Streep) who may or may not be a psychopathic killer.It quickly becomes apparent that "Still of the Night" is hugely indebted to Alfred Hitchcock. Unfortunately, Benton is no Hitch. Hitchcock was a master of his medium, whilst Benton's merely "aesthetically competent". And where Hitchcock's plots crackle with sexuality, Benton is unable to coax heat out of Streep or Scheider."Night" co-stars Joe Grifasi and Jessica Tandy. The oft-praised Streep overacts, or takes too seriously, a thankless role, though one sequence in which she screams in fright is magnificent. You've never heard a better damsel in distress.6/10 – Worth one viewing. For better Benton flicks, see "Bad Company", "Billy Bathgate" and "Nobody's Fool".