Robert Towne spent much of the 1980s trying to get Tequila Sunrise made. Warren Beatty was originally attached, Harrison Ford later passed on the lead, and a dispute with Warner Bros. following Personal Best kept the project in limbo for years. It finally reached theaters in December 1988 with Mel Gibson, Kurt Russell, and Michelle Pfeiffer leading an adult romantic thriller from the Oscar-winning screenwriter of Chinatown. The film went on to earn roughly $106 million worldwide, proving there was still an audience for a movie where the biggest complications weren’t necessarily the drug deals but the people making them.

Dale “Mac” McKussic (Gibson, Lethal Weapon) made a fortune dealing cocaine and would now like nothing more than to leave that life behind. He’s trying to build a legitimate business, raise his young son, and stay out of trouble, but retiring from the drug trade isn’t as simple as handing in your notice. His oldest friend, Nick Frescia (Russell, Dark Blue), is a lieutenant with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s narcotics division. Their friendship goes back to high school, and while Nick would rather not arrest Mac, he’s becoming increasingly suspicious that his old buddy hasn’t entirely retired.

Complicating matters is Jo Ann Vallenari (Pfeiffer, The Witches of Eastwick), the independent owner of a fashionable Italian restaurant that Mac frequents. He’s clearly smitten but reluctant to make a move, while Nick has no such reservations. Unfortunately, Nick’s interest in Jo Ann isn’t entirely romantic. DEA agent Hal Maguire (J.T. Walsh, A Few Good Men) believes Mac is involved in an enormous cocaine shipment and wants Nick to help catch him. Before long, Jo Ann finds herself being courted by two longtime friends, one with a criminal past and the other with a badge and an agenda. Neither is especially forthcoming about his intentions, and she’s smart enough to know when she’s being played.

The investigation becomes even more complicated with the expected arrival of Carlos, a powerful Mexican drug trafficker whose longstanding friendship with Mac threatens to pull him back into business. Maguire brings Mexican police commander Javier Escalante (Raul Julia, Eyes of Laura Mars) into the investigation, and Julia makes an immediate impression. Charming, theatrical, and seemingly delighted by the maneuvering around him, Escalante brings a welcome flash of unpredictability to the proceedings. Julia has the kind of presence that makes you pay attention even when his character is merely sitting at a table. With federal agents circling, old loyalties being tested, and Jo Ann growing tired of everyone’s games, the situation becomes increasingly difficult for Mac to escape.

Towne gives the three leads plenty to work with, particularly when the film sets aside its criminal intrigue and lets them talk. Gibson plays Mac with a surprisingly gentle weariness, making him more convincing as a father and reluctant romantic than as a former cocaine kingpin. Russell, who reportedly modeled Nick’s slick appearance on Lakers coach Pat Riley, is all confidence and swagger, but his friendship with Mac reveals a man struggling to reconcile professional obligations with personal loyalty. Pfeiffer is particularly good at showing Jo Ann’s frustration as she realizes the men pursuing her are also using her to get what they want. The romantic triangle works because the two men know each other almost too well, while the woman between them is still trying to figure out whether either deserves her trust.

And then there’s Conrad L. Hall’s cinematography. His images of the Southern California coastline, bathed in amber, orange, and gold, earned the film its only Academy Award nomination. Hall knew the South Bay well and understood how the ocean haze could transform an ordinary sunset into something extraordinary. For one particularly beautiful shot involving a swing set, he reportedly used a movable swing so the production could follow the setting sun. Add Dave Grusin’s smooth, jazzy score, and the film becomes almost impossibly attractive. It’s a hangout movie wearing a thriller’s clothes, and the hangout is gorgeous.

The trouble is that Towne occasionally seems more interested in making the plot complicated than making it compelling. Informants, surveillance operations, secret arrangements, and competing loyalties pile up until the drug investigation threatens to swallow the more interesting relationships. Producer Thom Mount has said roughly 20 minutes were removed following an early preview, and there are moments when you can feel something missing from the storytelling. The film also takes its time getting where it’s going, which can be frustrating when the actors are clearly capable of giving us more than the screenplay allows.

Still, I find the appeal of Tequila Sunrise less in its twists than in its people. It’s an unusually glamorous look at friendship, betrayal, and the difficulty of escaping a past that refuses to let you go. Gibson, Russell, Pfeiffer, and Julia make excellent company, and Hall makes their world so inviting that you almost forget how much trouble everyone is in.

The plot may leave you scratching your head, but the company and the scenery make it a pretty enjoyable place to get lost.