Quentin Tarantino Produced This Erotic Thriller, Now Streaming For Free
Before Quentin Tarantino broke out with Reservoir Dogs he was involved with a couple of lesser-known projects. One of them is the forgotten erotic thriller Past Midnight. The award-winning filmmaker scored an associate producer credit on the picture. But rampant scuttlebutt seems to suggest the Pulp Fiction director actually took an uncredited pass at the script.
Past Midnight features plenty of twists and turns along the way to an unexpected denouement. Not to mention, leading man Rutger Hauer turns in a compelling, nuanced performance. Definitely a great pick for a late night movie at home.
A while back, I penned an editorial championing Past Midnight as an underrated effort and speaking to its efficacy. Here is an excerpt from my previous Dread Central coverage of the picture:
This forgotten thriller features a solid cast and effective performances from both leads. Rutger Hauer shows a softness and a vulnerability that we didn’t see all that frequently from the late actor. He was usually cast as a tough guy. But he is very soft-spoken and almost meek here. In addition to speaking to the actor’s versatility, that distinction also serves to add an element of intrigue. Though the evidence suggests that he may have killed his wife, he doesn’t have the bravado or sense of entitlement one might expect from a cold-blooded killer. That gave me pause and added a layer of complexity to the proceedings.
Seasoned episodic television director Jan Eliasberg directed Past Midnight. Despite a rumored pass by Tarantino, Frank Norwood takes the sole screenwriting credit on this picture.
If you haven’t seen Past Midnight, I recommend giving the film a shot. Though it has its flaws, this steamy thriller is something of a diamond in the rough. You can currently find the flick streaming for free (with ads) on Pluto.
The setup for this Quentin Tarantino-produced thriller goes like this:
Ben is (Hauer) paroled after serving a 15-year prison sentence for killing his pregnant wife. His social worker (Natasha Richardson) goes out of her way to help him find work. She doubts his guilt and investigates his claims of innocence.
That’s all we have at present. Keep an eye out for more exciting updates on underrated films from your favorite cinematic stalwarts as we discover them. Also, make sure to follow @DreadCentral on Twitter (don’t even think about calling it X) so you never miss out on one of our very happening updates!
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