Twilight is a slow burn modern film noir. A more laid back version of LA Confidential. The first scenes feature a young Reese Witherspoon and Liev Schreiber in Mexico with Paul Newman that leaves Newman injured. We then go forward a few years.Harry Ross (Newman) is a down on his luck detective with an injury and not much money. He lives in California in the guest quarters of Witherspoon's wealthy parents who are his old friends and former film industry executives now in the twilight of their years. Jack (Gene Hackman) is dying of cancer and he and Ross pass time playing cards.Jack asks Harry to deliver a package in Los Angeles. When Harry arrives to deliver the package he encounters a shot man named who turns out to be a former detective. This begins a chain of events involving a past case that led to the disappearance of Catherine's (Susan Sarandon) ex- husband.Harry realises that his friends have been deceitful and manipulative of him. His old colleague Raymond (James Garner) tries to persuade Harry to get away from it all.The film is about immoral people who are wealthy and wish to stay ahead and use others for their own means. As a pot boiler its slow, even meandering as there are betrayals and double crosses. What sustains it is the acting and with the four leads and some rising stars you watch it for the actors and the depth they provide.

I like noir films in general but the pacing of certain scenes tends to be very slow and contrivances such as Sarandon's cigarette dialogue/fumbling exaggerates and amplifies the slowness; I suppose this pacing is intended to impart to the audience a feeling of importance/seriousness to the scene but it does just the opposite.I was surprised to read the budget for this film was $37 million because the production values don't seem to be that high --- apparently lots of money going to actors' salaries.Plot hole observation: Newman shoots and kills Garner in Garner's home; Newman apparently explains it away to the police as self defense because he was about to expose Garner as a murderer; the now dead Garner has no way to defend himself, and irregardless of this fact, the police swallow whole Newman's suspicious story (which, oops, happens to be the main premise of the screenplay) and let him go free. I know if I shot and killed someone in their house without clear motive I wouldn't be walking free anytime soon.

I found this story of an aging private eye (Paul Newman in yet another terrific late-career performance), and his aging friends, lovers and clients (Gene Hackman, Susan Sarandon, James Garner, all doing admirable work) touching, sweet, funny, sad, and an enjoyable noir mystery to boot. Its not that the plotting is that brilliant, or the story that novel, but this is really more about the characters than the mystery anyway. Its about aging and loss and trying to hold onto your pride and self-esteem in the face of the indignities later life. In all that it has much in common with Benton"s earlier, very good "Late Show", but for me this had even more depth and resonance (perhaps reflective of Benton"s own aging?).

The late actor Paul Newman portrays a fly in the ointment, the anti-hero version of Dick Tracy, herein Twilight. I've read some reviews of people wondering why widely acclaimed filmmaker Robert Benton has made this movie. A short answer: To provide screen experience to new starlets with veteran actors.There are 3 of those starlets in this film. First one is Reese Witherspoon. 1998 was an important milestone for her. She's been busy whole year long with Pleasantville and Overnight Delivery. Through 1998 summer she played in Twilight, thus she has bold scenes with Liev Schreiber. Even though she has a cameo role as Mel Ames in the film, her role includes the only nudity content of her box-office movies career. Yet, Twilight features its queen Susan Sarandon. For me, this is Sarandon's third best after Atlantic City and White Palace. She comes out of pool, starts walking in Eve outlook, looking for her Adam, then Newman comes by.The second starlet is Liev Schreiber. He plays Mel's date at Mexico. While Mel lies naked on a couch, she asks him "Do you love me?". He keeps his silence a bit while staring at her tits, and hinders himself from replying "No, I just love your tits". Thankfully Mel speaks before him: "I mean it doesn't really matter you love me or not". If all the movie critics thought the same way that Robert Benton has written the worst script of his life, they might be right.The third starlet is Patrick Malone. If you read this review right now, and don't know who Patrick Malone is, it's because herein Twilight he wasted his chance of a lifetime due to his imitation of Will Smith. A young actor in Hollywood must not copy other actors of same career level. I actually liked Malone's harmony with Newman playing his partner, if only he could have played his own style. He was one of the supporting actors in Lawrence Kasdan's Grand Canyon(1991).Even though the cast is rich on paper, the whole plot is turning around Paul Newman. No one is able to come closer to him, and he acts only with his self-belief. From my point of view, the main issue is not the script nor the cheapness of the story telling methods. Nobody but Benton and Newman, is in the mood of making a movie. Gene Hackman, James Garner, Stockard Channing spoil the story. So many stars make it darker. Only Newman and Sarandon could have been enough to fill the cast, since the storyline is so simple.