As The Long Kiss Goodnight turns 30, its production still has plenty of surprises for action fans. The Renny Harlin film won a following, but the road there included a record script deal, a real set fire and one audience line that changed the ending.
A test screening saved Samuel L. Jackson’s character
In an early cut, Mitch Henessey died. During a test screening, an audience member shouted, “You can’t kill Sam Jackson!” Renny Harlin changed the final cut so that Samuel L. Jackson’s character survived.
New Line set a script price record
In 1994, New Line Cinema paid a then-record US$4 million for Shane Black’s script. The figure is equivalent to $8.7 million in 2025.
A 127-year-old house burned during filming
On February 27, 1996, during filming at the 127-year-old Windermere House in Ontario, Canada, a fire broke out, leaving only the stone verandah intact. There was speculation that it was caused by film lighting, but it may have been a short circuit. The crew helped evacuate nearby homes, but the fire did not spread beyond the building.
The real blaze blocked its own fire scenes
When the fire started, filming was taking place on the frozen lake, with the house lighted from within to be seen in the background. Some of the remaining scenes there involved fire, but the real fire prevented them from being shot. The building was otherwise closed for the winter. The house was rebuilt and its support buildings were expanded the next year.
A third-place start and a worldwide finish
Over its opening weekend, the film grossed $9,065,363 from 2,245 theaters, coming in third among films opening that weekend. It made $33,447,612 in the US and Canada and $62,009,149 internationally, for a worldwide gross of $95,456,761.
Marketing confusion and a long shadow
Renny Harlin blamed the film’s poor performance on confusing advertising. Shane Black wondered if it might have been more successful if it were about a man.
“It might have made more money, they told me, but it had to be a woman. The lead had to be female.”
It has also been suggested that the campaign and lukewarm critical reception may have been a carry-over from Cutthroat Island, released 10 months earlier and one of the biggest box office bombs of all time.
Critics and audiences did not agree
The film received mainly positive reviews. It holds a 67% approval rating at Rotten Tomatoes based on 61 reviews, with an average rating of 6/10. Metacritic gives it a score of 44 out of 100 from 20 critics. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave it a median grade of “A−”. Roger Ebert gave it 2 and a half out of 4 stars, saying he admired it as craftsmanship but found it of no real substance. In 2014, Time Out’s poll of critics, directors, actors and stunt actors placed it 91st among top action films.
The makers still call it a favourite
Geena Davis said her character might be her favourite role, a close call between Thelma and that one, and that the movie came out great but “didn’t soar to heights.” Samuel L. Jackson called The Long Kiss Goodnight his favourite movie to watch that he was in. Renny Harlin said it was his favourite of all the films he made because the screenplay, complex characters and mix of drama, humour and action meant he could let the characters do their thing.
Which of these Long Kiss Goodnight surprises is your favourite?
Facts from Wikipedia: The Long Kiss Goodnight, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Film images from TMDB. This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.