Tequila Sunrise (1988)

Overview · Where to watch · Cast & crew · Reviews

A business on the line. A friendship on the edge. A woman caught in the middle.

In a seaside California town, best friends Mac and Nick are on opposite sides of the law. Mac is a former drug dealer trying to clean up his act, while Nick is a high-profile detective trying to take down a Mexican drug lord named Carlos. Soon Nick's loyalties are put to the test when he begins an affair with restaurateur Jo Ann -- a love interest of Mac's -- unwittingly leading his friend into a police-orchestrated trap.

• Released: 1988-12-02
• Genres: Thriller, Crime, Romance
• Runtime: 1h 55m
• Status: Released
• TMDB rating: 6.1/10 from 607 votes

Directed by Robert Towne.

Top cast

• Mel Gibson as Dale "Mac" McKussic
• Michelle Pfeiffer as Jo Ann Vallenari
• Kurt Russell as Lieutenant Nick Frescia
• Raúl Juliá as Commandante Xavier Escalante
• J.T. Walsh as DEA Agent Hal McGuire
• Arliss Howard as Gregg Lindroff
• Arye Gross as Andy Leonard
• Gabriel Damon as Cody McKussic
• Daniel Zacapa as Arturo, bartender at Vallenari's (credited as Garret Pearson)
• Tom Nolan as Leland

Full cast & crew

Where to watch Tequila Sunrise

• United States: watch free on YouTube Free; rent on Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home; buy on Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
• United Kingdom: rent on Apple TV Store, Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, Sky Store, YouTube; buy on Apple TV Store, Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, Sky Store, YouTube
• India: rent on Amazon Video
• Canada: rent on Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, CosmoGo, YouTube, Amazon Video; buy on Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, CosmoGo, YouTube, Amazon Video
• Australia: rent on Apple TV Store, Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fetch TV; buy on Apple TV Store, Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fetch TV

Movies like Tequila Sunrise

If you enjoyed Tequila Sunrise, these movies have a similar feel:

• Bad Boys for Life (2020)
• True Romance (1993)
• Year of the Dragon (1985)
• King of New York (1990)
• Miami Vice (2006)
• Blue Velvet (1986)
• 5lbs of Pressure (2024)
• The Shepherd: Border Patrol (2008)
• Deep Cover (1992)
• All the Devils Are Here (2025)
• The Anderson Tapes (1971)
• Dragged Across Concrete (2019)

Can't decide what to watch?

FlickPicker recommends movies from your own taste and the services you subscribe to, and Pick Together lets a whole group vote on tonight's pick. Try the free random movie generator, find movies with AI, or browse trending movies.

Download FlickPicker on the App Store   Explore the iPhone app