Wrong Man, The (1993, Rosanna Arquette, Kevin Anderson)

JOHN LITHGOW, ROSANNA ARQUETTE and KEVIN ANDERSON form an unlikely trio in this taut thriller that sees sailor on shore-leave Anderson embroiled in a strange menage a trois as he runs from murder.

When Anderson’s ship docks in Mexico, he takes off to a local seedy bar where he meets up with sleazy American ROBERT HARPER. Getting drunk, he doesn’t realise that Harper has stolen his wallet. When he notices that it is missing, he runs after Harper, but discovers him dying from bullet wounds. Fearing that he will be blamed, Anderson flees from the scene of the crime, searching for a place to hide.

Finally he finds refuge in the back of a car. The car is owned by the somehow oddly mismatched couple JOHN LITHGOW and ROSANNA ARQUETTE, who don’t inquire too much about where Anderson has come from, but do offer him a lift to where he wants to go. Meanwhile, two Mexican police officers – JORGE CERVERA Jr and ERNESTO LaGUARDIA are hunting Anderson – although they know he is connected with the crime, they are not sure how. As Anderson travels with Arquette and Lithgow, a strange relationship begins to build. Arquette and Anderson are attracted to each other and Lithgow enjoys playing creepy mind-games with him.

When Anderson can’t reboard his ship because of the police, Lithgow and Arquette begin to understand that there is more to their guest than they had thought. They try to help him by taking him on the run, but it gradually becomes apparent that Lithgow knows more than he is saying and when the police once again close in on them, Anderson slowly understands that he has been caught in a strange world of intrigue and murder.

production details
USA | 104 minutes | 1993

Director: Jim McBride
Writer: Michael Thoma, from a story by Roy Carlson

cast
Rosanna Arquette as Missy Mills
Kevin Anderson as Alex Walker
John Lithgow as Phillip Mills
Jorge Cervera Jr. as Captain Diaz
Robert Harper as Felix Crawley
Dolores Heredia as Rosita
Ernesto Laguardia as Detective Ortega