In 1990, two years before he would make the classic Glengary Glen Ross, director James Foley made a small film called After Dark, My Sweet. Sweet stars Jason Patric as Kevin “Kid” Collins an ex-boxer-now-drifter after having escaped from a mental hospital. Collins runs into a widow, Fay Anderson, (Rachel Ward) who convinces him to stick around and help with the neglected estate her ex-husband left behind. Both Collins and the Fay are duped into a kidnapping plot by Fay’s Uncle, played to slimy extremes by Bruce Dern.

Foley is a masterful director of actors and this is a perfect film for him. A low-key film noir that relies solely on the performances of its small cast to carry its weight. Patric’s performance alone is worthy of viewing. His portrayal of Collins is both depressing and heroic. The final 90 seconds of this film in which Collins steps a few feet away into the desert to “sort things out” are probably the most heartbreaking of moments of the film. Dern is particularly loathsome as Uncle Bud and Rachel Ward plays the confused and lonely Fay to perfection. Some may have issues with the Sweet’s deliberate pacing, but it only adds to the film’s sense of doom and loneliness giving it the necessary atmosphere. Sadly the film only grossed 3 million in its box office run and to this day still has yet to find much of an audience. Nearly 20 years later After Dark, My Sweet remains a nearly perfect film in every aspect and is a must see.