Binny Redwine (Swoosie Kurtz) is the hidden main villainess of the 2000 film Sleep Easy, Hutch Rimes. She was an employee at the insurance company run by the film's titular protagonist Hutch Rimes, being Hutch's longest working employee.
Events[]
The film's main events have Hutch being dragged into his mistress Olivia Wise's plot to kill her husband Dewey, later attempting to blackmail Hutch by threatening to sue him for sexual harassment unless she did as she said. A desperate Hutch eventually confided in Binny, being shocked when Binny suggested that they kill Olivia to stop her. After the two go out into Hutch's car, Hutch attempted to dissuade Binny by assuring her he'd take care of her financially if Olivia went through with destroying his business, only for Binny to reveal her true reason for wanting to stop Olivia: she was in love with Hutch, having harbored her feelings since he first interviewed her for her job.
After Hutch was nearly killed by a speeding car (an act Hutch believed to be committed by a vengeful Dewey), Binny went about her plan of silencing Olivia by visiting her at her new apartment, claiming Hutch had attempted to rape her before joining her on the balcony to share the scotch she brought. As Olivia admired the view from her balcony, Binny took the opportunity to knock her out with the bottle, allowing her to shove her over the balcony to fall to her death while remarking that she was doing it out of love for Hutch. Binny later told Hutch about her actions when she arrived at his house, revealing that she'd also set Dewey's house on fire and assuring Hutch (who was shocked that Binny went through with killing Olivia) that he wouldn't be suspected.
Binny also revealed that she was aware of how Hutch had previously slept with employee Holly Proudfit and became a part of her scheme to kill her abusive husband Cotton, only for the plot to end with Cotton accidentally killing Holly instead. In addition to stating that Cotton had deserved to die for abusing Holly, Binny revealed that she had also learned that Hutch bought the water and mineral rights from Cotton's ranch and disregarded Hutch's deep regret over what happened to Holly, believing he'd inadvertently caused her death at Cotton's hands. Binny then proceeded to help Hutch construct his alibi, revealing that she had used Dewey's shoes to plant evidence to make it appear he had killed Olivia over their marital problems, while also framing Olivia for the arson. After snickering at detailing her plan, with Hutch also commending Binny for her thoroughness. After making plans with Hutch to finalize his alibi the next day, holding Hutch's face affectionately before leaving.
Reveal[]
The film's climax has Hutch being abducted by Cotton and his and Holly's son Jesse, the two men having made plans to kill Hutch after learning of his affair with Holly and his role in her ill-fated attempt on Cotton's life. Hutch was ultimately cornered in a barn after a failed escape attempt, with Hutch blasting Cotton for abusing Holly and telling Jesse she'd wanted to kill Cotton to stop him from molding Jesse into a version of himself.
Just as Jesse was prepared to kill Cotton, however, he was suddenly shot dead by Binny, who told Cotton that she had no choice and that she'd done so to protect Hutch before killing Cotton. After an injured Hutch fainted, Binny went about staging Cotton and Jesse's deaths as a murder-suicide committed by the former by replacing a letter Holly wrote Hutch with a suicide note and firing the gun in Cotton's hand after wiping her fingerprints off the weapon. After kissing Hutch on the forehead and assuring him that everything would be OK, Binny put the incapacitated man into the back seat of her car before driving away.
During the drive, Hutch thought back to the night of Holly's accidental death, and it was then that the true cause of the shooting was revealed: Binny had come to the Proudfit house and used a hammer to break a window, startling Cotton into shooting and killing Holly so as to eliminate her romantic rival. Binny was also revealed to have been responsible for the anonymous threats and (presumably) Hutch nearly being run over when the letters were shown in Binny's binder. Two weeks later, with Cotton and Jesse's deaths officially ruled a murder-suicide, Hutch arrived at a Sleep Easy Motel, where Binny (now with a redhaired wig) prepared to have sex with Hutch, telling him she'd dreamt of the moment for a long time. The final shot of the film also showed a new billboard being put up for the insurance company, indicating that Hutch and Binny were now running the company together.
Trivia[]
- Swoosie Kurtz later appeared on Law & Order: SVU as evil judge Hilda Marsden and on American Dad! as remorseful killer Marylin Thacker.
- In film, Swoosie Kurtz also played the evil Queen Evilia in 1996's Storybook.