After Dark, My Sweet

Director James Foley (Glengarry Glen Ross, Confidence) adapts a superb, unforgettable neo-noir from a novel by Jim Thompson. Jason Patric is ideal as washed-up fighter Kevin “Collie” Collins, adrift after escaping from a mental institution. Collie is befriended by Fay (Rachel Ward), an alcoholic widow who soon involves him in an ill-formed kidnapping plot crafted by loose cannon Uncle Bud (Bruce Dern). Foley expertly captures Thompson’s downbeat moods, thanks largely to the beautifully crafted performances of his actors.