The Long Kiss Goodnight

On the surface, Samantha Caine appears to be a small town schoolteacher and devoted mother, raising her bright daughter Caitlin. Eight years after washing ashore with memory gaps, sudden flashes during a car crash and a violent home invasion pull her toward a hidden past. She learns that her life once included a dangerous career she barely recalls, a world where nerves stay steady and danger is always close. With help from a wisecracking private investigator, Mitch Henessey, Samantha begins to recover fragments of memory and understand why someone tried to erase her history. Memories flicker and danger grows closer now. She must decide how far she’ll go to protect Caitlin and uncover the forces behind the cover up ahead.

Released in 1996, The Long Kiss Goodnight was directed by Renny Harlin from a screenplay by Shane Black based on his story. It features Geena Davis as Samantha Caine, a schoolteacher who discovers a dangerous hidden past with brisk energy.

Worldwide box office reached about 89.5 million dollars, against a budget of 65 million, making it a solid mid 90s action thriller with mainstream appeal. The performances, especially Samuel L Jackson as a wry ally, boosted its profile worldwide considerably.

Geena Davis's performance helped broaden the image of a female action lead in the 1990s, pairing sharp humor with physical courage. The film’s brisk set pieces, car chases, and undercover reinventions left a mark on genre titles that followed, keeping it in conversations among critics and fans alike, worldwide audiences.

Critics generally praised Davis's physical prowess and wit while noting the film blends noir inflections with mass appeal action. Some reviews found the plot familiar, but the central idea of memory reclaiming identity resonates as a compact crime thriller, and audiences responded well. It still lands with grit and hope.