The Geena Davis action vehicle The Long Kiss Goodnight reads like a checklist of writer Shane Black’s career: variations of violent action, potty-mouthed characters, and a Christmas setting all place it on a level with Lethal Weapon (1987), The Last Boy Scout (1991), Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005), Iron Man 3 (2013), and The Nice Guys (2016). To be completely fair the film is not the worst thing Black ever wrote or directed, but neither does it represent him at his very best. Renny Harlin’s fairly tacky direction lets it down, but strong and engaging pulp performances by Geena Davis and Samuel L. Jackson lift it up. Over the years the film has developed a minor cult following, and it is easy to see why. At the same time this is almost a poster child for mediocre mid-90s action cinema.

What I suppose I am saying is that one’s mileage will vary with this one depending upon whether they saw it at the time of release and liked it, their passion for action stereotypes, or their level of appreciation for Geena Davis ice-skating through small-town America with a sniper rifle. I loved it on release, but I was about 20 years old back then. After revisiting the film in middle age I can look back on it fondly, but also enjoy it quite a lot less than I once did.

Samantha Caine (Davis) is a quiet schoolteacher living in Pennsylvania. A total amnesiac, she has rebuilt her life with a husband and daughter without any memory of her former experience. When circumstances bring her to start remembering her past as a CIA assassin, she and private detective Mitch Hennessy (Jackson) find themselves on the run from a network of rogue agents.

The Long Kiss Goodnight operates as many films of the time did. The odd action sequence or chase scene is well staged and exciting, but a lot of the sections in between lack drive or logical sense. This was Davis’ second attempt to become an action star after the 1995 pirate picture Cutthroat Island (also directed by Harlin). That farcical adventure was a general failure, but it must be admitted that it is overall a more enjoyable and self-aware enterprise than The Long Kiss Goodnight ever is. Another sign that this is a typical slice of 1990s popular entertainment: its orchestral score simply refuses to let up or shut up.

The problems almost all sit with a weak screenplay, and an unusually talented cast can only do so much. Davis plays her role better when a suburban mother than when she is aiming for cold-hearted cynicism. Samuel L. Jackson is entertaining in a role tailored to his pulp strengths. The cast also includes more than a few heavyweight talents that are essentially wasted, including Brian Cox and David Morse.

When the film hits its literally explosive climax, it is as an extended series of set pieces that simply refuse to end. The Long Kiss Goodnight turns out to be a very long and largely passionless kiss indeed.