Fans of psychological thrillers will enjoy this movie's dark, intriguing and moody opening titles which, very simply and effectively, set the scene for the murder mystery that follows. Its deliberate pace, disturbing atmosphere and visual style all contribute to a constant sense of unease and coldness which is often magnified by the rather restrained natures of its two main characters who are interesting to watch because their actions aren't always logical and their motivations aren't consistently clear.
A little while after successful Manhattan psychiatrist Dr Sam Rice (Roy Scheider) hears that George Bynum (Josef Sommer), who was one of his patients, has been brutally murdered, Bynum's mistress Brooke Reynolds (Meryl Streep), visits his office to give him her lover's watch so that he can pass it on to Bynum's wife without telling her about their affair. Sam is reluctant to do this but is rushed into agreeing when NYPD Detective Joseph Vitucci (Joe Grifasi) arrives at his office to ask for any information he might have which could help to identify the murderer. Sam tells him that he's unable to help because to do so would involve a breach of patient confidentiality and Vitucci then tells Sam that he could be in danger if the killer thinks that he does, in fact, possess this type of information.
After Vitucci leaves, Sam starts to review his records of the sessions he'd had with Bynum during which the serial womaniser (who'd worked as an antiques curator at the upmarket auction house called "Crispin's") had explained how he'd cheated on his wife and dumped his previous mistress to start his affair with Brooke. Furthermore, he'd added that he knew that she'd killed someone in the past and also described a dream he'd had which had left him feeling both puzzled and disturbed.
Sam, whose interest in Brooke had been piqued during his sessions with Bynum, finds himself powerfully attracted to her and abandoning his usual cautiousness, decides to try to find out who'd actually murdered his patient. His investigations then put him in extreme danger before some further analysis of Bynum's dream provides him with the breakthrough he'd been seeking.
"Still of the Night" is a wonderfully atmospheric and elegant-looking thriller that uses numerous Alfred Hitchcock references and motifs that range from passages inspired by "North By Northwest", "Rear Window", "Vertigo" and "Spellbound" to some less obvious ones, such as a mention of an Uncle Charlie ("Shadow of a Doubt") and the technique of suddenly putting the focus on a prop to create suspense (in this case, George Bynum's watch).
Although it's essentially a rather lightweight thriller, this movie is very stylish and visually impressive and these qualities combined with its mesmerising performances from Roy Scheider and Meryl Streep result in a higher quality end-result than would otherwise have been possible.
A little while after successful Manhattan psychiatrist Dr Sam Rice (Roy Scheider) hears that George Bynum (Josef Sommer), who was one of his patients, has been brutally murdered, Bynum's mistress Brooke Reynolds (Meryl Streep), visits his office to give him her lover's watch so that he can pass it on to Bynum's wife without telling her about their affair. Sam is reluctant to do this but is rushed into agreeing when NYPD Detective Joseph Vitucci (Joe Grifasi) arrives at his office to ask for any information he might have which could help to identify the murderer. Sam tells him that he's unable to help because to do so would involve a breach of patient confidentiality and Vitucci then tells Sam that he could be in danger if the killer thinks that he does, in fact, possess this type of information.
After Vitucci leaves, Sam starts to review his records of the sessions he'd had with Bynum during which the serial womaniser (who'd worked as an antiques curator at the upmarket auction house called "Crispin's") had explained how he'd cheated on his wife and dumped his previous mistress to start his affair with Brooke. Furthermore, he'd added that he knew that she'd killed someone in the past and also described a dream he'd had which had left him feeling both puzzled and disturbed.
Sam, whose interest in Brooke had been piqued during his sessions with Bynum, finds himself powerfully attracted to her and abandoning his usual cautiousness, decides to try to find out who'd actually murdered his patient. His investigations then put him in extreme danger before some further analysis of Bynum's dream provides him with the breakthrough he'd been seeking.
"Still of the Night" is a wonderfully atmospheric and elegant-looking thriller that uses numerous Alfred Hitchcock references and motifs that range from passages inspired by "North By Northwest", "Rear Window", "Vertigo" and "Spellbound" to some less obvious ones, such as a mention of an Uncle Charlie ("Shadow of a Doubt") and the technique of suddenly putting the focus on a prop to create suspense (in this case, George Bynum's watch).
Although it's essentially a rather lightweight thriller, this movie is very stylish and visually impressive and these qualities combined with its mesmerising performances from Roy Scheider and Meryl Streep result in a higher quality end-result than would otherwise have been possible.