Last Embrace (1979): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1979, Last Embrace is a thriller, mystery and romance film directed by Jonathan Demme, running about 102 minutes. “It begins with an ancient warning. It ends at the edge of Niagara Falls. In between there are 5 murders. Solve the mystery. Or die trying.” — that tagline sets the tone.

What it’s about. Secret agent Harry Hannan suffers a mental breakdown when a botched mission in Mexico results in the death of his wife. He is sent to a mental asylum, after which he eventually returns to work. But, once again, he begins to doubt his sanity when he receives a bizarre death threat written in Hebrew. Not knowing which of his colleagues wants to kill him, Hannan teams up with pretty young college student Ellie Fabian to attempt to unravel the mystery.

Who’s in it. Last Embrace stars Roy Scheider as Harry Hannan, Janet Margolin as Ellie Fabian, John Glover as Richard Peabody and Sam Levene as Sam Urdell, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 5.4/10, Last Embrace has proved divisive with audiences.

Where to watch. In US you can stream it on Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel and Philo. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Last Embrace page.

If you liked it. Fans of Last Embrace tend to enjoy The Dark Knight, Pulp Fiction, Parasite and Fight Club.