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Tequila Sunrise

1988 · 115 min

A stylish, slow-burning romantic crime drama that luxuriates in mood and character, with a bittersweet edge.

Directed by
Robert Towne
Genres
Thriller, Crime, Romance
Tagline
A business on the line. A friendship on the edge. A woman caught in the middle.
Overview
In a seaside California town, best friends Mac and Nick are on opposite sides of the law. Mac is a former drug dealer trying to clean up his act, while Nick is a high-profile detective trying to take down a Mexican drug lord named Carlos. Soon Nick's loyalties are put to the test when he begins an affair with restaurateur Jo Ann -- a love interest of Mac's -- unwittingly leading his friend into a police-orchestrated trap.

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Directed by
Robert Towne
Genres
Thriller, Crime, Romance
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • melancholicstrength 2 of 3
  • romanticstrength 2 of 3
  • tensestrength 2 of 3
  • cynicalstrength 1 of 3
Pacing
slow-burn, 1 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • friendship
  • love
  • betrayal
  • loyalty
  • crime
Places
  • small town
  • big city
Era
contemporary
Audience
adult
Form
None
Content intensity
  • Gore mild
  • Language mild
  • Violence mild
  • Sex mild
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action4
Horror1
Humour3
Realism7
Romance7
Tension6
Darkness5
Complexity6
Emotional weight6

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Cast

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Details

Genres
thriller, crime, romance
Directed by
Robert Towne
Written by
Robert Towne
Starring
Mel Gibson, Michelle Pfeiffer, Kurt Russell, Raúl Juliá, J.T. Walsh, Arliss Howard, Arye Gross, Gabriel Damon
Music
Dave Grusin
Cinematography
Conrad Hall
Runtime
115 min
Country
United States of America
Languages
English, Spanish

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