China Moon

China Moon

Year: 1994

Runtime: 99 mins

Language: English

Director: John Bailey

ThrillerMystery

He thought it was passion. It was deceit. He thought it was love. It was murder. Detective Kyle Bodine becomes entangled with Rachel Munro, a woman trapped in an abusive marriage. When she shoots her husband, Kyle reluctantly helps conceal the body, but his partner keeps unearthing clues, turning a personal crisis into a deadly investigation.

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Timeline & Setting – China Moon (1994)

Explore the full timeline and setting of China Moon (1994). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

The events occur in a contemporary late-20th-century context, blending private investigation procedures with a modern urban crime milieu. The narrative relies on present-day gadgets, police routines, and a travel-heavy plot that crosses between a Miami hotel and a suburban home, reflecting the era's style of thrillers.

Location

Miami, Florida

The story mostly unfolds in a sun-drenched Miami setting, with scenes at a hotel, a lakeside murder site, and the Munro residence. The humid, suburban-meets-urban environment provides a backdrop for glossy nightlife and tense, intimate confrontations. The lake and the Munro home become the central stages for crime, cover-ups, and private negotiations.

🌴 Miami setting 🕵️ Crime drama backdrop 🏙️ Southern United States atmosphere

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 15:49

Main Characters – China Moon (1994)

Meet the key characters of China Moon (1994), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Kyle Bodine (Ed Harris)

A steady, by-the-book detective who becomes entangled in a dangerous, morally gray plot. He alternates between skepticism and sympathy for Rachel, risking his career as the truth grows murky and his loyalties are tested.

🕵️ Detective 💔 Morally conflicted 🔥 Charismatic

Lamar Dickey (Benicio Del Toro)

A sharp, confident detective who probes Rachel's story while quietly orchestrating the scheme. He embodies calculated menace, pushing others to reveal inconsistencies and using manipulation to advance his own interests.

🕵️‍♂️ Detective 💰 Calculating ⚖️ Ambitious

Rachel Munro (Madeleine Stowe)

Wealthy, alluring, and highly strategic. She leverages her marriage and relationships to secure Rupert's fortune, presenting a composed exterior while orchestrating deception behind the scenes.

💔 Affair 🧠 Manipulative 🎭 Calculated

Rupert Munro (Charles Dance)

A domineering banker whose controlling and abusive behavior sparks the murder plot. His presence and power dynamics drive the couple's dangerous choices and set the stage for tragedy.

💼 Wealth 🔒 Abusive 🧭 Catalyst

Adele (Patricia Healy)

A minor employee who becomes entangled in Lamar's plan. She serves as a reluctant ally whose involvement helps propel the conspiracy toward discovery and confrontation.

🗝️ Access 💼 Involved 🗒️ Informant

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 15:49

Major Themes – China Moon (1994)

Explore the central themes of China Moon (1994), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

💔 Love & Betrayal

A passionate affair drives the plot and pushes characters toward drastic decisions. Desire and jealousy destabilize relationships and erode trust among spouses and lovers. The story treats romance as a dangerous force that enables deception and murder.

🕵️ Deception & Investigation

Two detectives chase a case built on misdirection and conflicting alibis. The investigation reveals how easily intentions can mask truth, and how witnesses can manipulate evidence to protect themselves. Trust fractures as motives emerge and loyalties shift.

🌕 China Moon Motif

The China Moon motif signals how a luminous, enigmatic force amplifies reckless impulses. The moon becomes a metaphor for how people reveal themselves under pressure and how easily plans unravel when desire overrides judgment.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 15:49

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Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.

Fatalistic crime spirals like in China Moon

Stories where a single bad decision triggers an inevitable cascade of betrayal and ruin.If you liked the tense, downward spiral of China Moon, you'll find similar movies here. These films are bleak crime thrillers and neo-noirs about characters whose lives collapse after a single fatal mistake, leading to a tense investigation and a tragic ending.

fatalistictenseparanoidcynicalanxiouscorruptdoomed

Narrative Summary

The narrative typically begins with a temptation—lust, greed, or a chance for escape—that leads a protagonist into a conspiracy, often involving murder. As they try to cover their tracks, an external force, like a dogged investigator or accumulating evidence, tightens the noose, creating relentless pressure that strips away their morality and leads to a catastrophic finale.

Why These Movies?

These films are grouped by their shared structure of a fatal mistake, a tense cover-up, and a bleak outcome. They create a specific, anxious mood through a steady pacing that feels like an inescapable trap closing in, delivering a heavy emotional weight and a deeply cynical view of human nature.

Thrillers about corrupt policemen like in China Moon

Gripping stories where the investigator becomes part of the crime they are supposed to solve.For viewers who enjoyed the corrupt policeman storyline in China Moon, this section features similar suspenseful crime thrillers. These movies focus on detectives who become compromised by an affair or crime, leading to a tense internal investigation and heavy consequences.

corruptsuspensefulparanoiddeceptiveanxiousunravelingmoral conflict

Narrative Summary

The plot revolves around a law enforcement officer who, driven by passion, greed, or a misguided sense of justice, becomes entangled in the very crime they are investigating. The conflict is often internal, pitting the corrupt cop against a suspicious partner or a relentless internal affairs investigation, forcing them to manipulate evidence and betray colleagues to survive.

Why These Movies?

These films share a core theme of institutional betrayal and personal moral failure. They are unified by a high-tone tension, a steady pacing that mirrors procedural investigation, and a heavy emotional weight derived from the spectacle of a trusted figure's devastating fall from grace.

Unlock the Full Story of China Moon

Don't stop at just watching — explore China Moon in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what China Moon is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

China Moon Summary

Read a complete plot summary of China Moon, including all key story points, character arcs, and turning points. This in-depth recap is ideal for understanding the narrative structure or reviewing what happened in the movie.

China Moon Summary

China Moon Timeline

Track the full timeline of China Moon with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.

China Moon Timeline

China Moon Spoiler-Free Summary

Get a quick, spoiler-free overview of China Moon that covers the main plot points and key details without revealing any major twists or spoilers. Perfect for those who want to know what to expect before diving in.

China Moon Spoiler-Free Summary

More About China Moon

Visit What's After the Movie to explore more about China Moon: box office results, cast and crew info, production details, post-credit scenes, and external links — all in one place for movie fans and researchers.

More About China Moon

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