" doesn't it bother you that people like catherine hayward and jack ames can prance right through life with everyone else , guys like you and me left to pick up the pieces ? " asks raymond hope ( james garner ) to harry ross . ( newman ) they are discussing susan sarandon and gene hackman and the sudden disappearance of susan's former husband in twilight , a supposed nostalgic piece of the old 40s crime dramas . yes it bothers me ! especially since the audience is asked to pick up the pieces of this horrible modernized detective story . harry is being interviewed about his past in a jail cell , he begins to tell the tale of how we got involved with the ames family . he was referred by raymond just after his alcoholism destroyed his life . this begins is a mindless chase over a $10 , 000 payment of something that happened in mexico that's full of stereotypical characters and bad acting to reach a final conclusion . the actual parts of the film that lead to the finale ( if you can even call it that ) take no more than ten or fifteen minutes . so , what else is offered to make this a 96 minute movie you ask . the nostalgia forties piece gets a modern dose of sex and violence . for instance , stockard channing is the only female character , whose breasts , we do not see ! james garner is the only one not having sex . and gene hackman is the only person who hasn't shot anyone ! if this sounds like a piece of filth , it is . the use of gloria as a subplot is also a very weak excuse to pile on the violence . even when she clubs him over the head , puts a gun to his face , and later tries to demand more money and kill him again . a couple of minutes before she dies ( yes i'm giving away the plot , but trust me , you won't care anyway ) she is suddenly made into a complex character with feelings that we are all supposed to grieve for . this isn't to mention the fact over overwhelming cheese . whereas in dead men don't wear plaid ( yes that was a comedy but i'm on a roll here ) the cheese was used effectively and the actors were aware of it , this is supposed to come on as real drama . let me make this review shorter for you : if you enjoy inflicting pain on yourself , over and over again while constantly swearing and making crude sexual comments while baring your chest , than this is the film for you . if not , don't see twilight , the film gets my * star . 
