Fatally Yours

Author(s): D.W. Dillon
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada

“Fatally Yours"

Directed by Robert Towne
Written by Robert Towne and Rian Johnson
Cinematography by Caleb Deschanel
Edited by Thelma Schoonmaker
Art Direction by Leslie McDonald
Music by Elmer Bernstein
Produced by Martin Scorsese

Drama / Noir

Principal Cast:

Carey Elwes - Raymond Dash
Connie Nielsen - Claudine Ashfield
Anjelica Huston - Tessa Ashfield
Val Kilmer - Victor Ashfield
James Gandolfini - Mink Malloy
Philip Baker Hall - Lt. Cashman
David Strathairn - Mel J. Cobb
Rachel Griffiths - Felicia Lockhart

Tagline: "Two faced, two-fisted, red-handed, with shades of grey...everyone's a suspect"

Synopsis: Crime doesn't pay. Las Vegas private invistigator Raymond Dash (Carey Elwes) believes otherwise. That thick wad of bills, courtesy of the wealthy Tessa Ashfield (Anjelica Huston) is more than his slacks can handle, and proof-positive where there is a murder, there is a payoff. Apparently, her famous son, Victor Ashfield (Val Kilmer), former Olympic skier, former ladies man, husband to one, father to many, was murdered, cold-blooded in his own bedroom. Put down, like an old Labrador who bit one too many ankles. The fuzz is pushin' for a suicide rap. The vigilant mother wants justice, or at least someone to pay, and at the top of her list lies the widow of her dearly departed son, Claudine Ashfield (Connie Nielsen). A sultry failed actress who had subjected herself to singing for the lounge lizards, until she met Victor. Now reaping the benefits from his bank account, and mourning in grief at his Lake Tahoe mansion, Raymond Dash confronts the widow, their envious maid (Rachel Griffiths), and brute bodyguard Mink Malloy (James Gandolfini) on the events leading up to his death. Maybe Victor fooled around. Maybe he abused his wife. Maybe he put his friends before his family, coming home late every night like some drunken mooch looking for comfort after raising hell with the boys. Goldiggers are a dime a dozen, and she's got a motive that is as plain as day. But Claudine's innocent and romantic clutch might be too much for the lonesome Raymond Dash, as he tries to uncover the affairs amongst the hired help; "The maid and Victor? Claudine and Mink?", the will; "Two wills? One legal, one hand-written...", and the vendetta's; "She was hurt, hurt bad but her violent streak was as big as Victor's cold dead heart." Something's gotta give. Police Lieutenant Cashman (Philip Baker Hall), who just happens to be Claudine's overprotective dear old dad is giving Raymond the unnecessary run-around. And with nosey reporter Mel J. Cobb (David Strathairn) lookin' to write what isn't there, makes Raymond's job that much more difficult. Where there's mystery there is a shocking revelation. One that will sweep this resort town into a frenzy. Everyone has an angle, and Raymond Dash knows them all. It's only a matter of time before he cracks the case, or sink too deep and drown amidst the underbelly of high society and love.

Quotes:

Raymond Dash: "Your son seemed like a real peach."
Tessa Ashfield: "He was a good boy, and that tart couldn't bare his
fame!"

Mel J. Cobb: "What's the scoop, Dash? The dame plug the heartbreaker or what?"
Raymond Dash: "Try or what, maybe you'll catch some readers, ya sap."

Claudine Ashfield: "I've never met anyone like you, Mr. Dash. You've got a lovely ignorance about you."
Raymond Dash: "I think you mean arrogance, but I get that a lot."

Mink Malloy: "I work for me, no one else, especially Cashman! You're barking up the wrong tree, little puppy, so I suggest..."
Raymond Dash: "I'm not barkin' Mink, just sniffin'."

Felicia Lockhart: "He wanted to leave her. Her life, her kid...was cramping his style."
Raymond Dash: "Kinda like the bullet that cramped his aorta."

Raymond Dash: "Your baby girl's sittin' rich up on that mansion and I've got a backer."
Lt. Cashman: "Listen here, toy cop. You're no detective. You'd slit your wrists for a second grader's lunch money."
Raymond Dash: "Yeah, who's wrists would you slit for your daughter's
happiness?"

What the press would say:

Sharply directed by Robert Towne (Tequila Sunrise, Chinatown) who dips his skills once again into a genre that's been under appreciated with the stylishly crafted, "Fatally Yours". A film at it's zenith noir, with a dark sense of a place that is as corrupt as the night is long. Towne, with up-and-coming writer/director Rian Johnson (Brick) devise a story of such depth inside the world of a hard-boiled detective. With utter wit and a trendsetting look to burn a hole through your soul, Cary Elwes dishes the dialogue that would leave even the great Philip Marlowe speechless. His turn as the semi-hard drinkin' private investigator antagonizes the antagonists, belays the heat, and melts the ice queen. Accompanied by the sure fire performances of Rachel Griffiths and Anjelica Huston, to the sultry Connie Nielsen whose raspy-retro noir beauty shakes the trees and makes the tough guy cry. Val Kilmer as the vulnerable millionaire playboy without a clue in the flashback sequences, to Philip Baker Hall's contradicting police lieutenant, "Fatally Yours" fills the screen with memorable performances that'll puzzle your brain with intrigue. Snappy dialogue and uncomfortable confrontations lifts this film from the shadows and into the spotlight of Oscar's red carpet.

Best Picture
Best Director - Robert Towne
Best Actor - Carey Elwes
Best Actress - Connie Nielsen
Best Supporting Actor - Val Kilmer
Best Supporting Actor - Philip Baker Hall
Best Supporting Actress - Rachel Griffiths
Best Supporting Actress - Anjelica Huston
Best Original Screenplay - Robert Towne & Rian Johnson
Best Cinematography - Caleb Deschanel (The Passion of the Christ)
Best Editing - Thelma Schoonmaker (The Departed)
Best Art Direction - Leslie McDonald (The Hudsucker Proxy)
Best Score - Elmer Bernstein (The Grifters)