The Morning After 1986
"Last night she drank to forget. Today she woke up to a murder. Is he her last hope or the last man she should trust?"
In Sidney Lumet's slick 1986 neo-noir thriller *The Morning After*, a fractured night of revelry spirals into chaos when failed actress Alex Sternbergen wakes beside a lifeless stranger—with no memory of how she got there.
Director: Sidney Lumet
Cast
Jane Fonda
Alexandra Sternbergen
Jeff Bridges
Turner Kendall
Raúl Juliá
Joaquin "Jackie" Manero
Diane Salinger
Isabel Harding
Richard Foronjy
Sergeant Greenbaum
Geoffrey Scott
Bobby Korshack
James "Gypsy" Haake
Frankie
Kathleen Wilhoite
Red
Don Hood
Hurley
Bruce Vilanch
Bartender
Frequently Asked Questions
What is The Morning After (1986) about?
*The Morning After* follows Alex Sternbergen, a struggling actress who wakes up in an unfamiliar apartment with a dead man beside her and no recollection of the previous night. As she races against time to uncover the truth, she uncovers a conspiracy that implicates her own past, forcing her to rely on an unlikely ally to clear her name.
Who directed The Morning After?
The film was directed by Sidney Lumet, a master of tense, character-driven dramas known for his work on films like *Dog Day Afternoon* and *12 Angry Men*.
Who stars in The Morning After?
Jane Fonda headlines the cast as Alex Sternbergen, supported by Jeff Bridges, Raúl Juliá, Diane Salinger, and Richard Foronjy.
Is The Morning After (1986) worth watching?
Packed with tense mystery and sharp performances, *The Morning After* is a gripping neo-noir that thrives on its moral ambiguity and stylish 1980s flair. Fonda and Bridges bring charisma and depth, making it a solid pick for fans of crime dramas with a psychological edge.
How long is The Morning After?
The film runs for 102 minutes.
🎥 Trailer
About The Morning After (1986) — A Neo-Noir Mystery of Memory and Survival
In Sidney Lumet's slick 1986 neo-noir thriller *The Morning After*, a fractured night of revelry spirals into chaos when failed actress Alex Sternbergen wakes beside a lifeless stranger—with no memory of how she got there. The apartment isn't hers, the dead body isn't hers, and the scotch haze clinging to the morning light offers no clues. As Alex scrambles to piece together the previous night's events, she finds herself trapped in a web of betrayal, hunted by unseen forces, and desperate for someone—anyone—she can trust. Only Turner Kendall, a brooding ex-cop with his own demons, steps forward, but his help comes with a price that might cost Alex her freedom—or her life.
The film crackles with Lumet's signature tension, blending the grit of urban crime with the intimate unraveling of a woman's psyche. Jane Fonda delivers a powerhouse performance as Alex, capturing both vulnerability and fiery resilience, while Jeff Bridges and Raúl Juliá add layers of mystery and menace to the supporting cast. With its moody neon-lit streets and moral ambiguity, *The Morning After* is a tale of second chances and the lies we tell to survive the morning after the night we wish we could forget.
