How a test audience saved Samuel L. Jackson from an early cinematic grave
In short: In the original cut of the 1996 action thriller The Long Kiss Goodnight, the private investigator Mitch Henessey did not survive the film. It took a single, vocal audience member at a test screening to change the ending, shouting that the character was simply too beloved to be killed off.
The Long Kiss Goodnight follows Samantha Caine, an amnesiac schoolteacher who discovers she is actually a lethal CIA assassin named Charly Baltimore. As her memories return, she teams up with Mitch Henessey, a struggling private investigator, to uncover a government conspiracy involving a false flag chemical attack. The film, directed by Renny Harlin and written by Shane Black, was notable for its high-stakes action and complex character dynamics, which both the director and lead actor Samuel L. Jackson have cited as personal favorites among their filmographies.
The production was marked by both record-breaking investment and unexpected misfortune. In 1994, New Line Cinema paid a record US$4 million for Black’s script. During filming in February 1996, a massive fire destroyed the historic Windermere House in Ontario, Canada, while the crew was shooting scenes on an adjacent frozen lake. Despite the chaos, the production moved forward, though the film's commercial performance was lackluster. It grossed approximately $95.5 million worldwide against a $65 million budget, a result some attributed to poor marketing and the lingering negative reputation of Harlin and Geena Davis’s previous collaboration, Cutthroat Island.
Critical reception was mixed but generally appreciative of the film's craft and wit. While some reviewers, like Roger Ebert, questioned the substance behind the spectacle, others praised its sharp dialogue and over-the-top action sequences. Over time, the film developed a strong cult following, eventually earning a spot on Time Out’s 2014 list of top action films. Ultimately, the decision to keep Jackson’s character alive proved pivotal to the film's legacy, cementing a dynamic that remains a highlight for fans of 1990s action cinema.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: The Long Kiss Goodnight
- Also: Wikidata — The Long Kiss Goodnight · CC0
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