Still of the Night

Plot synopsis:
Dr. Sam Rice is a Manhattan psychiatrist, recently divorced, who loses a patient when George Bynum is stabbed to death. In flashbacks, Bynum is shown as a middle-aged married man who worked at Christie's, the famous auction house. He was having an affair with another employee, beautiful but elusive Brooke Reynolds. Sam learns quite a bit about Brooke during his sessions with Bynum. She is from a wealthy family but her parents are dead. Bynum hired her on an impulse, even though he had promised the job to someone else.While Sam is reading through his notes of Bynum's sessions, Brooke comes to his office. She introduces herself and asks him to return Bynum's watch to his wife. It is doubtful whether Mrs. Bynum knew of her husband's affair and Brooke doesn't want to upset her. Sam agrees to take care of it. He asks Brooke if she would like to make an appointment for grief counseling. She starts to reply and the buzzer sounds. A Lt. Vitucci from the police department is outside. Brooke is startled and knocks over a figurine on Sam's desk. It breaks and she is very upset. Sam tells her to forget it and shows her to his private exit, where she can leave without being seen by the detective.Vitucci asks Sam many questions about Bynum that he cannot answer due to patient confidentiality. He does confirm that he saw Bynum once a week. Vitucci reveals that the murder was most likely committed by a woman. Bynum was in a bar arguing with a woman. He left and she followed him, after which he was found stabbed inside his car. Sam at once thinks of Brooke but feels protective of her. Vitucci cautions him to be careful for a while, adding that if he thought Sam knew who might have killed Bynum, the killer might get the same idea.Sam goes home but is met by his mother Grace, a retired psychiatrist. She reminds him that they are due to attend a family birthday party that night but he begs off.While doing laundry in the basement of his building, Sam continues to read over his notes. Having met Brooke, he is disgusted by Bynum's crude remarks about her sexuality. Then he hears a sound, as if someone is walking around. He calls out but no one answers. Suddenly remembering Vitucci's warning, he collects his laundry and heads for the elevator. He is startled when the door opens to reveal Brooke. She explains that the doorman directed her to the basement. The small box she is carrying is a figurine to replace the one she broke earlier. Sam is pleased and expresses sympathy for what she must be going through. Brooke reluctantly reveals that she didn't love Bynum.The next day, Vitucci summons Sam to Bynum's office at Christie's. When he arrives, he is met and escorted upstairs by Gail Phillips, one of the employees. This time Vitucci is not as polite. He says that Bynum was having an affair with at least one of his colleagues but no one knew who. Bynum's secretary reveals that he had an appointment with his psychiatrist five days a week. Sam says that is impossible. Obviously Bynum was using him as a cover. As he leaves, he runs into Brooke but she pretends not to know him.That night a very agitated Brooke comes to Sam's apartment. She wants to know what he told the police about her, as Vitucci questioned her for hours. Sam says he told them nothing but adds that it is foolish to think that they won't find out about her. She admits to feeling guilty because she was trying to break off the affair and now that Bynum is dead, she is relieved. Sam tells her that is a very normal feeling. They kiss but the arrival of his mother interrupts them.Sam is trying to interpret a dream Bynum told him about. In the dream, Bynum was at a house in the country. He went inside and saw a little girl with a teddy bear. The child plucks the eye from the bear, causing it to bleed. Bynum is holding a green box which he puts in his pocket. The child chases him throughout the house and she means to kill him. Since Grace is also a psychiatrist, Sam turns to her for help. He thinks the dream may contain a clue to who killed Bynum.Over Chinese takeout they try to interpret the dream. Grace feels the murderer is a child-like woman capable of intense rage. Bynum tried to control her but was unable to.Sam looks up Brooke's address and goes to her apartment but she isn't home. He then goes for a walk in Central Park and is conscious of someone following him. Inside a tunnel he is mugged. The mugger takes his wallet and coat before telling him to leave. While wearing Sam's coat, the mugger is stabbed to death.The next day, Sam is at the murder scene with Vitucci, who points out that the mugger was mistaken for him. Sam blows it off and says it is a coincidence. He still does not mention Brooke. Vitucci is fed up with him, sensing that Sam knows more than he is telling.Finally reaching Brooke's apartment, Sam is startled to find her naked under a sheet. An Oriental man is there to give her a massage. She invites him to an auction that night at Christie's, adding that she will be taking bids by telephone.Vitucci sees Sam at the auction. He has news that they are closing in on the killer. The bartender who was on duty the night of the murder will be joining Vitucci, to see if he can identify the woman who was with Bynum. Sam sees Brooke but does not have time to warn her. As she hurries away she drops her keys. Instead of returning them to her, Sam slips away and goes upstairs to her office. In her desk, he finds a news article that has been ripped to shreds. He pieces them together and learns that years earlier, Brooke's father fell to his death from a bell tower. Brooke was with him and they were seen arguing, but she was not charged.Sam is certain now that Brooke is the killer. As he locks her office, she comes toward him, asking for her keys. He backs away as if he is afraid of her. They go back to the auction and Brooke takes her place by a telephone. Vitucci comes in with the bartender and Sam writes Brooke a note to warn her. But she doesn't read the note until the auction is over. In the crush of people, she leaves before Sam can get to her. He tries to call her several times from a phone booth but there is no answer.Seeing her fellow employee Gail Phillips, Sam asks if she knows where Brooke might have gone. Gail hesitates but reluctantly gives him the address of Brooke's parents, who owned a house outside of town. He sets off there by car.When Gail reaches her apartment, she is surprised to see that Vitucci is waiting. He asks to speak to her about Ms. Reynolds. They go inside, where Vitucci sees dozens of framed pictures of Gail and George Bynum together.Sam finds Brooke's house and realizes it is the same one in Bynum's dream. As he goes inside he brushes against a ship's bell, causing it to ring. Brooke is waiting for him and says she did not kill her father. It was true that they were arguing but he fell because he leaned over too far and lost his balance. Brooke has no idea who put the news article in her desk.Sam describes the dream and she admits that Bynum was in the house several times. When he mentions the green box, Brooke says it is not a green box but greenback. Gail Phillips always cashed her paychecks and carried the money with her, which caused Bynum to call her greenback.They realize at once that Gail is the murderer. She and Bynum were having an affair but he broke it off when he met Brooke. He gave her the job he had promised to Gail. It was Gail who put the news article in Brooke's desk trying to implicate her. Sam tries to call Vitucci but he doesn't answer his pager. The scene switches to Gail's apartment. There is blood on the wall and Vitucci is slumped on the floor, stabbed to death.Realizing that Gail must be on her way to the house, Sam and Brooke leave. He gets into the car but she goes back for her cigarettes. Gail is hiding in the back seat and stabs Sam. She then goes after Brooke. When Brooke hears the ship's bell, she senses danger. She runs through the house trying to hide but Gail catches up. She drags Brooke to a balcony overlooking the sea and a pile of rocks. Holding the knife to Brooke's throat, she orders her to jump. Brooke fights back and is joined by Sam, injured but very much alive. Together they wrestle with Gail until she loses her footing and falls. After staring at her body below, Sam and Brooke fall into each other's arms.

Tags: neo noir, murder, flashback

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