A star-studded neo-noir that became a box-office bomb despite its legendary cast
In short: Released in 1998, Twilight featured an extraordinary ensemble including Paul Newman, Susan Sarandon, and Gene Hackman. Despite the pedigree of its cast and a script praised by some critics as nearly perfect, the film struggled to find an audience, ultimately failing to recoup its twenty-million-dollar production budget.
Directed by Robert Benton and co-written with Richard Russo, Twilight follows Harry Ross, an aging private investigator played by Paul Newman. The narrative centers on Ross’s entanglement with a pair of fading Hollywood stars, Jack and Catherine Ames, portrayed by Gene Hackman and Susan Sarandon. As Ross navigates a complex web of blackmail and a decades-old murder mystery, the film explores themes of mortality and the twilight of careers, both for the characters and the actors themselves.
The production was notable for its commitment to authentic Los Angeles locations. The crew utilized architectural landmarks such as the George Jacobsen House, designed by John Lautner, and the Arch Oboler House, a Frank Lloyd Wright project in Malibu. Behind the scenes, the production was marked by a gesture of solidarity: upon learning that Susan Sarandon was receiving lower compensation than he and Gene Hackman, Paul Newman shared a portion of his own salary with her.
Despite these efforts, the film received a mixed reception. While some reviewers lauded the performances and the sophisticated script, others criticized the pacing and the mechanical nature of the plot. Commercially, the film underperformed significantly. After an eight-week theatrical run, it grossed approximately 15 million dollars against a 20 million dollar budget. Today, it remains a curious artifact of 1990s cinema—a project defined by the immense talent of its stars, yet unable to translate that star power into box-office success.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Twilight (1998 film)
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