"Sunset" was a sub par effort from Director Blake Edwards who usually provided his audience with a better product. This one is about the unlikely adventures of silent screen star Tom Mix (Bruce Willis of all people) and legendary lawman Wyatt Earp (James Garner).
The time is 1929 in Hollywood at the end of the silent era.. To begin with, Mix was almost 50 at the time (Willis was 33) and Wyatt Earp was 80 (Garner was 60). If the film had been set ten years earlier, the ages would have made more sense. Mix and Earp actually did meet and became friends but not in the way depicted here.
The story has the duo investigating the murder of a brothel Madame. Implicated are studio owner Alfie Alperin (Malcolm McDowell) a former Chaplin like comedian, police chief Marvin Dibner (M. Emmett Walsh) and Captain Blackworth (Richard Bradford). Also along is gangster Dutch Keiffer (Joe Dallesondo) who is mixed up (no pun intended) with Alperin. And oh yes, Alperin's son Michael (Dermot Mulroney) is framed for the murder.
Several ladies are also involved in one way or another. Cheryl King (Mariel Hemmingway) the daughter of the murdered madam, Christina Alperin (Patricia Hodge) the fatally ill wife of Alfie who it seems had a past relationship with Wyatt, Victoria Alperin (Jennifer Edwards) the evil sister of Alfie and Nancy Shoemaker (Kathleen Quinlan) the Girl Friday/girlfriend of Mix.
Anyway our heroes eventually solve the crime and ride off into the sunset. With a wink of the eye, Edwards informs us that the story was true except of a lie or two. How true.
Lots of work for the stunt people in this one.
The time is 1929 in Hollywood at the end of the silent era.. To begin with, Mix was almost 50 at the time (Willis was 33) and Wyatt Earp was 80 (Garner was 60). If the film had been set ten years earlier, the ages would have made more sense. Mix and Earp actually did meet and became friends but not in the way depicted here.
The story has the duo investigating the murder of a brothel Madame. Implicated are studio owner Alfie Alperin (Malcolm McDowell) a former Chaplin like comedian, police chief Marvin Dibner (M. Emmett Walsh) and Captain Blackworth (Richard Bradford). Also along is gangster Dutch Keiffer (Joe Dallesondo) who is mixed up (no pun intended) with Alperin. And oh yes, Alperin's son Michael (Dermot Mulroney) is framed for the murder.
Several ladies are also involved in one way or another. Cheryl King (Mariel Hemmingway) the daughter of the murdered madam, Christina Alperin (Patricia Hodge) the fatally ill wife of Alfie who it seems had a past relationship with Wyatt, Victoria Alperin (Jennifer Edwards) the evil sister of Alfie and Nancy Shoemaker (Kathleen Quinlan) the Girl Friday/girlfriend of Mix.
Anyway our heroes eventually solve the crime and ride off into the sunset. With a wink of the eye, Edwards informs us that the story was true except of a lie or two. How true.
Lots of work for the stunt people in this one.