Mike's Murder (1984) User Reviews

Underrated Film Noir

[chrisalders-1 · 7/10 · 7 October 2005]

My experience with this film differs from some of those who seem to be objecting to both the plot and the cast.

I thought the idea of a 20's something woman who immerses herself in a quasi-relationship with a person on the fringe of society to be interesting. Winger turns in a terrific performance. Part of the human experience or journey is that one encounters difficult moments in one's life - including anticipating relationships one wants desperately to work out.

Betty is in the unfortunate position of having to view Mike from afar as the latter is caught in a nightmarish world of drugs and deceit. I found Mike's drug partner in crime very compelling. One had a real sense of dread and doom as he tried to "make-up" for an irredeemable mistake. Paul Winfield is spot on as the record producer who has also suffered a loss.

All in all, what we have here is a subtle film which is compelling and which a typical focus group would probably pass over. One good example of why film producers and directors should stay away from them and let their artistic visions guide their actions.

Murder Mike.

[morrison-dylan-fan · 6/10 · 18 May 2015]

With a poll coming up on IMDbs Classic Film board for the best movies of 1984,I decided to take a look at Warner Archive titles on Amazon Uk,and I spotted an overlooked Neo-Noir,which led to me getting ready to meet Mike.

The plot:

Receiving a phone call from her boyfriend Mike, Betty Parrish discovers that Mike has messed around with some local drug dealers,which leads to Parrish having to sort out a safe house for Mike.Finding himself penniless,Mike continues to secretly deal cocaine with his pal Pete.

Nearing the completion of a big deal,Mike & Pete take advantage of their customers being temporarily disturbed,by secretly cutting one of the bags open,so that they can re-sell some of the coke.Thrilled about having stolen right under their clients nose,Mike gets set to spend some time with his girlfriend Parrish.As Parrish waits for her boyfriend to arrive,Mike discovers that he has been sniffed out.

View on the film:

Whilst the DVD sadly does not contain the (infamously) deleted footage,Warner Archive give the film a good transfer,with the presentation capturing the mix of film & video stock,and the added bonus of the trailer giving a tease as to what the movie could have been.

Hacked to bits by the studio, (who replaced Joe Jackson's score with a shivering one from John Barry,and changed the original design for the plot to be played chronologically backwards) the ripped from the headlines (with the film being loosely based on the murder of a man involved in a drug cartel with 2 UCLA football players)screenplay by writer/director James Bridges still offers an easy-going mix of twenty somethings teen Drama and sun-set Neo- Noir.Bridges gives Parrish's love story light & fluffy notes which are counted by a disturbing normality to the coke epidemic about to take place,with Bridges showing Mike being unable to stop himself from going down a line filled with ruthless drug barons and two faced friends.

Reuniting with James Bridges,the pretty Debra Winger does very well at showing Parrish lose her girlie innocence,thanks to Winger giving Parrish's romance with Mike a breezy atmosphere,which is hardened as Parrish discovers the secret life that Mike has been living.Whilst the flick was forced by the studio to sit on the shelf for a year,director James Bridges and cinematographer Reynaldo Villalobos stylish on location filming is able to still shine,due to Bridges & Vallalobos giving the movie a sunny appearance to match Parrish dream romance with Mike,which gradually sinks into a dark Neo-Noir world,as Parrish meets the people behind Mike's Murder.

Winger is Excellent!

[jamesmorgan-04114 · 6/10 · 24 November 2021]

A strange and occasionally lurid pot boiler about a bank teller who gets caught up in the murder investigation of her drug-dealing hookup.

The pacing is sluggish at times with the titular murder not occurring until nearly halfway through the film. Debra Winger is wonderful in the lead role, bringing a lack of showiness and a raw vulnerability to the part, but the script lets her down. Besides Mike being good in the sack, we can't understand why she's so drawn to him and so eager to risk her own life to solve this case.

John Barry provides a pretty score that seems at odds with the grit of the film itself and the finale does have some thrills even if everything gets resolved a little too easily for Winger's character.

Good Mystery

[subcityii · 12 November 1999]

Last night, Debra Winger spoke about this film at UCLA. The campus theatre that shows films to the general public was renamed the James Bridges Theatre in honor of the writer and director of Mike's Murder. Debra said that Bridges was an actor's director. The scene in the film where Debra's character checks her phone messages and we hear a voice say it's mom-that was Debra's real life mother Ruth-Debra didn't know she would hear that voice until the moment the scene was shot!

That example really highlights the strength of the film, the acting. All of the performances are first-rate. I was touched by Debra's quiet strength in the face of some sad and even bizarre discoveries by her character about her dead lover. A very underrated film!

Mike's murder; no one cares

[Maciste_Brother · 1/10 · 8 August 2003]

Spoilers, if anyone cares!

I really gave this movie a try. I heard only bad things about it and thought I'd give it a look to see for myself if it's that bad. Well, the critics were right. MIKE'S MURDER is dull. No, it's not just dull, it's beyond dull! Not since RAISE THE TITANIC have I seen such a boring movie (ironically, both films' scores were made by the great John Barry, who should have chosen his projects a little bit better!). I can't believe the script was greenlighted. There's nothing in it. Zip. Nada. Nothing! The first half of the movie, we basically see Debra Winger, single woman: she plays tennis; has sex with tennis instructor; drives around; listens to her answering machine; works; drives around some more. Then she hears that the tennis instruction called Mike was killed. She reluctantly tries to know why he was killed. So we see her driving around L.A. for what seems to be an endless amount of time. Eventually she goes to a mansion where Mike used to live. The owner of the mansion is played by Paul Winfield. She learns a few things about Mike. Then one night, after going to a performance art thingy, she returns home and the story suddenly becomes a claustrophobic hostage-like situation, with Mike's psychotic friend forces his way into her house because the killers who killed Mike are after him after he and Mike stole some drugs during an exchange. The friend eventually gets killed from inside Winger's house. End of story. That's it. WTF?!?!

The people who wrote the script and grennlighted this project must have been high on drugs or something because there's nothing worthwhile in the entire film. Except for Paul Winfield, the acting from everyone else is terrible, including Winger, who seems to be completely bored out of her mind. The dialogue is painful to listen to. And the story is slooooow. Scenes of Debra Winger alone, talking on the phone for almost 5 minutes, with the camera on her face for almost that entire 5 minutes, do not make for compelling viewing. Things aren't made any better by the script's humongous improbabilities, like Winger being affected by his death. She didn't seem to care about him one bit. Or Winger going to see the apartment where Mike was killed. Sure. Or the whole videotaped moment Winger was shown, for no apparent reasons, by that male stripper at Winfield's house. Who was behind the video camera when the argument took place? Why did the person behind the camera kept on filming the argument or why didn't anyone around, like Winfield, ask the person to stop recording the moment? Or the flimsy plot point of when Mike's psychotic friend decides to go to Winger's place. Moments like this made my eyes roll. The film tried to be edgy and current but only ends up looking poky and trivial. For instance, the whole film is populated by characters who are obviously gay or bisexual but the producers were so afraid to deal with the subject that every time they showed some homoeroticism, they always showed some girls in bikinis or something else to detract the underlying subtext. If you're going to make a movie about a hustler, who does everything, including selling his body, don't fidget about it.

But the worst thing about this ill-conceived project is Mike himself: the character is ugly and totally unappealing. It's impossible to care for the loser. And the actor who played him was terrible AND unappealing. If you're going to build a film around the unfortunate murder of a tragic character, make him interesting or worthwhile. In this case, when Mike is murdered, no one really cares!

Vacant, sullen murder-melodrama

[moonspinner55 · 4/10 · 8 July 2006]

Scrappy, long on-the-shelf film by director James Bridges concerns bank-teller Debra Winger's obsession over finding out what happened to a guy she was dating, who has mysteriously vanished. Bridges put this together with Winger after their partnership on "Urban Cowboy", but it was a career low-point for both. Many trips to the editing room couldn't salvage it (causing one to wonder, did it have its soul removed or was there never a soul to begin with?). If you can get through the muddled introductions, Paul Winfield manages a thoughtful performance as a gay music executive, and Winger does well with a very sketchy role. Joe Jackson performs three forgettable songs (his soundtrack album was already out and gathering dust by the time this picture finally arrived in theaters). *1/2 from ****

Forgotten neo-noir gem . . . grossly undervalued

[NORDIC-2 · 9/10 · 6 December 1999]

For some inexplicable reason, critics find this film hard to follow. Actually, it's very coherent and surprisingly powerful. Debra Winger plays a bank employee who falls for her tennis coach, a young stud named Mike. When Mike is brutally murdered by drug dealers, Winger's character, Betty, is drawn into the L.A. underworld in her quest to find out why he was killed. What makes this film so great is its quiet realism. Most latter day noirs suffer from over-the-top plotting, mega-violence, and cartoonish effects. Moving by indirection and inference, MIKE'S MURDER skirts a hellish world rather than diving in, a narrative strategy that makes it eerily believable and deeply disturbing. Check it out.

Beyond redemption.

[MOscarbradley · 2/10 · 8 May 2019]

The vacuous lives of some of the vacuous inhabitants of Los Angeles. James Bridges film "Mike's Murder" was supposedly based on a real case but it's so poorly executed it's difficult to care about Mike, his murder or anyone else involved. Debra Winger was the name used to sell the film but it didn't work and the film flopped. Mike was the talentless young actor Mark Keyloun who shortly afterwards gave up acting; it's just a pity he didn't think about doing it sooner.

After peaking with "The China Syndrome", Bridges' career never really took off either. He only made two more films after this and was dead from cancer within ten years. You get the impression he thought he was making something akin to a European art-movie, (he originally wanted to do the film in reverse), That may or may not have made it more interesting but I doubt it; I think this one is beyond redemption.

Debra Winger shines in '80s noir

[Andrew_Eskridge · 8/10 · 14 February 1999]

There's a lot of good things to say about this obscure mystery from the 80s. The best thing is Debra Winger, who never looked better. She is beautiful and sexy, earthy and smoldering, yet she possesses an approachable, naive quality.

The story is intriguing, with a different way of looking at the drug underworld in Los Angeles. This is not about cops, gangsters and car chases. It's about an innocent woman who accidentally becomes involved in a drug-related murder. It's really all about Winger's character, although Paul Winfield stands out in a small role as a gay music producer.

The mood is low-key and dreamlike with a subtle erotic undertone. It also has a nice score that stays with you. Give it a chance.

Boring and incomprehensible

[preppy-3 · 1/10 · 24 February 2012]

Betty Parrish (Debra Winger) loves Mike (Mark Keyloun) not knowing he's a drug dealer. He's murdered one night and Betty sets out to find who did it...and why.

Muddled and downright boring attempt at noir. Director James Bridges also wrote the screenplay so he can accept full blame for this. Supposedly it was shot in non-chronological order and he was forced (by the studio) to recut it to run in chronological order. That could explain why it's so badly directed. However that doesn't excuse the confusing plot and lousy acting. Winger (a wonderful actress) is terrible in this. She shows next to no emotion and just wanders around. Only Paul Winfield is any good. The only good part of this movie is a very eerie sequence late at night. THAT worked but it came far too late to save the movie. I saw it in a small art cinema in 1984. When it started there were maybe 10 people in the theatre. When I left at the end (I kept hoping it would get better) I was the only one left! Boring and pointless. You can skip this one. It's obscurity is well-earned!

A highly underrated classic film

[iley_dohn · 30 June 2003]

This movie is compelling because the character of Betty is so innocent about what is going on in this murky tennis coach. It makes it easy to see how a normal person could find themselves in way over their heads without knowing it. The kitchen scene with the pal of Mike's who manages to get away from the bad guys is gut wrenching. Debra Winger has never gotten the breaks that she richly is due. I feel that it is compelling that the late Bette Davis stated that of the new actresses that Ms Winger was the most like her and I don't think that she was merely referring to their bad press.

The beautiful and underrated Debra Winger in a film beneath her talents

[gridoon2024 · 5/10 · 18 August 2019]

First of all, the setup of "Mike's Murder" is not believable: a woman like Debra would hardly throw her life away falling head over heels for a drug-dealing tennis instructor, whom she sees about three times in a span of two years. The ludicrously spoilery title gives away what happens after 44 minutes in the movie, but writer-director Bridges never gets much of a narrative flow going even after that; Winger's transfixing beauty is about all this dreary, overlong crime "thriller" has going for it (apart from a couple of good supporting performances). ** out of 4.

Extremely well-made Noir Mystery

[Falconeer · 8/10 · 21 February 2018]

The 1980's saw the release of a lot of silly and trashy movies, that were heavy on style but light on substance. "Mike's Murder" is not one of those films. This is a very well constructed mystery thriller; a "film-noir" in broad daylight,if you will. Los Angeles provides a deceptively bright backdrop for this story, which is quite dark and sinister. The fact that we get to see into a dark, seedy L.A. Underworld of drugs and prostitution, through the eyes of a "normal citizen," like Debra Winger's 'Betty,' makes everything so much more believable. Betty's tennis coach and sometime lover, Mike, is living a double life. By day he is a tennis coach to rich older ladies, but by night he deals cocaine, and at times sells his body to both women and men, in order to maintain his flashy, drug fueled lifestyle. The viewer is along for the ride, finding out bits and pieces of a sinister puzzle, alongside Betty Parish, after she is told that her lover was violently murdered in a drug deal gone wrong. Being a normal, law abiding girl, with a straight job as a bank teller, Betty quickly finds herself out of her league and terrified at what she is discovering about her lover. The great thing about "Mike's Murder" is how well it is constructed; the story unfolds slowly, but deliberately, and keeps it's audience truly on the edge, waiting to find out just how far it will go. It helps if the viewer has a fascination with the lifestyles depicted here; others might just be lost, and wondering what the point of it is. This is not a flashy film, that relies on impressive camera angles or quick cut editing. Instead we have an old fashioned style movie, that tells a tale with facial expressions, and music, and a masterfully told story. I imagine the critics of this gem must surely have the attention spans of children; I just cannot understand how anyone could consider THIS a bad movie. It isn't really a commercial film, and it's no surprise that it did poorly at the box office; films like this rarely become "blockbusters." Still, it seems to have stuck in the memories of a lot of people, including mine; I saw it as a young teen in the mid 80's; and I never forgot it. I found the world of Mike to be fascinating and terrifying; and I still do. And I've known a few guys like Mike, and they are all no longer living. I recommend this exciting film to those who can appreciate a good mystery.

Funny how good films get attention 15-20 years later;

[MarieGabrielle · 9/10 · 27 April 2006]

Seems like many films fall into this category- especially when they were not blockbusters, had an interesting plot, and do not conform to the formulaic Hollywood trend.

Debra Winger is very good in this film as a 20-something girl, living on her own, who soon gets in over her head. Mark Keyloun plays Mike, her tennis coach, with whom she develops an interest.

The backdrops of LA are interesting and mood inspired, as was the score- if it wasn't I wouldn't be remembering it right now. Brooke Alderson ("Urban Cowboy") also has a brief part as Winger's friend- who tells her to get out- get out of the relationship. Apparently Mike has ties to the drug world- and Winger's character is embroiled in the plot. There are also some interesting scenes with Paul Winfield as a corrupt record producer.

Watch this film. The story is film-noir, set in L.A. Debra Winger is excellent, as always. You will not be disappointed.

Mike's Murder is first rate!

[DaveJLA · 10/10 · 24 August 2006]

Who the hell is anybody kidding? Some people say that this movie stinks? Get the hell out of here! Without a doubt, this movie was one of the best films Hollywood ever put out. From the first scene of intrigue, to the last moments of hell-raising ice-chilling fear, no sane person can say that this movie didn't scare the hell out of them!

When watching this movie, you don't know "what the hell" will happen next. Debra Winger's subject is someone you just can't help but feel sorry for. She's kept totally in the dark about her love interest's real profession, and past times. And when you finally see, and feel, what truly kind of low-life bastards that really do infest the drug trade, a world that I unfortunately do know something about, you'll see for yourself that this film is very realistic and an absolute heart-stopper! You will not be disappointed!

Very underrated film about the perceived 'laid back' LA -

[rusoviet · 10/10 · 11 May 2012]

...anything but - Smart industry personnel be they script, directors, producers, actor/actresses, set-property, agents, scribes - know the reality of the myth of ease per Los Angeles. The weather is the primer for the pump that has made the myth fact. LA is a very dangerous place for that very reason and this film does a great service in depicting what the naive step into to their own peril in assuming anything but that.

Paul Winfield sympathy is so evident here for Debra Winger. The only real mystery is why she would be pulled to Mike to begin with - our boy Mike is a real fool who hangs with others because of the choices he's made already - got make some more scratch and I don't want to work hard for it.

Great movie as noted the draw isn't so much 'Who dun it' as 'Don't be a fool, you've no idea who you are messing with!'

Great movie!!

[SkippyDevereaux · 6 January 2001]

This is one of the most harrowing pictures I have ever seen. It is a very good and very underrated film. All of the actors do a great job in their roles and Darrell Larson gives an outstanding portrayal of a young man who inadvertently signed his own death warrant.

I only wish that this film was nominated for an Academy Award for best picture, best actress and best supporting actor.!!

If you have not seen this film, be sure and check it out--nerve wracking, nail-biting, and an edge of your seat film--you don't know what to expect from minute to minute.

One of the best films of any year!!

One big void and one big curiosity

[bkoganbing · 8/10 · 24 November 2018]

The story of Mike's Murder might go under the heading of things better left undiscovered. Except of course by the police. But all Debra Winger knows is that the fabulous sex she had with her tennis instructor Mark Keyloun has left one big void and one big curiosity.

Debra Winger gives lie to that notion that there are no good roles for women as she carries Mike's Murder on the back of her obsessed character. Winger is no superhero, she's an average ordinary working class female, a bank teller who thinks that she's found the love of her life and can't believe it was taken from her.

Keyloun just can't make ends meet and pay the rent so he's into other activities some of them not so legal. He and his friend Darrell Larson started poaching on another drug dealer's territory and that kind of poaching can be bad for your health.

Winger finds a lot more about Keyloun and the best scene in the film is with Paul Winfield, a rich older gay man who picked up Keyloun and keeps him for a while as his boy toy. As Winfield describes the relationship Winger's eyes and expressions are worth pages of dialog.

There is also a frightening climax with Larson that I can't reveal the details of but it will rivet you.

Mike's Murder is a great film and real triumph for Debra Winger.

Very Good, Underrated and Overlooked Noirish Film

[coloradokid719 · 9/10 · 8 December 2017]

I hadn't seen this movie in about 30 years, but the title rang a bell and I got the DVD. The cast is excellent, and their performances were solid. I found myself remembering quite a bit of the film while viewing (I would know what was coming up before it came on screen), which made me realize this film had quite a profound impact on me and my memory. It was intense without being melodramatic.

A must-see for hopeless romantics

[am_whoa · 10 August 2008]

This movie is a must-see solely because it tackles the very issue that plagues some couples, the blurring line between infatuation and love. At the first part of the film, Betty and Mike have a wonderful time together, playing tennis, flirting. But then reality hits both of them, the incapability of Mike to stay dormant and immobile affects what they feel for each other (if ever it was love). He flees to his drug-dealing self knowing that it is the only way to satisfy both his need to earn and his desire to stay "fluid" and unchained to the norms of the society. (e.g. stable job) Inspite of that, they stay in touch, he, promising her that they would see each other again. They do, but it was all in vain because all they did was drive around and bring him to a place where he can hide for awhile (because of his troubles with drug-dealing). In this way, it kept the movie fresh, unknown and mysterious, making us yearn for more of their brief encounters. The film, in its entirety, leaves the audience in a state of "longingness". It strives to make us wait for the last moment of impact wherein Mike and Betty meet again face-a-face. It also pushes us to ask the question, "Are they going to meet again?", "Is it worth it to see each other?". For those who haven't yet watched the film, go and see it, it's worth seeing.

Like a B-side "Blood Simple"

[maxbrand · 8/10 · 19 April 2022]

This is just a hell of a good movie. Many things left unsaid and implied. Builds a sense of uneasiness throughout. Winger is great as always, but the other actors are superb, too. More people need to know about it.

check it out

[slm1867 · 17 July 2001]

Debra Winger in one word in this movie: WOW! She looks amazing. 80s hair and that beautiful smile make this worth watching in itself. The story is a good one (a drug dealing "boyfriend" that the bad guys kill and Betty getting dragged into the whole mess) and the acting is well-done (wait till you see Paul Winfield!). Decent mid-80s-type soundtrack with those kinds of tunes you heard once and forgot. And Debra Winger looking great! If you can't catch it on the cable movie channels, rent it. An inexpensive flash-back with no side effects.

A Real Loser

[mrmctavish · 12 July 2003]

I had the misfortune of being in the test audience prior to this movie being released while I was visiting Los Angeles. The producers and the director was there listening to the audience reaction and it couldn't have been worse. The scenes where the characters were trying to bring home a dramatic point were being met with raucous laughter in the crowd. And one look on the faces of the those involved in the production was enough to see that this film was a loser. Normally I like Debra Winger but the dialogue and supporting cast especially the guy playing "Mike" was woefully bad. Stay away from this one.