Persistence Of Vision #1
After Dark, My Sweet (1990) Kevin Collins is an open book. Wild-haired, hunched over; a flinching, shuffling mess of nerves and uncontrolled responses, he’s easy to read: worn-down drifter, cowering dog. He’s good-looking and amiable, but he’s off, slow on the uptake. His attempts at camaraderie are met with fierce rejection, even violence. Kevin Collins, played by Jason Patric in another fine underrated performance, is easy prey for exploitation, and friends come quickly in the brokedown desolation of the inhabited southern California desert. In After Dark, My Sweet , James Foley’s film of Jim Thompson’s hardboiled pulp novel, the desert is felt in every scene. This is film noir invaded by an oppressive sun. Nothing happens in the dark: cantina rendezvous, lovemaking, and crimes all occur in the blistering light of day. Even when it is night, the characters are lit by harsh fluorescent lamps. The effects of this pervasive sun are felt in the characters. Slow, idle, inert, they find t...