Because the Night (film)

Because the Night is a 1992 American action-crime film directed by Joseph Andy and starring Tommy Lee Jones, based on the 1986 novel of the same name by James Ellroy, the second novel in his "Lloyd Hopkins trilogy", the first book Blood on the Moon having been adapted into the 1988 film Cop starring James Woods.

Initially filmed around 1989-90 for Paramount Pictures, the studio decided to put the film on turnaround, shelving it for 2 years until Miramax Films picked it up for distribution under their newly established Dimension Films label, releasing it in October of 1992 to mixed reception.

Plot
Hopkins (Tommy Lee Jones) is investigating a triple murder at a liquor store. Nothing was stolen, leading Hopkins to suspect that the crime was a thrill killing. His investigation crosses paths with psychiatrist John Havilland (James Gandolfini), who uses drugs and professional expertise to manipulate a small group of followers into crime and debauchery.

Home Media

 * 1993 LIVE Home Video VHS (under license from Miramax)
 * 2002 Dimension Home Video DVD (distributed by Buena Vista Home Entertainment)
 * 2012 Echo Bridge Home Entertainment DVD (under license from Miramax)
 * 2015 Lionsgate DVD (under license from Miramax, reprint of 2002 DVD)
 * 2021 Paramount Home Entertainment DVD (reprint of 2002 and 2015 DVDs)