Gotham (TV Movie 1988) Poster

(1988 TV Movie)

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7/10
Sexy, mysterious and off-beat
doeadear1 January 2000
I really enjoy this quirky, sensual film, but even after several viewings, I am still a bit confused about the plot. It's not one of those bizarre films where you shake your head and say "what?", but rather one that keeps you going up and down different alleyways. Tommy Lee Jones is very sexy and perfectly cast as the rough and tumble private eye hired to get a man's dead wife off his trail. But, is the wife really dead? What is fantasy and what is reality? Virginia Madsen is drop dead gorgeous, no pun intended. She and Tommy Lee Jones have a very hot sexual chemistry between them. This is the only movie with the formidable Mr. Jones that I have seen him engaged in a passionate, nude love scene. This alone is worth renting the movie. It's not great, but it's very old-fashioned, gritty film noir, and extremely sexy, and definitely not predictable.
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7/10
Brain teasing lies and dark seduction.
Aberlass25 June 2000
Q: What do you get if you put a naturaly gifted actress with powerful screen presence, together centre stage with an actor who exudes raw, truthful bearing? A: An extremely interesting and tantilising mind game. Sadly, too few films, since the 1940's, allow both the male & female leads to both shine absolutely equaly, profiting the end result. The culmination of Jones & Madsen's performances is a retro work of art. The casting & editing is vibrant, but this narrative should have been directed by an Art House impresario, because lost in mainstream tv it becomes merely a taxing jigsaw.

PLOT: The two titles are part of the puzzle aspect to this film. For 'Gotham', read as - Goth-ham or Gothic 'ham', as in a noir spoof, or if you equate Gotham with Batman, then evolve this to the catchphrase 'the dynamic duo' and you have the Madsen & Jones chemistry. For 'The Dead Can't Lie', read as - why tell us, unless they can, therefore is this a single or double bluff? These are clues, but they could be a 'red herring'. It's a dark tale about lies within lies and whether there is any point in unraveling them. There are repeated motifs in the dialogue that are inconsistant, so it probably isnt possible to assert the truth, since each character is potentially lieing! Even the music is designed to deliberately mislead!

RATEING: 7/10 as a film, but 9/10 as a brain teaser.

WHO should watch this film?: Adults only, because of content. Women will enjoy the exuberantly feminine power of Madsen, whereas men will enjoy looking at it in action! Watch out for the 'Rubik's Cube', as it's a barometer of Jones' confusion and ours! If you like doing puzzles and can cope if you dont solve them, you will love & watch this film repeatedly.
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6/10
Intriguing but not great
Luc_Emuru12 June 2005
I thought the storyline was provocative, and the writing was good but not superlative (Kevin Jarre is a wonderful writer, and I'm willing to bet the script would have been lots better if the director had left it alone.) Tommy Lee Jones was fantastic, as usual- his leading lady was a beautiful woman but a mediocre actress. Liked the Russian Orthodox priest, too; a fun addition. Really liked the lady singer doing 'Where Or When' in a club where the couple met. 'Danny Boy' was lovely, as well, as was the Latin piece the leading lady danced on the roof to. Fun movie to critique and "improve" in your mind as you're watching it. the soap opera crowd would probably love it without reservation. The meticulous might very well cringe. All and all very entertaining.
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Subtle, sardonic, and at times very disquieting
bnpierce23 March 2004
I first saw Gotham in 1989 and then in 2001 and it stood up well: Gotham is on the one hand an ironic tribute to hard-boiled detective movies, but it chooses to keep its irony under the surface rather than over-the-top, telling a susupenseful and carefully unfolded story with real twists and turns even as it tosses the occasional wink taht we've seen the set-pieces before. There is real suspense as we watch Tommy Lee Jones get in way over his head--he takes it well enough when he discovers, early on, that he is indeed dealing with a malicious ghost--but from there on he is forced to watch with his own investigators detatchemht as he fall in love with this ghost, going down hill physically and every other way step by step--at the end, he is faced with a battle for his soul as serious as Sam Spades faces at the end of "Maltese Falcon"--and, even at the end, the wry humor returns to wrap it all nicely up. By the way--keep yuour eye out for spooky oddities at ther corner of your vision--they are there!
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6/10
A Strange Movie
Uriah438 November 2021
"Eddie Mallard" (Tommy Lee Jones) is a down-on-his-luck private detective who is about to be evicted from his office for failure to pay his rent. Needless to say, he is surprised when a wealth man by the name of "Colin Bruce" (Charlie Rand) walks into his office and offers to pay him a considerable amount of money to simply convince his ex-wife "Rachel Carlyle" (Virginia Madsen) to agree to leave him alone. But what really stuns Eddie is when Colin tells him that Rachel has been dead for ten years. Now, normally any private detective with an ounce of integrity would turn down the job because their prospective client is obviously insane. But being that he is in serious financial straits Eddie takes the job anyway. However, once he finally meets Rachel things begin to take a horrifying turn from that point on. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this was a strange film which at times didn't seem to flow well from one scene to the next. Even so both Tommy Lee Jones and Virginia Madsen played their parts quite well and--strange as it was--I enjoyed this film for the most part and have rated it accordingly. Slightly above average.
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4/10
Where is the plot and when does it all come together?
mark.waltz28 April 2023
Warning: Spoilers
For what seems like it's going to be a great modern film noir thriller ends up being a perplexing mess thar started off on the right foot then all of a sudden tripped and lost everything in the East River. Tommy Lee Jones, as a down on his luck private investigator is asked to confront a mysterious beauty (Virginia's Madsen), then tell her to leave her ex-husband alone. She has no idea of what he's talking about (or so she proclaims), and it seems like it's moving down one direction when it finally turns into a dead end.

Sad that this promising mystery ended up falling short as it goes from thriller to possible ghost story and then meakly settles into mystery where I never found that anything was being resolved. Madsen definitely has "it", a combination of Kathleen Turner, Sharon Stone and Kim Basinger, but I could never fully determine what the purpose of the initial case was, and never did which made me loose interest. I didn't think that Jones and Madsen had much chemistry either. This really could have been something very intelligent and interesting, but they were trying too hard in making something seem much more intelligent than it is, and the result is complete pretentiousness. Also, after this, I never want to hear the beautiful Rodgers and Hart classic "Where or When" ever again.
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10/10
An Underrated Modern Day Film Noir
emeraldkimmy23 December 2010
Warning: Spoilers
Tommy Lee Jones is in rare form here. Though he retains his trademark deadpan delivery and familiar Texan drawl, the comical one-liners are replaced by astute ones in a much darker atmosphere.

Eddie Mallard (Jones) is a broke, late on his rent New York private detective whose luck turns around when he is hired by eccentric millionaire Charlie Rand (Colin Bruce) to track down and confront his wife, Rachel Carlyle (Virginia Madsen). Rand wants Rachel to leave him alone, stop following him. When Eddie asks Charlie why not start with divorce, he gets a blunt answer: Rachel has been dead for over a decade.

After an initial frosty confrontation in a New York lounge, Rachel seeks out Eddie, who is falling in love with this woman who may or may not be a ghost. Rachel charms Eddie into falling in love with her as Eddie learns more about Rachel Carlyle.

Eddie cannot decide if Rachel is a flesh and blood woman or if she is in fact the ghost of a dead New York socialite who only married Charlie Rand for his money. As Eddie is pulled further and further into Rachel's mysterious world, he realizes that either way, his life as he knows it could come to a bad end. The dead can't lie - can they?

Excellent film, a dark, chilling tribute to 1940's film noir. Jones and Madsen have fantastic chemistry and the supporting cast (including Frederick Forrest as a priest) give outstanding performances.

For those looking for it to rent, Netflix does carry it.
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4/10
Missed attempt at doing something different
helpless_dancer13 June 2001
This, next to Volcano, is the worst Tommy Lee Jones film I've ever seen. The ghost bit didn't come off, the friends of Jones' character added nothing to the story...and the story! Just what was the story? Something about a ghost wanting her jewels back and her hubby running some creepy game on Jones. Stupid tale plus dull, plodding dialogue equals a real loser movie.
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8/10
Gotham A rare find
matenmoe28 July 2005
Gotham usually gets confused with that city-with-a-comic-book-superhero in it. This is a horrible thing for such a terrific movie. It has nothing to do with that comic book! If you love film noir, and can actually FIND this movie(also known as "The Dead Can't Lie")-probably only on a VHS, then you'll be sorry if you DON'T get it!

I love this film because there are so many new things to find each time I watch it. It is a show about a Private Eye who is down on his luck until a man offers him an assignment no one else will take. His job is to find this man's ex-wife, who is continuously stalking him, and try to get her to cease and desist. The problem? She has been dead for 10 years! NO- this isn't some cheesy ghost story,and this is no comedy! It really sucks you in, and leaves you wanting to watch it again. I found Gotham to be an eerie yet believable film which still haunts me every time!!
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1/10
What was Jones thinking?
MostlyHarmless838724 July 2002
This has to be the worst Jones film of all time. What was he thinking? Guess maybe back in 1988 he didn't know he would be as big as he is today and just took any part he could get. Takes the good with the bad. I really had to try not to turn the tape off; half the time you're wondering why they put this certain scene in there. If for some reason in your life you don't get the chance to watch this, your not missing much.
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An unjustly-neglected American classic of the Inner Landscape.
pjmyers10 June 2001
What REALLY happens inside a man when he "falls in love"? If you want to begin to get a clue, or - better yet - if you are tearfully trying to grasp what on earth has happened to you in particular, you should see "Gotham" - again and again. It is an American classic of the Inner Landscape.

I wonder how much idea Tommy Lee Jones and company had of just what they were enacting. Only as much as writer/producer/director, Lloyd Fonvielle, was able or willing to tell them. Siskel & Ebert, etc., totally missed the point. Why? Because people in our culture are not prepared for a movie whose plot/premise barely holds together as a tale of what occurs in the world but which, as an inner story (dream- or myth-like), works quite beautifully. (In that sense the movie's plot is rather like our lives!)

Your enjoyment/comprehension of this movie will be much enhanced if you have at least some familiarity with the Jungian Anima (I mean conceptually - we men all do experientally, although depressingly few know much about, or acknowledge, Her!). If you don't, I don't want to put you off. It will do quite nicely if a woman's image has - in whatever way - just devastated you, or some man you know, inside. I've never seen a movie where this is so graphically depicted. The decline and Fall. "How will I find you?" Eddie quaveringly asks. "Don't worry," she wryly replies, "I'll find YOU." Oh, yes.

This movie is incredibly rich in symbols and insight, and really repays multiple viewings. Even if you don't understand why Eddie's name is Mallard; why Rachel's face has suddenly become chalky white as she turns and emits her spine-chilling anger when challenged by Eddie on a matter of historical accuracy; the Doorman; why it is death to "sleep with a ghost"; what the pirate's sword is all about (re-read your Tristan & Isolde, the chapel); why She MUST emerge from the mist, at the brazier, to warn Eddie not to embark on his own destruction, before herself taking the executive role in bringing it about ("I've KILLED you, Eddie…and I'm GLAD I did!"); the role of the psychic detective (that's you - or could be); the splitting of the male psyche into Charlie and Eddie, as separate disastrous approaches to Her; the jewels (and this IS pretty murky!); the themes of watery immersion, pugilism, paganism vs Christianity, etc., EVEN THEN…something will scratch at you as watch this movie.

As you can probably tell, I'd love to bend your ears with a full-scale analysis, but the 1000 word limit protects you from people like me! Feel free to e-mail me if you want to talk about Gotham, I never found anyone on my wavelength (what a shock).
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5/10
Excruciatingly muddled
gridoon28 April 2005
Tommy Lee Jones certainly knows how to deliver a sharp line when he gets one: a man tells him "I want you to find my wife. She's following me everywhere", and he immediately responds "Why don't you slow down and let her catch up to you?". But soft-core sex scenes are not exactly his forte, especially when his partner is the 17-years-younger Virginia Madsen (though if your sole interest is seeing a young Madsen naked you WILL be satisfied, repeatedly). However, the main problem with the film is that it tries to be smart and unusual and hip, but counts on your not thinking about the story for more than a minute; if you DO think about it, it's really utterly stupid. To quote Jones, this film is like "a bad dream that you can't wake up from". (**)
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8/10
A must see for Tommy Lee Jones fans
msmiata10 July 1999
How do you stop your dead wife from harassing you? Hire a good detective who can tell her to stop. Tommy Lees Jones portrays a down on his luck gumshoe is approached by a man who is being followed by his dead wife. Jones figures if the man is crazy enough to offer his money, he's just crazy enough to help him. Is she dead? Check the refrigerator, take a cruise but stay out of the church. This made-for-tv film keeps you going, wondering just who is seeing things. Don't close your eyes for too long or you just might miss something. If you like a good mystery, this one is a sleeper-keeper. You might have to look on the back shelf of the video store to find it but however it's worth the search. A great movie for a rainy weekend afternoon.
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9/10
What a pleasant surprise! Original and unusual.
manuel-pestalozzi23 May 2006
Warning: Spoilers
I did not know what to expect of Gotham, and I really was pleasantly surprised. The title is misleading, the location is realistic and unmistakably New York, as it is in the present. And the protagonists represent „normal" people, they are really more than mere comic book characters.

The movie elegantly walks the dividing line between comedy and the film noir/horror/mystery genre. The story works from start to finish. It is really good and entertaining, I suspect it is a transcription of something European from the 19th century or even a classic folk tale, the basic question being „how do I pass the nasty ghost that's pursuing me on to another guy"?

The cast is very good. Tommy Lee Jones plays a private eye who is at once very masculine and insecure and vulnerable. In other words, the classic Marlowe type. Jones pulls that off wonderfully, he definitely is a great and versatile actor. I enjoyed his multi layered, „deep" performance enormously. Virginia Madsen is perfect as the elegant, sexy and extremely nasty ghost (great wardrobe!). Completing the triangle is the woman's former husband, played by an actor hitherto unknown to me called Colin Bruce whose performance is excellent and memorable. In fact, Jones and Bruce are an excellent team here, they really made me think of some of the finest original films of the noir genre.

Even visually, Gotham offers far more than the average fare. Somehow it reminded me of the work of director Robert Wise. The New York locations are put to good use. The overall atmosphere is consistently somber and brooding. I found it quite appealing. There is an unforgettable scene on the top of a not very high skyscraper somewhere in Manhattan with a good panorama over some older buildings of the area. The makers of the movie made the daring decision to film dream sequences the same way as the rest, so the viewers are never quite sure if what is going on is part of the main protagonist's imagination or real. Some may find that confusing as the method is rather uncommon in today's movie making. I found it gratifying as it gives me the feeling I am being taken seriously as a viewer.

They had some nice „directorial ideas" here which are well filmed: Jones gets a glass of eggnog (or some such) thrown in his face. Distraught as he is, he does not wipe the milky liquid off and it frosts immediately. Looks great! The ghost at one time drowns in muddy water in full regalia. Etc, etc.

Gotham displays everything it takes for intelligent entertainment. I can highly recommend this movie.
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8/10
One of better films of that period
rcjensen-67-70675723 October 2014
Warning: Spoilers
Interesting plot, good acting by Virginia Madsen and Tommy Lee Jones. And probably the best rendition of Danny Boy classic (by JB White), that I have ever heard. The story revolves around the Private Eye (Jones), hired by the wealthy man, to find the ghost of his deceased wife (Madsen), whom he buried 10 years earlier. She asked to be buried naked, with her jewels. Her husband initially obliged, only to dig her up later on, to retrieve the jewels. Now the ghost of his wife has returned to hound him. Soon the ghost is found, but the detective is convinced that the woman is real (which she obviously is not) and falls in love with her. There is a bit of nudity and implied sex in the film ... and in the end ... the ghost gets her jewels (which turn out to be a paste), the detective is told that having sexual intercourse with a ghost is detrimental to his health .... and the ex-husband is back, where he started. All very intriguing.

I have seen the film back in 1989, on TV in UK ... and later on, when I wanted to buy the DVD, I could not find it anywhere, till now .... on Amazon. It has been released in NTSC format only, so you will need the multi-region DVD player to watch it if you live within EU.
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8/10
Very good but a little confusing
Mcthorpe9 December 1998
This film was probably better if viewed when it is not one a.m. in the morning but the BBC in their wisdom decided to relegate a classy film like this to the slot around midnight. In fact if it had not been on straight after Highlander I probably would not have watched it. If I hadn't I would have missed a treat. Tommy Lee Jones was at his brilliant best as the private dick hired to find a man's dead wife. I did miss a bit in the middle which did not help but I was a little confused for quite a while about who was and who was not dead. Maybe that was the entire point of the film. But the film does carry an important message "The dead can't lie. It's something I've learnt."
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A private detective is hired by a rich client to act as a go between with his ex-wife... who's been dead for ten years!
IAGO-1621 May 2001
If now Oscar-winner Tommy Lee Jones were allowed to delete all memory of one of his previous films, no doubt he would choose this incredible mess of a thriller to cast into oblivion. He plays a private dick who is hired by a rich husband to settle some matters with his ex-wife, who is holding some jewelry of his in her possession. Only that the woman apparently has been dead for a decade! He takes the case thinking of making easy money with a crackpot client, but the woman appears to be alive and well and even very seductive (Virginia Madsen, no less), all qualities painfully lacking in the film, which is slow, poorly acted (evidence of a great lack of enthusiasm on the side of Tommy and par for the course for Madsen)and disconcertingly ambiguous, undecided between a solid thriller of unexpected final twists (which it has not) and a run of the mill ghost-story that had traded horror for sensuality. Really dreadful.
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10/10
Virginia Madsen
cbeavin2025 February 2005
Virginia Madsen is up for an Oscar.

I remembered her role in the Movie Gotham with Tommy Lee Jones. For those who would like to enter a different reality enjoy! I see that it was a TV movie I recommend this movie for all mature audiences.

Tommy Lee Jones was fantastic and you see another side of his acting style. Virginia Madsen carried the movie and does not disappoint!

The setting takes place in New York in the night with lighting and sets that are spare and allow the actors to fill the night with their mysterious liaison.

If I cannot make the 10 line minimum it would be a shame i don not want to "give" the movie away. The mystery is the movie.

I hope someone will see the movie and be able to fill in the needed ten lines to entice others to watch!
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