Wimpy young executive Michael is about to get pulverized by a jealous boyfriend in a bar when a handsome, mysterious stranger steps in—and then disappears. Later that night, Michael runs into a stranger on a pier, who wheedles his way into Michael's life and turns it upside down.
Acting
Rob Lowe's unnerving charm offensive—career-best menace.
Direction
Hanson's LA noir before L.A. Confidential, all neon and dread.
Cinematography
Grimy underground clubs vs. sterile offices—visual class warfare.
Director
Curtis Hanson
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Rob Lowe's sex tape scandal broke during filming; the studio panicked but kept him. The irony of casting him as a manipulative pretty boy was not lost on anyone.
This is peak 'yuppie anxiety' cinema—Michael's upwardly-mobile paralysis perfectly captures early-90s fear that success makes you a target. Alex is literally the id of capitalism with a gym membership.
US
