unrecognizable behind Collie's coarse stubble, slack jaw and haunted stare. Patric occupies a complex character with mesmerizing conviction. Like Thompson's prose, his performance is both repellent and fascinating." When the video was released in 1991, Entertainment Weekly film critic Melissa Pierson wrote: "Fittingly, director James Foley (At Close Range) puts style over story, capturing the gritty, long-shadowed tone of his source material. After Dark, My Sweet looks simultaneously crisp and drenched in the yellow light of a strange dream, an effect that becomes especially haunting on video. In this alluring tour through unsettled emotional territory, Jason Patric (The Lost Boys) gives an exceptionally sharp performance as an ex-boxer with one screw loose and another turned down tight. He's drawn into a kidnapping scheme concocted by a former cop (Bruce Dern) and a sultry widow (Rachel Ward). Together, they visit a place where desire and pain are indistinguishable, and everything goes twistingly awry." In an interview with Robert K. Elder for his book The Best Film You've Never Seen, director Austin Chick praises the movie for its cinematography, stating: "It's beautifully shot ... every frame and every camera move is clearly thought out and brilliantly, beautifully executed." The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports an 83% approval rating, based on 18 reviews, with an average rating of 6.5/10. References External links After Dark, My Sweet at Film Noir of the Week by film historian Alain Silver (Lionsgate Entertainment YouTube account) 1990 films 1990 crime thriller films American crime thriller films 1990s English-language films Films based on American novels Films based on Jim Thompson novels Films based on thriller novels Films directed by James Foley Films scored by Maurice Jarre Films set in Palm Springs, California American neo-noir films 1990s psychological thriller films Films about kidnapping 1990s American films