Uncategorized: Recent Episodes

View Details

The 3 Guys Podcast Recorded on 10/5/2022 How do you kill something that can't possibly be alive? In this podcast we review Stephen King’s movie adaptation Christine starring Keith Gordon, John Stockwell, Alexandra Paul, Robert Prosky, Harry Dean Stanton and directed by John Carpenter. WARNING: There will be SPOILERS!

And look for a special segment on our show presented by the man himself, Kevin Smith. The 3 Guys Rating  2.6/5

Notes From The Show * Quick Synopsis * Released: December 9, 1983

Based On The Book: “Christine” by Stephen King

Directed By: John Carpenter

Screenplay By: Bill Phillips

Stars: Christine, Keith Gordon, John Stockwell, Alexandra Paul, Robert Prosky, Harry Dean Stanton and a bunch of other actors.

Plot: A nerdish boy buys a strange car with an evil mind of its own and his nature starts to change to reflect it.

Tagline: How do you kill something that can’t possibly be alive?

How did this movie do: Budget: $10 Million Box Office: $21 Million * Casting * + Initially, Columbia Pictures had wanted to cast Brooke Shields in the role of Leigh because of her publicity after the release of The Blue Lagoon (1981), and Scott Baio as Arnie. + The filmmakers declined the suggestion, opting to cast young actors who were still fairly unknown. Kevin Bacon auditioned for the role, but opted out when offered the lead in Footloose (1984). * Book Differences * + According to the movie, Christine was evil from the day she rolled off the assembly line, injuring an inspector and killing another worker who dropped cigar ashes on her seat. In the book, Christine was just a normal ’58 Plymouth Fury that was purchased by Roland LeBay, brother of George LeBay (Roberts Blossom), the man who sold Christine to Arnie in the movie. It’s Roland LeBay who made Christine evil, his love for Christine overriding even his love for his wife and daughter, both of whom died in the car. Thus, Roland’s evil spirit became one with Christine. In both the movie and the book, Christine could drive herself and repair any damage so long as she was kept moving. When Roland died and with no one to love her and drive her around, Christine ceased “living” and began to show her age, until Arnie came along. Roland’s evil spirit and love for Christine was then transferred to Arnie. + In the book, Arnie and Dennis worked on a construction crew over the summer. This is how Arnie saved up enough money to buy Christine and explains how Dennis knows how to drive the bulldozer. However, the book’s finale does not feature a bulldozer but instead a pink septic truck named Petunia. Stephen King’s idea for the final battle was two powerful “ladies” duking it out. * Trivia * + Christine is identified in the film as a red-and-white 1958 Plymouth Fury. In reality it was typically a 1957 model and often most the cars were Savoy and Belvedere models dressed to look like the Fury + In June 2021, Sony Pictures Entertainment and Blumhouse Productions announced the development of a remake of the film with Bryan Fuller penning the script and directing and Jason Blum, Vincenzo Natali and Steve Hoban producing. + Stephen King’s popularity was such at the time that the film went into production before the book was even published. + 15% of the budget was just on the cars. By the end of filming, all but 2 were destroyed. + Portions of the film, particularly Arnie’s neighborhood, were shot in the same South Pasadena neighborhood that director John Carpenter used in Halloween (1978). + Stephen King chose a ’58 Plymouth Fury for Christine because it was a “forgotten car.” “I didn’t want a car that already had a legend attached to it like the ’50s Thunderbird.” + One of the Plymouth Furys from the movie was sold for $167,000 in 2004. + John Carpenter refused to go to the premiere because of a superstition. “When I go to premieres, something bad always happens.” + Keith Gordon (Arnie) says on a DVD extra that he pretended the car was a woman, so wherever he touched the car, he imagined which part of a woman the car was. + The movie playing during the drive-in scene is Thank God It’s Friday (1978), which features a running gag where a character’s cherished automobile keeps getting damaged (both deliberately and inadvertently) throughout the film. + Keith Gordon was nervous about kissing Alexandra Paul, so he asked her to practice first. + Stephen King later created two characters named for Harry Dean Stanton: Harry Terwilliger and Dean Stanton. They were the names of two of the guards in The Green Mile (1999), which also featured Stanton himself as Old Toot-Toot. + In the scenes where Christine is autonomous a green hue is visible to indicate her sentience. This is also visible in Maximum Overdrive (1986) in the scene where a green hue is seen in the night sky. Both are works of Stephen King. + Body count : 8. + John Carpenter blacked out Christine’s windows so you don’t know if Arnie is driving her. + To achieve Christine’s very bright headlights, two 12 volt batteries were used. Unfortunately, this caused the headlights to burn out frequently. + The origin of the killer car’s name comes from Christine Romero. Stephen King was filming Creepshow in Pittsburgh with George and Christine Romero when he had the idea for the novel.

Released: December 9, 1983

Based On The Book: “Christine” by Stephen King

Directed By: John Carpenter

Screenplay By: Bill Phillips

Stars: Christine, Keith Gordon, John Stockwell, Alexandra Paul, Robert Prosky, Harry Dean Stanton and a bunch of other actors.

Plot: A nerdish boy buys a strange car with an evil mind of its own and his nature starts to change to reflect it.

Tagline: How do you kill something that can’t possibly be alive?

How did this movie do: Budget: $10 Million Box Office: $21 Million

• Initially, Columbia Pictures had wanted to cast Brooke Shields in the role of Leigh because of her publicity after the release of The Blue Lagoon (1981), and Scott Baio as Arnie.

• The filmmakers declined the suggestion, opting to cast young actors who were still fairly unknown. Kevin Bacon auditioned for the role, but opted out when offered the lead in Footloose (1984).

• According to the movie, Christine was evil from the day she rolled off the assembly line, injuring an inspector and killing another worker who dropped cigar ashes on her seat. In the book, Christine was just a normal ’58 Plymouth Fury that was purchased by Roland LeBay, brother of George LeBay (Roberts Blossom), the man who sold Christine to Arnie in the movie. It’s Roland LeBay who made Christine evil, his love for Christine overriding even his love for his wife and daughter, both of whom died in the car. Thus, Roland’s evil spirit became one with Christine. In both the movie and the book, Christine could drive herself and repair any damage so long as she was kept moving. When Roland died and with no one to love her and drive her around, Christine ceased “living” and began to show her age, until Arnie came along. Roland’s evil spirit and love for Christine was then transferred to Arnie.

• In the book, Arnie and Dennis worked on a construction crew over the summer. This is how Arnie saved up enough money to buy Christine and explains how Dennis knows how to drive the bulldozer. However, the book’s finale does not feature a bulldozer but instead a pink septic truck named Petunia. Stephen King’s idea for the final battle was two powerful “ladies” duking it out.

• Christine is identified in the film as a red-and-white 1958 Plymouth Fury. In reality it was typically a 1957 model and often most the cars were Savoy and Belvedere models dressed to look like the Fury

• In June 2021, Sony Pictures Entertainment and Blumhouse Productions announced the development of a remake of the film with Bryan Fuller penning the script and directing and Jason Blum, Vincenzo Natali and Steve Hoban producing.
• Stephen King’s popularity was such at the time that the film went into production before the book was even published.
• 15% of the budget was just on the cars. By the end of filming, all but 2 were destroyed.
• Portions of the film, particularly Arnie’s neighborhood, were shot in the same South Pasadena neighborhood that director John Carpenter used in Halloween (1978).
• Stephen King chose a ’58 Plymouth Fury for Christine because it was a “forgotten car.” “I didn’t want a car that already had a legend attached to it like the ’50s Thunderbird.”
• One of the Plymouth Furys from the movie was sold for $167,000 in 2004.
• John Carpenter refused to go to the premiere because of a superstition. “When I go to premieres, something bad always happens.”
• Keith Gordon (Arnie) says on a DVD extra that he pretended the car was a woman, so wherever he touched the car, he imagined which part of a woman the car was.
• The movie playing during the drive-in scene is Thank God It’s Friday (1978), which features a running gag where a character’s cherished automobile keeps getting damaged (both deliberately and inadvertently) throughout the film.
• Keith Gordon was nervous about kissing Alexandra Paul, so he asked her to practice first.
• Stephen King later created two characters named for Harry Dean Stanton: Harry Terwilliger and Dean Stanton. They were the names of two of the guards in The Green Mile (1999), which also featured Stanton himself as Old Toot-Toot.
• In the scenes where Christine is autonomous a green hue is visible to indicate her sentience. This is also visible in Maximum Overdrive (1986) in the scene where a green hue is seen in the night sky. Both are works of Stephen King.
• Body count : 8.
• John Carpenter blacked out Christine’s windows so you don’t know if Arnie is driving her.
• To achieve Christine’s very bright headlights, two 12 volt batteries were used. Unfortunately, this caused the headlights to burn out frequently.
• The origin of the killer car’s name comes from Christine Romero. Stephen King was filming Creepshow in Pittsburgh with George and Christine Romero when he had the idea for the novel.

About The Movie From IMDB

Previous Next

Note: All images are property of their respected owners and used for editorial purposes.

View Details

The 3 Guys Podcast Recorded on 9/27/2022 They're too old for this shift. In this podcast, we review Kevin Smith’s new movie Clerks III starring Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Trevor Fehrman, Austin Zajur, Rosario Dawson, Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith himself. WARNING: There will be SPOILERS!

And look for a special segment on our show presented by the man himself, Kevin Smith. The 3 Guys Rating  4.1/5

Notes From The Show * Quick Synopsis * Released: September 13, 2022

Directed By: Kevin Smith

Story By: Kevin Smith

Stars: Brian O’Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Trevor Fehrman, Austin Zajur, Jason Mewes, Rosario Dawson, Kevin Smith and a bunch of other actors.

Plot: Dante, Elias, and Jay and Silent Bob are enlisted by Randal after a heart attack to make a movie about the convenience store that started it all.

Taglines: They’re too old for this shift.

How did this movie do: Budget: $5 Million Box Office: Still in Theaters * Casting * + Fred Armisen, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Freddie Prinze Jr., Melissa Benoist, Chris Wood, Anthony Michael Hall, Danny Trejo, Ralph Garman, and Impractical Jokers’ Brian Quinn, Sal Vulcano, James Murray, and Joe Gatto all appear as actors auditioning for Inconvenience. Various customers from the original Clerks reprise their roles for Inconvenience. Other View Askew alumni cameos include John Willyung reprising his role as Cohee Lundin from Chasing Amy, as well as Scott Mosier and Ethan Suplee each reprising their role of Willam Black from both Clerks and Mallrats. * Next Kevin Smith Movies * + At the Q&A we attended with Kevin Smith, he laid out the next movies he’d like to do. This is speculation and in no particular order, but Kevin says they will happen. - The 430 Movie - Moose Jaws - Twilight of the Mallrats - Tusks - Jay & Silent Bob – Something…starring Logan Mewes & Harley Quinn Smith * Trivia * + Clerks III is the 15th movie Kevin has directed. + Originally, Kevin Smith announced in 2017 that Clerks 3 was off the table after a falling-out with his friend Jeff Anderson who had played Randall Graves in Clerks (1994) and Clerks II (2006). Anderson had read the script but chose not to be involved; Smith canceled the project and made Jay and Silent Bob Reboot (2019) instead. Two weeks before Jay and Silent Bob Reboot was released, however, Smith revealed that he had spent an entire day signing Clerks movie memorabilia together with Anderson and Jason Mewes (Jay). This reunion allowed them to patch things up, and provided him with so much inspiration that he immediately threw away the old script, and started working on a new one with ideas that Anderson was receptive to. According to Smith, it will be “a movie that concludes a saga […] about how you’re never too old to completely change your life […] about how a decades-spanning friendship finally confronts the future.” + Began filming on Kevin Smith’s 51st birthday. + During the heart attack operation scene, Randal tells Dr. Ladenheim (Amy Sedaris) about the Disney+ show The Mandalorian (2019). On the show, Sedaris plays the character Peli Motto in a recurring role. + In the original film, Dante and Randall were both 22 years of age. In this film, they are now both nearing 50. + Part of the film’s plot, involving Dante and Randal making a movie at the Quick Stop, was also going to be the plot of a planned Clerks animated movie, based on the short-lived TV series. It was to be titled Clerks Sell Out, which was never produced. + Uses the actual Quick Stop Groceries location from the first Clerks film in New Jersey, which is now run by the son of the original owner. Unlike the first film which could only be shot at night (hence why the shutters were jammed), the store was closed for two weeks which allowed for scenes to be shot during the day. Previously, the Quick Stop location in Jay and Silent Bob Reboot (2019), was a facade built in New Orleans, which had a much bigger parking lot and different surroundings. + The character played by Ethan Suplee auditions using lines said by Suplee’s character in the movie Mallrats. + The first of the Clerks films not to be photographed by series regular David Klein. + Marc Bernardin plays a character named Lando, previously introduced in Clerks (2000). This will be the character’s live-action debut. + At one point, Randal mentions actor Seth Rogen, who previously starred in Kevin Smith’s Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008). + The premise of Randall surviving a heart attack and aspiring to do better things in his life echoes that of Kevin Smith’s personal life where a few years prior he nearly died of a heart attack and changed his diet to be completely vegan for better health. + Fred Armisen, Sarah Michelle Gellar, and Ben Affleck make cameo appearances as actors auditioning for Randall’s film. This film marks Gellar’s first theatrical live-action film in 13 years. + Randall’s idea to have Dante die in the third act of his movie is taken from the original ending to Clerks where the Quick-stop store is robbed, and Dante is shot and left for dead. When the film began to make the rounds in the independent film scene, Kevin Smith was suggested to take the dark ending out and end it with Randall telling Dante that they’re officially closed for the day. + In the Big Bang Theory episode “The Fortification Implementation” Kevin Smith off air asks Kaley Cuoco as Penny to audition for Clerks 3. + As seen in the flashback while he’s in the hospital waiting for Randall, the sweater that Dante is wearing when the paramedics bring Becky in on the stretcher (presumably the day she dies) is the same sweater he is wearing the night he has his heart attack and dies. + The only “Clerks” film to not end with a song by Soul Asylum.

Released: September 13, 2022

Directed By: Kevin Smith

Story By: Kevin Smith

Stars: Brian O’Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Trevor Fehrman, Austin Zajur, Jason Mewes, Rosario Dawson, Kevin Smith and a bunch of other actors.

Plot: Dante, Elias, and Jay and Silent Bob are enlisted by Randal after a heart attack to make a movie about the convenience store that started it all.

Taglines: They’re too old for this shift.

How did this movie do: Budget: $5 Million Box Office: Still in Theaters

• Fred Armisen, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Freddie Prinze Jr., Melissa Benoist, Chris Wood, Anthony Michael Hall, Danny Trejo, Ralph Garman, and Impractical Jokers’ Brian Quinn, Sal Vulcano, James Murray, and Joe Gatto all appear as actors auditioning for Inconvenience. Various customers from the original Clerks reprise their roles for Inconvenience. Other View Askew alumni cameos include John Willyung reprising his role as Cohee Lundin from Chasing Amy, as well as Scott Mosier and Ethan Suplee each reprising their role of Willam Black from both Clerks and Mallrats.

• At the Q&A we attended with Kevin Smith, he laid out the next movies he’d like to do. This is speculation and in no particular order, but Kevin says they will happen.

  • The 430 Movie
  • Moose Jaws
  • Twilight of the Mallrats
  • Tusks
  • Jay & Silent Bob – Something…starring Logan Mewes & Harley Quinn Smith

• Clerks III is the 15th movie Kevin has directed.

• Originally, Kevin Smith announced in 2017 that Clerks 3 was off the table after a falling-out with his friend Jeff Anderson who had played Randall Graves in Clerks (1994) and Clerks II (2006). Anderson had read the script but chose not to be involved; Smith canceled the project and made Jay and Silent Bob Reboot (2019) instead. Two weeks before Jay and Silent Bob Reboot was released, however, Smith revealed that he had spent an entire day signing Clerks movie memorabilia together with Anderson and Jason Mewes (Jay). This reunion allowed them to patch things up, and provided him with so much inspiration that he immediately threw away the old script, and started working on a new one with ideas that Anderson was receptive to. According to Smith, it will be “a movie that concludes a saga […] about how you’re never too old to completely change your life […] about how a decades-spanning friendship finally confronts the future.”
• Began filming on Kevin Smith’s 51st birthday.
• During the heart attack operation scene, Randal tells Dr. Ladenheim (Amy Sedaris) about the Disney+ show The Mandalorian (2019). On the show, Sedaris plays the character Peli Motto in a recurring role.
• In the original film, Dante and Randall were both 22 years of age. In this film, they are now both nearing 50.
• Part of the film’s plot, involving Dante and Randal making a movie at the Quick Stop, was also going to be the plot of a planned Clerks animated movie, based on the short-lived TV series. It was to be titled Clerks Sell Out, which was never produced.
• Uses the actual Quick Stop Groceries location from the first Clerks film in New Jersey, which is now run by the son of the original owner. Unlike the first film which could only be shot at night (hence why the shutters were jammed), the store was closed for two weeks which allowed for scenes to be shot during the day. Previously, the Quick Stop location in Jay and Silent Bob Reboot (2019), was a facade built in New Orleans, which had a much bigger parking lot and different surroundings.
• The character played by Ethan Suplee auditions using lines said by Suplee’s character in the movie Mallrats.
• The first of the Clerks films not to be photographed by series regular David Klein.
• Marc Bernardin plays a character named Lando, previously introduced in Clerks (2000). This will be the character’s live-action debut.
• At one point, Randal mentions actor Seth Rogen, who previously starred in Kevin Smith’s Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008).
• The premise of Randall surviving a heart attack and aspiring to do better things in his life echoes that of Kevin Smith’s personal life where a few years prior he nearly died of a heart attack and changed his diet to be completely vegan for better health.
• Fred Armisen, Sarah Michelle Gellar, and Ben Affleck make cameo appearances as actors auditioning for Randall’s film. This film marks Gellar’s first theatrical live-action film in 13 years.
• Randall’s idea to have Dante die in the third act of his movie is taken from the original ending to Clerks where the Quick-stop store is robbed, and Dante is shot and left for dead. When the film began to make the rounds in the independent film scene, Kevin Smith was suggested to take the dark ending out and end it with Randall telling Dante that they’re officially closed for the day.
• In the Big Bang Theory episode “The Fortification Implementation” Kevin Smith off air asks Kaley Cuoco as Penny to audition for Clerks 3.
• As seen in the flashback while he’s in the hospital waiting for Randall, the sweater that Dante is wearing when the paramedics bring Becky in on the stretcher (presumably the day she dies) is the same sweater he is wearing the night he has his heart attack and dies.
• The only “Clerks” film to not end with a song by Soul Asylum.

About The Movie From IMDB

Previous Next

Note: All images are property of their respected owners and used for editorial purposes.

View Details

The 3 Guys Podcast Recorded on 9/26/2022 For 10 weeks we've reviewed the Greatest Classic 80s Action Flicks. In this Special Episode, we crown A Winner. We also give out various other awards including best hero, one-liner, villain, montage and more. Out of all our 80s heros, who will win in Thunderdome? Join us for this fun episode and let us know if you agree or disagree with our results.

What was our judging criteria? * A “Muy Macho” Hero with quotable one-liners played by a recognizable star * An Over-the-Top Villain * A Montage Sequence * Expernsive & Extensive Chase Scenes * Epic Fight Scenes * A Villain Monologue * A Final Showdown * An “Oh Crap” Death for our Bad Guy * Franchise Potential * Around a 90 minute runtime * A high body count * & and cool ride.

Our 80s Action Flick Review Ratings Below is our ratings for each 80s Action movie we review. This does not include any 80s action movie we previously reviewed or that are considered a "GREATEST ACTION MOVIE" of all time (example: Diehard) not just the 80s.

View Details

The 3 Guys Podcast Recorded on 9/23/2022 If there's a mission that no man could survive...then he's the man for the job. In this podcast we wrap up our search for the Greatest Classic 80s Action flick with our review of the movie “Commando” starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rae Dawn Chong, Alyssa Milano, Vernon Wells and directed by Mark L. Lester. WARNING: There will be SPOILERS!

The 3 Guys Rating  3.6/5

Notes From The Show * Quick Synopsis * Released: October 4, 1985

Directed By: Mark L. Lester

Screen Play By: Steven E. de Souza

Story By: Joseph Loeb III, Matthew Weisman & Steven E. de Souza

Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rae Dawn Chong, Alyssa Milano, Vernon Wells and a bunch of other actors.

Plot: A retired Special Forces colonel tries to save his daughter, who was abducted by his former subordinate.

Taglines: If there’s a mission that no man could survive…then he’s the man for the job.

How did this movie do:Budget: $9 MillionBox Office: $58 Million * Action Cuts * + Body count: Body count: 109 (102 killed by Arnold Schwarzenegger). + Top One-Liners - John Matrix: You’re a funny guy Sully, I like you. That’s why I’m going to kill you last. - Sully: I’ll say it a little louder, get fucked! - John Matrix: I eat Green Berets for breakfast. And right now, I’m very hungry! - John Matrix: Let off some steam, Bennett. - John Matrix: Don’t disturb my friend, he’s dead tired. - John Matrix: I’ll be back, Bennett! * 80's Checklist * 1. A “Muy Macho” Hero with quotable one-liners played by a recognizable star – Schwarzenegger (Matrix) 2. Over the Top Villain – Bennett 3. A Montage Sequence – Yes 4. Over the Top Chase Scenes – Yes 5. Epic Fight Scenes – Yes 6. A Villain Speech/Monologue – Yes 7. A Final Showdown – Yes 8. An “Oh Crap” Death for our Bad Guy – So Many “OH CRAP” deaths 9. Franchise Potential – Had potential but never happened 10. Around a 90 minute runtime – 90 11. A High Body Count – 109 (102 killed by Arnold) * Casting * + Vernon Wells was the first choice to be cast as Captain Bennett, mostly because of his role in Mad Max 2 (1981). Mark L. Lester stated that Wells was “the only one that could have played against him [Schwarzenegger]”. He further added Bennett was “in love with Matrix but he hated him, too. He wanted to kill him but he was in love with him + Rae Dawn Chong nailed her audition and was given this role on the spot. She took it, saying, “I knew Arnold would make the film a hit, and I wanted to be part of that.” + Vernon Wells wasn’t the original actor cast to play Bennett. He did audition for the role and lost to Wings Hauser. On the first day of filming, however, director Mark L. Lester fired Hauser and hired Wells. This is the reason that Bennett’s clothes seem so tight, because Wells was bigger than Hauser, and the production didn’t have time to make a new costume. + It was rumored Vernon Wells got the part of Bennett because of his performance as Wez in The Road Warrior (1981). * Trivia * + According to Alyssa Milano, Arnold Schwarzenegger was very protective of her on set. “He even helped with my algebra homework.” + Vernon Wells described his look as “Freddie Mercury on steroids”. + The shopping mall (Sherman Oaks Galleria) used is the same one that was used in Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), also starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. Since both films wrapped, the mall has been remodeled. + Rae Dawn Chong’s reactions to the motel fight were filmed separately and were completely ad-libbed. + Arnold Schwarzenegger & Rae Dawn Chong shot a love scene, but it was deemed unconvincing and was dropped from the movie. + Arnold Schwarzenegger performed many of his own stunts, as producers found it difficult to find a stunt double for the bodybuilder. The actor suffered a dislocated shoulder and several stitches during the shoot. + The mansion used in the final shootout between Matrix and Arius (the former Harold Lloyd estate in Beverly Hills) is the same mansion seen in the final shootout between Axel Foley and Victor Maitland in Beverly Hills Cop (1984). Coincidentally, both Matrix and Foley were trying to rescue somebody named Jenny in that mansion in their respective films. + John McTiernan was offered the chance to direct this film, and turned it down. Later, while editing Nomads (1986), his feature debut, he was offered the chance to direct Arnold Schwarzenegger’s second film for 20th Century Fox, Predator (1987), which he accepted. He also directed Arnie in Last Action Hero (1993). + After filming one scene, Arnold Schwarzenegger told Mark L. Lester to never give Vernon Wells a real knife. + The shot of Matrix standing on the landing gear of the plane as it races down the runway was shot by constructing the wheel section of a plane and attaching it by hydraulics to the side of a camera truck. + This film came out the same year as the similarly-themed Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985), starring Sylvester Stallone. Both films performed well at the box office, although Stallone’s film was a much bigger hit and cultural/global phenomenon. The fact that Stallone and Schwarzenegger had competing films out in the same year fueled the “Stallone vs. Schwarzenegger” rivalry that went on for years, both with each other and in the media. + The cut on Arnold Schwarzenegger’s forehead in the beginning of the movie was real. + The introduction to Matrix as he comes out of the forest, with close ups on his boots, chest, biceps etc was shot and edited in a similar fashion as Leni Riefenstahl’s Nazi propaganda movies. According to director Mark L. Lester this was done to represent the notion of the invincible man of the earth emerging from the forest. + Arnold Schwarzenegger stabbed himself with a knife and had to get stitches. + Arnold Schwarzenegger was transported to the hospital three times during the filming as he was performing many of his own stunts. + In three alternate takes of Bennett’s death scene, Matrix says different lines: “I hate small talk!”; “I think it was too much pressure for you, Bennett.” and “Couldn’t take the pressure, Bennett?” + Originally, the studio execs didn’t want Arnold Schwarzenegger to talk at all in the movie. This would have been a real loss, as Arnold’s hilarious one-liners would have been sorely missed. + Filming began on 4/22/85 and wrapped on 6/6/85 after 1 month, 6 weeks, or 45 days of filming. + Arnold Schwarzenegger received a $2,000,000 salary for this film. This comes out to $5,472,118.96 in 2022 adjusted for inflation. + The $100,000 that Bennett says he was originally offered comes out to $273,605.95 in 2022. + At the beginning during the attack in his house, Matrix runs to the shed to get his gun. He punches in a security code to open the door. The code is 1 3 3, which is also the emergency number to call the police in Austria (Arnold’s native Home) + A scene that was filmed, but cut, sees General Kirby arrive at the shopping mall following Matrix’s rampage and tells the investigating police officer to reconsider going after Matrix. He warns the officer that Matrix was trained not to surrender and not go down without a fight and that the police force cannot stop him. The scene was included in the Director’s Cut special features. + The knives used by Matrix and Bennett in the fight at the end of the film were custom made for the movie by Texas knife expert Jack Crain. + This is the second of three films in which Bill Paxton and Arnold Schwarzenegger worked together, the other two being The Terminator (1984) and True Lies (1994). + Screenwriter Jeph Loeb originally wrote the script with the intention of having Gene Simmons play Matrix, but Simmons passed on it early in the developmental stage. Loeb then rewrote the script with Nick Nolte in mind as an out-of-condition former Commando. The storyline was to concern a special forces agent working in the Middle East who becomes sick of the continuous death and destruction. He leaves Israel, returns to the United States + The little red car that Cindy owns, and Arnie just about wrecks in the car chase scene, is a Sunbeam Alpine, a 1960s British sports car. + The film is inspired by DC Comics character Sgt. Rock, which star Arnold Schwarzenegger and producer Joel Silver had long attempted to make into a movie. Screenwriter Jeph Loeb had written for comics and gave Sgt. Rock’s first name (Franklin) to General Kirby, and his middle name (John) to Matrix. - Jeph Loeb is a Peabody Award-winning and two-time Emmy Nominated Writer/Producer. His television credits include Jessica Jones (2015), Luke Cage (2016), Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2013) and Legion (2017), as well as Lost (2004) and Smallville (2001). His career started with writing and producing the films Teen Wolf (1985) and Commando (1985). His graphic novels Batman: The Long Halloween and Superman for All Seasons have been cited as influences on Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, Smallville and Gotham. + Arnold Schwarzenegger agreed to do the movie because he wasn’t playing a caveman nor a robot and wouldn’t be walking around with no clothes on and that he would be playing a normal person. + Vernon Wells briefly reprises his role for Bennet (named Barrett) in the spoof movie No Chance (2020), 35 years after the original movie’s release.

Released: October 4, 1985

Directed By: Mark L. Lester

Screen Play By: Steven E. de Souza

Story By: Joseph Loeb III, Matthew Weisman & Steven E. de Souza

Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rae Dawn Chong, Alyssa Milano, Vernon Wells and a bunch of other actors.

Plot: A retired Special Forces colonel tries to save his daughter, who was abducted by his former subordinate.

Taglines: If there’s a mission that no man could survive…then he’s the man for the job.

How did this movie do:Budget: $9 MillionBox Office: $58 Million

• Body count: Body count: 109 (102 killed by Arnold Schwarzenegger).

• Top One-Liners

  • John Matrix: You’re a funny guy Sully, I like you. That’s why I’m going to kill you last.
  • Sully: I’ll say it a little louder, get fucked!
  • John Matrix: I eat Green Berets for breakfast. And right now, I’m very hungry!
  • John Matrix: Let off some steam, Bennett.
  • John Matrix: Don’t disturb my friend, he’s dead tired.
  • John Matrix: I’ll be back, Bennett!

• A “Muy Macho” Hero with quotable one-liners played by a recognizable star – Schwarzenegger (Matrix)

• Over the Top Villain – Bennett
• A Montage Sequence – Yes
• Over the Top Chase Scenes – Yes
• Epic Fight Scenes – Yes
• A Villain Speech/Monologue – Yes
• A Final Showdown – Yes
• An “Oh Crap” Death for our Bad Guy – So Many “OH CRAP” deaths
• Franchise Potential – Had potential but never happened
• Around a 90 minute runtime – 90

• A High Body Count – 109 (102 killed by Arnold)

• Vernon Wells was the first choice to be cast as Captain Bennett, mostly because of his role in Mad Max 2 (1981). Mark L. Lester stated that Wells was “the only one that could have played against him [Schwarzenegger]”. He further added Bennett was “in love with Matrix but he hated him, too. He wanted to kill him but he was in love with him

• Rae Dawn Chong nailed her audition and was given this role on the spot. She took it, saying, “I knew Arnold would make the film a hit, and I wanted to be part of that.”
• Vernon Wells wasn’t the original actor cast to play Bennett. He did audition for the role and lost to Wings Hauser. On the first day of filming, however, director Mark L. Lester fired Hauser and hired Wells. This is the reason that Bennett’s clothes seem so tight, because Wells was bigger than Hauser, and the production didn’t have time to make a new costume.

• It was rumored Vernon Wells got the part of Bennett because of his performance as Wez in The Road Warrior (1981).

• According to Alyssa Milano, Arnold Schwarzenegger was very protective of her on set. “He even helped with my algebra homework.”

• Vernon Wells described his look as “Freddie Mercury on steroids”.
• The shopping mall (Sherman Oaks Galleria) used is the same one that was used in Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), also starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. Since both films wrapped, the mall has been remodeled.
• Rae Dawn Chong’s reactions to the motel fight were filmed separately and were completely ad-libbed.
• Arnold Schwarzenegger & Rae Dawn Chong shot a love scene, but it was deemed unconvincing and was dropped from the movie.
• Arnold Schwarzenegger performed many of his own stunts, as producers found it difficult to find a stunt double for the bodybuilder. The actor suffered a dislocated shoulder and several stitches during the shoot.
• The mansion used in the final shootout between Matrix and Arius (the former Harold Lloyd estate in Beverly Hills) is the same mansion seen in the final shootout between Axel Foley and Victor Maitland in Beverly Hills Cop (1984). Coincidentally, both Matrix and Foley were trying to rescue somebody named Jenny in that mansion in their respective films.
• John McTiernan was offered the chance to direct this film, and turned it down. Later, while editing Nomads (1986), his feature debut, he was offered the chance to direct Arnold Schwarzenegger’s second film for 20th Century Fox, Predator (1987), which he accepted. He also directed Arnie in Last Action Hero (1993).
• After filming one scene, Arnold Schwarzenegger told Mark L. Lester to never give Vernon Wells a real knife.
• The shot of Matrix standing on the landing gear of the plane as it races down the runway was shot by constructing the wheel section of a plane and attaching it by hydraulics to the side of a camera truck.
• This film came out the same year as the similarly-themed Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985), starring Sylvester Stallone. Both films performed well at the box office, although Stallone’s film was a much bigger hit and cultural/global phenomenon. The fact that Stallone and Schwarzenegger had competing films out in the same year fueled the “Stallone vs. Schwarzenegger” rivalry that went on for years, both with each other and in the media.
• The cut on Arnold Schwarzenegger’s forehead in the beginning of the movie was real.
• The introduction to Matrix as he comes out of the forest, with close ups on his boots, chest, biceps etc was shot and edited in a similar fashion as Leni Riefenstahl’s Nazi propaganda movies. According to director Mark L. Lester this was done to represent the notion of the invincible man of the earth emerging from the forest.
• Arnold Schwarzenegger stabbed himself with a knife and had to get stitches.
• Arnold Schwarzenegger was transported to the hospital three times during the filming as he was performing many of his own stunts.
• In three alternate takes of Bennett’s death scene, Matrix says different lines: “I hate small talk!”; “I think it was too much pressure for you, Bennett.” and “Couldn’t take the pressure, Bennett?”
• Originally, the studio execs didn’t want Arnold Schwarzenegger to talk at all in the movie. This would have been a real loss, as Arnold’s hilarious one-liners would have been sorely missed.
• Filming began on 4/22/85 and wrapped on 6/6/85 after 1 month, 6 weeks, or 45 days of filming.
• Arnold Schwarzenegger received a $2,000,000 salary for this film. This comes out to $5,472,118.96 in 2022 adjusted for inflation.
• The $100,000 that Bennett says he was originally offered comes out to $273,605.95 in 2022.
• At the beginning during the attack in his house, Matrix runs to the shed to get his gun. He punches in a security code to open the door. The code is 1 3 3, which is also the emergency number to call the police in Austria (Arnold’s native Home)
• A scene that was filmed, but cut, sees General Kirby arrive at the shopping mall following Matrix’s rampage and tells the investigating police officer to reconsider going after Matrix. He warns the officer that Matrix was trained not to surrender and not go down without a fight and that the police force cannot stop him. The scene was included in the Director’s Cut special features.
• The knives used by Matrix and Bennett in the fight at the end of the film were custom made for the movie by Texas knife expert Jack Crain.
• This is the second of three films in which Bill Paxton and Arnold Schwarzenegger worked together, the other two being The Terminator (1984) and True Lies (1994).
• Screenwriter Jeph Loeb originally wrote the script with the intention of having Gene Simmons play Matrix, but Simmons passed on it early in the developmental stage. Loeb then rewrote the script with Nick Nolte in mind as an out-of-condition former Commando. The storyline was to concern a special forces agent working in the Middle East who becomes sick of the continuous death and destruction. He leaves Israel, returns to the United States
• The little red car that Cindy owns, and Arnie just about wrecks in the car chase scene, is a Sunbeam Alpine, a 1960s British sports car.
• The film is inspired by DC Comics character Sgt. Rock, which star Arnold Schwarzenegger and producer Joel Silver had long attempted to make into a movie. Screenwriter Jeph Loeb had written for comics and gave Sgt. Rock’s first name (Franklin) to General Kirby, and his middle name (John) to Matrix.
  • Jeph Loeb is a Peabody Award-winning and two-time Emmy Nominated Writer/Producer. His television credits include Jessica Jones (2015), Luke Cage (2016), Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2013) and Legion (2017), as well as Lost (2004) and Smallville (2001). His career started with writing and producing the films Teen Wolf (1985) and Commando (1985). His graphic novels Batman: The Long Halloween and Superman for All Seasons have been cited as influences on Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, Smallville and Gotham.
• Arnold Schwarzenegger agreed to do the movie because he wasn’t playing a caveman nor a robot and wouldn’t be walking around with no clothes on and that he would be playing a normal person.
• Vernon Wells briefly reprises his role for Bennet (named Barrett) in the spoof movie No Chance (2020), 35 years after the original movie’s release.

About The Movie From IMDB

Previous Next Note: All images are property of their respected owners and used for editorial purposes.

View Details

The 3 Guys Podcast Recorded on 9/5/2022 What most people call hell, he calls home. In this podcast, we review the Classic 80s Action flick Rambo: First Blood Part II starring Sylvester Stallone, Richard Crenna, Charles Napier, Steven Berkoff, Martin Kove and directed by George P. Cosmatos. WARNING: There will be SPOILERS!

The 3 Guys Rating  3.8/5

Notes From The Show * Quick Synopsis * Released: May 22, 1985

Directed By: George P. Cosmatos

Screen Play By: Sylvester Stallone & James Cameron

Story By: Kevin Jarre

Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Richard Crenna, Charles Napier, Steven Berkoff, Martin Kove and a bunch of other actors

Plot: Rambo returns to the jungles of Vietnam on a mission to infiltrate an enemy base-camp and rescue the American POWs still held captive there.

Tagline: What most people call hell, he calls home.

How did this movie do?Budget: $26 MillionBox Office: $300 Million * Action Cuts * + Body count: 85 (74 at the hands of Rambo.) + Top One-Liners - Rambo: I want, what they want, and every other guy who came over here and spilled his guts and gave everything he had, wants! For our country to love us as much as we love it! That’s what I want! - Rambo: Murdock… I’m coming to get you! - Rambo: To survive a war, you gotta become war. - Rambo: Mission… accomplished. - Podovsky: I see you are no stranger to pain. - Rambo: Fuck you. * 80's Checklist * 1. A “Muy Macho” Hero with quotable one-liners played by a recognizable star – Stallone (RAMBO) 2. Over the Top Villain – Podovsky 3. A Montage Sequence – Yes 4. Over the Top Chase Scenes – Foot & Helicopter 5. Epic Fight Scenes – Yes 6. A Villain Speech/Monologue – Yes 7. A Final Showdown – Yes 8. An “Oh Crap” Death for our Bad Guy – So Many “OH CRAP” deaths 9. Franchise Potential – Yes 10. Around a 90 minute runtime – 96 11. A High Body Count –85 (74 at the hands of Rambo.) * Casting * + Dolph Lundgren was initially signed as the Russian Lieutenant Colonel Podovsky (played by Steven Berkoff), when Sylvester Stallone realized that it was the same man who was going to be in Rocky IV (1985), so they paid off the contract. + John Travolta was originally considered to play a wisecracking sidekick who accompanies Rambo on his rescue mission. In the James Cameron draft, Rambo is paired with a partner, but Sylvester Stallone decided to nix the role to make it more of a solo vehicle. Travolta was suggested to play Rambo in the late 1970s when First Blood (1982) was in pre-production. * Trivia * + At the time of filming (1985), there were close to 2,500 Vietnam vets still missing in action. + The film is dedicated to stuntman Cliff Wenger Jr., who was accidentally killed by one of the film’s explosions. + To prepare for this role, Sylvester Stallone did eight months of training for four hours a day. He also took SWAT combat, archery and survival courses. + Co-writer James Cameron claims that he only wrote the first draft of the script, and that Sylvester Stallone made many changes to it. Cameron had originally paired Rambo with a humorous sidekick, and had fleshed out the prisoners of war with elaborate backstories that were to be revealed over the course of the film. However, Stallone reportedly didn’t like that the sidekick got all the cool dialogue, and also scrapped most of the POW’s backstories to the point where Cameron claimed that “they might as well have gotten to the jungle to pick up a six-pack of beer”. When the film was released, the political content of the movie was considered controversial, with many feeling that the Vietnam War was altered to look and sound heroic. Cameron commented that he only wrote the action, and that Stallone wrote the politics. + The only film in the Rambo series to be nominated for an Oscar. + Rambo’s stats, as given in the film: “Rambo, John J., born 7/6/47 Bowie, Arizona of Indian-German descent. Joined army 8/6/64. Accepted, Special Forces specialization, light weapons, cross-trained as medic. Helicopter and language qualified, 59 confirmed kills, two Silver Stars, four Bronze, four Purple Hearts, Distinguished Service Cross, Medal of Honor.” + The technical advisor, Tony Maffatone, insisted that all the guns in the movie be real. + When Sylvester Stallone ranked his preference of the Rambo films on the UK chat show, The Graham Norton Show (2007), he ranked this one 4th, his least favorite, as it was “like a cartoon”. + George P. Cosmatos claimed that one of the challenges was “coming up with new ways to kill Russians”. + Remarkably this film has a great deal of foundation in fact. In the early 1980s US Delta Force commandos prepared for a possible mission to rescue US prisoners of war held in Southeast Asia just as they do under Colonel Trautman. However their efforts were stymied by Colonel Bo Gritz, like John Rambo a much decorated former Green Beret and Vietnam War veteran, who launched his own abortive attempts to stage a private rescue raid. A subsequent government inquiry headed by Senators/Vietnam veterans Bob Smith, John Kerry and John McCain (himself a former POW who was held and tortured for 5 years) concluded there were no prisoners left behind and vilified individuals perpetuating the idea as attempting to defraud desperate families. + Sylvester Stallone constantly dealt with snakes, spiders and scorpions throughout production. + All of the shots of the military base were done on a Mexican Air Force airstrip. The logos have been painted over or obscured, and the real crew always have their backs toward the camera or are far enough away from the camera so no one would notice. + Temperatures during filming sometimes reached 120 degrees. + In scenes where arrows are being shot, they are attached with wire so they land in the right spot without hurting anyone. + The original director of photography fell ill shortly before filming began and the producers were in a panic to find a last minute replacement who was willing to travel to Mexico. As sheer luck would have it, actor Steven Berkoff discovered in a phone call to a mutual friend that legendary British DOP Jack Cardiff happened to be holidaying close by at the time. He mentioned it to Sylvester Stallone who jumped at the chance to get the Oscar winning 70 year old veteran on-board and hurriedly brought it to the attention of the producer and then contacted him. Cardiff was initially reluctant to accept the job as he had only just finished work on the Stephen King film adaptation, Cat’s Eye (1985), and was only intending to have a quiet vacation before returning home to the UK. But Stallone’s persistence plus a substantial fee for six weeks work proved too much of a temptation. + The line, “I can see you’re no stranger to pain”, spoken by Steven Berkoff, also appears in Hot Shots! Part Deux (1993), a spoof of Rambo III (1988). This time, the line was spoken by one of Saddam’s interrogators to Richard Crenna, whose role as Col. Denton Walte ironically spoofed his own role in the Rambo movies. + Steven Berkoff, who plays the main villain in the film, Lt. Col Podovsky, also played the main villain a year earlier in Beverly Hills Cop (1984), a film that was originally developed with Sylvester Stallone in the lead role. Stallone’s version of Beverly Hills Cop (1984) was subsequently re-worked to become the film Cobra (1986), Stallone’s follow up collaboration with director George P. Cosmatos after this film. + Lee Marvin was originally going to play Marshall Murdock but changed his mind. + The film’s theme song, “Peace in Our Life”, was performed by Sylvester Stallone’s brother, Frank Stallone. + Despite being an action film, no one dies until the 34-minute mark, over a third of the film’s runtime. + Robert Davi was set to star in the movie but dropped out to star in The Goonies (1985). + According to the Rambo Survival Mode on DVD, Rambo attended Rangeford High School and graduated in 1965. + This is Steven Berkoff’s second time portraying a Russian villain. The first time is in Octopussy (1983). + This is the second time that a Rocky film and a Rambo film were released in the same year. Both films star Sylvester Stallone. This film and Rocky IV (1985) were released in 1985. The first time that a Rocky film and a Rambo film were released in the same year was in 1982. Rocky III (1982) and First Blood (1982) were released in 1982. Rocky III (1982) was released on May 28, 1982, and First Blood (1982) was released on October 22, 1982. This film was released on May 24, 1985, and Rocky IV (1985) was released on November 27, 1985. Also, in both cases, a film from either Stallone-led franchise was released either during the summer or autumn. + Sylvester Stallone had worked with Martin Kove in Death Race 2000 (1975). + Much of Jerry Goldsmith’s heightened scoring sounds very similar to the scoring he did for the intense action sequences in BABY: SECRET OF THE LOST LEGEND – released just two months earlier. + According to the stats given by Murdock, Rambo has 59 confirmed kills during the Vietnam War. However, Rambo kills 74 people during the course of this film, which spans two days. So, in two days, Rambo kills more people than his whole time in the war. + At the end of the novel “First Blood” by David Morrell, John Rambo dies, which doesn’t allow for sequels and ends on a dark note. The ending was changed in the movie, allowing for this sequel to be made. + In a rare alternative take of the ending scene (when Rambo says, “I want, what they want, and every other guy who came over here and spilled his guts and gave everything he had, wants! For our country to love us as much as we love it! That’s what I want!”), Rambo wept as he told this to Trautman. A behind-the-scenes video of this take can be seen in an episode of Entertainment Tonight (1981) from the mid-to-late 80s. + While writing the script for this film, James Cameron had done research on Vietnam veterans and Post Traumatic Stress Disorders. At the time, Cameron was also writing the script for Aliens (1986). He used his research to also write PTSD into Ellen Ripley’s story arc after the trauma she went through in Alien (1979). + In James Cameron’s script, Rambo is a mental patient and had been in a mental hospital following the events of the first movie and is visited by Col. Trautman. However, when Sylvester Stallone rewrote the script, Rambo is in a labor work prison. James Cameron reused Rambo being in a mental hospital for Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) which Linda Hamilton’s character from the first movie Sarah Connor has been put in a mental hospital and has gone from a waitress to a mad criminal suffering from acute schizo-effective disorder following the events of the first movie. + There are two immediate giveaways that Murdock was lying about serving in the Marines in Vietnam besides the fact Rambo points out to Trautman about misidentifying the service of 2nd Battalion: - First, when Murdock first meets Rambo, he complains about the heat saying “there’s nothing like it”. If Murdock had served in Vietnam like he claimed, he would’ve already experienced the heat and would theoretically be used to it. - Second, during his briefing to Rambo about why they are on this mission, he talks about the veterans and their families with a detached attitude. If Murdock had served in the Marines and had “lost a lot of good men” like he had claimed, he would’ve taken this mission more personally. + When Rambo uses the Chicken/Hen/Fowl blood to fool the Vietnamese Soldiers in the sugarcane field near the village…the alive hen Rambo finds near the Gasoline can and the dead one shown later near the Gasoline Can in the sugarcane field are of different breeds of Fowl/Hen/Chicken.

Released: May 22, 1985

Directed By: George P. Cosmatos

Screen Play By: Sylvester Stallone & James Cameron

Story By: Kevin Jarre

Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Richard Crenna, Charles Napier, Steven Berkoff, Martin Kove and a bunch of other actors

Plot: Rambo returns to the jungles of Vietnam on a mission to infiltrate an enemy base-camp and rescue the American POWs still held captive there.

Tagline: What most people call hell, he calls home.

How did this movie do?Budget: $26 MillionBox Office: $300 Million

• Body count: 85 (74 at the hands of Rambo.)

• Top One-Liners

  • Rambo: I want, what they want, and every other guy who came over here and spilled his guts and gave everything he had, wants! For our country to love us as much as we love it! That’s what I want!
  • Rambo: Murdock… I’m coming to get you!
  • Rambo: To survive a war, you gotta become war.
  • Rambo: Mission… accomplished.
  • Podovsky: I see you are no stranger to pain.
  • Rambo: Fuck you.

• A “Muy Macho” Hero with quotable one-liners played by a recognizable star – Stallone (RAMBO)

• Over the Top Villain – Podovsky
• A Montage Sequence – Yes
• Over the Top Chase Scenes – Foot & Helicopter
• Epic Fight Scenes – Yes
• A Villain Speech/Monologue – Yes
• A Final Showdown – Yes
• An “Oh Crap” Death for our Bad Guy – So Many “OH CRAP” deaths
• Franchise Potential – Yes
• Around a 90 minute runtime – 96

• A High Body Count –85 (74 at the hands of Rambo.)

• Dolph Lundgren was initially signed as the Russian Lieutenant Colonel Podovsky (played by Steven Berkoff), when Sylvester Stallone realized that it was the same man who was going to be in Rocky IV (1985), so they paid off the contract.

• John Travolta was originally considered to play a wisecracking sidekick who accompanies Rambo on his rescue mission. In the James Cameron draft, Rambo is paired with a partner, but Sylvester Stallone decided to nix the role to make it more of a solo vehicle. Travolta was suggested to play Rambo in the late 1970s when First Blood (1982) was in pre-production.

• At the time of filming (1985), there were close to 2,500 Vietnam vets still missing in action.

• The film is dedicated to stuntman Cliff Wenger Jr., who was accidentally killed by one of the film’s explosions.
• To prepare for this role, Sylvester Stallone did eight months of training for four hours a day. He also took SWAT combat, archery and survival courses.
• Co-writer James Cameron claims that he only wrote the first draft of the script, and that Sylvester Stallone made many changes to it. Cameron had originally paired Rambo with a humorous sidekick, and had fleshed out the prisoners of war with elaborate backstories that were to be revealed over the course of the film. However, Stallone reportedly didn’t like that the sidekick got all the cool dialogue, and also scrapped most of the POW’s backstories to the point where Cameron claimed that “they might as well have gotten to the jungle to pick up a six-pack of beer”. When the film was released, the political content of the movie was considered controversial, with many feeling that the Vietnam War was altered to look and sound heroic. Cameron commented that he only wrote the action, and that Stallone wrote the politics.
• The only film in the Rambo series to be nominated for an Oscar.
• Rambo’s stats, as given in the film: “Rambo, John J., born 7/6/47 Bowie, Arizona of Indian-German descent. Joined army 8/6/64. Accepted, Special Forces specialization, light weapons, cross-trained as medic. Helicopter and language qualified, 59 confirmed kills, two Silver Stars, four Bronze, four Purple Hearts, Distinguished Service Cross, Medal of Honor.”
• The technical advisor, Tony Maffatone, insisted that all the guns in the movie be real.
• When Sylvester Stallone ranked his preference of the Rambo films on the UK chat show, The Graham Norton Show (2007), he ranked this one 4th, his least favorite, as it was “like a cartoon”.
• George P. Cosmatos claimed that one of the challenges was “coming up with new ways to kill Russians”.
• Remarkably this film has a great deal of foundation in fact. In the early 1980s US Delta Force commandos prepared for a possible mission to rescue US prisoners of war held in Southeast Asia just as they do under Colonel Trautman. However their efforts were stymied by Colonel Bo Gritz, like John Rambo a much decorated former Green Beret and Vietnam War veteran, who launched his own abortive attempts to stage a private rescue raid. A subsequent government inquiry headed by Senators/Vietnam veterans Bob Smith, John Kerry and John McCain (himself a former POW who was held and tortured for 5 years) concluded there were no prisoners left behind and vilified individuals perpetuating the idea as attempting to defraud desperate families.
• Sylvester Stallone constantly dealt with snakes, spiders and scorpions throughout production.
• All of the shots of the military base were done on a Mexican Air Force airstrip. The logos have been painted over or obscured, and the real crew always have their backs toward the camera or are far enough away from the camera so no one would notice.
• Temperatures during filming sometimes reached 120 degrees.
• In scenes where arrows are being shot, they are attached with wire so they land in the right spot without hurting anyone.
• The original director of photography fell ill shortly before filming began and the producers were in a panic to find a last minute replacement who was willing to travel to Mexico. As sheer luck would have it, actor Steven Berkoff discovered in a phone call to a mutual friend that legendary British DOP Jack Cardiff happened to be holidaying close by at the time. He mentioned it to Sylvester Stallone who jumped at the chance to get the Oscar winning 70 year old veteran on-board and hurriedly brought it to the attention of the producer and then contacted him. Cardiff was initially reluctant to accept the job as he had only just finished work on the Stephen King film adaptation, Cat’s Eye (1985), and was only intending to have a quiet vacation before returning home to the UK. But Stallone’s persistence plus a substantial fee for six weeks work proved too much of a temptation.
• The line, “I can see you’re no stranger to pain”, spoken by Steven Berkoff, also appears in Hot Shots! Part Deux (1993), a spoof of Rambo III (1988). This time, the line was spoken by one of Saddam’s interrogators to Richard Crenna, whose role as Col. Denton Walte ironically spoofed his own role in the Rambo movies.
• Steven Berkoff, who plays the main villain in the film, Lt. Col Podovsky, also played the main villain a year earlier in Beverly Hills Cop (1984), a film that was originally developed with Sylvester Stallone in the lead role. Stallone’s version of Beverly Hills Cop (1984) was subsequently re-worked to become the film Cobra (1986), Stallone’s follow up collaboration with director George P. Cosmatos after this film.
• Lee Marvin was originally going to play Marshall Murdock but changed his mind.
• The film’s theme song, “Peace in Our Life”, was performed by Sylvester Stallone’s brother, Frank Stallone.
• Despite being an action film, no one dies until the 34-minute mark, over a third of the film’s runtime.
• Robert Davi was set to star in the movie but dropped out to star in The Goonies (1985).
• According to the Rambo Survival Mode on DVD, Rambo attended Rangeford High School and graduated in 1965.
• This is Steven Berkoff’s second time portraying a Russian villain. The first time is in Octopussy (1983).
• This is the second time that a Rocky film and a Rambo film were released in the same year. Both films star Sylvester Stallone. This film and Rocky IV (1985) were released in 1985. The first time that a Rocky film and a Rambo film were released in the same year was in 1982. Rocky III (1982) and First Blood (1982) were released in 1982. Rocky III (1982) was released on May 28, 1982, and First Blood (1982) was released on October 22, 1982. This film was released on May 24, 1985, and Rocky IV (1985) was released on November 27, 1985. Also, in both cases, a film from either Stallone-led franchise was released either during the summer or autumn.
• Sylvester Stallone had worked with Martin Kove in Death Race 2000 (1975).
• Much of Jerry Goldsmith’s heightened scoring sounds very similar to the scoring he did for the intense action sequences in BABY: SECRET OF THE LOST LEGEND – released just two months earlier.
• According to the stats given by Murdock, Rambo has 59 confirmed kills during the Vietnam War. However, Rambo kills 74 people during the course of this film, which spans two days. So, in two days, Rambo kills more people than his whole time in the war.
• At the end of the novel “First Blood” by David Morrell, John Rambo dies, which doesn’t allow for sequels and ends on a dark note. The ending was changed in the movie, allowing for this sequel to be made.
• In a rare alternative take of the ending scene (when Rambo says, “I want, what they want, and every other guy who came over here and spilled his guts and gave everything he had, wants! For our country to love us as much as we love it! That’s what I want!”), Rambo wept as he told this to Trautman. A behind-the-scenes video of this take can be seen in an episode of Entertainment Tonight (1981) from the mid-to-late 80s.
• While writing the script for this film, James Cameron had done research on Vietnam veterans and Post Traumatic Stress Disorders. At the time, Cameron was also writing the script for Aliens (1986). He used his research to also write PTSD into Ellen Ripley’s story arc after the trauma she went through in Alien (1979).
• In James Cameron’s script, Rambo is a mental patient and had been in a mental hospital following the events of the first movie and is visited by Col. Trautman. However, when Sylvester Stallone rewrote the script, Rambo is in a labor work prison. James Cameron reused Rambo being in a mental hospital for Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) which Linda Hamilton’s character from the first movie Sarah Connor has been put in a mental hospital and has gone from a waitress to a mad criminal suffering from acute schizo-effective disorder following the events of the first movie.
• There are two immediate giveaways that Murdock was lying about serving in the Marines in Vietnam besides the fact Rambo points out to Trautman about misidentifying the service of 2nd Battalion:
  • First, when Murdock first meets Rambo, he complains about the heat saying “there’s nothing like it”. If Murdock had served in Vietnam like he claimed, he would’ve already experienced the heat and would theoretically be used to it.
  • Second, during his briefing to Rambo about why they are on this mission, he talks about the veterans and their families with a detached attitude. If Murdock had served in the Marines and had “lost a lot of good men” like he had claimed, he would’ve taken this mission more personally.
• When Rambo uses the Chicken/Hen/Fowl blood to fool the Vietnamese Soldiers in the sugarcane field near the village…the alive hen Rambo finds near the Gasoline can and the dead one shown later near the Gasoline Can in the sugarcane field are of different breeds of Fowl/Hen/Chicken.

About The Movie From IMDB

Previous Next Note: All images are property of their respected owners and used for editorial purposes.

View Details

The 3 Guys Podcast Recorded on 9/1/2022 Two of L.A.'s top rival cops are going to have to work together... Even if it kills them. In this podcast, we review the Classic 80s Action flick Tango and Cash starring Sylvester Stallone, Kurt Russell, Jack Palance, Teri Hatcher and directed by Andrei Konchalovsky. WARNING: There will be SPOILERS! The 3 Guys Rating  3.4/5

Notes From The Show * Quick Synopsis * Released: December 22, 1989

Directed By: Andrei Konchalovsky

Screen Play By: Randy Feldman

Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Kurt Russell, Jack Palance, Teri Hatcher and a bunch of other actors

Plot: Framed by their ruthless arch-nemesis, a mismatched LAPD crime-fighting duo has to put its differences aside to even the score with the evil kingpin who put them behind bars once and for all.

Tagline: Two of L.A.’s top rival cops are going to have to work together… Even if it kills them.

How did this movie do? Budget: $54 Million Box Office: $120 Million * Action Cuts * + Body count: 20 (Tango=11, Cash=5) + Top One-Liners - Ray Tango: Rambo? Rambo’s a pussy. - Captain Schroeder: If you really wanted to stare death in the eye, you shoulda gotten married. - Gabriel Cash: Lucky for me this place is soundproof. That way nobody gets to hear me beating the truth out of you. - Ray Tango: Genetics, peewee. - Gabriel Cash: I don’t know about you, but I have an aversion to getting F.U.B.A.R… - Ray Tango: My contribution to birth control. - Gabriel Cash: I don’t know. But it’s not raining and he’s standing in a puddle. - Gabriel Cash: Well, if it isn’t Armani with a badge. - Ray Tango: [speaking to Face behind bars] I loved you in Conan the Barbarian. - Gabriel Cash: You want my vote for the Psycho Hall of Fame, asshole? You got it! * 80's Checklist * 1. A “Muy Macho” Hero with quotable one-liners played by a recognizable star – We get the 2 for the price of one…Tango (Stallone) AND Cash (Russell) 2. Over the Top Villain – Jack Palace (Yves Perret) 3. A Montage Sequence – Nope 4. Over the Top Chase Scenes – RV From Hell & On Foot 5. Epic Fight Scenes – Many 6. A Villain Speech/Monologue – Yes 7. A Final Showdown – Yes 8. An “Oh Crap” Death for our Bad Guy – 2 Shots to the Head 9. Franchise Potential – Could have been 10. Around a 90 minute runtime – 11. A High Body Count – 104 12. A Cool Ride: The RV from Hell (built from a 1988 Chevrolet K2500 truck) * Casting * + Patrick Swayze was originally cast as Cash, but he dropped out to star in Road House (1989). + Michael Biehn, Pierce Brosnan, Kevin Costner, Harrison Ford, Richard Gere, Mel Gibson, Don Johnson, Michael Keaton, Ray Liotta, Liam Neeson, Michael Nouri, Gary Oldman, Robert Patrick, Bill Paxton, Ron Perlman, Dennis Quaid, Gary Sinise, Bruce Willis, and James Woods were considered to play Gabriel Cash. * Trivia * + When Brion James was originally hired to play Requin, it was a very small role with only two lines. In an effort to give the character something that would make him stand out, James decided to speak in a horrible “cockney” accent. Sylvester Stallone loved it, and re-wrote the script to give Requin a much bigger role. The same thing happened with Face, played by Robert Z’Dar, who was originally not meant to appear after the opening scene but Sylvester Stallone and Andrey Konchalovskiy took a liking to Z’Dar and thought his appearance was so striking he deserved a larger role in the film. + The production was beset with problems from the start. The intended star, Patrick Swayze, dropped out. Principal photography began without a completed script. Sylvester Stallone had the original director of photography, Barry Sonnenfeld, fired. Then, Jon Peters fired Andrey Konchalovskiy. The film ultimately went $20 million over budget, and had to be completely re-edited by Stuart Baird prior to release. + Director Andrey Konchalovskiy was replaced toward the end of principal photography by Albert Magnoli. In his book of memoirs, Konchalovsky says that the reason he was fired was because he wanted to give the film a more serious tone than the producers wanted and, as such, his relationship with producer Jon Peters became untenable. Konchalovsky, however, has nothing but praise for Sylvester Stallone, who he states was a constant voice of reason on the set. + The scene where Tango faces an oncoming truck with nothing but a gun was borrowed from Police Story (1985), where Jackie Chan performed the stunt. As a “response”, Chan would later reference the make shift zip-line prison escape moment in this film in a scene early in the third installment of the Police Story series, Supercop (1992). + The glasses Sylvester Stallone wears early in the film are his own, not props. He usually wears contact lenses in his films. The lenses show that he is very near-sighted in one eye, less so in the other. Plus, he has astigmatism. + Kurt Russell was originally considered and offered the role of Martin Riggs in Lethal Weapon (1987), but he turned it down, and it went to Mel Gibson, with whom he worked on Tequila Sunrise (1988). His character in this film is loosely based on Riggs. + While filming the scene in which the back of the SUV catches fire, the flames would not go out when filming was over. Kurt Russell and Sylvester Stallone were caught in a cross draft. Stallone was so close to the fire that his hair was singed in places. + The climactic battle in the quarry was shot in a real quarry in Irwindale, California, east of Los Angeles. Every shot in the sequence was filmed by a minimum of eleven cameras, and some of the set-ups were so dangerous, the stunt team was only allowed to do them once. + Years later, Sylvester Stallone offered the role of “Mr. Church” to Kurt Russell in The Expendables (2010). Russell declined the role, which was then accepted by Bruce Willis. + This was one of the first American movies to get a wide release in Soviet bloc countries after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Bootleg VHS tapes became hot sellers in Russia. Brion James once claimed he never felt more like a celebrity than when he was swarmed by crowds of people in Ukraine who recognized him as one of the movie’s villains. + The theatrical trailer shows some alternate and deleted scenes; alternate cut of the shower scene between Tango and Cash, deleted or alternate fight scene between Cash and the Chinese assassin during which Cash says “I hate you karate guys”, and a deleted scene in which Tango is reading the newspapers and then pulling out a Spas 12 shotgun at someone and shooting at some car with it. + Shortly after this film was released, a very potent batch of heroin was sold in The Bronx, New York. “Tango & Cash” was stamped on the bags. So many users overdosed, some fatally, that the NYPD drove around neighborhoods using loudspeakers to tell people not to use that particular batch of heroin. This was reported on all the flagship network TV stations there as well. + One of the monster trucks at the quarry scene towards the end is the famous Bigfoot truck. Although it’s painted different colors than its trademark blue color, and does not feature any Bigfoot decals, it was confirmed that it is in fact Bigfoot by owner of the original monster truck Bob Chandler. + The sound effect used for Tango and Cash’s truck in the quarry is the same as Luke Skywalker’s landspeeder in Star Wars (1977). + Jeffrey Boam, who worked on the scripts for two of the Lethal Weapon films, was one of the writers who did a re-write of the script during the movie’s troubled production. But, because he either didn’t like the draft he wrote, or the film, he refused to be credited. + Tango’s call sign by the dispatch is 20 William 12. The same call sign used by Martin Riggs and Roger Murtaugh in Lethal Weapon (1987). + Sylvester Stallone and Kurt Russell later co-starred in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017), although they do not share screen time together. + This was the final film of the 1980’s to go in theaters. + When Tango and Cash escape from the prison, Cash turns to Tango and asks if he stopped “for coffee and a Danish.” Tango says, “I hate Danish,” an in-joke referring to Sylvester Stallone’s recent divorce from Danish actress Brigitte Nielsen.

Released: December 22, 1989

Directed By: Andrei Konchalovsky

Screen Play By: Randy Feldman

Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Kurt Russell, Jack Palance, Teri Hatcher and a bunch of other actors

Plot: Framed by their ruthless arch-nemesis, a mismatched LAPD crime-fighting duo has to put its differences aside to even the score with the evil kingpin who put them behind bars once and for all.

Tagline: Two of L.A.’s top rival cops are going to have to work together… Even if it kills them.

How did this movie do? Budget: $54 Million Box Office: $120 Million

• Body count: 20 (Tango=11, Cash=5)

• Top One-Liners

  • Ray Tango: Rambo? Rambo’s a pussy.
  • Captain Schroeder: If you really wanted to stare death in the eye, you shoulda gotten married.
  • Gabriel Cash: Lucky for me this place is soundproof. That way nobody gets to hear me beating the truth out of you.
  • Ray Tango: Genetics, peewee.
  • Gabriel Cash: I don’t know about you, but I have an aversion to getting F.U.B.A.R…
  • Ray Tango: My contribution to birth control.
  • Gabriel Cash: I don’t know. But it’s not raining and he’s standing in a puddle.
  • Gabriel Cash: Well, if it isn’t Armani with a badge.
  • Ray Tango: [speaking to Face behind bars] I loved you in Conan the Barbarian.
  • Gabriel Cash: You want my vote for the Psycho Hall of Fame, asshole? You got it!

• A “Muy Macho” Hero with quotable one-liners played by a recognizable star – We get the 2 for the price of one…Tango (Stallone) AND Cash (Russell)

• Over the Top Villain – Jack Palace (Yves Perret)
• A Montage Sequence – Nope
• Over the Top Chase Scenes – RV From Hell & On Foot
• Epic Fight Scenes – Many
• A Villain Speech/Monologue – Yes
• A Final Showdown – Yes
• An “Oh Crap” Death for our Bad Guy – 2 Shots to the Head
• Franchise Potential – Could have been
• Around a 90 minute runtime –
• A High Body Count – 104

• A Cool Ride: The RV from Hell (built from a 1988 Chevrolet K2500 truck)

• Patrick Swayze was originally cast as Cash, but he dropped out to star in Road House (1989).

• Michael Biehn, Pierce Brosnan, Kevin Costner, Harrison Ford, Richard Gere, Mel Gibson, Don Johnson, Michael Keaton, Ray Liotta, Liam Neeson, Michael Nouri, Gary Oldman, Robert Patrick, Bill Paxton, Ron Perlman, Dennis Quaid, Gary Sinise, Bruce Willis, and James Woods were considered to play Gabriel Cash.

• When Brion James was originally hired to play Requin, it was a very small role with only two lines. In an effort to give the character something that would make him stand out, James decided to speak in a horrible “cockney” accent. Sylvester Stallone loved it, and re-wrote the script to give Requin a much bigger role. The same thing happened with Face, played by Robert Z’Dar, who was originally not meant to appear after the opening scene but Sylvester Stallone and Andrey Konchalovskiy took a liking to Z’Dar and thought his appearance was so striking he deserved a larger role in the film.

• The production was beset with problems from the start. The intended star, Patrick Swayze, dropped out. Principal photography began without a completed script. Sylvester Stallone had the original director of photography, Barry Sonnenfeld, fired. Then, Jon Peters fired Andrey Konchalovskiy. The film ultimately went $20 million over budget, and had to be completely re-edited by Stuart Baird prior to release.
• Director Andrey Konchalovskiy was replaced toward the end of principal photography by Albert Magnoli. In his book of memoirs, Konchalovsky says that the reason he was fired was because he wanted to give the film a more serious tone than the producers wanted and, as such, his relationship with producer Jon Peters became untenable. Konchalovsky, however, has nothing but praise for Sylvester Stallone, who he states was a constant voice of reason on the set.
• The scene where Tango faces an oncoming truck with nothing but a gun was borrowed from Police Story (1985), where Jackie Chan performed the stunt. As a “response”, Chan would later reference the make shift zip-line prison escape moment in this film in a scene early in the third installment of the Police Story series, Supercop (1992).
• The glasses Sylvester Stallone wears early in the film are his own, not props. He usually wears contact lenses in his films. The lenses show that he is very near-sighted in one eye, less so in the other. Plus, he has astigmatism.
• Kurt Russell was originally considered and offered the role of Martin Riggs in Lethal Weapon (1987), but he turned it down, and it went to Mel Gibson, with whom he worked on Tequila Sunrise (1988). His character in this film is loosely based on Riggs.
• While filming the scene in which the back of the SUV catches fire, the flames would not go out when filming was over. Kurt Russell and Sylvester Stallone were caught in a cross draft. Stallone was so close to the fire that his hair was singed in places.
• The climactic battle in the quarry was shot in a real quarry in Irwindale, California, east of Los Angeles. Every shot in the sequence was filmed by a minimum of eleven cameras, and some of the set-ups were so dangerous, the stunt team was only allowed to do them once.
• Years later, Sylvester Stallone offered the role of “Mr. Church” to Kurt Russell in The Expendables (2010). Russell declined the role, which was then accepted by Bruce Willis.
• This was one of the first American movies to get a wide release in Soviet bloc countries after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Bootleg VHS tapes became hot sellers in Russia. Brion James once claimed he never felt more like a celebrity than when he was swarmed by crowds of people in Ukraine who recognized him as one of the movie’s villains.
• The theatrical trailer shows some alternate and deleted scenes; alternate cut of the shower scene between Tango and Cash, deleted or alternate fight scene between Cash and the Chinese assassin during which Cash says “I hate you karate guys”, and a deleted scene in which Tango is reading the newspapers and then pulling out a Spas 12 shotgun at someone and shooting at some car with it.
• Shortly after this film was released, a very potent batch of heroin was sold in The Bronx, New York. “Tango & Cash” was stamped on the bags. So many users overdosed, some fatally, that the NYPD drove around neighborhoods using loudspeakers to tell people not to use that particular batch of heroin. This was reported on all the flagship network TV stations there as well.
• One of the monster trucks at the quarry scene towards the end is the famous Bigfoot truck. Although it’s painted different colors than its trademark blue color, and does not feature any Bigfoot decals, it was confirmed that it is in fact Bigfoot by owner of the original monster truck Bob Chandler.
• The sound effect used for Tango and Cash’s truck in the quarry is the same as Luke Skywalker’s landspeeder in Star Wars (1977).
• Jeffrey Boam, who worked on the scripts for two of the Lethal Weapon films, was one of the writers who did a re-write of the script during the movie’s troubled production. But, because he either didn’t like the draft he wrote, or the film, he refused to be credited.
• Tango’s call sign by the dispatch is 20 William 12. The same call sign used by Martin Riggs and Roger Murtaugh in Lethal Weapon (1987).
• Sylvester Stallone and Kurt Russell later co-starred in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017), although they do not share screen time together.
• This was the final film of the 1980’s to go in theaters.
• When Tango and Cash escape from the prison, Cash turns to Tango and asks if he stopped “for coffee and a Danish.” Tango says, “I hate Danish,” an in-joke referring to Sylvester Stallone’s recent divorce from Danish actress Brigitte Nielsen.

About The Movie From IMDB

Previous Next

Note: All images are property of their respected owners and used for editorial purposes.

View Details

The 3 Guys Podcast Recorded on 8/25/2022 They told Jack Burton to go to hell...and that's exactly where he's going! In this podcast, we review the Classic 80s Action flick Big Trouble in Little China starring Kurt Russell, Kim Cattrall, Dennis Dun, James and directed by John Carpenter. WARNING: There will be SPOILERS! The 3 Guys Rating  3.5/5

Notes From The Show * Quick Synopsis * Released: July 2, 1986

Directed By: John Carpenter

Originally Written By: Gary Goldman & David Z. Weinstein

Adapted By: D. Richter

Music By: John Carpenter & Alan Howarth

Stars: Kurt Russell, Kim Cattrall, Dennis Dun, James Hong and a bunch of other actors.

Plot: A rough-and-tumble trucker and his side kick face off with an ancient sorcerer in a supernatural battle beneath Chinatown.

Taglines:

+ Adventure doesn’t come any bigger!
+ They told Jack Burton to go to hell…and that’s exactly where he’s going!**How did this movie do?**

Budget: $25 Million Box Office: $11 Million * Action Cuts * + Body count: 106 - Lightning – 20 (Deceased) - Thunder – 19 (Deceased) - Rain – 19 (Deceased) - Egg Shen – 14 (Alive) - Jack Burton – 8 (Alive) - Wang Chi – 5 (Alive + Top One-Liners: - When some wild-eyed, eight-foot-tall maniac grabs your neck, taps the back of your favorite head up against the barroom wall, and he looks you crooked in the eye and he asks you if ya paid your dues, you just stare that big sucker right back in the eye, and you remember what ol’ Jack Burton always says at a time like that: “Have ya paid your dues, Jack?” “Yessir, the check is in the mail.” - Just remember what ol’ Jack Burton does when the earth quakes, and the poison arrows fall from the sky, and the pillars of Heaven shake. Yeah, Jack Burton just looks that big ol’ storm right square in the eye and he says, “Give me your best shot, pal. I can take it.” - Jack Burton: Everybody relax, I’m here. - Jack Burton: I’m a reasonable guy. But, I’ve just experienced some very unreasonable things. - Jack Burton: You know what ol’ Jack Burton always says at a time like this? - Jack Burton: Like I told my last wife, I says, “Honey, I never drive faster than I can see. Besides that, it’s all in the reflexes.” - Jack Burton: Sooner or later I rub everybody the wrong way. - Jack Burton: [speaking to Lo Pan] Are you crazy… Is that your problem? - Jack Burton: Son of a bitch must pay! - Jack Burton: Is it getting hot in here, or is it just me? - Jack Burton: What, I’m supposed to buy this shit? 2,000 years and he can’t find a broad to fit the bill? Come on, Dave, you must be doin’ somethin’ seriously wrong. - Jack Burton: We really shook the pillars of heaven, didn’t we, Wang? - Jack Burton: It’s all in the reflexes. - Jack Burton: How do you do, ma’am? Henry Swanson’s my name and excitement’s my game. - Jack Burton: Let’s you and me have a little talk, friend. * 80's Checklist * 1. A “Muy Macho” Hero with quotable one-liners played by a recognizable star – Jack Burton played by Kurt Russell 2. Over the Top Villain – Lo Pan 3. A Montage Sequence – Nope 4. Over the Top Chase Scenes – Early on Chase scene from Airport 5. Epic Fight Scenes – May over the top fight scenes 6. A Villain Speech/Monologue – Lo Pan has a few 7. A Final Showdown – Yes 8. An “Oh Crap” Death for our Bad Guy – Knife to the head & Thunder’s temper tantrum 9. Franchise Potential – Spawned a Comic & an upcoming sequel staring The Rock. 10. Around a 90 minute runtime – 99 minutes 11. A High Body Count – 106 Deaths 12. A Cool Ride: The “Pork Chop Express” – is a Freightliner FLC 120. * Casting * + Carpenter wanted a big star of his own and both Clint Eastwood and Jack Nicholson were considered but were busy. + Jeff Bridges was considered to play Jack Burton, since he worked with John Carpenter on Starman (1984). He was also considered for Kurt Russell’s roles in Escape from New York (1981) and The Thing (1982). + Jackie Chan was John Carpenter’s first choice to play Wang Chi, but producer Lawrence Gordon was highly against it, fearing Chan’s English wasn’t good enough after seeing his performances in Battle Creek Brawl (1980) and The Protector (1985), but Carpenter wanted Chan after the success of Police Story (1985). Chan declined and Dennis Dun was cast instead. * Trivia * + Big Trouble was released in the midst of the hype for James Cameron’s blockbuster Aliens, which was released 16 days after. Cameron believes this is one of the big reasons Big Trouble performed so badly at the box office. + The Chinese characters in the main title translate to “Evil Spirits Make a Big Scene in Little Spiritual State”. + The Three Storms were partly the inspiration for the popular character of thunder god Raiden from Mortal Kombat fighting video game series, while David Lo Pan was the inspiration for the evil sorcerer Shang Tsung. + Kurt Russell suffered a bad case of the flu during the scene just after the brothel, so the sweat on his body is real, caused by the fever. + According to John Carpenter, the opening of the film with Egg Shen (Victor Wong) in the lawyer’s office was added in at the request of 20th Century Fox executives, in order to make Kurt Russell’s character Jack Burton more heroic (they didn’t get the idea of Jack being a sidekick rather than a hero). Without the added scene, the film would have started with Jack driving to San Francisco. + This was the last studio film that John Carpenter worked on at the end of the 1980s, due to various problems he experienced during the production of the film, with then studio head Lawrence Gordon, who constantly interfered with the film up until its release date. Carpenter’s two follow-ups Prince of Darkness (1987) and They Live (1988) were made independently via Alive Films, without any studio interference, and distributed by Universal Pictures. + This is the fourth of five movies John Carpenter and Kurt Russell have done together. Elvis (1979), Escape from New York (1981), The Thing (1982), and Escape from L.A. (1996) are the other ones. + For the film’s many fight scenes John Carpenter worked with martial arts choreographer James Lew, who planned every scene in detail. Carpenter stated, “I used every cheap gag – trampolines, wires, reverse movements, and upside down sets. It was much like photographing a dance.” + Kurt Russell turned down the lead role of Connor MacLeod in Highlander (1986) to appear in this film. Both movies were made and released by 20th Century Fox. + The interior of Egg Chen’s garage/office is Fire Station 23, the same building used as the business interior in Ghostbusters. + In the scene where Kurt Russell is attempting to infiltrate the brothel, he is wearing the same outfit that he wore in Used Cars (1980). + In the last scene featuring the character Lightning, the last frame of the lightning effect forms the Chinese characters for “carpenter” – a tribute to director John Carpenter. There is a still image of this in the photo gallery. + In the wedding scene where Lo Pan is putting the Needle of Love in Miao Yin, James Hong jabbed Suzee Pai too hard. You can see her flinch as he puts it in her. + The characters on the front of “Egg” Shen’s bus say, “Uncle Egg’s Tours Guarantee a Good Time”. + Right before the end credits when Jack Burton is driving his truck and talking on his CB Radio, he says, “You just listen to the old Pork-Chop Express here now, and take his advice on a dark and stormy night, when the lightning’s crashing, and the thunder’s rollin’, and the rain’s coming down…” paying homage to the names of the 3 Storms, Lo Pan’s bodyguards. + One of the more difficult effects was the floating eyeball, a spy for Lo-Pan. It was powered by several puppeteers and dozens of cables to control its facial expressions. It was shot with a matting system specially designed for it. + The ending song is written and sung by “The Coupe De Villes”, a band formed by John Carpenter, Nick Castle, and Tommy Lee Wallace (Second Unit Director on this picture). + In an early scene set at the airport, a street gang has kidnapped Wang’s fiancé and are speeding through the underground car park towards Wang and Jack, who dive out of the way just in time. Watching the scene carefully, it is easy to spot that John Carpenter shot the scene backwards, with the actors performing all movements in reverse. The scene was then played forward and sped up substantially. This dramatic scene was shot using this reverse method not to confuse actors and crew (or audience for that matter), but for safety reasons due to the speed of the vehicles and lack of stunt doubles. + The brides of Lo Pan must have green eyes, yet Kim Cattrall and Suzee Pai both have brown eyes. They wore green contacts for the movie. This is very obvious in the high definition version. + “Miao Yin” roughly translates to “cat-like”. + The movie was parodied in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: A Chinatown Ghost Story (2014), an episode of the animated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. They even had James Hong provide the voice of a near carbon copy of Lo Pan named Ho Chan. + Peter Kwong cited his character’s long hair as one of the best parts of making the film, even though, according to him, “I had to sit in three hours of make-up every day, just to get in and out of the three thousand dollar wig.” + John Carpenter had seen Dennis Dun in Year of the Dragon (1985) and liked his work. He met the actor twice before casting him in the role of Wang Chi only a few days before principal photography. + In the prison scene, Gracie is the only prisoner kept bound and gagged in her cell. This is explained by a deleted (but unfilmed) scene where she gives the guards verbal abuse, resulting in her being gagged and hog-tied. As there was no prior indication due to the scene being deleted, a surprised Kim Cattrall had no idea she would be spending the scene trussed up until the day of shooting. She endured it like a professional, occasionally having her gag removed so she could drink water. When asked by John Carpenter whether or not she was uncomfortable, she simply replied ‘I’ve been in tighter situations than this!’ + The Three Storms are a copy of the three Assassins in Lone Wolf and Cub (1973). + David Lo Pan was cursed by the first Emperor of China. James Pax, who plays Lightning – portrayed the First Emperor of China in the documentary of the same name in 2006. + The truck driven by Jack (Kurt Russell) – the “Pork Chop Express” – is a Freightliner FLC 120. + The fight scenes were meant to be John Carpenter’s homage to the old school Hong Kong Kung Fu movies. He is quoted as saying that he had his fight choreographer use every Kung fu movie fight gag to make the fight scenes as action filled as possible. + At one point, Jack is describing Lo Pan as “Tall guy, weird clothes. First you see him, then you don’t.” Kurt Russell once starred in a Disney movie titled Now You See Him, Now You Don’t (1972). + In the DVD commentary, John Carpenter jokingly says that Kurt Russell’s character Jack Burton is the hero of the movie, but other than killing Lo Pan, and saving Wang when he shoots the guard, he is more of a sidekick throughout the movie.

Released: July 2, 1986

Directed By: John Carpenter

Originally Written By: Gary Goldman & David Z. Weinstein

Adapted By: D. Richter

Music By: John Carpenter & Alan Howarth

Stars: Kurt Russell, Kim Cattrall, Dennis Dun, James Hong and a bunch of other actors.

Plot: A rough-and-tumble trucker and his side kick face off with an ancient sorcerer in a supernatural battle beneath Chinatown.

Taglines:

• Adventure doesn’t come any bigger!
• They told Jack Burton to go to hell…and that’s exactly where he’s going!

How did this movie do? Budget: $25 Million Box Office: $11 Million

• Body count: 106
  • Lightning – 20 (Deceased)
  • Thunder – 19 (Deceased)
  • Rain – 19 (Deceased)
  • Egg Shen – 14 (Alive)
  • Jack Burton – 8 (Alive)
  • Wang Chi – 5 (Alive

• Top One-Liners:

  • When some wild-eyed, eight-foot-tall maniac grabs your neck, taps the back of your favorite head up against the barroom wall, and he looks you crooked in the eye and he asks you if ya paid your dues, you just stare that big sucker right back in the eye, and you remember what ol’ Jack Burton always says at a time like that: “Have ya paid your dues, Jack?” “Yessir, the check is in the mail.”
  • Just remember what ol’ Jack Burton does when the earth quakes, and the poison arrows fall from the sky, and the pillars of Heaven shake. Yeah, Jack Burton just looks that big ol’ storm right square in the eye and he says, “Give me your best shot, pal. I can take it.”
  • Jack Burton: Everybody relax, I’m here.
  • Jack Burton: I’m a reasonable guy. But, I’ve just experienced some very unreasonable things.
  • Jack Burton: You know what ol’ Jack Burton always says at a time like this?
  • Jack Burton: Like I told my last wife, I says, “Honey, I never drive faster than I can see. Besides that, it’s all in the reflexes.”
  • Jack Burton: Sooner or later I rub everybody the wrong way.
  • Jack Burton: [speaking to Lo Pan] Are you crazy… Is that your problem?
  • Jack Burton: Son of a bitch must pay!
  • Jack Burton: Is it getting hot in here, or is it just me?
  • Jack Burton: What, I’m supposed to buy this shit? 2,000 years and he can’t find a broad to fit the bill? Come on, Dave, you must be doin’ somethin’ seriously wrong.
  • Jack Burton: We really shook the pillars of heaven, didn’t we, Wang?
  • Jack Burton: It’s all in the reflexes.
  • Jack Burton: How do you do, ma’am? Henry Swanson’s my name and excitement’s my game.
  • Jack Burton: Let’s you and me have a little talk, friend.

• A “Muy Macho” Hero with quotable one-liners played by a recognizable star – Jack Burton played by Kurt Russell

• Over the Top Villain – Lo Pan
• A Montage Sequence – Nope
• Over the Top Chase Scenes – Early on Chase scene from Airport
• Epic Fight Scenes – May over the top fight scenes
• A Villain Speech/Monologue – Lo Pan has a few
• A Final Showdown – Yes
• An “Oh Crap” Death for our Bad Guy – Knife to the head & Thunder’s temper tantrum
• Franchise Potential – Spawned a Comic & an upcoming sequel staring The Rock.
• Around a 90 minute runtime – 99 minutes
• A High Body Count – 106 Deaths

• A Cool Ride: The “Pork Chop Express” – is a Freightliner FLC 120.

• Carpenter wanted a big star of his own and both Clint Eastwood and Jack Nicholson were considered but were busy.

• Jeff Bridges was considered to play Jack Burton, since he worked with John Carpenter on Starman (1984). He was also considered for Kurt Russell’s roles in Escape from New York (1981) and The Thing (1982).

• Jackie Chan was John Carpenter’s first choice to play Wang Chi, but producer Lawrence Gordon was highly against it, fearing Chan’s English wasn’t good enough after seeing his performances in Battle Creek Brawl (1980) and The Protector (1985), but Carpenter wanted Chan after the success of Police Story (1985). Chan declined and Dennis Dun was cast instead.

• Big Trouble was released in the midst of the hype for James Cameron’s blockbuster Aliens, which was released 16 days after. Cameron believes this is one of the big reasons Big Trouble performed so badly at the box office.

• The Chinese characters in the main title translate to “Evil Spirits Make a Big Scene in Little Spiritual State”.
• The Three Storms were partly the inspiration for the popular character of thunder god Raiden from Mortal Kombat fighting video game series, while David Lo Pan was the inspiration for the evil sorcerer Shang Tsung.
• Kurt Russell suffered a bad case of the flu during the scene just after the brothel, so the sweat on his body is real, caused by the fever.
• According to John Carpenter, the opening of the film with Egg Shen (Victor Wong) in the lawyer’s office was added in at the request of 20th Century Fox executives, in order to make Kurt Russell’s character Jack Burton more heroic (they didn’t get the idea of Jack being a sidekick rather than a hero). Without the added scene, the film would have started with Jack driving to San Francisco.
• This was the last studio film that John Carpenter worked on at the end of the 1980s, due to various problems he experienced during the production of the film, with then studio head Lawrence Gordon, who constantly interfered with the film up until its release date. Carpenter’s two follow-ups Prince of Darkness (1987) and They Live (1988) were made independently via Alive Films, without any studio interference, and distributed by Universal Pictures.
• This is the fourth of five movies John Carpenter and Kurt Russell have done together. Elvis (1979), Escape from New York (1981), The Thing (1982), and Escape from L.A. (1996) are the other ones.
• For the film’s many fight scenes John Carpenter worked with martial arts choreographer James Lew, who planned every scene in detail. Carpenter stated, “I used every cheap gag – trampolines, wires, reverse movements, and upside down sets. It was much like photographing a dance.”
• Kurt Russell turned down the lead role of Connor MacLeod in Highlander (1986) to appear in this film. Both movies were made and released by 20th Century Fox.
• The interior of Egg Chen’s garage/office is Fire Station 23, the same building used as the business interior in Ghostbusters.
• In the scene where Kurt Russell is attempting to infiltrate the brothel, he is wearing the same outfit that he wore in Used Cars (1980).
• In the last scene featuring the character Lightning, the last frame of the lightning effect forms the Chinese characters for “carpenter” – a tribute to director John Carpenter. There is a still image of this in the photo gallery.
• In the wedding scene where Lo Pan is putting the Needle of Love in Miao Yin, James Hong jabbed Suzee Pai too hard. You can see her flinch as he puts it in her.
• The characters on the front of “Egg” Shen’s bus say, “Uncle Egg’s Tours Guarantee a Good Time”.
• Right before the end credits when Jack Burton is driving his truck and talking on his CB Radio, he says, “You just listen to the old Pork-Chop Express here now, and take his advice on a dark and stormy night, when the lightning’s crashing, and the thunder’s rollin’, and the rain’s coming down…” paying homage to the names of the 3 Storms, Lo Pan’s bodyguards.
• One of the more difficult effects was the floating eyeball, a spy for Lo-Pan. It was powered by several puppeteers and dozens of cables to control its facial expressions. It was shot with a matting system specially designed for it.
• The ending song is written and sung by “The Coupe De Villes”, a band formed by John Carpenter, Nick Castle, and Tommy Lee Wallace (Second Unit Director on this picture).
• In an early scene set at the airport, a street gang has kidnapped Wang’s fiancé and are speeding through the underground car park towards Wang and Jack, who dive out of the way just in time. Watching the scene carefully, it is easy to spot that John Carpenter shot the scene backwards, with the actors performing all movements in reverse. The scene was then played forward and sped up substantially. This dramatic scene was shot using this reverse method not to confuse actors and crew (or audience for that matter), but for safety reasons due to the speed of the vehicles and lack of stunt doubles.
• The brides of Lo Pan must have green eyes, yet Kim Cattrall and Suzee Pai both have brown eyes. They wore green contacts for the movie. This is very obvious in the high definition version.
• “Miao Yin” roughly translates to “cat-like”.
• The movie was parodied in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: A Chinatown Ghost Story (2014), an episode of the animated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. They even had James Hong provide the voice of a near carbon copy of Lo Pan named Ho Chan.
• Peter Kwong cited his character’s long hair as one of the best parts of making the film, even though, according to him, “I had to sit in three hours of make-up every day, just to get in and out of the three thousand dollar wig.”
• John Carpenter had seen Dennis Dun in Year of the Dragon (1985) and liked his work. He met the actor twice before casting him in the role of Wang Chi only a few days before principal photography.
• In the prison scene, Gracie is the only prisoner kept bound and gagged in her cell. This is explained by a deleted (but unfilmed) scene where she gives the guards verbal abuse, resulting in her being gagged and hog-tied. As there was no prior indication due to the scene being deleted, a surprised Kim Cattrall had no idea she would be spending the scene trussed up until the day of shooting. She endured it like a professional, occasionally having her gag removed so she could drink water. When asked by John Carpenter whether or not she was uncomfortable, she simply replied ‘I’ve been in tighter situations than this!’
• The Three Storms are a copy of the three Assassins in Lone Wolf and Cub (1973).
• David Lo Pan was cursed by the first Emperor of China. James Pax, who plays Lightning – portrayed the First Emperor of China in the documentary of the same name in 2006.
• The truck driven by Jack (Kurt Russell) – the “Pork Chop Express” – is a Freightliner FLC 120.
• The fight scenes were meant to be John Carpenter’s homage to the old school Hong Kong Kung Fu movies. He is quoted as saying that he had his fight choreographer use every Kung fu movie fight gag to make the fight scenes as action filled as possible.
• At one point, Jack is describing Lo Pan as “Tall guy, weird clothes. First you see him, then you don’t.” Kurt Russell once starred in a Disney movie titled Now You See Him, Now You Don’t (1972).
• In the DVD commentary, John Carpenter jokingly says that Kurt Russell’s character Jack Burton is the hero of the movie, but other than killing Lo Pan, and saving Wang when he shoots the guard, he is more of a sidekick throughout the movie.

About The Movie From IMDB

Previous Next

Note: All images are property of their respected owners and used for editorial purposes.

View Details

The 3 Guys Podcast Recorded on 8/17/2022 In a dystopic and crime-ridden Detroit, a terminally wounded cop returns to the force as a powerful cyborg haunted by submerged memories. In this podcast, we review the Classic 80s Action flick Robocop starring Peter Weller, Nancy Allen, Daniel O'Herlihy, Ronny Cox, Kurtwood Smith, Miguel Ferrer and directed by Paul Verhoeven. WARNING: There will be SPOILERS!

The 3 Guys Rating  3.3/5

Notes From The Show * Quick Synopsis * Released: July 17, 1987

Directed By: Paul Verhoeven

Written By: Edward Neumeier & Michael Miner

Stars: Peter Weller, Nancy Allen, Daniel O’Herlihy, Ronny Cox, Kurtwood Smith, Miguel Ferrer and a bunch of other actors.

Plot: In a dystopic and crime-ridden Detroit, a terminally wounded cop returns to the force as a powerful cyborg haunted by submerged memories.

Taglines: The future of law enforcement. Part man. Part machine. All cop.

How did this movie do?Budget: $14 MillionBox Office: $53 Million * 80s Action Cuts * 1. Body count: 28 2. This film uses the word “fuck” 35 times. 3. Top One-Liners (none by Frank Dux) + - Bixby Snyder: I’d buy that for a dollar! - RoboCop: Dead or alive, you’re coming with me! - Clarence Boddicker: Can you fly, Bobby? - Clarence Boddicker: Bitches, leave! - RoboCop: [dragging Leon Nash by the hair] Let’s talk. - Dick Jones: I’m cashing you out, Bob. - RoboCop: Come quietly or there will be… trouble. (Taken from Judge Dredd) - Clarence Boddicker: [to Murphy] I bet that really pisses you off. You probably don’t think I’m a very nice guy. Do ya? - Clarence Boddicker: Well, give the man a hand! He’s all yours. - Joe Cox: [to Lewis] Mind if I… zip this up? - The Old Man: Dick, I’m very disappointed. - Bob Morton: Hey, he’s old, we’re young, and that’s life. - News Crew: This is Media Break. You give us 3 minutes, and we’ll give you the world. * 80's Checklist * 1. A “Muy Macho” Hero with quotable one-liners played by a recognizable star – Peter Weller as Robocop 2. Over the Top Villain – Dick & Clarance 3. A Montage Sequence – Does the coming online & reboot scenes count? Otherwise the “going home” sequence. 4. Over the Top Chase Scenes – Early Police Chase to the Factory 5. Epic Fight Scenes – The cocaine factory & mill fight 6. A Villain Speech/Monologue – Both Dick Jones and Clarence have monologue scenes. 7. A Final Showdown – Yes 8. An “Oh Crap” Death for our Bad Guy – Dick Jones out the Window and Clarance with the bayonet spike to the neck. 9. Franchise Potential – 2 Sequels, 2 Animated Series, a 22 episode live action series and a reboot in 2014 10. Around a 90 minute runtime – 102 minutes 11. A High Body Count – 28 Death 12. A Cool Ride: He drives a Ford Taurus * Casting * + Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Ironside, Rutger Hauer, Tom Berenger, Armand Assante, Keith Carradine and James Remar were considered for the role of Robocop. + Orion favored Schwarzenegger but was thought that Schwarzenegger would look like the Michelin Man or Pillsbury Doughboy. + Others were reluctant because their face would be largely concealed by a helmet. + Davison said that Weller was the only person who wanted to be in the film. + Stephanie Zimbalist was cast as Murphy’s partner Anne Lewis but dropped out because of contractual obligations to Remington Steele * Themes * + Power of corporations – corruption & greed - “We are now living in the world that I was proposing in RoboCop (1987)…how big corporations will ‘take care of us’ and…how they won’t.” ~ Edward Neumeier + Transformation – Coping with transformation & how much is needed to still be Murphy/still have a soul. + Jesus Allagory (Verhoeven has stated that he sees the character as a futuristic version of Christ): - Crucifixion – Shot in the hand/Death at the factory - Crown of Thorns – The bullet to Murphy’s head - Resurection – Rebuilt after death leading to a resurrection - Walk on Water – At the steel mill. - Garden of Eden – Robocop returning to his home - Water To Wine – Boddicker’s blood at the climax of the film turns the water red * Trivia * + RoboCop’s costume was not finished until sometime into filming. + Most shots of Robocop and the police car show him getting out or preparing to get in. Peter Weller didn’t fit into the police car in full costume. When he needed to be in the car, he wore the top part of the costume and sat in his underwear. To maintain the illusion that RoboCop wears the entire suit while inside a car, most shots show his robotic feet exiting first. + The RoboCop suit was so hot and heavy that Peter Weller was losing 3 lbs a day from water loss. Eventually, an air conditioner was installed in the suit. + The screenplay had been offered to, and rejected by, virtually every big director in Hollywood before Paul Verhoeven got hold of it. He threw it away after reading the first pages, convinced it was just a dumb action movie. His wife, Martine, read it all the way through and convinced him that the story was layered with many satirical and allegorical elements, leading Verhoeven to direct the film. + In Sacramento, California, a robbery suspect fled into a darkened movie theatre to escape pursuing police. He became so engrossed in this movie, which was playing on screen, that he failed to notice that police had evacuated all other patrons from the theatre. When the lights flipped on, the stunned man was taken into custody. + When in full RoboCop costume, Peter Weller would remain in character between takes, only responding to director Paul Verhoeven’s instructions when properly addressed as “Robo.” Verhoeven found this too funny to take seriously and dropped this after a couple of weeks. + The special effects were generated with a Commodore Amiga computer. + The RoboCop suit was designed by Rob Bottin and his team. The production team wasn’t satisfied with the initial design, and kept changing it and putting additions to it for months. Ultimately, nothing seemed to work and they went back to what was pretty much Bottin’s original design. + Production was halted early on so that Weller and his mime coach, Moni Yakim, could learn how to move in the suit. + It took almost 10 months of preparation for the construction of the RoboCop suit. Life casts of Peter Weller and 6-foot clay models created by Rob Bottin were used to design and construct the suit. The RoboCop suit was the most expensive item on set. While the price range varies, the producers indicated that they spent anywhere between US$500,000 to US$1 million for the suit. + Edward Neumeier came up with the idea for RoboCop after he had helped out on the set of Blade Runner (1982), which was about cops hunting robots that looked like humans in the future. Intrigued, Neumeier turned the scenario around into a future where a cop looking like a robot would be hunting human criminals. + According to Paul Verhoeven’s commentary on the Criterion Edition DVD, an additional Media Break was filmed and completed for the film. Most notably, it featured footage of Lewis hospitalized and recovering, assuring the audience that she did not die nor would become “Bride of RoboCop”, as many speculated. + Seven RoboCop suits were used throughout the movie. Out of the seven, one of them had special safeguards and fireproof fiberglass to help the stuntman perform the gas station scene. Another two were used exclusively during the third act of the movie where Robocop gets damaged from the ED-209 and the Detroit Police Department. There was no ‘one suit’ as most people would think, but actually more than one, each fragile and easily destroyed during filming. + COMIC CAMEO: In addition to Iron Man (1966), the comic book “ROM” is also seen in the mom-and-pop store, the storyline of which involves a hero sacrificing his human body and having his mind placed into a robot in order to save his people. In the scene where Murphy’s son Jimmy watches TJ Lazer on TV in a flashback, issue 41 of ROM can be seen on the floor at his feet. + RoboCop’s first Directive, “Serve the public trust”, was inspired by a fortune cookie. + The hostage scene where a former city council member holds the mayor and his staff hostage was based on a real-life crisis where former San Francisco supervisor Dan White wanted his old job back. The character is also seen eating Baby Ruth bars – as homage to White’s 1979 conviction of involuntary manslaughter where diminished capacity was used, known in legal terms as the “Twinkie Defense.” + Peter Weller turned down a role in King Kong Lives (1986) to star in this film. + Plans for a “Terminator vs Robocop” film have been on and off in the works since 1990. Although no movie has yet to be made with the crossover, several video games and comic books have been released based on the idea, making the project one of the most anticipated crossovers of all time. + The organic food paste that Robocop eats was actually made up of parsnip, tomato purée and crushed butterfinger bars. + One of the themes of Robocop was a futuristic bankruptcy of Detroit. Robocop premiered on July 17th, 1987 (the 32nd anniversary of the opening of Disneyland) and the City of Detroit, Michigan, filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy on July 18, 2013. + RoboCop’s look was inspired by the Japanese comic The 8 Man and the first Metal Hero Space Sheriff Gavan (1982). + Paul Verhoeven’s antagonistic style didn’t go down very well with his cast and crew. Peter Weller later said that this the first time he ever considered having a fist-fight with his director. + To save money, Orion tried to cut the scene of Murphy/RoboCop returning to his house because it didn’t involve a key action scene. + The company that makes Robocop is named OCP, which is the word “cop” rearranged. + DIRECTOR CAMEO: Paul Verhoeven: wildly gesticulating guy in the dance club immediately after Leon tries to kick RoboCop in the crotch. This remains Verhoeven’s only on-screen cameo in his career. + The trauma team portrayed in the movie trying to save Murphy was a real hospital trauma team. Their dialogue was mostly ad-libbed. + While filming Bob Morton’s death scene, Miguel Ferrer and Kurtwood Smith began cracking up because while directing the scene, Paul Verhoeven referred to all the actors in-character. This meant he addressed the actresses playing the prostitutes as “bitches”. + IMPROVISED LINE: In the scene after RoboCop arrests Clarence Boddicker and brings him into the precinct, Kurtwood Smith improvised the line, “Just give me my fucking phone call.” + One scene that was scripted, but not featured in the film is a fourth Media Break sequence in which Brixby Snyder, a parody of Benny Hill whose running line is “I’d buy that for a dollar!”, is forcibly arrested on allegations of receiving sexual favors from under aged co-stars. The scene would have taken place after RoboCop’s reply to the Old Man’s question, but the decision was made to instead end the film after Murphy’s reply because Director Paul Verhoeven felt the scripted ending was “more of a punch-line than a climax”. As a result, there is no dialog mentioning the names of Brixby Snyder or his program “It’s Not My Problem” in the film. + When Murphy stabs Boddicker in the throat, he uses the same hand that Boddicker shot off.

Released: July 17, 1987

Directed By: Paul Verhoeven

Written By: Edward Neumeier & Michael Miner

Stars: Peter Weller, Nancy Allen, Daniel O’Herlihy, Ronny Cox, Kurtwood Smith, Miguel Ferrer and a bunch of other actors.

Plot: In a dystopic and crime-ridden Detroit, a terminally wounded cop returns to the force as a powerful cyborg haunted by submerged memories.

Taglines: The future of law enforcement. Part man. Part machine. All cop.

How did this movie do?Budget: $14 MillionBox Office: $53 Million

1. Body count: 28
2. This film uses the word “fuck” 35 times.
3. Top One-Liners (none by Frank Dux)
4. • Bixby Snyder: I’d buy that for a dollar!
   • RoboCop: Dead or alive, you’re coming with me!
   • Clarence Boddicker: Can you fly, Bobby?
   • Clarence Boddicker: Bitches, leave!
   • RoboCop: [dragging Leon Nash by the hair] Let’s talk.
   • Dick Jones: I’m cashing you out, Bob.
   • RoboCop: Come quietly or there will be… trouble. (Taken from Judge Dredd)
   • Clarence Boddicker: [to Murphy] I bet that really pisses you off. You probably don’t think I’m a very nice guy. Do ya?
   • Clarence Boddicker: Well, give the man a hand! He’s all yours.
   • Joe Cox: [to Lewis] Mind if I… zip this up?
   • The Old Man: Dick, I’m very disappointed.
   • Bob Morton: Hey, he’s old, we’re young, and that’s life.
   • News Crew: This is Media Break. You give us 3 minutes, and we’ll give you the world.

5. A “Muy Macho” Hero with quotable one-liners played by a recognizable star – Peter Weller as Robocop

6. Over the Top Villain – Dick & Clarance
7. A Montage Sequence – Does the coming online & reboot scenes count? Otherwise the “going home” sequence.
8. Over the Top Chase Scenes – Early Police Chase to the Factory
9. Epic Fight Scenes – The cocaine factory & mill fight
10. A Villain Speech/Monologue – Both Dick Jones and Clarence have monologue scenes.
11. A Final Showdown – Yes
12. An “Oh Crap” Death for our Bad Guy – Dick Jones out the Window and Clarance with the bayonet spike to the neck.
13. Franchise Potential – 2 Sequels, 2 Animated Series, a 22 episode live action series and a reboot in 2014
14. Around a 90 minute runtime – 102 minutes
15. A High Body Count – 28 Death

16. A Cool Ride: He drives a Ford Taurus

17. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Ironside, Rutger Hauer, Tom Berenger, Armand Assante, Keith Carradine and James Remar were considered for the role of Robocop.

18. Orion favored Schwarzenegger but was thought that Schwarzenegger would look like the Michelin Man or Pillsbury Doughboy.
19. Others were reluctant because their face would be largely concealed by a helmet.
20. Davison said that Weller was the only person who wanted to be in the film.

21. Stephanie Zimbalist was cast as Murphy’s partner Anne Lewis but dropped out because of contractual obligations to Remington Steele

22. Power of corporations – corruption & greed

    • “We are now living in the world that I was proposing in RoboCop (1987)…how big corporations will ‘take care of us’ and…how they won’t.” ~ Edward Neumeier
23. Transformation – Coping with transformation & how much is needed to still be Murphy/still have a soul.

24. Jesus Allagory (Verhoeven has stated that he sees the character as a futuristic version of Christ):

    • Crucifixion – Shot in the hand/Death at the factory
    • Crown of Thorns – The bullet to Murphy’s head
    • Resurection – Rebuilt after death leading to a resurrection
    • Walk on Water – At the steel mill.
    • Garden of Eden – Robocop returning to his home
    • Water To Wine – Boddicker’s blood at the climax of the film turns the water red

25. RoboCop’s costume was not finished until sometime into filming.

26. Most shots of Robocop and the police car show him getting out or preparing to get in. Peter Weller didn’t fit into the police car in full costume. When he needed to be in the car, he wore the top part of the costume and sat in his underwear. To maintain the illusion that RoboCop wears the entire suit while inside a car, most shots show his robotic feet exiting first.
27. The RoboCop suit was so hot and heavy that Peter Weller was losing 3 lbs a day from water loss. Eventually, an air conditioner was installed in the suit.
28. The screenplay had been offered to, and rejected by, virtually every big director in Hollywood before Paul Verhoeven got hold of it. He threw it away after reading the first pages, convinced it was just a dumb action movie. His wife, Martine, read it all the way through and convinced him that the story was layered with many satirical and allegorical elements, leading Verhoeven to direct the film.
29. In Sacramento, California, a robbery suspect fled into a darkened movie theatre to escape pursuing police. He became so engrossed in this movie, which was playing on screen, that he failed to notice that police had evacuated all other patrons from the theatre. When the lights flipped on, the stunned man was taken into custody.
30. When in full RoboCop costume, Peter Weller would remain in character between takes, only responding to director Paul Verhoeven’s instructions when properly addressed as “Robo.” Verhoeven found this too funny to take seriously and dropped this after a couple of weeks.
31. The special effects were generated with a Commodore Amiga computer.
32. The RoboCop suit was designed by Rob Bottin and his team. The production team wasn’t satisfied with the initial design, and kept changing it and putting additions to it for months. Ultimately, nothing seemed to work and they went back to what was pretty much Bottin’s original design.
33. Production was halted early on so that Weller and his mime coach, Moni Yakim, could learn how to move in the suit.
34. It took almost 10 months of preparation for the construction of the RoboCop suit. Life casts of Peter Weller and 6-foot clay models created by Rob Bottin were used to design and construct the suit. The RoboCop suit was the most expensive item on set. While the price range varies, the producers indicated that they spent anywhere between US$500,000 to US$1 million for the suit.
35. Edward Neumeier came up with the idea for RoboCop after he had helped out on the set of Blade Runner (1982), which was about cops hunting robots that looked like humans in the future. Intrigued, Neumeier turned the scenario around into a future where a cop looking like a robot would be hunting human criminals.
36. According to Paul Verhoeven’s commentary on the Criterion Edition DVD, an additional Media Break was filmed and completed for the film. Most notably, it featured footage of Lewis hospitalized and recovering, assuring the audience that she did not die nor would become “Bride of RoboCop”, as many speculated.
37. Seven RoboCop suits were used throughout the movie. Out of the seven, one of them had special safeguards and fireproof fiberglass to help the stuntman perform the gas station scene. Another two were used exclusively during the third act of the movie where Robocop gets damaged from the ED-209 and the Detroit Police Department. There was no ‘one suit’ as most people would think, but actually more than one, each fragile and easily destroyed during filming.
38. COMIC CAMEO: In addition to Iron Man (1966), the comic book “ROM” is also seen in the mom-and-pop store, the storyline of which involves a hero sacrificing his human body and having his mind placed into a robot in order to save his people. In the scene where Murphy’s son Jimmy watches TJ Lazer on TV in a flashback, issue 41 of ROM can be seen on the floor at his feet.
39. RoboCop’s first Directive, “Serve the public trust”, was inspired by a fortune cookie.
40. The hostage scene where a former city council member holds the mayor and his staff hostage was based on a real-life crisis where former San Francisco supervisor Dan White wanted his old job back. The character is also seen eating Baby Ruth bars – as homage to White’s 1979 conviction of involuntary manslaughter where diminished capacity was used, known in legal terms as the “Twinkie Defense.”
41. Peter Weller turned down a role in King Kong Lives (1986) to star in this film.
42. Plans for a “Terminator vs Robocop” film have been on and off in the works since 1990. Although no movie has yet to be made with the crossover, several video games and comic books have been released based on the idea, making the project one of the most anticipated crossovers of all time.
43. The organic food paste that Robocop eats was actually made up of parsnip, tomato purée and crushed butterfinger bars.
44. One of the themes of Robocop was a futuristic bankruptcy of Detroit. Robocop premiered on July 17th, 1987 (the 32nd anniversary of the opening of Disneyland) and the City of Detroit, Michigan, filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy on July 18, 2013.
45. RoboCop’s look was inspired by the Japanese comic The 8 Man and the first Metal Hero Space Sheriff Gavan (1982).
46. Paul Verhoeven’s antagonistic style didn’t go down very well with his cast and crew. Peter Weller later said that this the first time he ever considered having a fist-fight with his director.
47. To save money, Orion tried to cut the scene of Murphy/RoboCop returning to his house because it didn’t involve a key action scene.
48. The company that makes Robocop is named OCP, which is the word “cop” rearranged.
49. DIRECTOR CAMEO: Paul Verhoeven: wildly gesticulating guy in the dance club immediately after Leon tries to kick RoboCop in the crotch. This remains Verhoeven’s only on-screen cameo in his career.
50. The trauma team portrayed in the movie trying to save Murphy was a real hospital trauma team. Their dialogue was mostly ad-libbed.
51. While filming Bob Morton’s death scene, Miguel Ferrer and Kurtwood Smith began cracking up because while directing the scene, Paul Verhoeven referred to all the actors in-character. This meant he addressed the actresses playing the prostitutes as “bitches”.
52. IMPROVISED LINE: In the scene after RoboCop arrests Clarence Boddicker and brings him into the precinct, Kurtwood Smith improvised the line, “Just give me my fucking phone call.”
53. One scene that was scripted, but not featured in the film is a fourth Media Break sequence in which Brixby Snyder, a parody of Benny Hill whose running line is “I’d buy that for a dollar!”, is forcibly arrested on allegations of receiving sexual favors from under aged co-stars. The scene would have taken place after RoboCop’s reply to the Old Man’s question, but the decision was made to instead end the film after Murphy’s reply because Director Paul Verhoeven felt the scripted ending was “more of a punch-line than a climax”. As a result, there is no dialog mentioning the names of Brixby Snyder or his program “It’s Not My Problem” in the film.
54. When Murphy stabs Boddicker in the throat, he uses the same hand that Boddicker shot off.

About The Movie From IMDB

Previous Next Note: All images are property of their respected owners and used for editorial purposes.

View Details

The 3 Guys Podcast Recorded on 8/11/2022 The secret contest where the world's greatest warriors fight in a battle to the death. In this podcast, we review the Classic 80s Action flick Bloodsport starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, Donald Gibb, Leah Ayres, Norman Burton, Forest Whitaker, Bolo Yeung, Philip Chan and directed by Newt Arnold. WARNING: There will be SPOILERS!

The 3 Guys Rating

 3.2/5 Notes From The Show * Quick Synopsis * Released: February 26, 1988

Directed By: Newt Arnold

Screenplay By: Christopher Cosby, Mel Friedman, Sheldon Lettich

Based on the supposed “True Life” of: Frank Dux

Stars: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Donald Gibb, Leah Ayres, Norman Burton, Forest Whitaker, Bolo Yeung, Philip Chan and a bunch of other actors & fighters

Plot: “Bloodsport” follows Frank Dux, an American martial artist serving in the military, who decides to leave the army to compete in a martial arts tournament in Hong Kong where fights to the death can occur.

Taglines: The secret contest where the world’s greatest warriors fight in a battle to the death.

How did this movie do?Budget: $2 MillionBox Office: $50 Million * 80s Action Cuts * + Body count: 1 + Jean-Claude Van Damme does his trade mark splits a total of 7 times during the film. + Top One-Liners (none by Frank Dux) - Jackson: I love anything full contact. I need a few more scars on my face. - Chong Li: Very good. But brick not hit back! - Chong Li: You break my record, now I break you, like I break your friend. - Ray Jackson: Guess the Kumite starts one day earlier this year, huh fellas? - Ray Jackson: I ain’t your pal, dickface. - Jackson: [Frank is doing splits between two chairs] That hurts me just lookin’ at it. You’d better stop doing that. You might wanna have kids one of these days. Are you ready? - Victor: Now remember, it’s full contact. There are three ways to win. One, You knock your opponent out. Two, the other guy quits, and shouts ‘Matte.’ It’s like saying ‘Uncle.’ Three, You throw the fucker right off the runway! - Chong Li: You are next! * 80's Action Checklist * 1. A “Muy Macho” Hero with quotable one-liners played by a recognizable star – Jean-Claude Van Damme 2. Over the Top Villain – Chong Li 3. A Montage Sequence – Yes – Training & Fights & Flashbacks 4. Over the Top Chase Scenes – On Foot 5. Epic Fight Scenes – Yes 6. A Villain Speech/Monologue – “You break my record, now I break you, like I break your friend.” 7. A Final Showdown – Yes 8. An “Oh Crap” Death for our Bad Guy – Defeat Yes, Death No. 9. Franchise Potential – It spawned several bad sequels, but also directly inspired 2 video games and many knock-offs. 10. Around a 90 minute runtime – 92 minutes 11. A High Body Count – 1 Death (1 other mentioned off screen) 12. A Cool Ride: Nope * Controversy * + The movie was touted as a true story, but doubts have arisen about its veracity. Most martial-arts enthusiasts view his accounts of competing in secret tournaments as complete fiction, along with his claims he was an undercover CIA operative. Some have pointed out that nobody else has come forward to confirm his story about competing in secret tournaments, or told their own version. It is now generally accepted that the real Frank Dux lied his way into Hollywood. Records obtained through the Freedom of Information Act show he was only in the US Marine Corps Reserve, and was never posted overseas, let alone to Southeast Asia as he has claimed. The CIA has no record of his ever working with them; his personal brand of martial arts, Dux Ryu Ninjitsu, is a complete fabrication and Frank Dux has likely never won or even competed in a single martial arts tournament. + According to co-writer Sheldon Lettich:“I had known Frank Dux for a number of months before I came up with the idea for Bloodsport. Frank told me a lot of tall tales, most of which turned out to be bullshit. But his stories about participating in this so-called “Kumite” event sounded like a great idea for a movie. There was one guy who he introduced me to, named Richard Bender, who claimed to have actually been at the Kumite event and who swore everything Frank told me was true. A few years later this guy had a falling-out with Frank, and confessed to me that everything he told me about the Kumite was a lie; Frank had coached him in what to say. + The movie claims that Frank Dux won 56 matches in a tournament. This is not only pure fiction, it is mathematically impossible. It would require 2 to the 56th power participants, or more than 9 million times the population of the earth. + While the film is set in Hong Kong, the real Frank Dux claims the Kumite he competed in took place in the Bahamas. None of Dux’s claims of his past military history or these secret martial arts tournaments have ever been substantiated. + The Dim Mak (Death Touch) is actually a purely fictional martial arts move that has its roots in Chinese Wuxia novels. It was popularized in the 1960’s and 70’s by “Count Dante” who ran ads in Black Belt magazine and other magazines of the day claiming to be able to teach it for a small fee and joining the “Black Dragon Fighting Society.” + Frank Dux never has and does not hold any of the world records listed at the end of the film. Like his own back story and claims of kumite success, these are all pure fiction. + John Johnson reported he could find no evidence of Dux’s alleged teacher Senzo “Tiger” Tanaka in history books or from other martial arts experts. Dux told Johnson he did not know the whereabouts of Tanaka or even if he was still alive, though in later years changed his story to say it was Tanaka’s dying wish for him to compete in the Kumite. When Johnson pointed out that Dux’s teacher has the same name as a ninja commander from Ian Fleming’s James Bond novel You Only Live Twice, Dux responded by saying that Fleming “used to base his characters on real people”. + Dux sued Soldier of Fortune publisher Robert K. Brown for libel following the publication of their articles about him. While he eventually lost the case, during the hearing, John Johnson presented a photocopy of the receipt which he said proved that Dux had purchased his Kumite trophy. * Trivia * + Former U.S. President Donald Trump has described Bloodsport as his favorite film. + Paulo Tocha is a real-life Muay Thai champion. + Goof: Parades gets his leg broken in the fight with Chong Li. However, throughout the next several scenes he is unhurt and seated on the bleachers. + Frank Dux was the fight coordinator for this film. When Jean-Claude Van Damme was cast, Dux announced that Van Damme wasn’t nearly in good enough shape, and put him through a 3-month training program. Van Damme, a world-championship martial artist in his own right, called it the hardest training of his life. + This is one of the few films featuring scenes filmed inside Kowloon Walled City before its destruction. + The fighter Hossein (Mariano) was actually knocked unconscious by Van Damme, with an elbow in the face. The scene made it into the movie. + Midway’s hit videogame, Mortal Kombat (1992), took huge inspiration from the film and even used a parody of Jean-Claude Van Damme for the character Johnny Cage, who has a similar costume, back story and a familiar split punch. According to game creator John Tobias, they wanted to make a “gritty” game based on the film. + Jean-Claude Van Damme helped edit the film so it could be released. + Ray Jackson does not use any recognized martial art at any point in the film. + The majority of Bolo Yeung’s lines are similar to Bruce Lee’s in Enter the Dragon (1973), in which Bolo appeared. + Charles Wang, the late president of Salon Films who supplied equipment for the film, plays the Chinese Doctor who takes care of Jackson in the hospital. + Both Roy Chiao and Bolo Yeung were in Enter the Dragon (1973) playing similar roles of mentor and secret martial arts tournament opponent respectively. + The official’s commands, “Junbi,” “Haji,” and “Hajimae” that starts each bout in the Kumite, are Japanese. Junbi translates most closely as “Prepare,” while Hajimae means “begin.” Loosely translated, the three words would be, “Ready, Set, Go.” + According to Frank Dux, the character played by Donald Gibb was based on ex-biker and jujitsu practitioner Richard Robinson. + In this movie when Chong Li defeats Jackson they use the same camera angles and slow motion techniques that Bruce lee uses in Enter the Dragon. + Chong Li (Bolo Yeung) says “brick not hit back” after Frank Dux breaks a brick. In Enter the Dragon, which Yeung was also in, Bruce Lee’s character says “boards don’t hit back” when Bob Wall’s character breaks a board. + Jean-Claude Van Damme is noted as a world Kickboxing and karate champion on various sites and in publicity material. This history has been confirmed. + Bolo Yeung’s character, Chong Li, is from South Korea. + When the army staff visit with the local police chief, Inspector Chen, the actor who plays him would later star opposite Van Damme in Double Impact, playing the Triad boss, Raymond Zhang. + Mark DiSalle and Jean-Claude Van Damme would also collaborate in 1989’s Kickboxer and 1990’s Death Warrant. Van Damme and actor/martial artist Paulo Tocha also would appear together in Death Warrant. + Jackson, Dux, Hussein, and Chong Li are the only Kumite fighters with dialogue. + The trailer features Sylvester Levay’s ‘Chase’ music from his score of Cobra (1986). + Several character designs and their physical movements are directly copied in the Streetfighter series of video games + On three occasions during the movie, Rawlins gets impatient and sarcastic with people whom he believes aren’t cooperating with the investigation. When he and Helmar are speaking with Mrs. Tanaka, and later when they’re speaking with Inspector Chen, Helmar intercedes using a more diplomatic approach. As they first encounter Frank Dux and Ray Jackson, Rawlins again gets snippy with Jackson; however, this time Helmar does not intercede, and Jackson is the only character who openly argues back with Rawlins.

Released: February 26, 1988

Directed By: Newt Arnold

Screenplay By: Christopher Cosby, Mel Friedman, Sheldon Lettich

Based on the supposed “True Life” of: Frank Dux

Stars: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Donald Gibb, Leah Ayres, Norman Burton, Forest Whitaker, Bolo Yeung, Philip Chan and a bunch of other actors & fighters

Plot: “Bloodsport” follows Frank Dux, an American martial artist serving in the military, who decides to leave the army to compete in a martial arts tournament in Hong Kong where fights to the death can occur.

Taglines: The secret contest where the world’s greatest warriors fight in a battle to the death.

How did this movie do?Budget: $2 MillionBox Office: $50 Million

• Body count: 1
• Jean-Claude Van Damme does his trade mark splits a total of 7 times during the film.

• Top One-Liners (none by Frank Dux)

  • Jackson: I love anything full contact. I need a few more scars on my face.
  • Chong Li: Very good. But brick not hit back!
  • Chong Li: You break my record, now I break you, like I break your friend.
  • Ray Jackson: Guess the Kumite starts one day earlier this year, huh fellas?
  • Ray Jackson: I ain’t your pal, dickface.
  • Jackson: [Frank is doing splits between two chairs] That hurts me just lookin’ at it. You’d better stop doing that. You might wanna have kids one of these days. Are you ready?
  • Victor: Now remember, it’s full contact. There are three ways to win. One, You knock your opponent out. Two, the other guy quits, and shouts ‘Matte.’ It’s like saying ‘Uncle.’ Three, You throw the fucker right off the runway!
  • Chong Li: You are next!

• A “Muy Macho” Hero with quotable one-liners played by a recognizable star – Jean-Claude Van Damme

• Over the Top Villain – Chong Li
• A Montage Sequence – Yes – Training & Fights & Flashbacks
• Over the Top Chase Scenes – On Foot
• Epic Fight Scenes – Yes
• A Villain Speech/Monologue – “You break my record, now I break you, like I break your friend.”
• A Final Showdown – Yes
• An “Oh Crap” Death for our Bad Guy – Defeat Yes, Death No.
• Franchise Potential – It spawned several bad sequels, but also directly inspired 2 video games and many knock-offs.
• Around a 90 minute runtime – 92 minutes
• A High Body Count – 1 Death (1 other mentioned off screen)

• A Cool Ride: Nope

• The movie was touted as a true story, but doubts have arisen about its veracity. Most martial-arts enthusiasts view his accounts of competing in secret tournaments as complete fiction, along with his claims he was an undercover CIA operative. Some have pointed out that nobody else has come forward to confirm his story about competing in secret tournaments, or told their own version. It is now generally accepted that the real Frank Dux lied his way into Hollywood. Records obtained through the Freedom of Information Act show he was only in the US Marine Corps Reserve, and was never posted overseas, let alone to Southeast Asia as he has claimed. The CIA has no record of his ever working with them; his personal brand of martial arts, Dux Ryu Ninjitsu, is a complete fabrication and Frank Dux has likely never won or even competed in a single martial arts tournament.

• According to co-writer Sheldon Lettich:“I had known Frank Dux for a number of months before I came up with the idea for Bloodsport. Frank told me a lot of tall tales, most of which turned out to be bullshit. But his stories about participating in this so-called “Kumite” event sounded like a great idea for a movie. There was one guy who he introduced me to, named Richard Bender, who claimed to have actually been at the Kumite event and who swore everything Frank told me was true. A few years later this guy had a falling-out with Frank, and confessed to me that everything he told me about the Kumite was a lie; Frank had coached him in what to say.
• The movie claims that Frank Dux won 56 matches in a tournament. This is not only pure fiction, it is mathematically impossible. It would require 2 to the 56th power participants, or more than 9 million times the population of the earth.
• While the film is set in Hong Kong, the real Frank Dux claims the Kumite he competed in took place in the Bahamas. None of Dux’s claims of his past military history or these secret martial arts tournaments have ever been substantiated.
• The Dim Mak (Death Touch) is actually a purely fictional martial arts move that has its roots in Chinese Wuxia novels. It was popularized in the 1960’s and 70’s by “Count Dante” who ran ads in Black Belt magazine and other magazines of the day claiming to be able to teach it for a small fee and joining the “Black Dragon Fighting Society.”
• Frank Dux never has and does not hold any of the world records listed at the end of the film. Like his own back story and claims of kumite success, these are all pure fiction.
• John Johnson reported he could find no evidence of Dux’s alleged teacher Senzo “Tiger” Tanaka in history books or from other martial arts experts. Dux told Johnson he did not know the whereabouts of Tanaka or even if he was still alive, though in later years changed his story to say it was Tanaka’s dying wish for him to compete in the Kumite. When Johnson pointed out that Dux’s teacher has the same name as a ninja commander from Ian Fleming’s James Bond novel You Only Live Twice, Dux responded by saying that Fleming “used to base his characters on real people”.

• Dux sued Soldier of Fortune publisher Robert K. Brown for libel following the publication of their articles about him. While he eventually lost the case, during the hearing, John Johnson presented a photocopy of the receipt which he said proved that Dux had purchased his Kumite trophy.

• Former U.S. President Donald Trump has described Bloodsport as his favorite film.

• Paulo Tocha is a real-life Muay Thai champion.
• Goof: Parades gets his leg broken in the fight with Chong Li. However, throughout the next several scenes he is unhurt and seated on the bleachers.
• Frank Dux was the fight coordinator for this film. When Jean-Claude Van Damme was cast, Dux announced that Van Damme wasn’t nearly in good enough shape, and put him through a 3-month training program. Van Damme, a world-championship martial artist in his own right, called it the hardest training of his life.
• This is one of the few films featuring scenes filmed inside Kowloon Walled City before its destruction.
• The fighter Hossein (Mariano) was actually knocked unconscious by Van Damme, with an elbow in the face. The scene made it into the movie.
• Midway’s hit videogame, Mortal Kombat (1992), took huge inspiration from the film and even used a parody of Jean-Claude Van Damme for the character Johnny Cage, who has a similar costume, back story and a familiar split punch. According to game creator John Tobias, they wanted to make a “gritty” game based on the film.
• Jean-Claude Van Damme helped edit the film so it could be released.
• Ray Jackson does not use any recognized martial art at any point in the film.
• The majority of Bolo Yeung’s lines are similar to Bruce Lee’s in Enter the Dragon (1973), in which Bolo appeared.
• Charles Wang, the late president of Salon Films who supplied equipment for the film, plays the Chinese Doctor who takes care of Jackson in the hospital.
• Both Roy Chiao and Bolo Yeung were in Enter the Dragon (1973) playing similar roles of mentor and secret martial arts tournament opponent respectively.
• The official’s commands, “Junbi,” “Haji,” and “Hajimae” that starts each bout in the Kumite, are Japanese. Junbi translates most closely as “Prepare,” while Hajimae means “begin.” Loosely translated, the three words would be, “Ready, Set, Go.”
• According to Frank Dux, the character played by Donald Gibb was based on ex-biker and jujitsu practitioner Richard Robinson.
• In this movie when Chong Li defeats Jackson they use the same camera angles and slow motion techniques that Bruce lee uses in Enter the Dragon.
• Chong Li (Bolo Yeung) says “brick not hit back” after Frank Dux breaks a brick. In Enter the Dragon, which Yeung was also in, Bruce Lee’s character says “boards don’t hit back” when Bob Wall’s character breaks a board.
• Jean-Claude Van Damme is noted as a world Kickboxing and karate champion on various sites and in publicity material. This history has been confirmed.
• Bolo Yeung’s character, Chong Li, is from South Korea.
• When the army staff visit with the local police chief, Inspector Chen, the actor who plays him would later star opposite Van Damme in Double Impact, playing the Triad boss, Raymond Zhang.
• Mark DiSalle and Jean-Claude Van Damme would also collaborate in 1989’s Kickboxer and 1990’s Death Warrant. Van Damme and actor/martial artist Paulo Tocha also would appear together in Death Warrant.
• Jackson, Dux, Hussein, and Chong Li are the only Kumite fighters with dialogue.
• The trailer features Sylvester Levay’s ‘Chase’ music from his score of Cobra (1986).
• Several character designs and their physical movements are directly copied in the Streetfighter series of video games
• On three occasions during the movie, Rawlins gets impatient and sarcastic with people whom he believes aren’t cooperating with the investigation. When he and Helmar are speaking with Mrs. Tanaka, and later when they’re speaking with Inspector Chen, Helmar intercedes using a more diplomatic approach. As they first encounter Frank Dux and Ray Jackson, Rawlins again gets snippy with Jackson; however, this time Helmar does not intercede, and Jackson is the only character who openly argues back with Rawlins.

About The Movie From IMDB

Previous Next Note: All images are property of their respected owners and used for editorial purposes.

View Details

The 3 Guys Podcast Recorded on 8/02/2022 Whether it comes to fighting...or loving...or killing...There's NO ONE like J.J. McQuade. In this podcast, we review the Classic 80s Action flick Lone Wolf McQuade starring Chuck Norris, David Carradine, Barbara Carrera, Leon Isaac Kennedy, L. Q. Jones, Robert Beltran and directed by Steve Carver. WARNING: There will be SPOILERS! The 3 Guys Rating  2.4/5

Notes From The Show * Quick Synopsis * Released: April 15, 1983

Directed By: Steve Carver

Screenplay By: J. Nelson

Stars: Chuck Norris, David Carradine, Barbara Carrera, Leon Isaac Kennedy, L. Q. Jones, Robert Beltran and a bunch of other actors.

Plot: After helping the local police with some horse thieves, a Texas Ranger aims at a drug lord with arms trade as well. They’re interested in the same woman and they’re both into martial arts.

Taglines: Whether it comes to fighting…or loving…or killing…There’s NO ONE like J.J. McQuade. The ‘Mad Dog’ Criminal…The ‘Lone Wolf’ Lawman…The Ultimate Showdown.

How did this movie do? Budget: $5 Million Box Office: $12 Million * 80s Action Cuts * + Body count: 70 (71 if you count the dog) + Top One-Liners - Dakota: How would you like to bite that in the butt, develop lockjaw, and be dragged to death? - J.J. McQuade: My kind of trouble doesn’t take vacations. * 80's Action Checklist * 1. A “Muy Macho” Hero with quotable one-liners played by a recognizable star – Chuck Norris 2. Over the Top Villain – Rawley Wilkes 3. A Montage Sequence – Nope 4. Over the Top Chase Scenes – Sort of 5. Epic Fight Scenes – Yes 6. A Villain Speech/Monologue – Not Really. They speak with their fists & feet. 7. A Final Showdown – Yes 8. An “Oh Crap” Death for our Bad Guy – An offscreen grenade Death for our bad guy 9. Franchise Potential – It inspired Walker, Texas Ranger 10. Around a 90 minute runtime – 108 minutes 11. A High Body Count – 70 Total Deaths (71 if you count the dog)…this is debatable. 12. A Cool Ride: 1983 Dodge Ramcharger. * Trivia * + Chuck Norris and David Carradine refused to use stunt doubles for their climactic fight scene, despite strong reservations from the producers + Norris credits this film as a leading inspiration for his hit television series, Walker, Texas Ranger, which premiered a decade later. + It was written into actor David Carradine’s contract that he could not be defeated in “hand to hand” combat. Hence why he was killed at the end by means of a grenade. + When asked to comment on David Carradine’s actual martial arts skills, Chuck Norris opined, “David Carradine is every bit as good a martial artist as I am an actor.” + In a panoramic shot of El Paso at around 11 mins 54 sec, there is a small traffic accident as a blue car runs into the back of a white truck. + It was long rumored that, while filming their final fight, Chuck Norris and David Carradine broke out in a real fight. After Norris felt that Carradine was kicking him too hard, he warned him not to do it again. When he did it anyway, Norris struck him in return. Carradine later debunked the rumor in his autobiography, saying that he and Norris never touched each other during the filming of that scene. + The film was originally given an “R” rating in the US, but somehow managed to obtain a “PG” rating after an appeal. However, the film still uses the word “fuck” in two instances and there are several deaths by gunshot. While the “PG” rating of 1983 is equivalent of the “PG-13” rating of today, multiple uses of the word “fuck” and excessive gun violence, bloody or not, would still give a film an “R”. + Chuck Norris subsequently starred in Walker, Texas Ranger (1993) and the producers of this movie sued CBS for copyright infringement. CBS was later on issued a retro-active license by Orion. + One of the most popular “movie-based” drinking games is to take a drink each time the participants hear the word, “Ranger.” + The picture is a homage and a tribute to Sergio Leone’s spaghetti westerns and has often been compared and likened to those movies. + John Milius worked on the screenplay uncredited. + The picture was filmed entirely on location in and around the environs of El Paso in Texas, USA. + Chuck Norris’s character in The Expendables 2 (2012) is referred to as being a “Lone Wolf”. + During filming in El Paso, Texas, the entire explosive supply was blown to bits during July 4th Celebrations. + According to the March-April 1983 edition of ‘Coming Attractions’ (USA) magazine, a rattle-snake slithered up the bedsheets during the filming of a bedroom love scene between Chuck Norris and Barbara Carrera. The reptile was quickly apprehended by one of the crew. Carrera reportedly said: “That was one thing I wasn’t really prepared for. It was hard to concentrate on that scene”. + Second of two movies that action star Chuck Norris made with director Steve Carver. The first film was An Eye for an Eye (1981) which had been made and released about two years earlier in 1981. + One of two 1983 movies starring actress Barbara Carrera. The other picture was the James Bond film Never Say Never Again (1983). + In the final fight, David Carradine accidentally hit Chuck in the ribs. Despite the pain, Chuck managed to pull off the highest reported filmed kick jumping from a crouching position. + The name of the medical facility was “Eastwood Hospital” is not a reference to Clint Eastwood who starred in three 1960s spaghetti westerns. Eastwood Hospital like most buildings and not to mention the high school and middle school are named Eastwood but not for the actor. + The truck that J.J. McQuade drives is a 1983 Dodge Ramcharger. + The movie’s pre-release title in the USA was simply “Lone Wolf” whereupon it got extended for its distribution to the longer Lone Wolf McQuade (1983). + The license plate on Rawley Wilkes (David Carradine)’s car read “CARATE”. + According to Eleanor Mannikka at Allmovie, this movie is a “Spaghetti-western-like martial arts actioner”. + Second of four consecutive movies where Chuck Norris had a first name starting with the letter “J”. Norris was Josh Randall in Forced Vengeance (1982), J.J. McQuade in this movie, and Colonel James Braddock in both Missing in Action (1984) and Missing in Action 2: The Beginning (1985). + One of two 1983 movies starring actor David Carradine. The other picture was the film Americana (1981). + This is the 1st movie that Chuck Norris sports his beard and his hair dyed in ginger. In all of his subsequents movies, except Firewalker (1986) which he only sports mustache, he keeps his actual look.

Released: April 15, 1983

Directed By: Steve Carver

Screenplay By: J. Nelson

Stars: Chuck Norris, David Carradine, Barbara Carrera, Leon Isaac Kennedy, L. Q. Jones, Robert Beltran and a bunch of other actors.

Plot: After helping the local police with some horse thieves, a Texas Ranger aims at a drug lord with arms trade as well. They’re interested in the same woman and they’re both into martial arts.

Taglines: Whether it comes to fighting…or loving…or killing…There’s NO ONE like J.J. McQuade. The ‘Mad Dog’ Criminal…The ‘Lone Wolf’ Lawman…The Ultimate Showdown.

How did this movie do? Budget: $5 Million Box Office: $12 Million

• Body count: 70 (71 if you count the dog)

• Top One-Liners

  • Dakota: How would you like to bite that in the butt, develop lockjaw, and be dragged to death?
  • J.J. McQuade: My kind of trouble doesn’t take vacations.

• A “Muy Macho” Hero with quotable one-liners played by a recognizable star – Chuck Norris

• Over the Top Villain – Rawley Wilkes
• A Montage Sequence – Nope
• Over the Top Chase Scenes – Sort of
• Epic Fight Scenes – Yes
• A Villain Speech/Monologue – Not Really. They speak with their fists & feet.
• A Final Showdown – Yes
• An “Oh Crap” Death for our Bad Guy – An offscreen grenade Death for our bad guy
• Franchise Potential – It inspired Walker, Texas Ranger
• Around a 90 minute runtime – 108 minutes
• A High Body Count – 70 Total Deaths (71 if you count the dog)…this is debatable.

• A Cool Ride: 1983 Dodge Ramcharger.

• Chuck Norris and David Carradine refused to use stunt doubles for their climactic fight scene, despite strong reservations from the producers

• Norris credits this film as a leading inspiration for his hit television series, Walker, Texas Ranger, which premiered a decade later.
• It was written into actor David Carradine’s contract that he could not be defeated in “hand to hand” combat. Hence why he was killed at the end by means of a grenade.
• When asked to comment on David Carradine’s actual martial arts skills, Chuck Norris opined, “David Carradine is every bit as good a martial artist as I am an actor.”
• In a panoramic shot of El Paso at around 11 mins 54 sec, there is a small traffic accident as a blue car runs into the back of a white truck.
• It was long rumored that, while filming their final fight, Chuck Norris and David Carradine broke out in a real fight. After Norris felt that Carradine was kicking him too hard, he warned him not to do it again. When he did it anyway, Norris struck him in return. Carradine later debunked the rumor in his autobiography, saying that he and Norris never touched each other during the filming of that scene.
• The film was originally given an “R” rating in the US, but somehow managed to obtain a “PG” rating after an appeal. However, the film still uses the word “fuck” in two instances and there are several deaths by gunshot. While the “PG” rating of 1983 is equivalent of the “PG-13” rating of today, multiple uses of the word “fuck” and excessive gun violence, bloody or not, would still give a film an “R”.
• Chuck Norris subsequently starred in Walker, Texas Ranger (1993) and the producers of this movie sued CBS for copyright infringement. CBS was later on issued a retro-active license by Orion.
• One of the most popular “movie-based” drinking games is to take a drink each time the participants hear the word, “Ranger.”
• The picture is a homage and a tribute to Sergio Leone’s spaghetti westerns and has often been compared and likened to those movies.
• John Milius worked on the screenplay uncredited.
• The picture was filmed entirely on location in and around the environs of El Paso in Texas, USA.
• Chuck Norris’s character in The Expendables 2 (2012) is referred to as being a “Lone Wolf”.
• During filming in El Paso, Texas, the entire explosive supply was blown to bits during July 4th Celebrations.
• According to the March-April 1983 edition of ‘Coming Attractions’ (USA) magazine, a rattle-snake slithered up the bedsheets during the filming of a bedroom love scene between Chuck Norris and Barbara Carrera. The reptile was quickly apprehended by one of the crew. Carrera reportedly said: “That was one thing I wasn’t really prepared for. It was hard to concentrate on that scene”.
• Second of two movies that action star Chuck Norris made with director Steve Carver. The first film was An Eye for an Eye (1981) which had been made and released about two years earlier in 1981.
• One of two 1983 movies starring actress Barbara Carrera. The other picture was the James Bond film Never Say Never Again (1983).
• In the final fight, David Carradine accidentally hit Chuck in the ribs. Despite the pain, Chuck managed to pull off the highest reported filmed kick jumping from a crouching position.
• The name of the medical facility was “Eastwood Hospital” is not a reference to Clint Eastwood who starred in three 1960s spaghetti westerns. Eastwood Hospital like most buildings and not to mention the high school and middle school are named Eastwood but not for the actor.
• The truck that J.J. McQuade drives is a 1983 Dodge Ramcharger.
• The movie’s pre-release title in the USA was simply “Lone Wolf” whereupon it got extended for its distribution to the longer Lone Wolf McQuade (1983).
• The license plate on Rawley Wilkes (David Carradine)’s car read “CARATE”.
• According to Eleanor Mannikka at Allmovie, this movie is a “Spaghetti-western-like martial arts actioner”.
• Second of four consecutive movies where Chuck Norris had a first name starting with the letter “J”. Norris was Josh Randall in Forced Vengeance (1982), J.J. McQuade in this movie, and Colonel James Braddock in both Missing in Action (1984) and Missing in Action 2: The Beginning (1985).
• One of two 1983 movies starring actor David Carradine. The other picture was the film Americana (1981).
• This is the 1st movie that Chuck Norris sports his beard and his hair dyed in ginger. In all of his subsequents movies, except Firewalker (1986) which he only sports mustache, he keeps his actual look.

About The Movie From IMDB

Previous Next

Note: All images are property of their respected owners and used for editorial purposes.

View Details

The 3 Guys Podcast Recorded on 7/28/2022 The dancing's over. Now it gets dirty. In this podcast, we review the 80s action classic Road House starring Patrick Swayze, Kelly Lynch, Sam Elliott and directed by Rowdy Herrington. WARNING: There will be SPOILERS! The 3 Guys Rating  3.2/5

Notes From The Show * Quick Synopsis * Released: May 19, 1989

Directed By: Rowdy Herrington

Screenplay By: David Lee Henry & Hilary Henkin

Story By: David Lee Henry

Stars: Patrick Swayze, Ben Gazzara, Kelly Lynch, Sam Elliott, Kevin Tighe, Marshall Teague and a bunch of other actors

Plot: A tough bouncer is hired to tame a dirty bar.

Taglines: “Dalton lives like a loner, fights like a professional. And loves like there’s no tomorrow.” & “The dancing’s over. Now it gets dirty.”

How did this movie do? Budget: $15 Million Box Office: $62 Million * 80s Action Cuts * + Body count: 8 + Car: Silver light blue 1986 Mercedes-Benz SEC 560 (C126) + Top One-Liners - Dalton: I want you to be nice until it’s time to not be nice. - Dalton: Take the biggest guy in the world, shatter his knee and he’ll drop like a stone. - Dalton: Pain don’t hurt. - Dalton: Nobody ever wins a fight. - Wade Garrett: That gal’s got entirely too many brains to have an ass like that. - Emmett: Calling me ‘sir’ is like putting an elevator in an outhouse, it don’t belong. I’m Emmett. - Wade Garrett: This place has a sign hangin’ over the urinal that says, “Don’t eat the big white mint”. - Dalton: My way… or the highway. - Everyone: I thought you’d be bigger. * Sequel & Musical * + A sequel, Road House 2, was released directly to DVD in July 2006. Set many years later and telling the story of Dalton’s adult son, it featured no characters from the original cast and only a few references to Dalton (who was reportedly shot dead before the film took place). + The sequel confirmed that Dalton’s first name was James, which could be seen momentarily on the medical chart in the original film’s hospital scene. + In 2003, an off-Broadway musical production of Road House was staged as a campy comedy by Timothy Haskell, as seen by its full title of Road House: The Stage Version Of The Cinema Classic That Starred Patrick Swayze, Except This One Stars Taimak From The 80’s Cult Classic “The Last Dragon” Wearing A Blonde Mullet Wig. * Trivia * + According to Kelly Lynch, whenever Bill Murray sees her sex scene with Patrick Swayze on television, he calls her husband, Mitch Glazer, to tease him about it. + Due to a knee injury he sustained during filming, Patrick Swayze turned down the roles of Gabriel Cash in Tango & Cash (1989) and Mike Harrigan in Predator 2 (1990). He chose to make Ghost (1990) as his follow-up instead, as it was a less physically strenuous role. The knee injury ended up being a blessing in disguise, as Ghost (1990) ended up being a big hit, and received critical acclaim. “Tango & Cash” was a box office flop, as was “Road House.” + Marshall R. Teague (Jimmy) initially didn’t get along with Patrick Swayze (Dalton), but while filming their big fight, both men quickly realized they shared a dedication to realistic stunts, which improved their relationship. They developed so much mutual trust that they improvised a lot, and allowed each other to throw real punches and kicks. When Jimmy swings a log at Dalton, Teague mistakenly thought it was a breakable prop log. By the end, Swayze was covered in bruises and had two broken ribs and a busted knee. + The monster truck that drives through the Ford dealership is Bigfoot 7, driven by former vice president of Bigfoot 4×4 Jim Kramer. It cost $500,000 and was done in one take. Bigfoot had to be repainted after the scene, and went on to crush cars throughout the country and the world. + Marshall Teague told a story that he took his mother to the premiere of the movie. When the fight against Dalton happens and he says the line, “I used to F* guys like you in prison!” his mother jumped up and proudly shouted, “That’s my boy!” + After the five-day long shoot fighting Marshall R. Teague, Patrick Swayze needed 2.5 ounces of fluid drained from his left knee. He apparently had been suffering through knee problems before, needing a similar procedure during production on Dirty Dancing (1987). + Patrick Swayze wrote one song, “Cliff’s Edge,” and sang two for the movie’s soundtrack, that one and “Raising Heaven (in Hell) Tonight.” + The garage where Dalton’s Mercedes is stored is the same one where Reggie Hammond’s Porsche is stored in 48 hrs. + It’s a toss-up who used more hair spray in the movie: Patrick Swayze or Kelly Lynch. Swayze joked, “That hair turned into the bane of my existence.” + Patrick Swayze and Ben Gazzara died of pancreatic cancer, Swayze in 2009 and Gazzara in 2012. + Many of the characters’ names are taken from infamous or famous wild west personalities: Wade Garrett shares his surname with Pat Garrett, the Sheriff who shot and killed Billy the Kid. Brad Wesley, the main villain in the film, has the same last name as the middle name of John Wesley Hardin, one of the most notorious and cold-blooded killers in the history of the west (he once fired through a wall into the next room of a hotel where he was sleeping and killed a man whose snoring was bothering him). Kelly Lynch’s character was nicknamed “Doc,” a nickname shared with gunfighter John Henry “Doc” Holliday. The character who owns the barn where Dalton rents a room, Emmett, has the first name of Emmett Dalton, leader of the notorious bandit ring The Dalton Gang. The “Double Deuce” bar owner “Tilghman” is named after lawman Bill Tilghman of Dodge City and Oklahoma fame. Finally, there is a character named Younger, which was the last name of Cole Younger, another notorious western bandit and killer. + On Family Guy (1998) season eight, episode four, “Brian’s Got a Brand New Bag,” Peter Griffin buys the Road House DVD at a going-out-of-business sale at Quahog Video. After watching the film, Peter comically decides that all of life’s problems can be solved by kicking. After kicking his target, he would say the film’s title as a catchphrase. The episode was dedicated to Patrick Swayze, who had died of pancreatic cancer several weeks before the episode aired. + The movie’s humor is somewhat intentional. Director Rowdy Herrington said he wanted to make the fights “like a Keystone Cops melee.” + According to cast and crew, and also the 1989 interview with actor Sam Eliot, original cut of the movie was three hours and twenty minutes long, which meant that lot of the stuff had to be cut out. Some of the deleted scenes include Dalton making the other bouncers wear ballet outfits and dance as part of their training, and there is also a still picture showing Dalton fighting with Ketchum (guy with knife-boot) inside the Double Deuce in a different fight than the one in the film, and most of Kathleen Wilhoite’s scenes (who played Carrie Ann) were deleted. + Joel Silver thought the set of the Double Deuce was too nice. He ordered the crew to really tear it up so it would look more like a dive. + Kelly Lynch spent a month in a real emergency room preparing for her role. She also learned how to sew a proper stitch for one scene, but it was changed to staples. + Red’s Auto Supply Store explosion woke the neighbors. They thought that MGM studios was burning down. It cost $25,000 to shoot that scene. + The car that Dalton bought at the used car lot was a 1965 Buick Riviera, the only year that Buick used the “clamshell” headlight covers for the Riviera. The other car that he drives near the beginning of the movie before picking up his Mercedes-Benz and leaving for Missouri was a 1964 Buick Riviera. + The film’s knife maker, Jack Crain, made blades for Predator (1987), Die Hard (1988), and Demolition Man (1993). All four movies were produced by Joel Silver. + The film was inspired by a real story where a local bad guy was killed in plain view. Nobody saw anything then either. + Red West, once a member of Elvis Presley’s “Memphis Mafia, played characters named Red in this movie, Almost Made (2004), The A-Team (1983) season four, episode seventeen, “Waiting for Insane Wayne.” and “Walking Tall Part 2″(1974). + Patrick Swayze had to have bodyguards during filming because female fans would mob him. + It was Sam Elliott’s idea for his character to call Dalton “mijo,” which is Spanish for “son.” + The book Dalton (Patrick Swayze) is reading is Jim Harrison’s “Legends of the Fall.” + The different fighting styles used in the movie, include basic street scuffling, boxing, kickboxing, karate, jiujitsu, Taekwondo, hapkido, judo, and tai chi. + The film was a severe disappointment for Patrick Swayze, as he was hoping to have another major hit like “Dirty Dancing.” + Patrick Swayze reportedly agreed to do this movie so long as he could keep any and all of his wardrobe once filming was completed. He had made a similar demand for his costuming from Ghost but his agent at the time was unable to secure the deal. + Director Rowdy Herrington wanted to show that Dalton still had to do regular things like laundry. + Dalton’s rules of bouncing goes as followed: 1) Never underestimate your opponent. Expect the unexpected. 2) Take it outside. Never start anything inside the bar unless it is absolutely necessary and 3) Be nice. + There are several things that are related to Elvis Presley: Back in the Double Deuce after Red’s auto-parts store is blown up, Brad Wesley tells Cody “Elvis, play something with balls”; Marshall R. Teague (Jimmy) played Rick Colton, a martial arts instructor who had an affair with Priscilla Presley) in Elvis and Me (1988), which was based on Priscilla’s autobiography; Red West, who played Red Webster, knew Elvis Presley in high school and was a member of “The Memphis Mafia.” + According to director Rowdy Herrington, there were about 50 stuntmen in the movie, mostly for the bar brawls. + Dalton doesn’t strike anyone until 26 minutes into the film. + Swayze had both groins insured for over $3 million such was their importance to the plot. Towards the end of filming, production was briefly stopped when Patrick felt what he thought was muscle tightness but the medic discovered Swayze had accidentally put on 2 pairs of underpants that day. + When Bigfoot drove through the auto showroom at the Ford dealership, there was no roof on the building. + Patrick Swayze considered Road House to be a modern day western with Dalton being the gunfighter for hire and Brad Wesley being the local bully. + Patrick Swayze and Marshall R. Teague became very close friends after filming was completed. + Sam Elliott and Ben Gazzara were in The Big Lebowski (1998). + There are nine major fights in the movie. Rowdy Herrington tried to make each one unique. + According to Rowdy Herrington, Ben Gazzara probably ate around 12 eggs while filming one scene. + Producer trademark [Joel Silver]: Explosions, which occur after Red’s shop and Emmett’s house are both set on fire. + Michael Kamen recycled some of the musical cues from Die Hard. + Dalton has a degree in philosophy from NYU. + Screenwriter R. Lance Hill has said that while he named the protagonist of Dalton out of his respect for the town of Dalton, GA, that no sane parent would name their son Dalton. + The make, model and color of Dalton’s (Patrick Swayze’s) Mercedes-Benz, according to the IMCDb, was a silver light blue 1986 Mercedes-Benz SEC 560 (C126). + When Wade has been stabbed to death, with a note saying, “It was tails,” referring to Wesley flipping a coin. Later, it’s shown the knife belongs to Ketchum, then Dalton stabs Ketchum saying, “Tails again!” If you look at the scene with the Mercedes when you see Dalton stuck this same knife in the gas pedal, as Ketchum goes to retrieve it, the handle of the knife is capped off with a quarter, tails side showing. + Kelly Lynch wore padding for the love scene between Dalton and Doc for protection because Patrick Swayze was slamming Kelly Lynch against the wall. + The fight between Dalton and Jimmy took 5 – 6 days to film. + Kelly Lynch got into trouble because she laughed when Jimmy’s death scene was shot.

Released: May 19, 1989

Directed By: Rowdy Herrington

Screenplay By: David Lee Henry & Hilary Henkin

Story By: David Lee Henry

Stars: Patrick Swayze, Ben Gazzara, Kelly Lynch, Sam Elliott, Kevin Tighe, Marshall Teague and a bunch of other actors

Plot: A tough bouncer is hired to tame a dirty bar.

Taglines: “Dalton lives like a loner, fights like a professional. And loves like there’s no tomorrow.” & “The dancing’s over. Now it gets dirty.”

How did this movie do? Budget: $15 Million Box Office: $62 Million

• Body count: 8
• Car: Silver light blue 1986 Mercedes-Benz SEC 560 (C126)

• Top One-Liners

  • Dalton: I want you to be nice until it’s time to not be nice.
  • Dalton: Take the biggest guy in the world, shatter his knee and he’ll drop like a stone.
  • Dalton: Pain don’t hurt.
  • Dalton: Nobody ever wins a fight.
  • Wade Garrett: That gal’s got entirely too many brains to have an ass like that.
  • Emmett: Calling me ‘sir’ is like putting an elevator in an outhouse, it don’t belong. I’m Emmett.
  • Wade Garrett: This place has a sign hangin’ over the urinal that says, “Don’t eat the big white mint”.
  • Dalton: My way… or the highway.
  • Everyone: I thought you’d be bigger.

• A sequel, Road House 2, was released directly to DVD in July 2006. Set many years later and telling the story of Dalton’s adult son, it featured no characters from the original cast and only a few references to Dalton (who was reportedly shot dead before the film took place).

• The sequel confirmed that Dalton’s first name was James, which could be seen momentarily on the medical chart in the original film’s hospital scene.

• In 2003, an off-Broadway musical production of Road House was staged as a campy comedy by Timothy Haskell, as seen by its full title of Road House: The Stage Version Of The Cinema Classic That Starred Patrick Swayze, Except This One Stars Taimak From The 80’s Cult Classic “The Last Dragon” Wearing A Blonde Mullet Wig.

• According to Kelly Lynch, whenever Bill Murray sees her sex scene with Patrick Swayze on television, he calls her husband, Mitch Glazer, to tease him about it.

• Due to a knee injury he sustained during filming, Patrick Swayze turned down the roles of Gabriel Cash in Tango & Cash (1989) and Mike Harrigan in Predator 2 (1990). He chose to make Ghost (1990) as his follow-up instead, as it was a less physically strenuous role. The knee injury ended up being a blessing in disguise, as Ghost (1990) ended up being a big hit, and received critical acclaim. “Tango & Cash” was a box office flop, as was “Road House.”
• Marshall R. Teague (Jimmy) initially didn’t get along with Patrick Swayze (Dalton), but while filming their big fight, both men quickly realized they shared a dedication to realistic stunts, which improved their relationship. They developed so much mutual trust that they improvised a lot, and allowed each other to throw real punches and kicks. When Jimmy swings a log at Dalton, Teague mistakenly thought it was a breakable prop log. By the end, Swayze was covered in bruises and had two broken ribs and a busted knee.
• The monster truck that drives through the Ford dealership is Bigfoot 7, driven by former vice president of Bigfoot 4×4 Jim Kramer. It cost $500,000 and was done in one take. Bigfoot had to be repainted after the scene, and went on to crush cars throughout the country and the world.
• Marshall Teague told a story that he took his mother to the premiere of the movie. When the fight against Dalton happens and he says the line, “I used to F* guys like you in prison!” his mother jumped up and proudly shouted, “That’s my boy!”
• After the five-day long shoot fighting Marshall R. Teague, Patrick Swayze needed 2.5 ounces of fluid drained from his left knee. He apparently had been suffering through knee problems before, needing a similar procedure during production on Dirty Dancing (1987).
• Patrick Swayze wrote one song, “Cliff’s Edge,” and sang two for the movie’s soundtrack, that one and “Raising Heaven (in Hell) Tonight.”
• The garage where Dalton’s Mercedes is stored is the same one where Reggie Hammond’s Porsche is stored in 48 hrs.
• It’s a toss-up who used more hair spray in the movie: Patrick Swayze or Kelly Lynch. Swayze joked, “That hair turned into the bane of my existence.”
• Patrick Swayze and Ben Gazzara died of pancreatic cancer, Swayze in 2009 and Gazzara in 2012.
• Many of the characters’ names are taken from infamous or famous wild west personalities: Wade Garrett shares his surname with Pat Garrett, the Sheriff who shot and killed Billy the Kid. Brad Wesley, the main villain in the film, has the same last name as the middle name of John Wesley Hardin, one of the most notorious and cold-blooded killers in the history of the west (he once fired through a wall into the next room of a hotel where he was sleeping and killed a man whose snoring was bothering him). Kelly Lynch’s character was nicknamed “Doc,” a nickname shared with gunfighter John Henry “Doc” Holliday. The character who owns the barn where Dalton rents a room, Emmett, has the first name of Emmett Dalton, leader of the notorious bandit ring The Dalton Gang. The “Double Deuce” bar owner “Tilghman” is named after lawman Bill Tilghman of Dodge City and Oklahoma fame. Finally, there is a character named Younger, which was the last name of Cole Younger, another notorious western bandit and killer.
• On Family Guy (1998) season eight, episode four, “Brian’s Got a Brand New Bag,” Peter Griffin buys the Road House DVD at a going-out-of-business sale at Quahog Video. After watching the film, Peter comically decides that all of life’s problems can be solved by kicking. After kicking his target, he would say the film’s title as a catchphrase. The episode was dedicated to Patrick Swayze, who had died of pancreatic cancer several weeks before the episode aired.
• The movie’s humor is somewhat intentional. Director Rowdy Herrington said he wanted to make the fights “like a Keystone Cops melee.”
• According to cast and crew, and also the 1989 interview with actor Sam Eliot, original cut of the movie was three hours and twenty minutes long, which meant that lot of the stuff had to be cut out. Some of the deleted scenes include Dalton making the other bouncers wear ballet outfits and dance as part of their training, and there is also a still picture showing Dalton fighting with Ketchum (guy with knife-boot) inside the Double Deuce in a different fight than the one in the film, and most of Kathleen Wilhoite’s scenes (who played Carrie Ann) were deleted.
• Joel Silver thought the set of the Double Deuce was too nice. He ordered the crew to really tear it up so it would look more like a dive.
• Kelly Lynch spent a month in a real emergency room preparing for her role. She also learned how to sew a proper stitch for one scene, but it was changed to staples.
• Red’s Auto Supply Store explosion woke the neighbors. They thought that MGM studios was burning down. It cost $25,000 to shoot that scene.
• The car that Dalton bought at the used car lot was a 1965 Buick Riviera, the only year that Buick used the “clamshell” headlight covers for the Riviera. The other car that he drives near the beginning of the movie before picking up his Mercedes-Benz and leaving for Missouri was a 1964 Buick Riviera.
• The film’s knife maker, Jack Crain, made blades for Predator (1987), Die Hard (1988), and Demolition Man (1993). All four movies were produced by Joel Silver.
• The film was inspired by a real story where a local bad guy was killed in plain view. Nobody saw anything then either.
• Red West, once a member of Elvis Presley’s “Memphis Mafia, played characters named Red in this movie, Almost Made (2004), The A-Team (1983) season four, episode seventeen, “Waiting for Insane Wayne.” and “Walking Tall Part 2″(1974).
• Patrick Swayze had to have bodyguards during filming because female fans would mob him.
• It was Sam Elliott’s idea for his character to call Dalton “mijo,” which is Spanish for “son.”
• The book Dalton (Patrick Swayze) is reading is Jim Harrison’s “Legends of the Fall.”
• The different fighting styles used in the movie, include basic street scuffling, boxing, kickboxing, karate, jiujitsu, Taekwondo, hapkido, judo, and tai chi.
• The film was a severe disappointment for Patrick Swayze, as he was hoping to have another major hit like “Dirty Dancing.”
• Patrick Swayze reportedly agreed to do this movie so long as he could keep any and all of his wardrobe once filming was completed. He had made a similar demand for his costuming from Ghost but his agent at the time was unable to secure the deal.
• Director Rowdy Herrington wanted to show that Dalton still had to do regular things like laundry.
• Dalton’s rules of bouncing goes as followed: 1) Never underestimate your opponent. Expect the unexpected. 2) Take it outside. Never start anything inside the bar unless it is absolutely necessary and 3) Be nice.
• There are several things that are related to Elvis Presley: Back in the Double Deuce after Red’s auto-parts store is blown up, Brad Wesley tells Cody “Elvis, play something with balls”; Marshall R. Teague (Jimmy) played Rick Colton, a martial arts instructor who had an affair with Priscilla Presley) in Elvis and Me (1988), which was based on Priscilla’s autobiography; Red West, who played Red Webster, knew Elvis Presley in high school and was a member of “The Memphis Mafia.”
• According to director Rowdy Herrington, there were about 50 stuntmen in the movie, mostly for the bar brawls.
• Dalton doesn’t strike anyone until 26 minutes into the film.
• Swayze had both groins insured for over $3 million such was their importance to the plot. Towards the end of filming, production was briefly stopped when Patrick felt what he thought was muscle tightness but the medic discovered Swayze had accidentally put on 2 pairs of underpants that day.
• When Bigfoot drove through the auto showroom at the Ford dealership, there was no roof on the building.
• Patrick Swayze considered Road House to be a modern day western with Dalton being the gunfighter for hire and Brad Wesley being the local bully.
• Patrick Swayze and Marshall R. Teague became very close friends after filming was completed.
• Sam Elliott and Ben Gazzara were in The Big Lebowski (1998).
• There are nine major fights in the movie. Rowdy Herrington tried to make each one unique.
• According to Rowdy Herrington, Ben Gazzara probably ate around 12 eggs while filming one scene.
• Producer trademark [Joel Silver]: Explosions, which occur after Red’s shop and Emmett’s house are both set on fire.
• Michael Kamen recycled some of the musical cues from Die Hard.
• Dalton has a degree in philosophy from NYU.
• Screenwriter R. Lance Hill has said that while he named the protagonist of Dalton out of his respect for the town of Dalton, GA, that no sane parent would name their son Dalton.
• The make, model and color of Dalton’s (Patrick Swayze’s) Mercedes-Benz, according to the IMCDb, was a silver light blue 1986 Mercedes-Benz SEC 560 (C126).
• When Wade has been stabbed to death, with a note saying, “It was tails,” referring to Wesley flipping a coin. Later, it’s shown the knife belongs to Ketchum, then Dalton stabs Ketchum saying, “Tails again!” If you look at the scene with the Mercedes when you see Dalton stuck this same knife in the gas pedal, as Ketchum goes to retrieve it, the handle of the knife is capped off with a quarter, tails side showing.
• Kelly Lynch wore padding for the love scene between Dalton and Doc for protection because Patrick Swayze was slamming Kelly Lynch against the wall.
• The fight between Dalton and Jimmy took 5 – 6 days to film.
• Kelly Lynch got into trouble because she laughed when Jimmy’s death scene was shot.

About The Movie From IMDB

Previous Next

Note: All images are property of their respected owners and used for editorial purposes.

View Details

The 3 Guys Podcast Recorded on 7/21/2022 Hello cutie pie, one of us is in deep trouble. In this podcast, we review the 80s action classic The Running Man, directed by Paul Michael Glaser, based on characters by Stephen King and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, María Conchita Alonso, Yaphet Kotto and Richard Dawson. WARNING: There will be SPOILERS! The 3 Guys Rating  3/5

Notes From The Show * Quick Synopsis * Released: November 13, 1987

Directed By: Paul Michael Glaser

Screenplay By: Steven E. de Souza

Based On The Book: The Running Man by Stephen King (under the pen name Richard Bachman)

Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, María Conchita Alonso, Yaphet Kotto, Richard Dawson and a bunch of other actors.

Plot: In a dystopian America, a falsely convicted policeman gets his shot at freedom when he must forcibly participate in a TV game show where convicts, runners, must battle killers for their freedom.

Tag Line: The year is 2019. The finest men in America don’t run for President. They run for their lives.

How did this movie do? Budget: $27 Million Box Office: $38 Million * 80s Action Cuts * + Body count: 32 confirmed, 14 by Richards, 2 by Amber. There is also an unidentified number killed in the massacre, and three former contestants who were claimed as survivors of the show but killed before the film’s events. + Top One-Liners - Ben Richards: Killian, here’s your Subzero, now plain zero. - Ben Richards: [after strangling Sub-Zero with barbed wire] Yeah, he was a real pain in the neck. - Ben Richards: I had the shirt for it, but you fucked it up. - Ben Richards: [to Killian] Hello cutie pie, one of us is in deep trouble. - Ben Richards: I don’t do requests - Ben Richards: Killian! I’ll be back! - William Laughlin: [his last words] Don’t let us down. I don’t want to be the only asshole in heaven, Ben. - Ben Richards: Well, that hit the spot. - Ben Richards: What a hothead. - Ben Richards: [after a brief struggle Richards successfully positions the saw between Buzzsaw’s legs] That’s alright. Keep it! - Ben Richards: Women. Can’t live with ’em, can’t live… with ’em. - Damon Killian: [chuckles] You’re a brilliant conversationalist, Ben. A trifle limited, but brilliant. - Richards: See you guys at the 10-year prison reunion. - Ben Richards: It’s showtime. * Book Differences * + The year is 2025…the world’s economy is in shambles and America has become a totalitarian dystopia. + Richards is 28 years old, an impoverished resident of the fictional Co-Op City, is unable to find work, having been blacklisted from his trade. + Richards in the book, was very scrawny with no muscles. Compared to the movie version, King stated Richards is “as far away from the Arnold Schwarzenegger character in the movie as you can get.” + Richards has a family. His gravely ill daughter Cathy needs medicine, and his wife Sheila has resorted to prostitution to bring in money for the family. + Richards signs up for The Running ManIn out of desperation to get money for his family. + Dan Killian, the executive producer of the program. Fred Victor is the director of the show. Bobby Thompson is the MC and host. + In the show contract The contestant earns $100 per hour that he stays alive and avoids capture, an additional $100 for each law enforcement officer or Hunter he kills, and a grand prize of $1 billion if he survives for 30 day. + The show makes contestants an enemy of the state, rewarding anyone who turns in info on the contestant, and allows the contestant to run to anywhere in the world. + The contestant must videotape two messages and mail them back to the studio for broadcasting, or they lose the prize money, stop accumulating money and will be hunted indefinitely. + Stalkers are called Hunters. + The movie ends VERY differently than the movie…no spoilers here. * Trivia * + Paul Michael Glaser, the director, is an American actor and director best known for his role as Detective Dave Starsky on the 1970s television series, Starsky & Hutch. + When Rob Cohen purchased the rights to the Richard Bachman novel “The Running Man”, he had no idea that Bachman was actually a pseudonym for Stephen King. + Many people who worked with Richard Dawson on the game show Family Feud (1976) say that in real life Dawson was more like his character Damon Killian in his handling of underlings. + When Arnold Schwarzenegger ran for governor, he rode around in a campaign bus and named it after this film. + Although credited as simply Subzero, the character is introduced as Professor Subzero by announcer Phil Hilton. Professor Subzero is played by Professor Toru Tanaka. It is worth noting that Tanaka’s title of Professor is not from a post-doctorate academic rank, but rather from the wrestling name the actor went under in his wrestling career from the 1960’s through the 1980’s (sometimes shortened to Professor Tanaka). + Erland van Lidth (“Dynamo”) was a classically trained Helden baritone opera singer, so in his introduction when Dynamo is singing an aria from “The Marriage of Figaro”, it actually is van Lidth singing. + The film inspired TV’s American Gladiators (1989) as well as the plot and settings of the Williams arcade game Smash TV (1990). + The footage of the attacking helicopters is from King Kong (1976). + When Killian is sending Fireball into the game, he says, “There he goes, the leading rusher.” Fireball was played by Jim Brown, the NFL’s all-time leader in rushing yards until the mid-’80s. + Although Arnold Schwarzenegger hates Richard Dawson onscreen, in real life they were lifelong friends. + Originally scheduled for a July 1987 release, it was moved back four months by Tri-Star to avoid competition with Arnold Schwarzenegger’s other summer film, Predator (1987), which was released in June. + It’s hinted that Mic Fleetwood plays himself in the movie. In the film, the resistance leader’s name is Mick and he is British and when Mick meets Richards to remove his explosive collar from around his neck he says to him “You’re one of the cops who locked up all my friends, burned my songs.” + Producer George Linder sold his company, Quadra Wheelchairs of Westlake Village, California, to help finance The Running Man (1987). + John McTiernan intentionally kept Jesse Ventura out of any close up shots with Arnold Schwarzenegger in Predator (1987) because of Venturas immense size (6’5, and almost 300lb). The director didn’t want Schwarzenegger looking small in comparison, which is evident during the fight scene in The Running Man (1987) when Ventura almost dwarfs Schwarzenegger. + Paula Abdul was the film’s choreographer. Many of the dancers were friends of hers from the Laker Girls. + Richard Dawson only agreed to be in the film provided he was not expected to use any profanity in his dialogue. + The character “Mick,” the leader of the underground, is played by drummer Mick Fleetwood of the super group Fleetwood Mac. His compatriot in the movie, a character named “Stevie” and played by Dweezil Zappa (the son of legendary musician Frank Zappa) is an obvious homage to Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac. + Four actors from the “Predator” film franchise appear in this film. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jesse Ventura and Sven-Ole Thorsen all appear in the original feature film Predator (1987), while Maria Conchita Alonso appears in the sequel Predator 2 (1990). + The film takes place from 2017 to 2019. + “The Running Man” suit that the contestants wear bears an Adidas logo at the hip and right arm. + Arnold Schwarzenegger (trademark): “I’ll be back!” + Prior to Paul Michael Glaser being hired as director, executive producer Rob Cohen had hired four other directors in his attempts to make the movie. The first was George P. Cosmatos, who had impressed Cohen with his work on Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985). However, when Cosmatos announced that he wanted to relocate the entire film to a shopping mall, Cohen let him go, feeling that Cosmatos was taking the script in an unacceptable direction. Cohen next offered the project to German director Carl Schenkel, having been impressed with Out of Order (1984), but Schenkel turned him down as he didn’t feel comfortable taking on such a large project. Next, Cohen hired Ferdinand Fairfax, based upon his work on Savage Islands (1983). Like Cosmatos, however, Fairfax began to take the screenplay in a direction which Cohen disliked, so once again, he let him go. Cohen then turned to Andrew Davis, having enjoyed Davis’ movie Code of Silence (1985). Davis actually got the project off the ground and into production, but only eight days into the shoot, he was already $8 million over budget and four days behind schedule. As such Cohen let Davis go, and ultimately hired Glaser, whom he had worked with on the first season of Miami Vice (1984). + The character of Mrs. McArdle, whom host Damon Killian states is the shows number one fan, is an homage to Mrs. Miller, a long-time fixture of many series’, including The Merv Griffin Show. Her entire claim to fame was that she showed up to the tapings almost every day. The real Mrs. Miller (who was not a young woman) actually parlayed her notoriety into several ventures, including recording an album entitled “Mrs. Miller Sings”. It’s an album which today is only heard on Dr. Demento-type shows. + 1hr 23 minutes into the film: As Killian is congratulating his production team he is standing next to a TV that is rolling credits for the show. The credits are quite easy to read on a large screen and are: THANK YOU: TIM GEORGE GARY PAUL ROB KEITH YOU ME US THEM ~ WHAT NEXT: I DON’T KNOW ~ TITLES: TYPE M WRONG ~ MAKE UP: PAINT YOUR FACE ~ PROPS: PROPERTY ~ LOCATIONS: BY TO LONG HERE ~ ART DIRECTOR: RED G. BLEU AND PRIMARY COLOURS ~ MUSIC: DO RAY ME ~ CATERING: [scene ends] + Features two actors who went on to be the governor of a US state: in November 1998 Jesse Ventura was elected Governor of Minnesota; in October 2003 Arnold Schwarzenegger was elected Governor of California. + The red car that drives Killian (Richard Dawson) in front of the TV studio is a Maserati Quattroporte III stretch limo. + Kurt Fuller provided the voice of the Dispatcher who orders Richards to kill the unarmed civilians in the Bakersfield riot. + Dweezil Zappa, son of legendary American composer/singer Frank Zappa, has only two lines in the movie: “Don’t touch that dial!”, being one of his father’s most famous lyrics from the song “I Am the Slime” (from the album “Over-nite Sensation”, 1973); and “Psst . . . you guys wanna buy a hot stereo? . . . Laughlin!, glad you guys made it” at the beginning of the film. + Mic’s Star Trek reference gag was Mick Fleetwood’s idea, as he was a huge fan of the original 1960s series (this film was in production a year before The Next Generation television series started filming). However two years after this film was released Fleetwood got to achieve a lifetime ambition by having a cameo in Star Trek: The Next Generation season two episode ‘Manhunt’. + “The Running Man” game show seen in the film was based upon an early 1980s Japanese game show called “Trans American Ultra Quiz”, in which contestants were tortured in various ways. The prize went to whichever contestant could stand the pain/humiliation the longest. + The exterior view of the resistance HQ is the same as the one used by the resistance in V: The Final Battle (1984) (note the tunnel and the building on the right). + Final film of Richard Dawson & Erland van Lidth. + Dolph Lundgren and Christopher Reeve expressed interest in starring in the movie, and Patrick Swayze had also been considered. + In Killian’s office there is a poster for a fake TV show called “Hate Boat.” In real life, Richard Dawson appeared as a guest star in an episode of the TV series The Love Boat (1977). + Yves Boisset, writer and director of The Prize of Peril (1983) sued Twentieth Century Fox for copycat because The Running Man (1987)’s screenplay was exactly the same as his own film. Some documents of the case were lost in a plane crash in the New York bay. + A. Times called the movie “The best Schwarzenegger movie since The Terminator”. + 1:35 The coordinates shown on the helicopter’s monitor ranges from N30°35′ W119°29′ to N34°12′ W119°11′ (which corresponds to Santa Clara Elementary School at 324 South E Street in Oxnard, California). The total distance flown comes out to 245 miles (390Km) in only 5 seconds. The helicopter hovers and begins the massacre at N45°04′ W119°04′ + Kurt Fuller later starred in Wayne’s World (1992), in which he played a similar role to his character in The Running Man (1987). In Wayne’s World (1992), Garth Algar (Dana Carvey) hacks a satellite so he can transmit a live broadcast of the Wayne’s World TV show into the TV of Frankie Sharp’s limo. + The satellite up-link code is 18-24-61-B 17-17-4. + The code to get into Ben Richards’ brother/Amber’s apartment is 4-4-5-5-6-6. + The main plot about people being forced to compete in a fight to the death game show would later be reused for the novel series The Hunger Games and would become a hit film series 25 years later. + Ben Richards (Arnold Schwarzenegger) says to Killian, “to hell with you!” He says the same while praying to Krom in Conan the Barbarian (1982). + The code to deactivate the Sonic Deadline (the explosive neck collars) is “653-9X”. + Actor Erland van Lidth, who plays ‘Dynamo’ in this film, died of a heart attack two months before this film was theatrically released. He was only 34 years old. + In the scene after the prisoners remove their neck collars, Schwarzenegger says that “he is not interested in politics, he’s interested in survival.” Schwarzenegger later became a politician when we was elected Governor of California.

Released: November 13, 1987

Directed By: Paul Michael Glaser

Screenplay By: Steven E. de Souza

Based On The Book: The Running Man by Stephen King (under the pen name Richard Bachman)

Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, María Conchita Alonso, Yaphet Kotto, Richard Dawson and a bunch of other actors.

Plot: In a dystopian America, a falsely convicted policeman gets his shot at freedom when he must forcibly participate in a TV game show where convicts, runners, must battle killers for their freedom.

Tag Line: The year is 2019. The finest men in America don’t run for President. They run for their lives.

How did this movie do? Budget: $27 Million Box Office: $38 Million

• Body count: 32 confirmed, 14 by Richards, 2 by Amber. There is also an unidentified number killed in the massacre, and three former contestants who were claimed as survivors of the show but killed before the film’s events.

• Top One-Liners

  • Ben Richards: Killian, here’s your Subzero, now plain zero.
  • Ben Richards: [after strangling Sub-Zero with barbed wire] Yeah, he was a real pain in the neck.
  • Ben Richards: I had the shirt for it, but you fucked it up.
  • Ben Richards: [to Killian] Hello cutie pie, one of us is in deep trouble.
  • Ben Richards: I don’t do requests
  • Ben Richards: Killian! I’ll be back!
  • William Laughlin: [his last words] Don’t let us down. I don’t want to be the only asshole in heaven, Ben.
  • Ben Richards: Well, that hit the spot.
  • Ben Richards: What a hothead.
  • Ben Richards: [after a brief struggle Richards successfully positions the saw between Buzzsaw’s legs] That’s alright. Keep it!
  • Ben Richards: Women. Can’t live with ’em, can’t live… with ’em.
  • Damon Killian: [chuckles] You’re a brilliant conversationalist, Ben. A trifle limited, but brilliant.
  • Richards: See you guys at the 10-year prison reunion.
  • Ben Richards: It’s showtime.

• The year is 2025…the world’s economy is in shambles and America has become a totalitarian dystopia.

• Richards is 28 years old, an impoverished resident of the fictional Co-Op City, is unable to find work, having been blacklisted from his trade.
• Richards in the book, was very scrawny with no muscles. Compared to the movie version, King stated Richards is “as far away from the Arnold Schwarzenegger character in the movie as you can get.”
• Richards has a family. His gravely ill daughter Cathy needs medicine, and his wife Sheila has resorted to prostitution to bring in money for the family.
• Richards signs up for The Running ManIn out of desperation to get money for his family.
• Dan Killian, the executive producer of the program. Fred Victor is the director of the show. Bobby Thompson is the MC and host.
• In the show contract The contestant earns $100 per hour that he stays alive and avoids capture, an additional $100 for each law enforcement officer or Hunter he kills, and a grand prize of $1 billion if he survives for 30 day.
• The show makes contestants an enemy of the state, rewarding anyone who turns in info on the contestant, and allows the contestant to run to anywhere in the world.
• The contestant must videotape two messages and mail them back to the studio for broadcasting, or they lose the prize money, stop accumulating money and will be hunted indefinitely.
• Stalkers are called Hunters.

• The movie ends VERY differently than the movie…no spoilers here.

• Paul Michael Glaser, the director, is an American actor and director best known for his role as Detective Dave Starsky on the 1970s television series, Starsky & Hutch.

• When Rob Cohen purchased the rights to the Richard Bachman novel “The Running Man”, he had no idea that Bachman was actually a pseudonym for Stephen King.
• Many people who worked with Richard Dawson on the game show Family Feud (1976) say that in real life Dawson was more like his character Damon Killian in his handling of underlings.
• When Arnold Schwarzenegger ran for governor, he rode around in a campaign bus and named it after this film.
• Although credited as simply Subzero, the character is introduced as Professor Subzero by announcer Phil Hilton. Professor Subzero is played by Professor Toru Tanaka. It is worth noting that Tanaka’s title of Professor is not from a post-doctorate academic rank, but rather from the wrestling name the actor went under in his wrestling career from the 1960’s through the 1980’s (sometimes shortened to Professor Tanaka).
• Erland van Lidth (“Dynamo”) was a classically trained Helden baritone opera singer, so in his introduction when Dynamo is singing an aria from “The Marriage of Figaro”, it actually is van Lidth singing.
• The film inspired TV’s American Gladiators (1989) as well as the plot and settings of the Williams arcade game Smash TV (1990).
• The footage of the attacking helicopters is from King Kong (1976).
• When Killian is sending Fireball into the game, he says, “There he goes, the leading rusher.” Fireball was played by Jim Brown, the NFL’s all-time leader in rushing yards until the mid-’80s.
• Although Arnold Schwarzenegger hates Richard Dawson onscreen, in real life they were lifelong friends.
• Originally scheduled for a July 1987 release, it was moved back four months by Tri-Star to avoid competition with Arnold Schwarzenegger’s other summer film, Predator (1987), which was released in June.
• It’s hinted that Mic Fleetwood plays himself in the movie. In the film, the resistance leader’s name is Mick and he is British and when Mick meets Richards to remove his explosive collar from around his neck he says to him “You’re one of the cops who locked up all my friends, burned my songs.”
• Producer George Linder sold his company, Quadra Wheelchairs of Westlake Village, California, to help finance The Running Man (1987).
• John McTiernan intentionally kept Jesse Ventura out of any close up shots with Arnold Schwarzenegger in Predator (1987) because of Venturas immense size (6’5, and almost 300lb). The director didn’t want Schwarzenegger looking small in comparison, which is evident during the fight scene in The Running Man (1987) when Ventura almost dwarfs Schwarzenegger.
• Paula Abdul was the film’s choreographer. Many of the dancers were friends of hers from the Laker Girls.
• Richard Dawson only agreed to be in the film provided he was not expected to use any profanity in his dialogue.
• The character “Mick,” the leader of the underground, is played by drummer Mick Fleetwood of the super group Fleetwood Mac. His compatriot in the movie, a character named “Stevie” and played by Dweezil Zappa (the son of legendary musician Frank Zappa) is an obvious homage to Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac.
• Four actors from the “Predator” film franchise appear in this film. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jesse Ventura and Sven-Ole Thorsen all appear in the original feature film Predator (1987), while Maria Conchita Alonso appears in the sequel Predator 2 (1990).
• The film takes place from 2017 to 2019.
• “The Running Man” suit that the contestants wear bears an Adidas logo at the hip and right arm.
• Arnold Schwarzenegger (trademark): “I’ll be back!”
• Prior to Paul Michael Glaser being hired as director, executive producer Rob Cohen had hired four other directors in his attempts to make the movie. The first was George P. Cosmatos, who had impressed Cohen with his work on Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985). However, when Cosmatos announced that he wanted to relocate the entire film to a shopping mall, Cohen let him go, feeling that Cosmatos was taking the script in an unacceptable direction. Cohen next offered the project to German director Carl Schenkel, having been impressed with Out of Order (1984), but Schenkel turned him down as he didn’t feel comfortable taking on such a large project. Next, Cohen hired Ferdinand Fairfax, based upon his work on Savage Islands (1983). Like Cosmatos, however, Fairfax began to take the screenplay in a direction which Cohen disliked, so once again, he let him go. Cohen then turned to Andrew Davis, having enjoyed Davis’ movie Code of Silence (1985). Davis actually got the project off the ground and into production, but only eight days into the shoot, he was already $8 million over budget and four days behind schedule. As such Cohen let Davis go, and ultimately hired Glaser, whom he had worked with on the first season of Miami Vice (1984).
• The character of Mrs. McArdle, whom host Damon Killian states is the shows number one fan, is an homage to Mrs. Miller, a long-time fixture of many series’, including The Merv Griffin Show. Her entire claim to fame was that she showed up to the tapings almost every day. The real Mrs. Miller (who was not a young woman) actually parlayed her notoriety into several ventures, including recording an album entitled “Mrs. Miller Sings”. It’s an album which today is only heard on Dr. Demento-type shows.
• 1hr 23 minutes into the film: As Killian is congratulating his production team he is standing next to a TV that is rolling credits for the show. The credits are quite easy to read on a large screen and are: THANK YOU: TIM GEORGE GARY PAUL ROB KEITH YOU ME US THEM ~ WHAT NEXT: I DON’T KNOW ~ TITLES: TYPE M WRONG ~ MAKE UP: PAINT YOUR FACE ~ PROPS: PROPERTY ~ LOCATIONS: BY TO LONG HERE ~ ART DIRECTOR: RED G. BLEU AND PRIMARY COLOURS ~ MUSIC: DO RAY ME ~ CATERING: [scene ends]
• Features two actors who went on to be the governor of a US state: in November 1998 Jesse Ventura was elected Governor of Minnesota; in October 2003 Arnold Schwarzenegger was elected Governor of California.
• The red car that drives Killian (Richard Dawson) in front of the TV studio is a Maserati Quattroporte III stretch limo.
• Kurt Fuller provided the voice of the Dispatcher who orders Richards to kill the unarmed civilians in the Bakersfield riot.
• Dweezil Zappa, son of legendary American composer/singer Frank Zappa, has only two lines in the movie: “Don’t touch that dial!”, being one of his father’s most famous lyrics from the song “I Am the Slime” (from the album “Over-nite Sensation”, 1973); and “Psst . . . you guys wanna buy a hot stereo? . . . Laughlin!, glad you guys made it” at the beginning of the film.
• Mic’s Star Trek reference gag was Mick Fleetwood’s idea, as he was a huge fan of the original 1960s series (this film was in production a year before The Next Generation television series started filming). However two years after this film was released Fleetwood got to achieve a lifetime ambition by having a cameo in Star Trek: The Next Generation season two episode ‘Manhunt’.
• “The Running Man” game show seen in the film was based upon an early 1980s Japanese game show called “Trans American Ultra Quiz”, in which contestants were tortured in various ways. The prize went to whichever contestant could stand the pain/humiliation the longest.
• The exterior view of the resistance HQ is the same as the one used by the resistance in V: The Final Battle (1984) (note the tunnel and the building on the right).
• Final film of Richard Dawson & Erland van Lidth.
• Dolph Lundgren and Christopher Reeve expressed interest in starring in the movie, and Patrick Swayze had also been considered.
• In Killian’s office there is a poster for a fake TV show called “Hate Boat.” In real life, Richard Dawson appeared as a guest star in an episode of the TV series The Love Boat (1977).
• Yves Boisset, writer and director of The Prize of Peril (1983) sued Twentieth Century Fox for copycat because The Running Man (1987)’s screenplay was exactly the same as his own film. Some documents of the case were lost in a plane crash in the New York bay.
• A. Times called the movie “The best Schwarzenegger movie since The Terminator”.
• 1:35 The coordinates shown on the helicopter’s monitor ranges from N30°35′ W119°29′ to N34°12′ W119°11′ (which corresponds to Santa Clara Elementary School at 324 South E Street in Oxnard, California). The total distance flown comes out to 245 miles (390Km) in only 5 seconds. The helicopter hovers and begins the massacre at N45°04′ W119°04′
• Kurt Fuller later starred in Wayne’s World (1992), in which he played a similar role to his character in The Running Man (1987). In Wayne’s World (1992), Garth Algar (Dana Carvey) hacks a satellite so he can transmit a live broadcast of the Wayne’s World TV show into the TV of Frankie Sharp’s limo.
• The satellite up-link code is 18-24-61-B 17-17-4.
• The code to get into Ben Richards’ brother/Amber’s apartment is 4-4-5-5-6-6.
• The main plot about people being forced to compete in a fight to the death game show would later be reused for the novel series The Hunger Games and would become a hit film series 25 years later.
• Ben Richards (Arnold Schwarzenegger) says to Killian, “to hell with you!” He says the same while praying to Krom in Conan the Barbarian (1982).
• The code to deactivate the Sonic Deadline (the explosive neck collars) is “653-9X”.
• Actor Erland van Lidth, who plays ‘Dynamo’ in this film, died of a heart attack two months before this film was theatrically released. He was only 34 years old.
• In the scene after the prisoners remove their neck collars, Schwarzenegger says that “he is not interested in politics, he’s interested in survival.” Schwarzenegger later became a politician when we was elected Governor of California.

About The Movie From IMDB

Previous Next

Note: All images are property of their respected owners and used for editorial purposes.

View Details

The 3 Guys Podcast Recorded on 7/14/2022 You're a disease, and he’s the cure. In this podcast, we review the 80s action classic Cobra, directed by George P. Cosmatos, starring Sylvester Stallone, Brigitte Nielsen, Brian Thompson, Reni Santoni and Andrew Robinson. WARNING: There will be SPOILERS! The 3 Guys Rating  2.6/5

Notes From The Show * Quick Synopsis * Released: May 23, 1986

Directed By: George P. Cosmatos

Screenplay By: Sylvester Stallone

Based On The Book: A Running Duck, also published as “Fair Game” by Paula Gosling Stars: Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone, Brigitte Nielsen, Brian Thompson, Reni Santoni, Andrew Robinson and a bunch of other actors.

Plot: A tough-on-crime street cop must protect the only surviving witness to a strange murderous cult with far-reaching plans.

How did this movie do? Budget: $25 Million Box Office: $160 Million * 80s Action Cuts * + Body count: 52, 41 are killed by Cobra. + The movie is filled with over-the-top 1980s product placement. 1. Pepsi machine and Coors display and can in first shoot-out. 2. Giant Pepsi sign beside Stallone’s apartment. 3. Toys R Us commercial which Cobra watches on television. 4. Pepsi sign lit up at night outside Cobra’s apartment – background for fight scene. 5. Coors California sign in store window. 6. Coca-Cola machine outside store with character drinking can of Coke. 7. Bar scene with Miller High-Life sign in background. + Top One-Liners - Marion Cobretti: You’re a disease, and I’m the cure. - Marion Cobretti: Go ahead. I don’t shop here. - Marion Cobretti: I don’t deal with psychos. I put ’em away. - Marion Cobretti: This is where the law stops and I start, sucker! * Cut Scenes * + The first murder victim having her throat cut and hands severed; + An Asian American child delivers a wrapped present to the LAPD office as instructed by one of the members of the New World. As the officer tells the child to stay, he proceeds to unwrap the present only to discovers traces of blood coming from the box. The officer answers a phone call from one of the members of the New World, who speaks a cryptic message of the murder victim’s hands inside the box; + More dead bodies in the autopsy scene, including lingering shots of naked and mutilated bodies of murdered women; + The New World’s day jobs as welders, carpenters and fish market employees and cleaners, which were originally part of the “Angel of the City” sequences. These were cut and replaced with the scenes of the New World doing a routine workout ritual as seen in the film’s opening; + An extended death scene for Ingrid’s photographer Dan, in which he is hit several more times with axes and attempts to escape, only to slip on his own blood and fall down in puddle of it before being finished off with even more hits; + The scene in which the Night Slasher tries to kill Ingrid in the hospital was cut down for pacing and content. The deaths of the janitor and nurse were originally shown onscreen and a scene where a police guard outside Ingrid’s room is killed by the Night Slasher was also cut. A later scene where Cobretti mentions the officer’s death to Monte was cut to maintain continuity, which as a result made the editing of that scene choppy; + More scenes of the townspeople (including the motel owner and diner waitress) being killed during the climax, including a scene in which one is hit in the face with ax; two of these death scenes appeared in 1990’s TV versions of the film, but with most of the more graphic shots removed; + Graphic close-ups of the Night Slasher’s wound after he is impaled on the hook; Cobretti repeatedly forces the hook deeper into the Night Slasher as he screams in pain; + After the demise of the Night Slasher, Cobretti and Ingrid leave the factory but before they can exit, countryside police intervene wherein the sheriff demands from them of what took place in the factory. * Trivia * + The book Fair Game was adapted a second time as a film with Cindy Crawford entitled Fair Game. Brian Earl Thompson was born on August 28, 1959 in Ellensburg, Washington. + A very rare workprint of the movie has circulated among fans. Although most copies are poor quality, it has 30 to 40 minutes of footage not available in any other version. It also has all of the X-rated material removed from the final release. + Brian Thompson had to buy his own ticket to see the film himself personally because he was not invited to the films’ premiere by the films’ producers and Warner Bros. which still mystifies him to this day. + The custom 1950 Mercury driven by Cobretti in the film was actually owned by star Sylvester Stallone. The studio produced stunt doubles of the car for use in some of the action sequences, such as the jump from the second floor of the parking garage. + When Sylvester Stallone was signed to play the lead in Beverly Hills Cop (1984), he did a lot of work on the screenplay, turning it into an action extravaganza that the studio couldn’t afford. He eventually left Beverly Hills Cop and channeled his ideas for that project into this movie. + At one point during filming, Sylvester Stallone complained to cinematographer Ric Waite that they were falling behind, and said he and his crew needed to work harder. Waite responded by saying that if Stallone “gets his hands off Brigitte Nielsen’s ass and stops showing off to his bodyguards, maybe they wouldn’t have problems with time”. Stallone was shocked that somebody would talk to him that way, but he toned down his ego for a few weeks. In an interview, Waite also said that Stallone had a great sense of humor, despite his huge ego. He also confirmed a rumor that Stallone was the true director of the film, calling credited director George P. Cosmatos a good producer, but a bad director. + The film was considered a box-office disappointment at the time, especially compared to Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985) and Rocky IV (1985). However, it grossed $12,653,032 on its opening weekend, the largest opening weekend in the history of Warner Brothers and The Cannon Group at the time. It also earned over $160 million worldwide, against a budget of $25 million (along with marketing costs). That opening weekend was the second biggest for any film in 1986, trailing only Stark Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) It also got lumped together with Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986), which opened wide on May 23, 1986. + The knife used by the Night Slasher character was made for the film by knife designer Herman Schneider. Sylvester Stallone had asked Schneider to create a knife that audiences would never forget. + Sylvester Stallone said he got the idea for the LAPD’s “Zombie Squad” from a real-life Zombie Squad in Belgium, comprised of cops who go out at night and handle crazed criminals on their own terms. + In 2017, Sylvester Stallone used his Instagram page to post a picture of Cobretti standing next to the 1950 Mercury car with the caption, “Comeback or throwback?” Thousands of fans used this as the opportunity to lobby Stallone for a sequel or director’s cut Blu-ray of the film. + The original rough cut was over two hours long. Due to concerns it might not be a hit, the final cut was 87 minutes, thereby increasing the number of screenings per day. Some of the more violent scenes were also cut to avoid an X-rating. A great deal of plot detail was either removed or sped up while most of the violence and nearly every death was edited or depicted off-screen, resulting in numerous continuity errors. + Most 1980s action heroes were called John (ex. John Rambo, John Matrix, John McClane). The hero of this film is named Marion after John Wayne (his birth name was Marion Robert Morrison), the epitome of the cinematic tough guy who also often played characters called John (i.e.; John Bernard Books, John Chisum, John T. Chance). Oddly enough, Stallone worked with Wayne’s grandson Tommy Morrison in Rocky V (1990), where he played Tommy Gunn. + When Sylvester Stallone was on set, he was in fact literally directing the film with George P. Cosmatos acting as the on set Director. Stallone literally mapped out and planned alot of the shots including the speech where Brian Thompson calls Cobra “a pig”. Stallone said to him “For your close up, I want you to drink as much water as you can so we can see your spit on camera”. Cosmatos would just agree with Stallone with everything he wanted to do and stay out of his way. + Brian Thompson and Sylvester Stallone had not spoken to each other in over 20 years after the film was made until they recently met at a Horse Riding academy where Thompson’s daughter was actually giving Stallone’s daughter riding lessons. + When Sylvester Stallone was not on set, George P. Cosmatos acted like a tyrannical person to the cast and crew which rubbed many people the wrong way including Brian Thompson, who Cosmatos said to him “If you had listened to me, you would’ve had a better performance” which he didn’t take too kindly to. Thompson referred to him as a “pale chain smoker”. + Originally, the motorcycle chase scene in the ending was to be filmed in Seattle during the night on a ferry between the islands. Even though everything was prepared to start filming the scene at night, Sylvester Stallone ordered for the ending to be changed and to happen during the day because of the mosquito problem at that time which would have made night-time filming very difficult to endure. + Brian Thompson auditioned seven times for his role before he was hired. On his fourth audition he met Sylvester Stallone and both he and the director thought that Thompson was too nice to play the role of Nightslasher. But after a screen test he immediately got the job. Thompson repeatedly asked Stallone about his character Nightslasher, like how Stallone would want Thompson to play him, character’s background, his reasons for doing what he’s doing, but Stallone wasn’t interested in explaining Thompson’s character and he basically told him that he is evil because he is evil. In an unfortunate surprise for Thompson, when filming of the movie was finished, director George P. Cosmatos told Thompson, “You could have been good if you had listened to me.” + The Stan Bush song “The Touch” from The Transformers: The Movie (1986) was originally written for this film. + For Nightslasher’s monologue in the final confrontation with Cobra, Brian Thompson did the scene with the script girl because Sylvester Stallone was off watching a basketball game on television. + None of the supporting cast or crew were allowed to talk to Sylvester Stallone during filming. + Brigitte Nielsen wore a wig for her role as Ingrid. However, her trademark short blonde hair does make an appearance during Ingrid’s modeling shoot, ironically representing a ‘wig’ her character is wearing to look futuristic. + The first draft of Sylvester Stallone’s script had lot of differences from later drafts and the film. These include opening shootout taking place in movie theater instead of a grocery store and lot more people getting killed, Cobra mentioning how some psychopath he was trying to catch killed his girlfriend, additional big action sequence taking place during night on a boat where Cobra and Ingrid are hiding when they get attacked by Nightslasher’s cult members but Cobra and Gonzalez manage to kill them all, and different ending in which it’s revealed that Monte was actual leader of the New Order cult and when he tries to kill Ingrid he gets shot and killed by Cobra. + The Paula Gosling novel ‘Fair Game’ on which “Cobra” is based is also called ‘A Running Duck’. When the movie came out Sylvester Stallone allegedly wanted the novel reissued with himself credited as the author. Ms. Gosling declined the offer. + During the final confrontation fight with Sylvester Stallone and Brian Thompson, Stallone accidentally hit Thompson in the jaw with butt of the gun he was holding and left him dazed and groggy. The stunt crew led by Terry Leonard and Thompson’s stunt double huddled around Thompson to hide the fact that he had been really hurt. Thompson ended up with a bruise on his right cheek that hurt for several days. + In the original script, Nightslasher was called Abaddon. + The movie was based on a novel “Fair Game” by Paula Gosling. In 1995, William Baldwin and Cindy Crawford made Fair Game, which was based on the same novel by Gosling. Just like Cobra, Fair Game was re-edited by Warner Bros. in post production, but in Fair Game’s case it was due to the test audience disliking the original cut. + To get the glint reflection of the Night Stalkers’ specialized killing knife, the production had to build a 3 foot knife so they could actually get the reflection effect that they wanted. Brian Thompson was quite surprised by it and said the knife was actually made of plastic and some reflective material to get the shot. + The movie is filled with over-the-top 1980s product placement. 1. Pepsi machine and Coors display and can in first shoot-out. 2. Giant Pepsi sign beside Stallone’s apartment. 3. Toys R Us commercial which Cobra watches on television. 4. Pepsi sign lit up at night outside Cobra’s apartment – background for fight scene. 5. Coors California sign in store window. 6. Coca-Cola machine outside store with character drinking can of Coke. 7. Bar scene with Miller High-Life sign in background. + During the car chase scene the car the Nightslasher is in and the truck following Cobra are both driving erratically. Cobra’s driving is smooth and measured for most of the chase. This was filmed to reflect the chaotic nature of the Night Slasher and his followers and emphasized that Cobra was always cool and in control. + The submachine gun used by Marion Cobretti in the final showdown with biker gang is a Jati-Matic. The Jati-Matic first appeared in the early 1980s, but was never adopted by any country for use. It re-appeared in Finland in the mid-1990s as the GG-95 Personal Defense Weapon made by the Golden Gun Company. The gun is chambered in 9×19 parabellum, has a cyclic rate of 600 rounds per minute, and has various accessories that were offered, such as a silencer, various capacity magazines, and a laser pointing device. + Marco Rodriguez who would be cast as “The Supermarket Killer” actually read for the “Night Stalker” part that Brian Thompson would actually play in the film. + Director George P. Costmatos would get upset to the point of explosion on set when he was not getting a particular performance. Marco Rodriguez was one such victim when he was only doing what Cosmatos asked of him through his broken English. Rodriguez would counter that he was “only doing what he asked of him.” + The opening credits font is identical to the the one that had been used for the ‘Rambo’ logo the previous year, and would forevermore be associated with that series. + In an interview Sylvester Stallone described the character of Marion Cobretti as “Bruce Springsteen with a badge.” + The ‘Chase’ music from the score by Sylvester Levay would go on to become a popular choice of stock music for action movie trailers, notably featuring in the trailers for Bloodsport (1988) and Marked for Death (1990). + The final shooting script for the film was 103 pages sans rewrites and additional dialog and material added. + Stallone’s opening monologue was so gravelly because it was recorded immediately after he’d choked on his character’s signature toothpick when filming a scene. Brigitte Nielsen performed abdominal thrusts, which Sly insisted wasn’t necessary because his lungs would have the natural strength to dislodge absolutely anything. + The original edit had a working title of “Corn on the Cobra” as the cult first targeted the north American agricultural industry before moving on to vulnerable women. As this part of the story didnt make the final cut the film was hastily renamed. + The original ending was supposed to take place in Lake Pyru in Ojai, California where Cobra has a confrontation with Monte in which he rips off his shirt and reveals a Satanic tattoo on his chest revealing that he was the leader of the New Order which explains why the Night Stalker and Nancy, who was also an LAPD officer had information on all of the victims and were one step ahead of Cobretti and his partner as to the whereabouts of Ingrid. + Andrew Robinson talked to Sylvester Stallone about the films’ original ending before it was filmed and told him that “they had killed so many people in the film and it takes away from the moments.” Stallone agreed with Robinson’s take on it and suggested that he would “just punch him out” and Robinson agreed with it and saved him three hours of putting a tattoo on his chest as the original ending stated he had. + When Brian Thompson is sneaking up on Brigitte Nielsen in the hospital scene, under Bridgitte’s hospital bed is a pair of boxing shoes that say “rocky” on the back of them. + The Night Slasher does not reveal the motivation for the murders until his final scenes. The motivation amounts to “Social Darwinism”, a belief that “survival of the fittest” translates to the strong having to dominate or eliminate the weak.

Released: May 23, 1986

Directed By: George P. Cosmatos

Screenplay By: Sylvester Stallone

Based On The Book: A Running Duck, also published as “Fair Game” by Paula Gosling Stars: Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone, Brigitte Nielsen, Brian Thompson, Reni Santoni, Andrew Robinson and a bunch of other actors.

Plot: A tough-on-crime street cop must protect the only surviving witness to a strange murderous cult with far-reaching plans.

How did this movie do? Budget: $25 Million Box Office: $160 Million

• Body count: 52, 41 are killed by Cobra.
• The movie is filled with over-the-top 1980s product placement. 1. Pepsi machine and Coors display and can in first shoot-out. 2. Giant Pepsi sign beside Stallone’s apartment. 3. Toys R Us commercial which Cobra watches on television. 4. Pepsi sign lit up at night outside Cobra’s apartment – background for fight scene. 5. Coors California sign in store window. 6. Coca-Cola machine outside store with character drinking can of Coke. 7. Bar scene with Miller High-Life sign in background.

• Top One-Liners

  • Marion Cobretti: You’re a disease, and I’m the cure.
  • Marion Cobretti: Go ahead. I don’t shop here.
  • Marion Cobretti: I don’t deal with psychos. I put ’em away.
  • Marion Cobretti: This is where the law stops and I start, sucker!

• The first murder victim having her throat cut and hands severed;

• An Asian American child delivers a wrapped present to the LAPD office as instructed by one of the members of the New World. As the officer tells the child to stay, he proceeds to unwrap the present only to discovers traces of blood coming from the box. The officer answers a phone call from one of the members of the New World, who speaks a cryptic message of the murder victim’s hands inside the box;
• More dead bodies in the autopsy scene, including lingering shots of naked and mutilated bodies of murdered women;
• The New World’s day jobs as welders, carpenters and fish market employees and cleaners, which were originally part of the “Angel of the City” sequences. These were cut and replaced with the scenes of the New World doing a routine workout ritual as seen in the film’s opening;
• An extended death scene for Ingrid’s photographer Dan, in which he is hit several more times with axes and attempts to escape, only to slip on his own blood and fall down in puddle of it before being finished off with even more hits;
• The scene in which the Night Slasher tries to kill Ingrid in the hospital was cut down for pacing and content. The deaths of the janitor and nurse were originally shown onscreen and a scene where a police guard outside Ingrid’s room is killed by the Night Slasher was also cut. A later scene where Cobretti mentions the officer’s death to Monte was cut to maintain continuity, which as a result made the editing of that scene choppy;
• More scenes of the townspeople (including the motel owner and diner waitress) being killed during the climax, including a scene in which one is hit in the face with ax; two of these death scenes appeared in 1990’s TV versions of the film, but with most of the more graphic shots removed;
• Graphic close-ups of the Night Slasher’s wound after he is impaled on the hook; Cobretti repeatedly forces the hook deeper into the Night Slasher as he screams in pain;

• After the demise of the Night Slasher, Cobretti and Ingrid leave the factory but before they can exit, countryside police intervene wherein the sheriff demands from them of what took place in the factory.

• The book Fair Game was adapted a second time as a film with Cindy Crawford entitled Fair Game. Brian Earl Thompson was born on August 28, 1959 in Ellensburg, Washington.

• A very rare workprint of the movie has circulated among fans. Although most copies are poor quality, it has 30 to 40 minutes of footage not available in any other version. It also has all of the X-rated material removed from the final release.
• Brian Thompson had to buy his own ticket to see the film himself personally because he was not invited to the films’ premiere by the films’ producers and Warner Bros. which still mystifies him to this day.
• The custom 1950 Mercury driven by Cobretti in the film was actually owned by star Sylvester Stallone. The studio produced stunt doubles of the car for use in some of the action sequences, such as the jump from the second floor of the parking garage.
• When Sylvester Stallone was signed to play the lead in Beverly Hills Cop (1984), he did a lot of work on the screenplay, turning it into an action extravaganza that the studio couldn’t afford. He eventually left Beverly Hills Cop and channeled his ideas for that project into this movie.
• At one point during filming, Sylvester Stallone complained to cinematographer Ric Waite that they were falling behind, and said he and his crew needed to work harder. Waite responded by saying that if Stallone “gets his hands off Brigitte Nielsen’s ass and stops showing off to his bodyguards, maybe they wouldn’t have problems with time”. Stallone was shocked that somebody would talk to him that way, but he toned down his ego for a few weeks. In an interview, Waite also said that Stallone had a great sense of humor, despite his huge ego. He also confirmed a rumor that Stallone was the true director of the film, calling credited director George P. Cosmatos a good producer, but a bad director.
• The film was considered a box-office disappointment at the time, especially compared to Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985) and Rocky IV (1985). However, it grossed $12,653,032 on its opening weekend, the largest opening weekend in the history of Warner Brothers and The Cannon Group at the time. It also earned over $160 million worldwide, against a budget of $25 million (along with marketing costs). That opening weekend was the second biggest for any film in 1986, trailing only Stark Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) It also got lumped together with Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986), which opened wide on May 23, 1986.
• The knife used by the Night Slasher character was made for the film by knife designer Herman Schneider. Sylvester Stallone had asked Schneider to create a knife that audiences would never forget.
• Sylvester Stallone said he got the idea for the LAPD’s “Zombie Squad” from a real-life Zombie Squad in Belgium, comprised of cops who go out at night and handle crazed criminals on their own terms.
• In 2017, Sylvester Stallone used his Instagram page to post a picture of Cobretti standing next to the 1950 Mercury car with the caption, “Comeback or throwback?” Thousands of fans used this as the opportunity to lobby Stallone for a sequel or director’s cut Blu-ray of the film.
• The original rough cut was over two hours long. Due to concerns it might not be a hit, the final cut was 87 minutes, thereby increasing the number of screenings per day. Some of the more violent scenes were also cut to avoid an X-rating. A great deal of plot detail was either removed or sped up while most of the violence and nearly every death was edited or depicted off-screen, resulting in numerous continuity errors.
• Most 1980s action heroes were called John (ex. John Rambo, John Matrix, John McClane). The hero of this film is named Marion after John Wayne (his birth name was Marion Robert Morrison), the epitome of the cinematic tough guy who also often played characters called John (i.e.; John Bernard Books, John Chisum, John T. Chance). Oddly enough, Stallone worked with Wayne’s grandson Tommy Morrison in Rocky V (1990), where he played Tommy Gunn.
• When Sylvester Stallone was on set, he was in fact literally directing the film with George P. Cosmatos acting as the on set Director. Stallone literally mapped out and planned alot of the shots including the speech where Brian Thompson calls Cobra “a pig”. Stallone said to him “For your close up, I want you to drink as much water as you can so we can see your spit on camera”. Cosmatos would just agree with Stallone with everything he wanted to do and stay out of his way.
• Brian Thompson and Sylvester Stallone had not spoken to each other in over 20 years after the film was made until they recently met at a Horse Riding academy where Thompson’s daughter was actually giving Stallone’s daughter riding lessons.
• When Sylvester Stallone was not on set, George P. Cosmatos acted like a tyrannical person to the cast and crew which rubbed many people the wrong way including Brian Thompson, who Cosmatos said to him “If you had listened to me, you would’ve had a better performance” which he didn’t take too kindly to. Thompson referred to him as a “pale chain smoker”.
• Originally, the motorcycle chase scene in the ending was to be filmed in Seattle during the night on a ferry between the islands. Even though everything was prepared to start filming the scene at night, Sylvester Stallone ordered for the ending to be changed and to happen during the day because of the mosquito problem at that time which would have made night-time filming very difficult to endure.
• Brian Thompson auditioned seven times for his role before he was hired. On his fourth audition he met Sylvester Stallone and both he and the director thought that Thompson was too nice to play the role of Nightslasher. But after a screen test he immediately got the job. Thompson repeatedly asked Stallone about his character Nightslasher, like how Stallone would want Thompson to play him, character’s background, his reasons for doing what he’s doing, but Stallone wasn’t interested in explaining Thompson’s character and he basically told him that he is evil because he is evil. In an unfortunate surprise for Thompson, when filming of the movie was finished, director George P. Cosmatos told Thompson, “You could have been good if you had listened to me.”
• The Stan Bush song “The Touch” from The Transformers: The Movie (1986) was originally written for this film.
• For Nightslasher’s monologue in the final confrontation with Cobra, Brian Thompson did the scene with the script girl because Sylvester Stallone was off watching a basketball game on television.
• None of the supporting cast or crew were allowed to talk to Sylvester Stallone during filming.
• Brigitte Nielsen wore a wig for her role as Ingrid. However, her trademark short blonde hair does make an appearance during Ingrid’s modeling shoot, ironically representing a ‘wig’ her character is wearing to look futuristic.
• The first draft of Sylvester Stallone’s script had lot of differences from later drafts and the film. These include opening shootout taking place in movie theater instead of a grocery store and lot more people getting killed, Cobra mentioning how some psychopath he was trying to catch killed his girlfriend, additional big action sequence taking place during night on a boat where Cobra and Ingrid are hiding when they get attacked by Nightslasher’s cult members but Cobra and Gonzalez manage to kill them all, and different ending in which it’s revealed that Monte was actual leader of the New Order cult and when he tries to kill Ingrid he gets shot and killed by Cobra.
• The Paula Gosling novel ‘Fair Game’ on which “Cobra” is based is also called ‘A Running Duck’. When the movie came out Sylvester Stallone allegedly wanted the novel reissued with himself credited as the author. Ms. Gosling declined the offer.
• During the final confrontation fight with Sylvester Stallone and Brian Thompson, Stallone accidentally hit Thompson in the jaw with butt of the gun he was holding and left him dazed and groggy. The stunt crew led by Terry Leonard and Thompson’s stunt double huddled around Thompson to hide the fact that he had been really hurt. Thompson ended up with a bruise on his right cheek that hurt for several days.
• In the original script, Nightslasher was called Abaddon.
• The movie was based on a novel “Fair Game” by Paula Gosling. In 1995, William Baldwin and Cindy Crawford made Fair Game, which was based on the same novel by Gosling. Just like Cobra, Fair Game was re-edited by Warner Bros. in post production, but in Fair Game’s case it was due to the test audience disliking the original cut.
• To get the glint reflection of the Night Stalkers’ specialized killing knife, the production had to build a 3 foot knife so they could actually get the reflection effect that they wanted. Brian Thompson was quite surprised by it and said the knife was actually made of plastic and some reflective material to get the shot.
• The movie is filled with over-the-top 1980s product placement. 1. Pepsi machine and Coors display and can in first shoot-out. 2. Giant Pepsi sign beside Stallone’s apartment. 3. Toys R Us commercial which Cobra watches on television. 4. Pepsi sign lit up at night outside Cobra’s apartment – background for fight scene. 5. Coors California sign in store window. 6. Coca-Cola machine outside store with character drinking can of Coke. 7. Bar scene with Miller High-Life sign in background.
• During the car chase scene the car the Nightslasher is in and the truck following Cobra are both driving erratically. Cobra’s driving is smooth and measured for most of the chase. This was filmed to reflect the chaotic nature of the Night Slasher and his followers and emphasized that Cobra was always cool and in control.
• The submachine gun used by Marion Cobretti in the final showdown with biker gang is a Jati-Matic. The Jati-Matic first appeared in the early 1980s, but was never adopted by any country for use. It re-appeared in Finland in the mid-1990s as the GG-95 Personal Defense Weapon made by the Golden Gun Company. The gun is chambered in 9×19 parabellum, has a cyclic rate of 600 rounds per minute, and has various accessories that were offered, such as a silencer, various capacity magazines, and a laser pointing device.
• Marco Rodriguez who would be cast as “The Supermarket Killer” actually read for the “Night Stalker” part that Brian Thompson would actually play in the film.
• Director George P. Costmatos would get upset to the point of explosion on set when he was not getting a particular performance. Marco Rodriguez was one such victim when he was only doing what Cosmatos asked of him through his broken English. Rodriguez would counter that he was “only doing what he asked of him.”
• The opening credits font is identical to the the one that had been used for the ‘Rambo’ logo the previous year, and would forevermore be associated with that series.
• In an interview Sylvester Stallone described the character of Marion Cobretti as “Bruce Springsteen with a badge.”
• The ‘Chase’ music from the score by Sylvester Levay would go on to become a popular choice of stock music for action movie trailers, notably featuring in the trailers for Bloodsport (1988) and Marked for Death (1990).
• The final shooting script for the film was 103 pages sans rewrites and additional dialog and material added.
• Stallone’s opening monologue was so gravelly because it was recorded immediately after he’d choked on his character’s signature toothpick when filming a scene. Brigitte Nielsen performed abdominal thrusts, which Sly insisted wasn’t necessary because his lungs would have the natural strength to dislodge absolutely anything.
• The original edit had a working title of “Corn on the Cobra” as the cult first targeted the north American agricultural industry before moving on to vulnerable women. As this part of the story didnt make the final cut the film was hastily renamed.
• The original ending was supposed to take place in Lake Pyru in Ojai, California where Cobra has a confrontation with Monte in which he rips off his shirt and reveals a Satanic tattoo on his chest revealing that he was the leader of the New Order which explains why the Night Stalker and Nancy, who was also an LAPD officer had information on all of the victims and were one step ahead of Cobretti and his partner as to the whereabouts of Ingrid.
• Andrew Robinson talked to Sylvester Stallone about the films’ original ending before it was filmed and told him that “they had killed so many people in the film and it takes away from the moments.” Stallone agreed with Robinson’s take on it and suggested that he would “just punch him out” and Robinson agreed with it and saved him three hours of putting a tattoo on his chest as the original ending stated he had.
• When Brian Thompson is sneaking up on Brigitte Nielsen in the hospital scene, under Bridgitte’s hospital bed is a pair of boxing shoes that say “rocky” on the back of them.
• The Night Slasher does not reveal the motivation for the murders until his final scenes. The motivation amounts to “Social Darwinism”, a belief that “survival of the fittest” translates to the strong having to dominate or eliminate the weak.

About The Movie From IMDB

Previous Next

Note: All images are property of their respected owners and used for editorial purposes.

View Details

The 3 Guys Podcast Recorded on 6/30/2022 Not every god has a plan. In this podcast, we review the latest MCU movie directed by Taika Waititi, Thor: Love and Thunder (released 2022) starring Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale, Tessa Thompson, Jaimie Alexander, Taika Waititi and Russell Crowe. WARNING: There will be SPOILERS! The 3 Guys Rating  4.2/5

Notes From The Show * Quick Synopsis * Released: July 7, 2022

Directed By: Taika Waititi

Screenplay By: Taika Waititi and Jennifer Kaytin Robinson

Based On Characters By: Marvel Comics

Stars: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale, Tessa Thompson, Jaimie Alexander, Taika Waititi, Russell Crowe and a bunch of other actors.

Plot: Thor enlists the help of Valkyrie, Korg and ex-girlfriend Jane Foster to fight Gorr the God Butcher, who intends to make the gods extinct.

How did this movie do? Budget: $250 Million And it’s expected to exceed over $100 Million during it’s opening weekend * Comic Origins * + Thor Odinson – first appeared in Journey into Mystery #83 – reated by artist Jack Kirby, writer Stan Lee + Gorr, the God Butcher – First Appearance “Thor: God of Thunder #2 – 2012 - Gorr lost his entire family to starvation and was cast out of his village when he denounced the gods. After witnessing Knull fighting with a gold skinned god, he obtained the Necrosword from Knull, when he dropped it, and killed the gold skinned god after he begged for help. He vowed to kill the gods for not answering his prayers for help. With each god he killed, he grew stronger. Was taken down by 3 Thors from different times (Young Thor, Avenger Thor and King Thor) and a facsimile of Gorr’s son that he had recreated. - After Gorr’s death, it was Gorr’s philosophy that the gods were unworthy that caused Thor to become Unworthy (which lead into Jane becoming The Mighty Thor). Nick Fury Tell’s Thor “Gorr was right”. - Gorr was eventually resurrected in the comics, because of course he was. + The Mighty Thor – Jane Foster – First Appearance of Jane Foster “Journey into Mystery #84 – 1962 | As the Mighty Thor – 2014. - After Thor becomes UnWorthy and unable to lift his hammer Mjolnir (Myol-Near), it’s left on the Moon, where a cancer stricken Jane Foster is taken to it by Heimdall. She is able to lift it and becomes The Mighty Thor. For many issues, her real identity is kept secret, even from the reader. - In the comic, every time Jane uses the Mjolnir (Myol-Near), it gives her Asgardian healing, removing all the “toxins” and “poisons” from her body including her Chemo and other cancer fighting drugs. This makes the cancer progress faster in her mortal self, thereby killing her quicker. - To save Asgard from Magog, Jane sacrifices the Mjolnir (Myol-Near), throwing into a sun, turns back into Jane and succumbs to her cancer. Odin & Thor are able to revive her. She eventually goes on to become the new Valkyrie. A Valkyrie, she helps Odinson become worthy again of being Thor. + All-Black The Necrosword - Formed out of living abyss. The First necrosword, the All-Black, was created by Knull, an eldritch god of the void. When his realm of darkness was invaded by Celestials, he used the sword to decapitate one of the Celestials, which become Knowhere. - The sword is made from the same material Knull used to create the Symbiote race, the Klyntar (which Venom is a part of). - In the film Gorr get his powers from another source, as the symbiotes currently belong to Columbia Pictures (though one made it to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). So basically, the Shadow Beats are supposed to be Symbiotes. - Wielders of Necroswords include Knull, Gorr, All-Father Thor (from the future), Galactus, Malekith (Dark World), Conan the Barbarian and Eddie Brock (Venom). + Valkyrie – aka King Brunnhilde – is loosely based off of Valkyrie from Marvel Comics – First appearing in The Avengers #83 (December 1970) * Easter Eggs * + Thor’s t-shirt – Yggdrasil & Nine Realms on it. The bifrost symbol on his chest foreshadows the bifrost symbol on Eternity’s chest later in the movie. + Thor’s Goats: Toothgnasher & Toothgrinder + Thor’s Handshake: Snake that can’t be trusted (reference to Ragnarok story of Loki turning to a snake) + Event Horizon & Interstellar Reference – Both movies fold paper over and poke a pen through it to explain wormholes. + Ice Cream shop called “Infinity Conez” and has 6 candles (1 for each stone) + Falligar, the Patron God of the Galactic Frontier – That scene is taken directly from Thor: God of Thunder #3 comic, published in December 2012. + Nick Fury on Thor’s phone as Nick Furry, which is a callback to the short videos on youtube. + Loki Reference – Although he doesn’t appear in any “new” scenes in this movie, he is referenced in a flashback and Thor’s RIP back tattoo. + Brett Goldstein appears as Hercules + India Rose Hemsworth, Chris Hemsworth’s daughter, plays Gorr’s daughter in the film + Statues at the Gate of Eternity – UATU the Watcher, Death, Eon, Infinity, Celestials and the Living Tribunal (making his 3rd reference in the MCU) + 2 Celestials are at Omnipotence City (the Mad Celestial & the Celestial Gardner). + Korg’s New Boyfriend Dwayne…as in Dwayne, The Rock, Johnson. + Darryl, from the video shorts of Thor living with a roommate (2016-2018) returns as a tour guide in New Asgard + The Cocktail & Dreams movie sign on Valkyrie’s Viking Ship + Lots of Guns N’ Roses music (4 songs) and references including a Poster in a background shot and Hemdall’s son changing his name to Axl. + In the Marvel logo at the beginning, Moon Knight and Ms. Marvel could be seen. + Jane Foster’s costume during the flashbacks included a Chest Buster from Alien. + Bao from the 2018 Pixar short animated film. + Jane refer’s to herself as “The Mighty Thor” which is what her comic title was during her run. + Thor says it’s been Eight years, seven months, and six days since he last saw Jane. Darkworld came out October 22, 2013 which is just under 9 years. + Sif losing her arm – In the Mighty Thor run, it’s Thor Odinson who loses his arm + Thor’s jeans, t-shirt and vest outfit is a reference to Thunderstrike (another mortal who became a Thor for a while). + Melissa McCarthy joins Matt Damon, Luke Hemsworth and Sam Neill’s Asgard acting troupe to play Hela. + Tristan Hemsworth, son of Chris Hemsworth, plays Young Thor. + We did not see Jane did not go through the gates of Valhalla during the end credit scene. This is how Thor was able to bring her back in the comics. + Zeus credit scene likely sets him up as the big bad for the next film. + The Necrosword calls out to Gorr similar to how the Ebony Blade calls to Dain in Eternals. + During Thor’s workout scene, he wears an old-school Avengers hat, with mighty crossed off and strongest written in (call back to Ragnarok…the Strongest Avenger) + Thor riding Storm Breaker is a call back to Ragnarok (when Korg asks if Thor rides his hammer). + Korg’s rock god is sitting on a thrown of scissors (call back to Ragnarok line by Korg) * Trivia * + Christian Bale had initially turned down the possibility of appearing in any more comic book or superhero films after The Dark Knight Rises (2012), seeing the genre as uninteresting from an acting perspective, and especially finding the experience of donning the Batman costume to be a miserable one. He agreed to take part in this film however, after his kids begged him to take the role. + Chris Hemsworth on his eighth time playing the character of Thor. + The cast features five Oscar winners – Christian Bale, Matt Damon, Natalie Portman, Taika Waititi and Russell Crowe – and two Oscar nominees – Bradley Cooper and Melissa McCarthy. + Chris Hemsworth’s son Tristan plays young Thor in the film, though he is uncredited. + So far, Thor is the only MCU character to have 4 stand-alone films. + The title design was inspired by the “sword and sorcery” subgenre, which was especially popular in the 1980’s. + Thor: Love and Thunder marks Natalie Portman’s official return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Jane Foster. After her experiences working on Thor: The Dark World (2013), Portman had decided to retire from doing any more MCU films. But when it was revealed she had a voice cameo in Avengers: Endgame (2019), this suggested Portman was game for another Thor movie. This was officially confirmed at the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con when Portman walked on stage and director Taika Waititi handed her a Mjølnir prop, also confirming that Jane would become The Mighty Thor in this film. + Christian Bale almost dropped out of the film due to scheduling conflicts. Bale usually prefers to have wider gaps between projects but this time he had only three days after finishing shooting a film in Los Angeles and starting the mandatory Covid-19 quarantine in Australia. It was his children who eventually convinced him to make the scheduling work. + The scene where Korg (Taika Waititi) addresses the children whilst in a cave, about the deeds of Thor, is a tongue in cheek reference to another iconic Australian made film, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985), which has an almost identical scene about children hearing about that films central protagonist too. + Set to be filmed in Australia, the home country of Chris Hemsworth and neighbouring country of Taika Waititi as well as Russell Crowe who are from New Zealand. + This is the fourth time Matt Damon has played a version of Loki, after “Thor: Ragnorok” and “Dogma” and “Jay and Silent Bob: Reboot”. + One scene has Thor and Korg stare at the body of a fallen god. This is a replica of a scene in the “Thor: God of Thunder” comic (Issue 3, Dec 2012), where Thor came across the same body. + In the comics, Gorr the God Butcher’s powers are shared with the symbiote beings (Venom, Carnage, etc). + It’s the twenty-ninth film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. + Chris Hemsworth calls Gorr his favorite villain in the Marvel Universe. + Christian Bale is the second actor to play Batman to appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, after Michael Keaton (Adrian Toomes/the Vulture) in Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017). + This is the second comic-book feature for Christian Bale and Russell Crowe, both of whom had previously played a DC Comics character: Bale was Batman in Christopher Nolan’s “Dark Knight” trilogy and Crowe was Jor-El in Man of Steel (2013). + Taiki Waititi’s direction job on this film makes him the first person to direct more than one Thor film. + Christian Bale and Russell Crowe also starred in 3:10 to Yuma. + Thor’s goats Toothgrinder and Toothgnasher will appear in the film. These goats had appeared in both the comics and Norse myth of Thor. + This is based on Jason Aaron’s Thor comics, where Thor encounters Gorr the God Butcher and suffers a crisis of faith, and where Jane Foster claims the Mjolnir hammer and takes the title of Thor. Both plotlines are separate in the comics, but are combined/linked in this film + Heimdall has a son named Axel in the film. In the Norse myths Heimdall (under the name of Rigr) has three children who all founded different classes of society: Thrall (the first serf/slave), Karl (the first churl/peasant), and Jarl (the first earl/nobleman). + There is a theory that Odin used the space stone to create the bifrost, so that would mean something with space stone tech could open the gate, hence, Storm Breaker is the key.

Released: July 7, 2022

Directed By: Taika Waititi

Screenplay By: Taika Waititi and Jennifer Kaytin Robinson

Based On Characters By: Marvel Comics

Stars: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale, Tessa Thompson, Jaimie Alexander, Taika Waititi, Russell Crowe and a bunch of other actors.

Plot: Thor enlists the help of Valkyrie, Korg and ex-girlfriend Jane Foster to fight Gorr the God Butcher, who intends to make the gods extinct.

How did this movie do? Budget: $250 Million And it’s expected to exceed over $100 Million during it’s opening weekend

• Thor Odinson – first appeared in Journey into Mystery #83 – reated by artist Jack Kirby, writer Stan Lee
• Gorr, the God Butcher – First Appearance “Thor: God of Thunder #2 – 2012
  • Gorr lost his entire family to starvation and was cast out of his village when he denounced the gods. After witnessing Knull fighting with a gold skinned god, he obtained the Necrosword from Knull, when he dropped it, and killed the gold skinned god after he begged for help. He vowed to kill the gods for not answering his prayers for help. With each god he killed, he grew stronger. Was taken down by 3 Thors from different times (Young Thor, Avenger Thor and King Thor) and a facsimile of Gorr’s son that he had recreated.
  • After Gorr’s death, it was Gorr’s philosophy that the gods were unworthy that caused Thor to become Unworthy (which lead into Jane becoming The Mighty Thor). Nick Fury Tell’s Thor “Gorr was right”.
  • Gorr was eventually resurrected in the comics, because of course he was.
• The Mighty Thor – Jane Foster – First Appearance of Jane Foster “Journey into Mystery #84 – 1962 | As the Mighty Thor – 2014.
  • After Thor becomes UnWorthy and unable to lift his hammer Mjolnir (Myol-Near), it’s left on the Moon, where a cancer stricken Jane Foster is taken to it by Heimdall. She is able to lift it and becomes The Mighty Thor. For many issues, her real identity is kept secret, even from the reader.
  • In the comic, every time Jane uses the Mjolnir (Myol-Near), it gives her Asgardian healing, removing all the “toxins” and “poisons” from her body including her Chemo and other cancer fighting drugs. This makes the cancer progress faster in her mortal self, thereby killing her quicker.
  • To save Asgard from Magog, Jane sacrifices the Mjolnir (Myol-Near), throwing into a sun, turns back into Jane and succumbs to her cancer. Odin & Thor are able to revive her. She eventually goes on to become the new Valkyrie. A Valkyrie, she helps Odinson become worthy again of being Thor.
• All-Black The Necrosword
  • Formed out of living abyss. The First necrosword, the All-Black, was created by Knull, an eldritch god of the void. When his realm of darkness was invaded by Celestials, he used the sword to decapitate one of the Celestials, which become Knowhere.
  • The sword is made from the same material Knull used to create the Symbiote race, the Klyntar (which Venom is a part of).
  • In the film Gorr get his powers from another source, as the symbiotes currently belong to Columbia Pictures (though one made it to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). So basically, the Shadow Beats are supposed to be Symbiotes.
  • Wielders of Necroswords include Knull, Gorr, All-Father Thor (from the future), Galactus, Malekith (Dark World), Conan the Barbarian and Eddie Brock (Venom).

• Valkyrie – aka King Brunnhilde – is loosely based off of Valkyrie from Marvel Comics – First appearing in The Avengers #83 (December 1970)

• Thor’s t-shirt – Yggdrasil & Nine Realms on it. The bifrost symbol on his chest foreshadows the bifrost symbol on Eternity’s chest later in the movie.

• Thor’s Goats: Toothgnasher & Toothgrinder
• Thor’s Handshake: Snake that can’t be trusted (reference to Ragnarok story of Loki turning to a snake)
• Event Horizon & Interstellar Reference – Both movies fold paper over and poke a pen through it to explain wormholes.
• Ice Cream shop called “Infinity Conez” and has 6 candles (1 for each stone)
• Falligar, the Patron God of the Galactic Frontier – That scene is taken directly from Thor: God of Thunder #3 comic, published in December 2012.
• Nick Fury on Thor’s phone as Nick Furry, which is a callback to the short videos on youtube.
• Loki Reference – Although he doesn’t appear in any “new” scenes in this movie, he is referenced in a flashback and Thor’s RIP back tattoo.
• Brett Goldstein appears as Hercules
• India Rose Hemsworth, Chris Hemsworth’s daughter, plays Gorr’s daughter in the film
• Statues at the Gate of Eternity – UATU the Watcher, Death, Eon, Infinity, Celestials and the Living Tribunal (making his 3rd reference in the MCU)
• 2 Celestials are at Omnipotence City (the Mad Celestial & the Celestial Gardner).
• Korg’s New Boyfriend Dwayne…as in Dwayne, The Rock, Johnson.
• Darryl, from the video shorts of Thor living with a roommate (2016-2018) returns as a tour guide in New Asgard
• The Cocktail & Dreams movie sign on Valkyrie’s Viking Ship
• Lots of Guns N’ Roses music (4 songs) and references including a Poster in a background shot and Hemdall’s son changing his name to Axl.
• In the Marvel logo at the beginning, Moon Knight and Ms. Marvel could be seen.
• Jane Foster’s costume during the flashbacks included a Chest Buster from Alien.
• Bao from the 2018 Pixar short animated film.
• Jane refer’s to herself as “The Mighty Thor” which is what her comic title was during her run.
• Thor says it’s been Eight years, seven months, and six days since he last saw Jane. Darkworld came out October 22, 2013 which is just under 9 years.
• Sif losing her arm – In the Mighty Thor run, it’s Thor Odinson who loses his arm
• Thor’s jeans, t-shirt and vest outfit is a reference to Thunderstrike (another mortal who became a Thor for a while).
• Melissa McCarthy joins Matt Damon, Luke Hemsworth and Sam Neill’s Asgard acting troupe to play Hela.
• Tristan Hemsworth, son of Chris Hemsworth, plays Young Thor.
• We did not see Jane did not go through the gates of Valhalla during the end credit scene. This is how Thor was able to bring her back in the comics.
• Zeus credit scene likely sets him up as the big bad for the next film.
• The Necrosword calls out to Gorr similar to how the Ebony Blade calls to Dain in Eternals.
• During Thor’s workout scene, he wears an old-school Avengers hat, with mighty crossed off and strongest written in (call back to Ragnarok…the Strongest Avenger)
• Thor riding Storm Breaker is a call back to Ragnarok (when Korg asks if Thor rides his hammer).

• Korg’s rock god is sitting on a thrown of scissors (call back to Ragnarok line by Korg)

• Christian Bale had initially turned down the possibility of appearing in any more comic book or superhero films after The Dark Knight Rises (2012), seeing the genre as uninteresting from an acting perspective, and especially finding the experience of donning the Batman costume to be a miserable one. He agreed to take part in this film however, after his kids begged him to take the role.

• Chris Hemsworth on his eighth time playing the character of Thor.
• The cast features five Oscar winners – Christian Bale, Matt Damon, Natalie Portman, Taika Waititi and Russell Crowe – and two Oscar nominees – Bradley Cooper and Melissa McCarthy.
• Chris Hemsworth’s son Tristan plays young Thor in the film, though he is uncredited.
• So far, Thor is the only MCU character to have 4 stand-alone films.
• The title design was inspired by the “sword and sorcery” subgenre, which was especially popular in the 1980’s.
• Thor: Love and Thunder marks Natalie Portman’s official return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Jane Foster. After her experiences working on Thor: The Dark World (2013), Portman had decided to retire from doing any more MCU films. But when it was revealed she had a voice cameo in Avengers: Endgame (2019), this suggested Portman was game for another Thor movie. This was officially confirmed at the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con when Portman walked on stage and director Taika Waititi handed her a Mjølnir prop, also confirming that Jane would become The Mighty Thor in this film.
• Christian Bale almost dropped out of the film due to scheduling conflicts. Bale usually prefers to have wider gaps between projects but this time he had only three days after finishing shooting a film in Los Angeles and starting the mandatory Covid-19 quarantine in Australia. It was his children who eventually convinced him to make the scheduling work.
• The scene where Korg (Taika Waititi) addresses the children whilst in a cave, about the deeds of Thor, is a tongue in cheek reference to another iconic Australian made film, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985), which has an almost identical scene about children hearing about that films central protagonist too.
• Set to be filmed in Australia, the home country of Chris Hemsworth and neighbouring country of Taika Waititi as well as Russell Crowe who are from New Zealand.
• This is the fourth time Matt Damon has played a version of Loki, after “Thor: Ragnorok” and “Dogma” and “Jay and Silent Bob: Reboot”.
• One scene has Thor and Korg stare at the body of a fallen god. This is a replica of a scene in the “Thor: God of Thunder” comic (Issue 3, Dec 2012), where Thor came across the same body.
• In the comics, Gorr the God Butcher’s powers are shared with the symbiote beings (Venom, Carnage, etc).
• It’s the twenty-ninth film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
• Chris Hemsworth calls Gorr his favorite villain in the Marvel Universe.
• Christian Bale is the second actor to play Batman to appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, after Michael Keaton (Adrian Toomes/the Vulture) in Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017).
• This is the second comic-book feature for Christian Bale and Russell Crowe, both of whom had previously played a DC Comics character: Bale was Batman in Christopher Nolan’s “Dark Knight” trilogy and Crowe was Jor-El in Man of Steel (2013).
• Taiki Waititi’s direction job on this film makes him the first person to direct more than one Thor film.
• Christian Bale and Russell Crowe also starred in 3:10 to Yuma.
• Thor’s goats Toothgrinder and Toothgnasher will appear in the film. These goats had appeared in both the comics and Norse myth of Thor.
• This is based on Jason Aaron’s Thor comics, where Thor encounters Gorr the God Butcher and suffers a crisis of faith, and where Jane Foster claims the Mjolnir hammer and takes the title of Thor. Both plotlines are separate in the comics, but are combined/linked in this film
• Heimdall has a son named Axel in the film. In the Norse myths Heimdall (under the name of Rigr) has three children who all founded different classes of society: Thrall (the first serf/slave), Karl (the first churl/peasant), and Jarl (the first earl/nobleman).
• There is a theory that Odin used the space stone to create the bifrost, so that would mean something with space stone tech could open the gate, hence, Storm Breaker is the key.

About The Movie From IMDB

Previous Next

Note: All images are property of their respected owners and used for editorial purposes.

View Details

The 3 Guys Podcast Recorded on 6/30/2022 Talk to me, Goose. In this podcast, we review Joseph Kosinski’s long awaited sequel Top Gun: Maverick (released 2022) starring Tom Cruise, Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Glen Powell, Lewis Pullman, Ed Harris and Val Kilmer. WARNING: There will be SPOILERS!

The 3 Guys Rating  4.2/5

Notes From The Show * Quick Synopsis * Released: May 27, 2022

Directed By: Joseph Kosinski

Screenplay By: Peter Craig & Justin Marks

Based On Characters By: Jim Cash & Jack Epps Jr.

Stars: Tom Cruise, Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Glen Powell, Lewis Pullman, Ed Harris, Val Kilmer and a bunch of other actors.

Plot: Set 30 years after its predecessor, it follows Maverick’s return to the United States Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program (also known as U.S. Navy-Fighter Weapons School – “TOPGUN”), where he must confront his past as he trains a group of younger pilots, among them the son of Maverick’s deceased best friend Lieutenant Nick “Goose” Bradshaw, USN.

How did this movie do?Budget: $170 MillionBox Office: $1.006 billion * Lawsuit * + In June 2022, the family of Ehud Yonay, who wrote the California magazine article “Top Guns” in May 1983 that inspired the first film, sued Paramount for copyright infringement over the release of Top Gun: Maverick and sought damages as well as an injunction against the film’s distribution. Jerry Bruckheimer produced the original film, whose screenplay was written by Jim Cash (died 2000) and Jack Epps Jr.; all three men participated in the sequel.[168] According to the lawsuit, Paramount had obtained exclusive film rights to Yonay’s article but ignored the 35-year copyright law, wherein the rights reverted to Yonay’s widow Shosh and son Yuval in January 2020 after the writer’s death in 2012. + The lawsuit claims that Maverick contains elements similar to the original article and that Paramount continued with the filming, even after receiving notice of the copyright’s termination. The film distributor considers most of the sequel to have been complete before then, and denies that Maverick is derived from Yonay’s article. * Call Signs * Counting mentioned and not otherwise mentioned in the movie but only by their call signs, real names of the pilots/RIOs are:

“Maverick” (Captain Pete Mitchell – Tom Cruise)

“Iceman” (Admiral Tom Kazansky – Val Kilmer)

“Rooster” (Lt Bradley Bradshaw – Miles Teller)

“Penny” (Penelope Benjamin – Jennifer Connelly)

”Hondo” (Bernie Coleman – Bashir Salahuddin)

“Cyclone” (Admiral Beau Simpson – Jon Hamm)

“Warlock” (Rear Admiral Solomon Bates – Charles Parnell)

“Phoenix” (Lt Natasha Trace – Monica Barbaro)

“Bob” (Lieutenant Robert Floyd – Lewis Pullman)

“Payback” (Lieutenant Reuben Fitch – Jay Ellis)

“Fanboy” (Lt Mickey Garcia – Danny Ramirez)

“Hangman” – (Lt Jake Seresin – Glen Powell)

“Omaha” – (Lt Neil Vikander – Jack Schumacher)

“Fritz” (Lt Billy Avalone – Manny Jacinto)

“Halo” (Lieutenant Callie Bassett – Kara Wang)

“Coyote” (Lt Javy Machado – Greg Tarzan Davis)

“Harvard” (Lt Brigham Lennox – Jake Picking)

“Yale” (Lt Logan Lee – Raymond Lee)

”Goose” (Nick Bradshaw – Anthony Edwards)

“Charlie” (Charlotte Blackwood – Kelly McGillis) * Trivia * + The World War II P-51 Mustang seen in this movie is actually Tom Cruise’s own airplane; he is an accomplished pilot in real life. + At the insistence of Tom Cruise, there are minimal green screen and CGI aerial shots in the film, and even the close up cockpit shots are taken during real in-flight sequences. This meant that much of the cast had to undergo extensive G-force training sessions, to withstand the physical demands of the G-force pressures during flights. + According to Miles Teller, the cast got to choose their own call signs. He chose “Rooster” because it was in the same family as “Goose”. + The roof of the shack next to Ed Harris wasn’t supposed to be lifted when Maverick flies past. However, they only had one chance to shoot it, so it was kept in the film. + According to Miles Teller, 3 of the 6 new actors threw up every day of filming in the jets. + Tom Cruise personally designed a 3-month aviation training course for the new actors to become ready to handle riding in an F-18. + The film is dedicated to the memory of original Top Gun (1986) director Tony Scott who was in the process of developing a version of this sequel prior his passing away. + The shirtless beach football montage had to be shot twice because Tom Cruise did not find the first version good enough. The re-shoot placed additional pressure on the actors to get their ripped bodies back to re-shoot the scene. Cast member Glen Powell recounted, “We shot it and that night we all went out for milkshakes and tater tots. Just like splurge and everybody grabbed a beer. And a week later Tom’s like, “We gotta shoot it again. It wasn’t good enough. We’re gonna shoot it again. And then everybody’s back in the gym again, day and night.” The sequence is being used very heavily to promote the movie after a similar scene in the original film became iconic and an audience favorite. The original film showed an intense beach volleyball game. + The opening text matches that of the original movie, (“On March 3, 1969, the United States Navy established an elite school for the top one percent of its pilots. Its purpose was to teach the lost art of aerial combat and to insure that the handful of men who graduated were the best fighter pilots in the world.”) except the typo “insure” has now been corrected to “ensure” and women was added. + Val Kilmer told Entertainment Weekly that it was like no time had passed when he was on set with Tom Cruise again, and it was fun too. ‘We blew a lot of takes laughing so much,’ the 62-year-old stated. ‘It was really fun and special.’ + Val Kilmer’s dialog was all AI since he can no longer speak A company named Sonantic developed the voice AI that Kilmer uses. It essentially learned how to mimic Kilmer’s voice, including the iconic way that he himself talks. The revelation that Kilmer used voice AI came during a New York Post interview with his daughter, Mercedes Kilmer. In the interview, she explained how they dubbed the voice AI over Kilmer’s acting to bring his scenes to life. “They were able to dub him with his own voice, which is amazing,” Mercedes explained in the interview. “It’s such a technical feat, being able to engineer his voice that way, that it’s an extension of the technical feat of the film.” + Both Goose in Top Gun (1986) and Rooster in the sequel tell Maverick, “Come on Mav. Let’s see some of that pilot shit.” + This sequel represents one of the, if not the, longest periods of time between a movie and a sequel in film history. The period of time between ‘Top Gun’ (1986) and ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ (2022) being first released is about 36 years though it could have been a year or two or three less had it not been for delays caused by such things as the COVID pandemic. Other examples of a extremely long intervals of original films and a sequel are ‘Tron’ (1982) and ‘Tron: Legacy’ (2010) [about 28 years] and ‘The Odd Couple’ (1968) and ‘The Odd Couple II’ (1998) [about 30 years]. + When Maverick taxis the Darkstar Hypersonic aircraft to the runway, a cartoonish skunk is seen on the rear tail fin. The skunk is the logo of “SkunkWorks”, a division of Lockheed Martin who produced the SR-71 Blackbird, among other iconic aircraft. + Miles Teller was cast in the role of Goose’s son, beating out the likes of Nicholas Hoult and Glen Powell. All three were flown to the home of Tom Cruise, the star of this movie, for chemistry tests. Powell was later cast in this movie in a role beefed up for him, having impressed Cruise, producer Jerry Bruckheimer, as well as executives at Paramount Pictures and Skydance with his auditions. + Tom Cruise is now older than Tom Skerritt was when he played Viper in the original Top Gun (1986). Skerritt was 53 in 1986 and Cruise was 56 in 2018 (when the movie was filmed) and 59 in 2022 (when it was premiered). + Admiral Simpson (‘Cyclone’) chews out Maverick for his “that cobra s**t”. Pugachev’s Cobra is a real, though rarely used flight maneuver seen mostly at air shows. That was when Maverick halted his aircraft instantly by pointing its nose up and using the body of the aircraft to brake. It makes a pursuer fly past you, and dangerous because it could cause a collision. + The Navy’s oldest fighter pilot retired at 54. Calculating from Maverick’s birth in 1962, he is 58 in Top Gun Maverick. Pushing the envelope, as pilots say. + Tom Cruise has the strange habit of having someone or something named “Bob” in most of his movies for the past 20 years or so. + Anthony Edwards gave the movie two thumbs up, reacting positively to the film and proclaiming “Job accomplished”. Tom Cruise even screened the film for him in person. + On the Kermode and Mayo Podcast, Miles Teller said that they shot more footage for this film than the run time of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. + The car that Penny drives, a 1973 Porsche 911, is homage to the car that Charlie drove in the original, a 1958 Porsche 356. + Lewis Pullman, who played callsign “Bob”, is the son of actor Bill Pullman, who played President Thomas J. Whitmore in Independence Day (1996). + The ”Top Gun” trophy belonging to Iceman’ (Val Kilmer) from the original ‘Top Gun’ (1986) movie can be seen on the wall in his office before and after he and Maverick (Tom Cruise) hug. + Maverick had already shot down three enemy aircraft before returning to Miramar. He shoots down two more on the new mission, thus earning the title “Fighter/Flying Ace.” Five downed aircraft was considered the minimum requirement for the distinction. + Tom Cruise is 5’7 feet height (1.70 meters height). Which is the ideal height for fighter pilots. + The targeted country is never identified by name, other than as a ‘rogue nation’. + When Hangman selects a song on the jukebox, he keys in the numbers 8 6. The original ‘Top Gun’ movie came out in the year 1986. + In 2010, Christopher McQuarrie originally wrote Maverick as a minor character. + About eight hundred hours of film footage was shot for this major motion picture. + In 2019, China’s Tencent invested 12.5% of the film, but later pulled out of the project at the end of that year over concerns that the film’s themes could anger the Chinese Communist Party. + Jennifer Connelly is playing Maverick’s new love interest, after Kelly McGillis wasn’t cast for the sequel. Possibly related to the fact both Tom Cruise and Jennifer Connelly starred in separate, yet similar films. ‘Legend (1985)’ for Cruise, and ‘Labyrinth (1986)’ for Connelly respectively. + The ”Rooster” call-sign of Lieutenant Bradley ‘Rooster’ Bradshaw (Miles Teller) is a recognition of the way he cocks his head while playing the piano. You can see it in the scene when he plays ‘Great Balls of Fire’ in a call-back to the original film when his father, Goose (Anthony Edwards), plays it with his son ”Rooster” sitting on the piano. + When Jennifer Connelly’s character of Penny Benjamin is first introduced in the film’s first bar scene, the song in the background that starts playing is “Let’s Dance” (1983) by David Bowie. Connelly and Bowie both starred together in ‘The Labyrinth’ (1986) which was first released in the same 1986 year as the original ‘Top Gun’ (1986) movie. + The reason the ejector seat didn’t work in the stolen F-14, was in their haste to depart they did not remove the safety pins from the eject seat, which prevent the canopy release and seat rocket motor being fired accidentally on the ground. + At Ice’s funeral, the famous “Missing Person” formation is shown. At the last moment, one of the pilots pulls up out of formation, indicating someone has passed on. + The only pilot to crash during training was Phoenix, named after a mythical bird who rises from its own fiery ashes. She then proceeds to fly in the final mission. + The mission in this movie shares multiple elements with the Death Star mission in Star Wars (1977). A small group of fighters have to fly along a trench, keeping below the defensive armament, to target the opening to a small shaft that will enable them to destroy the target. The successful shot is made by a pilot who does not use the targeting technology and instead shoots by instinct, and the heroes are eventually saved by the late intervention of an arrogant pilot who was not part of the original mission. In the scene when Maverick attacks them in their practice run, one pilot tells the pilot that will shoot, the Star Wars line “Stay on target” and they are both shot by Maverick, again like the movie. + Two more winks at the original. Maverick appears in the class to the embarrassment of the younger pilots, who had been teasing him the night before in the bar. In Top Gun, Maverick is similarly mortified when Charlie is introduced, as he’d come on to her in the bar previously. And at the end of the successful missions in both films, Maverick shamelessly buzzes the tower. + A theory from Vulture suggests that there’s a logical plot reason for why everything is so heightened: it’s all the dying fantasy of Maverick. When we reunite with Maverick at the start of the movie, he’s about to attempt to reach Mach 9 in a hypersonic jet as part of the Darkstar program. He’s told that Rear Admiral Cain is on his way to shut it down to redirect the funds to unmanned drones. Before Cain arrives, Maverick takes to the skies anyway and reaches Mach 9, before pushing on to Mach 10, the planned target of Darkstar. He manages just that but, Maverick being Maverick, decides to push the scramjet even further which is when things go very wrong. We see the jet break apart in the sky and yet, somehow, the next scene sees Maverick wander into a diner a little bit dazed, but still alive and in one piece. The theory argues though that this never really happened, and everything we see play out is the “death dream” of Maverick. It’s Maverick’s dying fantasy, so of course he’s the one pilot in the world that can make this impossible mission work. And, of course, despite Maverick being assigned to be the teacher, he ends up leading the mission that includes him making a sacrificial play to save Rooster, who also somehow survives. Even the fact that the movie leaves the actual identity of the enemy unknown makes sense in the theory. Maverick is just using inspiration from his last major Top Gun mission where he also went up against a similarly-unspecified enemy in the first movie. It’s also why when we first meet Rooster, he’s dressed exactly as his father Goose did and sports the same moustache, going on to play the same song at the piano. You could even take the theory further and argue that Maverick and Rooster’s reconciliation in the finale is part of the fantasy, something that Maverick wasn’t able to do in life. You could also apply it to the other main relationships that Maverick has in the movie. It would have to be Iceman who recommended him for the mission as he had Maverick’s back throughout his career, while Maverick gets together with Penny at the end as it’s another relationship that, like Rooster, Maverick didn’t get right in life.

Released: May 27, 2022

Directed By: Joseph Kosinski

Screenplay By: Peter Craig & Justin Marks

Based On Characters By: Jim Cash & Jack Epps Jr.

Stars: Tom Cruise, Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Glen Powell, Lewis Pullman, Ed Harris, Val Kilmer and a bunch of other actors.

Plot: Set 30 years after its predecessor, it follows Maverick’s return to the United States Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program (also known as U.S. Navy-Fighter Weapons School – “TOPGUN”), where he must confront his past as he trains a group of younger pilots, among them the son of Maverick’s deceased best friend Lieutenant Nick “Goose” Bradshaw, USN.

How did this movie do?Budget: $170 MillionBox Office: $1.006 billion

• In June 2022, the family of Ehud Yonay, who wrote the California magazine article “Top Guns” in May 1983 that inspired the first film, sued Paramount for copyright infringement over the release of Top Gun: Maverick and sought damages as well as an injunction against the film’s distribution. Jerry Bruckheimer produced the original film, whose screenplay was written by Jim Cash (died 2000) and Jack Epps Jr.; all three men participated in the sequel.[168] According to the lawsuit, Paramount had obtained exclusive film rights to Yonay’s article but ignored the 35-year copyright law, wherein the rights reverted to Yonay’s widow Shosh and son Yuval in January 2020 after the writer’s death in 2012.
• The lawsuit claims that Maverick contains elements similar to the original article and that Paramount continued with the filming, even after receiving notice of the copyright’s termination. The film distributor considers most of the sequel to have been complete before then, and denies that Maverick is derived from Yonay’s article.

Counting mentioned and not otherwise mentioned in the movie but only by their call signs, real names of the pilots/RIOs are:

“Maverick” (Captain Pete Mitchell – Tom Cruise)

“Iceman” (Admiral Tom Kazansky – Val Kilmer)

“Rooster” (Lt Bradley Bradshaw – Miles Teller)

“Penny” (Penelope Benjamin – Jennifer Connelly)

”Hondo” (Bernie Coleman – Bashir Salahuddin)

“Cyclone” (Admiral Beau Simpson – Jon Hamm)

“Warlock” (Rear Admiral Solomon Bates – Charles Parnell)

“Phoenix” (Lt Natasha Trace – Monica Barbaro)

“Bob” (Lieutenant Robert Floyd – Lewis Pullman)

“Payback” (Lieutenant Reuben Fitch – Jay Ellis)

“Fanboy” (Lt Mickey Garcia – Danny Ramirez)

“Hangman” – (Lt Jake Seresin – Glen Powell)

“Omaha” – (Lt Neil Vikander – Jack Schumacher)

“Fritz” (Lt Billy Avalone – Manny Jacinto)

“Halo” (Lieutenant Callie Bassett – Kara Wang)

“Coyote” (Lt Javy Machado – Greg Tarzan Davis)

“Harvard” (Lt Brigham Lennox – Jake Picking)

“Yale” (Lt Logan Lee – Raymond Lee)

”Goose” (Nick Bradshaw – Anthony Edwards)

“Charlie” (Charlotte Blackwood – Kelly McGillis)

• The World War II P-51 Mustang seen in this movie is actually Tom Cruise’s own airplane; he is an accomplished pilot in real life.
• At the insistence of Tom Cruise, there are minimal green screen and CGI aerial shots in the film, and even the close up cockpit shots are taken during real in-flight sequences. This meant that much of the cast had to undergo extensive G-force training sessions, to withstand the physical demands of the G-force pressures during flights.
• According to Miles Teller, the cast got to choose their own call signs. He chose “Rooster” because it was in the same family as “Goose”.
• The roof of the shack next to Ed Harris wasn’t supposed to be lifted when Maverick flies past. However, they only had one chance to shoot it, so it was kept in the film.
• According to Miles Teller, 3 of the 6 new actors threw up every day of filming in the jets.
• Tom Cruise personally designed a 3-month aviation training course for the new actors to become ready to handle riding in an F-18.
• The film is dedicated to the memory of original Top Gun (1986) director Tony Scott who was in the process of developing a version of this sequel prior his passing away.
• The shirtless beach football montage had to be shot twice because Tom Cruise did not find the first version good enough. The re-shoot placed additional pressure on the actors to get their ripped bodies back to re-shoot the scene. Cast member Glen Powell recounted, “We shot it and that night we all went out for milkshakes and tater tots. Just like splurge and everybody grabbed a beer. And a week later Tom’s like, “We gotta shoot it again. It wasn’t good enough. We’re gonna shoot it again. And then everybody’s back in the gym again, day and night.” The sequence is being used very heavily to promote the movie after a similar scene in the original film became iconic and an audience favorite. The original film showed an intense beach volleyball game.
• The opening text matches that of the original movie, (“On March 3, 1969, the United States Navy established an elite school for the top one percent of its pilots. Its purpose was to teach the lost art of aerial combat and to insure that the handful of men who graduated were the best fighter pilots in the world.”) except the typo “insure” has now been corrected to “ensure” and women was added.
• Val Kilmer told Entertainment Weekly that it was like no time had passed when he was on set with Tom Cruise again, and it was fun too. ‘We blew a lot of takes laughing so much,’ the 62-year-old stated. ‘It was really fun and special.’
• Val Kilmer’s dialog was all AI since he can no longer speak A company named Sonantic developed the voice AI that Kilmer uses. It essentially learned how to mimic Kilmer’s voice, including the iconic way that he himself talks. The revelation that Kilmer used voice AI came during a New York Post interview with his daughter, Mercedes Kilmer. In the interview, she explained how they dubbed the voice AI over Kilmer’s acting to bring his scenes to life. “They were able to dub him with his own voice, which is amazing,” Mercedes explained in the interview. “It’s such a technical feat, being able to engineer his voice that way, that it’s an extension of the technical feat of the film.”
• Both Goose in Top Gun (1986) and Rooster in the sequel tell Maverick, “Come on Mav. Let’s see some of that pilot shit.”
• This sequel represents one of the, if not the, longest periods of time between a movie and a sequel in film history. The period of time between ‘Top Gun’ (1986) and ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ (2022) being first released is about 36 years though it could have been a year or two or three less had it not been for delays caused by such things as the COVID pandemic. Other examples of a extremely long intervals of original films and a sequel are ‘Tron’ (1982) and ‘Tron: Legacy’ (2010) [about 28 years] and ‘The Odd Couple’ (1968) and ‘The Odd Couple II’ (1998) [about 30 years].
• When Maverick taxis the Darkstar Hypersonic aircraft to the runway, a cartoonish skunk is seen on the rear tail fin. The skunk is the logo of “SkunkWorks”, a division of Lockheed Martin who produced the SR-71 Blackbird, among other iconic aircraft.
• Miles Teller was cast in the role of Goose’s son, beating out the likes of Nicholas Hoult and Glen Powell. All three were flown to the home of Tom Cruise, the star of this movie, for chemistry tests. Powell was later cast in this movie in a role beefed up for him, having impressed Cruise, producer Jerry Bruckheimer, as well as executives at Paramount Pictures and Skydance with his auditions.
• Tom Cruise is now older than Tom Skerritt was when he played Viper in the original Top Gun (1986). Skerritt was 53 in 1986 and Cruise was 56 in 2018 (when the movie was filmed) and 59 in 2022 (when it was premiered).
• Admiral Simpson (‘Cyclone’) chews out Maverick for his “that cobra s**t”. Pugachev’s Cobra is a real, though rarely used flight maneuver seen mostly at air shows. That was when Maverick halted his aircraft instantly by pointing its nose up and using the body of the aircraft to brake. It makes a pursuer fly past you, and dangerous because it could cause a collision.
• The Navy’s oldest fighter pilot retired at 54. Calculating from Maverick’s birth in 1962, he is 58 in Top Gun Maverick. Pushing the envelope, as pilots say.
• Tom Cruise has the strange habit of having someone or something named “Bob” in most of his movies for the past 20 years or so.
• Anthony Edwards gave the movie two thumbs up, reacting positively to the film and proclaiming “Job accomplished”. Tom Cruise even screened the film for him in person.
• On the Kermode and Mayo Podcast, Miles Teller said that they shot more footage for this film than the run time of the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
• The car that Penny drives, a 1973 Porsche 911, is homage to the car that Charlie drove in the original, a 1958 Porsche 356.
• Lewis Pullman, who played callsign “Bob”, is the son of actor Bill Pullman, who played President Thomas J. Whitmore in Independence Day (1996).
• The ”Top Gun” trophy belonging to Iceman’ (Val Kilmer) from the original ‘Top Gun’ (1986) movie can be seen on the wall in his office before and after he and Maverick (Tom Cruise) hug.
• Maverick had already shot down three enemy aircraft before returning to Miramar. He shoots down two more on the new mission, thus earning the title “Fighter/Flying Ace.” Five downed aircraft was considered the minimum requirement for the distinction.
• Tom Cruise is 5’7 feet height (1.70 meters height). Which is the ideal height for fighter pilots.
• The targeted country is never identified by name, other than as a ‘rogue nation’.
• When Hangman selects a song on the jukebox, he keys in the numbers 8 6. The original ‘Top Gun’ movie came out in the year 1986.
• In 2010, Christopher McQuarrie originally wrote Maverick as a minor character.
• About eight hundred hours of film footage was shot for this major motion picture.
• In 2019, China’s Tencent invested 12.5% of the film, but later pulled out of the project at the end of that year over concerns that the film’s themes could anger the Chinese Communist Party.
• Jennifer Connelly is playing Maverick’s new love interest, after Kelly McGillis wasn’t cast for the sequel. Possibly related to the fact both Tom Cruise and Jennifer Connelly starred in separate, yet similar films. ‘Legend (1985)’ for Cruise, and ‘Labyrinth (1986)’ for Connelly respectively.
• The ”Rooster” call-sign of Lieutenant Bradley ‘Rooster’ Bradshaw (Miles Teller) is a recognition of the way he cocks his head while playing the piano. You can see it in the scene when he plays ‘Great Balls of Fire’ in a call-back to the original film when his father, Goose (Anthony Edwards), plays it with his son ”Rooster” sitting on the piano.
• When Jennifer Connelly’s character of Penny Benjamin is first introduced in the film’s first bar scene, the song in the background that starts playing is “Let’s Dance” (1983) by David Bowie. Connelly and Bowie both starred together in ‘The Labyrinth’ (1986) which was first released in the same 1986 year as the original ‘Top Gun’ (1986) movie.
• The reason the ejector seat didn’t work in the stolen F-14, was in their haste to depart they did not remove the safety pins from the eject seat, which prevent the canopy release and seat rocket motor being fired accidentally on the ground.
• At Ice’s funeral, the famous “Missing Person” formation is shown. At the last moment, one of the pilots pulls up out of formation, indicating someone has passed on.
• The only pilot to crash during training was Phoenix, named after a mythical bird who rises from its own fiery ashes. She then proceeds to fly in the final mission.
• The mission in this movie shares multiple elements with the Death Star mission in Star Wars (1977). A small group of fighters have to fly along a trench, keeping below the defensive armament, to target the opening to a small shaft that will enable them to destroy the target. The successful shot is made by a pilot who does not use the targeting technology and instead shoots by instinct, and the heroes are eventually saved by the late intervention of an arrogant pilot who was not part of the original mission. In the scene when Maverick attacks them in their practice run, one pilot tells the pilot that will shoot, the Star Wars line “Stay on target” and they are both shot by Maverick, again like the movie.
• Two more winks at the original. Maverick appears in the class to the embarrassment of the younger pilots, who had been teasing him the night before in the bar. In Top Gun, Maverick is similarly mortified when Charlie is introduced, as he’d come on to her in the bar previously. And at the end of the successful missions in both films, Maverick shamelessly buzzes the tower.
• A theory from Vulture suggests that there’s a logical plot reason for why everything is so heightened: it’s all the dying fantasy of Maverick. When we reunite with Maverick at the start of the movie, he’s about to attempt to reach Mach 9 in a hypersonic jet as part of the Darkstar program. He’s told that Rear Admiral Cain is on his way to shut it down to redirect the funds to unmanned drones. Before Cain arrives, Maverick takes to the skies anyway and reaches Mach 9, before pushing on to Mach 10, the planned target of Darkstar. He manages just that but, Maverick being Maverick, decides to push the scramjet even further which is when things go very wrong. We see the jet break apart in the sky and yet, somehow, the next scene sees Maverick wander into a diner a little bit dazed, but still alive and in one piece. The theory argues though that this never really happened, and everything we see play out is the “death dream” of Maverick. It’s Maverick’s dying fantasy, so of course he’s the one pilot in the world that can make this impossible mission work. And, of course, despite Maverick being assigned to be the teacher, he ends up leading the mission that includes him making a sacrificial play to save Rooster, who also somehow survives. Even the fact that the movie leaves the actual identity of the enemy unknown makes sense in the theory. Maverick is just using inspiration from his last major Top Gun mission where he also went up against a similarly-unspecified enemy in the first movie. It’s also why when we first meet Rooster, he’s dressed exactly as his father Goose did and sports the same moustache, going on to play the same song at the piano. You could even take the theory further and argue that Maverick and Rooster’s reconciliation in the finale is part of the fantasy, something that Maverick wasn’t able to do in life. You could also apply it to the other main relationships that Maverick has in the movie. It would have to be Iceman who recommended him for the mission as he had Maverick’s back throughout his career, while Maverick gets together with Penny at the end as it’s another relationship that, like Rooster, Maverick didn’t get right in life.

About The Movie From IMDB

Previous Next Note: All images are property of their respected owners and used for editorial purposes.

View Details

The 3 Guys Podcast Recorded on 6/23/2022 I feel the need, the need for speed. In this podcast, we review Tony Scott’s action movie, the original Top Gun (released 1986) starring Tom Cruise, Kelly McGillis, Val Kilmer, Anthony Edwards and Tom Skerritt. WARNING: There will be SPOILERS! The 3 Guys Rating  3.6/5

Notes From The Show * Quick Synopsis * Released: May 16, 1986

Directed By: Tony Scott

Screenplay By: Jim Cash & Jack Epps Jr.

Based On the Article: “Top Guns” by Ehud Yonay

Stars: Tom Cruise, Kelly McGillis, Val Kilmer, Anthony Edwards, Tom Skerritt and a bunch of other actors

Plot: As students at the United States Navy’s elite fighter weapons school compete to be best in the class, one daring young pilot learns a few things from a civilian instructor that are not taught in the classroom.

Tagline: I feel the need, the need for speed

How did this movie do? Budget: $15 Million Box Office: $357 Million * Casting * + Actor Matthew Modine turned down the role of Pete Mitchell because he felt the film’s pro-military stance went against his politics. Patrick Swayze, Emilio Estevez, Nicolas Cage, John Cusack, Matthew Broderick, Sean Penn, Michael J. Fox, Scott Baio and Tom Hanks all turned down the role. Janet Graham, Charlie Sheen, Jim Carrey, Rob Lowe, Kevin Bacon, Eric Stoltz, and Robert Downey Jr. were considered for the role. Sheen (who was deemed too young for the role) would later go on to spoof the role in the comedy Hot Shots! (1991). + Julianne Phillips was in consideration for the role of Charlie, and had been scheduled to perform a screen test opposite Tom Cruise. Tatum O’Neal, Jodie Foster, Daryl Hannah, Diane Lane, Sarah Jessica Parker and Linda Hamilton all turned down the role of Charlie. Carrie Fisher was also considered for the role. + Ally Sheedy turned down the role of Charlie because she didn’t think that anyone would want to see a movie about fighter pilots. She later regretted this decision. + Val Kilmer did not want to be in this film, but was forced to by contractual obligations. However, it became one of his most iconic roles in his career. + Jerry Bruckheimer on convincing Tom Cruise to sign on to the film after his initial reluctance: “So they (the Navy) take Tom up there, and they do five Gs. They do barrel rolls, they do everything. He’s heaving in the plane. He gets on the tarmac, runs to a pay phone … and he said, ‘I’m in. I’m doing the movie. I love it. This is great.'” + Louis Gossett Jr. was considered for the role of Viper. Gossett, however, did play the older, mentor-type role in another 80s fighter jet film, Iron Eagle (1986). * Awards * Academy Awards

+ Nominated: Best Film Editing, Best Original Song, Best Sound and Best Sound Effects Editing
+ Won: Best Original Song – “Take My Breath Away” (Also won Golden Globe)

• Call Signs
• Counting mentioned and not otherwise mentioned in the movie but only by their call signs, real names of the pilots/RIOs are:

Maverick (Tom Cruise): Lieutenant Pete Mitchell.

Goose (Anthony Edwards): Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Nick Bradshaw.

Iceman (Val Kilmer): Lieutenant Tom Kazansky.

Hollywood (Whip Hubley): Lieutenant Rick Neven.

Wolfman (Barry Tubb): Lieutenant (JG) Leonard Wolfe.

Slider (Rick Rossovich): Lieutenant (JG) Ron Kerner.

Sundown (Clarence Gilyard Jr.): Lieutenant (JG) Marcus Williams.

Chipper (Adrian Pasdar): Lieutenant Charles Piper.

Cougar (John Stockwell): Lieutenant Bill Cortell.

Merlin (Tim Robbins): Lieutenant (JG) Sam Wills.

Stinger (James Tolkan): Commander Tom Jardian.

Charlie (Kelly McGillis): Charlotte Blackwood.

Jester (Michael Ironside): Lieutenant Commander Rick Heatherly.

Viper (Tom Skerritt): Commander Mike Metcalf.

Red Neck (Duke Stroud): Air Boss Emmett Johnson. * Whose Fault? * In the film, Maverick is cleared of the incident causing Goose’s death and told that he is not at fault for the plane entering the spin.

Argument 1: Maverick was directly responsible for Goose’s death and that it was his fault because in the chase of Jester, Maverick continued the leftward turn to follow Jester and swept through Iceman’s jet wash as Iceman moved up and to the right and Maverick followed too closely behind Iceman and refused to back off and Maverick didn’t take a less dangerous position because he wanted to get a better shot of Jester.

Argument 2: It was Iceman’s fault because Maverick told Iceman to break high right and he went left, causing Maverick to get caught in his jet stream, and he took too long and just had to keep trying to get a lock on the enemy fighter. * Trivia * + After the film’s release, the US Navy stated that the number of young men who joined wanting to be Naval Aviators went up by 500 percent. The U.S. Navy set up recruiting booths in the major cinemas. + The real Top Gun School imposes a $5 fine to any staff member that quotes the film. + Tony Scott also directed the music video for “Danger Zone” with Kenny Loggins (1986) + Stunt pilot Art Scholl was killed during the production of the movie, aged 54. He died when his Pitts S-2 camera plane failed to recover from a flat spin and plunged into the Pacific Ocean. Scholl’s last words over the radio were “I have a problem – I have a real problem.” The exact cause of the crash was never determined, and neither the aircraft nor Scholl’s body were ever recovered. The film is dedicated to him. + CAMEO: Charlie’s “older man” date at the officer’s club is the real-life “Viper”, Pete Pettigrew. He is a retired Navy pilot and TOP GUN instructor, and shot down a MiG during the Vietnam War. He served as the technical consultant on the film. + CAMEO: When Maverick receives his orders to the carrier following the graduation ceremony, there is a pilot standing behind him, with a mustache and wearing sunglasses. The pilot is “Heater” C.J. Heatley, a real-life former F-14 air show demonstration pilot and Top Gun instructor. + Anthony Edwards is the only actor who didn’t vomit while in the fighter jets. + Ad-Lib: When the students are being briefed by Charlie in the hangar, Maverick explains that he gave “the bird” to a MiG. She asks how he saw the MiG up close, and he says he was flying inverted. Right then, Ice coughs “bullshit” and the guys laughed. The “bullshit” line was ad-libbed by Val Kilmer, and everyone’s reactions are genuine. + Ad-Lib: After the “car chase” when Charlie tells Maverick that she didn’t want anyone to find out she was falling for him, Maverick originally had a line to say. Tom Cruise forgot the line and “ad libbed” by kissing Kelly McGillis instead. Tony Scott liked it so much, he left the scene like that. + The Pentagon charged Paramount Pictures $1.8 million to use all of their planes and aircraft carriers for the film. + All of Maverick’s stunt flying in the film was done by Scott Altman, who later went on to become an astronaut. + The character portrayed by Kelly McGillis is based on Christine Fox, a civilian flight instructor the producers met on a visit to Miramar while doing research to prepare for the film. Fox eventually rose through the ranks at the Pentagon, retiring in May 2014 as Acting Deputy Secretary of Defense, the highest post ever held by a woman at the Department of Defense. + For the opening of the film, director Tony Scott wanted to shoot aircraft taking off and landing on the aircraft carrier, back-lit by the sun. The carrier captain had changed course of the ship, and when Scott asked if the ship could continue on the previous course and speed, he was told that turning the ship cost $25,000. Scott then wrote the captain a quick $25,000 check so the ship could be turned and he could keep shooting for another five minutes. According to Scott, the check bounced. + Tom Cruise had to wear lifts in his scenes with Kelly McGillis. Cruise is 5’7″ (1.70 m) while McGillis is 5’10” (1.78 m). + Meg Ryan and Anthony Edwards became an item after filming concluded. + This film is credited with starting the home video industry. Originally, VHS tapes were priced at $100 upon their first release, and were sold mainly to video stores. This film was priced to own immediately upon release, made possible by Pepsi Cola buying ad space at the beginning of the tape. Since then, pricing VHS tapes to own right away became a common practice. + The elevator scene (in which Maverick and Charlie meet after his workout) was filmed post-production. Kelly McGillis’s hair had already been colored for another movie role, which is why she is wearing a hat. Tom Cruise’s hair is longer in the shot as well. + Tom Cruise had never ridden a motorcycle until this film. He went to House of Motorcycles in El Cajon, California, to learn. They taught him in the parking lot of their shop. + Cougar was supposed to have crashed while trying to land back on the carrier, and his death was supposed to be why Maverick “slid into Cougar’s spot”, but this was summarily cut by the Navy. As this was intended to be a recruitment tool for the Navy, they didn’t want negative attention drawn on a particularly hazardous aspect of serving on a carrier, or flying fighters. + Bryan Adams was asked to allow his song “Only the Strong Survive” on the soundtrack, but he refused because he felt that the film glorified war. + Aircraft carriers used in the film were USS Ranger (CV-61) and USS Enterprise (CVN-65) + The final combat scenes were inspired by 2 real life incidents, the capture of the US Navy spyship USS Pueblo by North Korea in 1968 and the 1980s Gulf of Sidra engagements where F14 Tomcats downed 4 Libyan MIGs in air to air combat. + In 1986, jet fuel was pretty cheap – about 1 dollar per gallon. However, Paramount still paid 10,000 dollars an hour every time they went up to film an F-14 + The producers knew the film was big when leather jackets and white t-shirts became “in” again. + Goose was originally to have died in a flaming crash aboard an aircraft carrier, but the Navy objected, and the scene was changed to the training accident that has been featured since the film’s release. + CONNECTION TO NEXT MOVIE: Over the course of the movie a prior incident that Maverick had with an Admiral’s daughter named Penny Benjamin is mentioned several times. Although Benjamin is never on-screen in Top Gun, she makes her appearance as Maverick’s new love interest in Top Gun: Maverick (2022), played by Jennifer Connelly. + FORESHADOWING: Goose saying “You kill me” when he laughs about Iceman’s joke about the plaques for the alternates is on display in the ladies room is a foreshadowing of Goose’s death. When Goose is killed in the jet wash, Maverick flew into Iceman’s jet wash when Iceman rolled out for the chase of Jester’s aircraft causing both engines to go out and Maverick going into a flat spin.

Released: May 16, 1986

Directed By: Tony Scott

Screenplay By: Jim Cash & Jack Epps Jr.

Based On the Article: “Top Guns” by Ehud Yonay

Stars: Tom Cruise, Kelly McGillis, Val Kilmer, Anthony Edwards, Tom Skerritt and a bunch of other actors

Plot: As students at the United States Navy’s elite fighter weapons school compete to be best in the class, one daring young pilot learns a few things from a civilian instructor that are not taught in the classroom.

Tagline: I feel the need, the need for speed

How did this movie do? Budget: $15 Million Box Office: $357 Million

• Actor Matthew Modine turned down the role of Pete Mitchell because he felt the film’s pro-military stance went against his politics. Patrick Swayze, Emilio Estevez, Nicolas Cage, John Cusack, Matthew Broderick, Sean Penn, Michael J. Fox, Scott Baio and Tom Hanks all turned down the role. Janet Graham, Charlie Sheen, Jim Carrey, Rob Lowe, Kevin Bacon, Eric Stoltz, and Robert Downey Jr. were considered for the role. Sheen (who was deemed too young for the role) would later go on to spoof the role in the comedy Hot Shots! (1991).
• Julianne Phillips was in consideration for the role of Charlie, and had been scheduled to perform a screen test opposite Tom Cruise. Tatum O’Neal, Jodie Foster, Daryl Hannah, Diane Lane, Sarah Jessica Parker and Linda Hamilton all turned down the role of Charlie. Carrie Fisher was also considered for the role.
• Ally Sheedy turned down the role of Charlie because she didn’t think that anyone would want to see a movie about fighter pilots. She later regretted this decision.
• Val Kilmer did not want to be in this film, but was forced to by contractual obligations. However, it became one of his most iconic roles in his career.
• Jerry Bruckheimer on convincing Tom Cruise to sign on to the film after his initial reluctance: “So they (the Navy) take Tom up there, and they do five Gs. They do barrel rolls, they do everything. He’s heaving in the plane. He gets on the tarmac, runs to a pay phone … and he said, ‘I’m in. I’m doing the movie. I love it. This is great.'”
• Louis Gossett Jr. was considered for the role of Viper. Gossett, however, did play the older, mentor-type role in another 80s fighter jet film, Iron Eagle (1986).

Academy Awards

• Nominated: Best Film Editing, Best Original Song, Best Sound and Best Sound Effects Editing
• Won: Best Original Song – “Take My Breath Away” (Also won Golden Globe)

Counting mentioned and not otherwise mentioned in the movie but only by their call signs, real names of the pilots/RIOs are:

Maverick (Tom Cruise): Lieutenant Pete Mitchell.

Goose (Anthony Edwards): Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Nick Bradshaw.

Iceman (Val Kilmer): Lieutenant Tom Kazansky.

Hollywood (Whip Hubley): Lieutenant Rick Neven.

Wolfman (Barry Tubb): Lieutenant (JG) Leonard Wolfe.

Slider (Rick Rossovich): Lieutenant (JG) Ron Kerner.

Sundown (Clarence Gilyard Jr.): Lieutenant (JG) Marcus Williams.

Chipper (Adrian Pasdar): Lieutenant Charles Piper.

Cougar (John Stockwell): Lieutenant Bill Cortell.

Merlin (Tim Robbins): Lieutenant (JG) Sam Wills.

Stinger (James Tolkan): Commander Tom Jardian.

Charlie (Kelly McGillis): Charlotte Blackwood.

Jester (Michael Ironside): Lieutenant Commander Rick Heatherly.

Viper (Tom Skerritt): Commander Mike Metcalf.

Red Neck (Duke Stroud): Air Boss Emmett Johnson.

In the film, Maverick is cleared of the incident causing Goose’s death and told that he is not at fault for the plane entering the spin.

Argument 1: Maverick was directly responsible for Goose’s death and that it was his fault because in the chase of Jester, Maverick continued the leftward turn to follow Jester and swept through Iceman’s jet wash as Iceman moved up and to the right and Maverick followed too closely behind Iceman and refused to back off and Maverick didn’t take a less dangerous position because he wanted to get a better shot of Jester.

Argument 2: It was Iceman’s fault because Maverick told Iceman to break high right and he went left, causing Maverick to get caught in his jet stream, and he took too long and just had to keep trying to get a lock on the enemy fighter.

• After the film’s release, the US Navy stated that the number of young men who joined wanting to be Naval Aviators went up by 500 percent. The U.S. Navy set up recruiting booths in the major cinemas.
• The real Top Gun School imposes a $5 fine to any staff member that quotes the film.
• Tony Scott also directed the music video for “Danger Zone” with Kenny Loggins (1986)
• Stunt pilot Art Scholl was killed during the production of the movie, aged 54. He died when his Pitts S-2 camera plane failed to recover from a flat spin and plunged into the Pacific Ocean. Scholl’s last words over the radio were “I have a problem – I have a real problem.” The exact cause of the crash was never determined, and neither the aircraft nor Scholl’s body were ever recovered. The film is dedicated to him.
• CAMEO: Charlie’s “older man” date at the officer’s club is the real-life “Viper”, Pete Pettigrew. He is a retired Navy pilot and TOP GUN instructor, and shot down a MiG during the Vietnam War. He served as the technical consultant on the film.
• CAMEO: When Maverick receives his orders to the carrier following the graduation ceremony, there is a pilot standing behind him, with a mustache and wearing sunglasses. The pilot is “Heater” C.J. Heatley, a real-life former F-14 air show demonstration pilot and Top Gun instructor.
• Anthony Edwards is the only actor who didn’t vomit while in the fighter jets.
• Ad-Lib: When the students are being briefed by Charlie in the hangar, Maverick explains that he gave “the bird” to a MiG. She asks how he saw the MiG up close, and he says he was flying inverted. Right then, Ice coughs “bullshit” and the guys laughed. The “bullshit” line was ad-libbed by Val Kilmer, and everyone’s reactions are genuine.
• Ad-Lib: After the “car chase” when Charlie tells Maverick that she didn’t want anyone to find out she was falling for him, Maverick originally had a line to say. Tom Cruise forgot the line and “ad libbed” by kissing Kelly McGillis instead. Tony Scott liked it so much, he left the scene like that.
• The Pentagon charged Paramount Pictures $1.8 million to use all of their planes and aircraft carriers for the film.
• All of Maverick’s stunt flying in the film was done by Scott Altman, who later went on to become an astronaut.
• The character portrayed by Kelly McGillis is based on Christine Fox, a civilian flight instructor the producers met on a visit to Miramar while doing research to prepare for the film. Fox eventually rose through the ranks at the Pentagon, retiring in May 2014 as Acting Deputy Secretary of Defense, the highest post ever held by a woman at the Department of Defense.
• For the opening of the film, director Tony Scott wanted to shoot aircraft taking off and landing on the aircraft carrier, back-lit by the sun. The carrier captain had changed course of the ship, and when Scott asked if the ship could continue on the previous course and speed, he was told that turning the ship cost $25,000. Scott then wrote the captain a quick $25,000 check so the ship could be turned and he could keep shooting for another five minutes. According to Scott, the check bounced.
• Tom Cruise had to wear lifts in his scenes with Kelly McGillis. Cruise is 5’7″ (1.70 m) while McGillis is 5’10” (1.78 m).
• Meg Ryan and Anthony Edwards became an item after filming concluded.
• This film is credited with starting the home video industry. Originally, VHS tapes were priced at $100 upon their first release, and were sold mainly to video stores. This film was priced to own immediately upon release, made possible by Pepsi Cola buying ad space at the beginning of the tape. Since then, pricing VHS tapes to own right away became a common practice.
• The elevator scene (in which Maverick and Charlie meet after his workout) was filmed post-production. Kelly McGillis’s hair had already been colored for another movie role, which is why she is wearing a hat. Tom Cruise’s hair is longer in the shot as well.
• Tom Cruise had never ridden a motorcycle until this film. He went to House of Motorcycles in El Cajon, California, to learn. They taught him in the parking lot of their shop.
• Cougar was supposed to have crashed while trying to land back on the carrier, and his death was supposed to be why Maverick “slid into Cougar’s spot”, but this was summarily cut by the Navy. As this was intended to be a recruitment tool for the Navy, they didn’t want negative attention drawn on a particularly hazardous aspect of serving on a carrier, or flying fighters.
• Bryan Adams was asked to allow his song “Only the Strong Survive” on the soundtrack, but he refused because he felt that the film glorified war.
• Aircraft carriers used in the film were USS Ranger (CV-61) and USS Enterprise (CVN-65)
• The final combat scenes were inspired by 2 real life incidents, the capture of the US Navy spyship USS Pueblo by North Korea in 1968 and the 1980s Gulf of Sidra engagements where F14 Tomcats downed 4 Libyan MIGs in air to air combat.
• In 1986, jet fuel was pretty cheap – about 1 dollar per gallon. However, Paramount still paid 10,000 dollars an hour every time they went up to film an F-14
• The producers knew the film was big when leather jackets and white t-shirts became “in” again.
• Goose was originally to have died in a flaming crash aboard an aircraft carrier, but the Navy objected, and the scene was changed to the training accident that has been featured since the film’s release.
• CONNECTION TO NEXT MOVIE: Over the course of the movie a prior incident that Maverick had with an Admiral’s daughter named Penny Benjamin is mentioned several times. Although Benjamin is never on-screen in Top Gun, she makes her appearance as Maverick’s new love interest in Top Gun: Maverick (2022), played by Jennifer Connelly.
• FORESHADOWING: Goose saying “You kill me” when he laughs about Iceman’s joke about the plaques for the alternates is on display in the ladies room is a foreshadowing of Goose’s death. When Goose is killed in the jet wash, Maverick flew into Iceman’s jet wash when Iceman rolled out for the chase of Jester’s aircraft causing both engines to go out and Maverick going into a flat spin.

About The Movie From IMDB

Previous Next

Note: All images are property of their respected owners and used for editorial purposes.

View Details

The 3 Guys Podcast Recorded on 6/16/2022 From the director of the "Naked Gun" and starring the creators of "South Park, this week we review David Zucker’s comedy BASEketball (released 1998) starring Trey Parker, Matt Stone, Yasmine Bleeth, Jenny McCarthy, Robert Vaughn, Ernest Borgnine and Dian Bachar. WARNING: There will be SPOILERS!

The 3 Guys Rating  2.2/5

Notes From The Show * Quick Synopsis * Released: July 31, 1998Directed By: David ZuckerScreenplay By: David Zucker, Robert LoCash, Jeff Wright and Lewis FriedmanStars: Trey Parker, Matt Stone, Yasmine Bleeth, Jenny McCarthy, Robert Vaughn, Ernest Borgnine, Dian Bachar and a bunch of other actorsPlot: Two childhood friends are pro athletes of a national sport called BASEketball, a hybrid of baseball and basketball, and must deal with a greedy businessman scheming against their team.Tagline: From the director of the “Naked Gun” and starring the creators of “South Park”

How did this movie doBudget: $23 MillionBox Office: $7 Million * Casting * + Chris Farley turned down the role of Joe Cooper. The script was subsequently offered to Trey Parker and Matt Stone who rewrote it to reflect their sensibilities better. * South Park References * + In the final game, when trying to “psych-out” a fat Dallas player by commenting on his weight, Trey Parker’s character Joe Cooper begins to speak in a high pitch, “whiny” voice reminiscent of Eric Cartman, another character from South Park (1997). + The line used by Joe Cooper (Trey Parker), “I forgot how much Douglas Remer cares about kids!” is spoken with the same voice Trey uses for his South Park (1997) character Mr. Garrison. + In response to a negative review from Roger Ebert, Parker and Stone named the South Park second season episode “Roger Ebert Should Lay Off the Fatty Foods”, which, despite its title, did not feature Ebert. + Parker and Stone referenced BASEketball’s negative reception in South Park’s season eight episode, “The Passion of the Jew”, where at one point, Stan Marsh tells Kenny McCormick as they attempt to get a refund for the tickets they bought to see Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ: “This is about being able to hold bad filmmakers responsible! This is just like when we got our money back for BASEketball!” * How To Play * Setup: The game is focused on shooting baskets from different distances. The different shot areas signify single squares, double squares and triple squares, with each area representing the points awarded. Additionally, if the shooter makes a shot from half-court, that is considered an automatic home run. After making a shot, the shooter runs the bases. Teams are made up of 6 players each, with 3 players on offense and 3 on defense.

Objective: To outscore the opposing team.

Defense: Players on defense can use Psycho-outs to distract the other team’s shooter. This can include spitting beer on the other player, offensive remarks, cutting off a fake finger, sound effects, etc. Defense may not touch the player or block their view of the hoop. 3 Defensive players are positioned in front of 3 offensive players. While one defensive player is guarding the shooting player, the other 2 are positioned under the basket. Their job is to rebound the baseketball. If the shoot ball bounces off the backboard or the rim, they may attempt to make a basket for a double play, which counts as 2 of the 3 outs in a given inning.

Play: The game is divided into 9 innings. Each shot missed or if the shooter steps out of the designated area, it is counted as an Out. When 3 outs are earned, the other team takes over on offense. Balls and strikes are not part of the game. To start the game, both teams take turns shooting from the first base until one team makes a basket. The first team to make a basket gets to shoot first in each inning over the course of the game. The offense player will choose a base to shoot from. If he makes the shot, the player will run to the base indicated by their shot (if they make a single, the player runs to first base). If the next player makes double, the player would run to second base, while the earlier runner advances two bases to third. A run is scored when a shot required to get the player home is made, advancing the player around all 4 bases. Additionally, an offensive player is not allowed to shoot 2 of the same shots in a row. The team with the most points after 9 innings is declared the winner. * Trivia * + Trey Parker and Matt Stone agreed to do this film under the assumption by the time filming began, South Park (1997) would have already been canceled. It wasn’t, and having been committed to both projects, had to attend principal photography for this project during the day and produce South Park (1997) during the night, leaving very little time for any sleep. + The role of Kenny “Squeak” Scolari (Dian Bachar) was created when Trey Parker and Matt Stone were cast. Director David Zucker had no intentions of a third character, but Trey and Matt convinced him to create the part. + The movie is based on a real-life game that director David Zucker created with his friends, literally played in the driveway of his home. Many of the reappearing teammates are friends of Zucker and actual original players of the Zucker-driveway game, asked by the director to be in the movie to pay homage to origins of BASEketball. + In the scene where Remer meets with his entertainment lawyer, Coop accuses of Remer of being a “sell-out” for doing “a big Hollywood movie” now that he’s famous, leading to Coop and Remer to act as though they’d heard that phrase before. This is a reference to the fact that, when BASEketball was announced, many of South Park’s fans accused Matt Stone and Trey Parker of being “sell-outs” for doing “a big Hollywood movie” now that they’re famous. + The internet slang for stupidity, the expression ‘derp’ was first used as a line in this film by Matt Stone’s character. The term is later used in a number of episodes of South Park by Matt Stone and Trey Parker, that led to the spread and usage of the term. + The word “dude” is spoken a total of 98 times throughout the movie (including the scene after the credits). 21 of these are during Coop and Remer’s “dude” argument. + During the “Unsolved Mysteries” scene, almost all of the computer users in the background behind Robert Stack are playing solitaire, Except the one to the far right that is playing the classic point-and-click adventure game Myst by Cyan. + The scene where Joey asks Coop to hit a home run for him on the night of his liver operation is inspired by a real life event in which Babe Ruth visited a sick child in the hospital and promised to hit two home runs for him. + The same fruit bowl presented as the championship trophy for the driveway game was an element of the Denslow Cup trophy presented to the champions when the game went professional. + During the scene in the hospital, these lines are all improvised by Parker and Stone. Remer: “I’m giving her all I’ve got, Captain.” Coop: “I love you, I always have.” + The shooting schedule worked out in such a way that Yasmine Bleeth’s first scene was the one where she walks in on Matt Stone and Trey Parker naked in the locker rooms. + Al Michaels made $60,000 for his part in the film and Bob Costas made $50,000. Michaels had originally agreed to be paid $15,000, but when Costas told Michaels during filming that he was making $50,000 for the movie, Michaels became apoplectic. Michaels then hired a lawyer to re-negotiate his salary and it was raised to $60,000. + At the end of the movie when Coop and Remer fall into the Lagoon of Peace, one of them says to “Hold your breath right before we go in and never let go.” These are lines from Titanic right before Jack and Rose fall in the water as the ship sinks. + This is Robert Vaughn’s 100th film. + The microphone flag the sports reporter has is for UPN affiliate WCGV channel 24. This was an actual station’s logo, call sign, and channel in Milwaukee during the time the movie was released. + The song Cooper is humming when he uses plant clippers to cut off his finger when psyching out the San Antonio Defenders player is heavily based upon the instrumental theme played during the pre-feature animated trailer at General Cinema Corporation movie theaters. + There are 25 “psych outs” during the film. + The kissing scene when Coop and Remer make up was Parker and Stone’s idea + In the scene in the car where Cooper is listening to the radio and the song starts “your life is spinning out of control”, it is actually Trey Parker singing on the recording of that song. + Victoria Silvstedt, Kelly Monaco, and Courtney Ford’s film debut. + During the hospital scene where Coop and Remer are “attempting” to bring little Joey back to life, Coop requests heart paddles, calling them “the little things George Clooney uses.” This is a reference to when Clooney was on E.R. (1994). Clooney would later cameo as Dr. Gouache in South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut (1999) and as Sparky the dog in the South Park television series. + The line “you’re excited? Feel these nipples!” was previously used by director David Zucker in Brain Donors (1992), which he produced. It was reused in another movie Zucker directed, Scary Movie 3 (2003). + The taxi that Dale Earnhardt drives has a big #3 on each side, just like the NASCAR racer he was famous for competing in. + Director David Zucker is one of the three men with hotdogs shooting out (he’s in the middle) when the pole dancing cheerleaders are performing. + Reel Big Fish performs at the Baseketball event + The car that they are working on is a Chevrolet Corvair. + When Joey is in the hospital, Coop yells “10000 volts!” and Doug increases the machine to 15,000 volts. + Cast includes one Oscar winner Ernest Borgnine and two Oscar nominees Robert Vaughn and Robert Stack. + The celebration salute that Remer, Coop, and Squeak do after the Beers win the Denslow Cup is the same salute that the NFL team the Denver Broncos did as a touchdown celebration at the time. This was known as the “Mile High Salute”. Matt Stone and Trey Parker are avid Denver Broncos fans. + During the scene where a young Coop and Remer are at the 1977 World Series one of the fans seated next to him is Matt Stone + Body Count: 5 (three are mentioned on a news report).

Released: July 31, 1998Directed By: David ZuckerScreenplay By: David Zucker, Robert LoCash, Jeff Wright and Lewis FriedmanStars: Trey Parker, Matt Stone, Yasmine Bleeth, Jenny McCarthy, Robert Vaughn, Ernest Borgnine, Dian Bachar and a bunch of other actorsPlot: Two childhood friends are pro athletes of a national sport called BASEketball, a hybrid of baseball and basketball, and must deal with a greedy businessman scheming against their team.Tagline: From the director of the “Naked Gun” and starring the creators of “South Park”

How did this movie doBudget: $23 MillionBox Office: $7 Million

• Chris Farley turned down the role of Joe Cooper. The script was subsequently offered to Trey Parker and Matt Stone who rewrote it to reflect their sensibilities better.

• In the final game, when trying to “psych-out” a fat Dallas player by commenting on his weight, Trey Parker’s character Joe Cooper begins to speak in a high pitch, “whiny” voice reminiscent of Eric Cartman, another character from South Park (1997).

• The line used by Joe Cooper (Trey Parker), “I forgot how much Douglas Remer cares about kids!” is spoken with the same voice Trey uses for his South Park (1997) character Mr. Garrison.
• In response to a negative review from Roger Ebert, Parker and Stone named the South Park second season episode “Roger Ebert Should Lay Off the Fatty Foods”, which, despite its title, did not feature Ebert.
• Parker and Stone referenced BASEketball’s negative reception in South Park’s season eight episode, “The Passion of the Jew”, where at one point, Stan Marsh tells Kenny McCormick as they attempt to get a refund for the tickets they bought to see Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ: “This is about being able to hold bad filmmakers responsible! This is just like when we got our money back for BASEketball!”

Setup: The game is focused on shooting baskets from different distances. The different shot areas signify single squares, double squares and triple squares, with each area representing the points awarded. Additionally, if the shooter makes a shot from half-court, that is considered an automatic home run. After making a shot, the shooter runs the bases. Teams are made up of 6 players each, with 3 players on offense and 3 on defense.

Objective: To outscore the opposing team.

Defense: Players on defense can use Psycho-outs to distract the other team’s shooter. This can include spitting beer on the other player, offensive remarks, cutting off a fake finger, sound effects, etc. Defense may not touch the player or block their view of the hoop. 3 Defensive players are positioned in front of 3 offensive players. While one defensive player is guarding the shooting player, the other 2 are positioned under the basket. Their job is to rebound the baseketball. If the shoot ball bounces off the backboard or the rim, they may attempt to make a basket for a double play, which counts as 2 of the 3 outs in a given inning.

Play: The game is divided into 9 innings. Each shot missed or if the shooter steps out of the designated area, it is counted as an Out. When 3 outs are earned, the other team takes over on offense. Balls and strikes are not part of the game. To start the game, both teams take turns shooting from the first base until one team makes a basket. The first team to make a basket gets to shoot first in each inning over the course of the game. The offense player will choose a base to shoot from. If he makes the shot, the player will run to the base indicated by their shot (if they make a single, the player runs to first base). If the next player makes double, the player would run to second base, while the earlier runner advances two bases to third. A run is scored when a shot required to get the player home is made, advancing the player around all 4 bases. Additionally, an offensive player is not allowed to shoot 2 of the same shots in a row. The team with the most points after 9 innings is declared the winner.

• Trey Parker and Matt Stone agreed to do this film under the assumption by the time filming began, South Park (1997) would have already been canceled. It wasn’t, and having been committed to both projects, had to attend principal photography for this project during the day and produce South Park (1997) during the night, leaving very little time for any sleep.
• The role of Kenny “Squeak” Scolari (Dian Bachar) was created when Trey Parker and Matt Stone were cast. Director David Zucker had no intentions of a third character, but Trey and Matt convinced him to create the part.
• The movie is based on a real-life game that director David Zucker created with his friends, literally played in the driveway of his home. Many of the reappearing teammates are friends of Zucker and actual original players of the Zucker-driveway game, asked by the director to be in the movie to pay homage to origins of BASEketball.
• In the scene where Remer meets with his entertainment lawyer, Coop accuses of Remer of being a “sell-out” for doing “a big Hollywood movie” now that he’s famous, leading to Coop and Remer to act as though they’d heard that phrase before. This is a reference to the fact that, when BASEketball was announced, many of South Park’s fans accused Matt Stone and Trey Parker of being “sell-outs” for doing “a big Hollywood movie” now that they’re famous.
• The internet slang for stupidity, the expression ‘derp’ was first used as a line in this film by Matt Stone’s character. The term is later used in a number of episodes of South Park by Matt Stone and Trey Parker, that led to the spread and usage of the term.
• The word “dude” is spoken a total of 98 times throughout the movie (including the scene after the credits). 21 of these are during Coop and Remer’s “dude” argument.
• During the “Unsolved Mysteries” scene, almost all of the computer users in the background behind Robert Stack are playing solitaire, Except the one to the far right that is playing the classic point-and-click adventure game Myst by Cyan.
• The scene where Joey asks Coop to hit a home run for him on the night of his liver operation is inspired by a real life event in which Babe Ruth visited a sick child in the hospital and promised to hit two home runs for him.
• The same fruit bowl presented as the championship trophy for the driveway game was an element of the Denslow Cup trophy presented to the champions when the game went professional.
• During the scene in the hospital, these lines are all improvised by Parker and Stone. Remer: “I’m giving her all I’ve got, Captain.” Coop: “I love you, I always have.”
• The shooting schedule worked out in such a way that Yasmine Bleeth’s first scene was the one where she walks in on Matt Stone and Trey Parker naked in the locker rooms.
• Al Michaels made $60,000 for his part in the film and Bob Costas made $50,000. Michaels had originally agreed to be paid $15,000, but when Costas told Michaels during filming that he was making $50,000 for the movie, Michaels became apoplectic. Michaels then hired a lawyer to re-negotiate his salary and it was raised to $60,000.
• At the end of the movie when Coop and Remer fall into the Lagoon of Peace, one of them says to “Hold your breath right before we go in and never let go.” These are lines from Titanic right before Jack and Rose fall in the water as the ship sinks.
• This is Robert Vaughn’s 100th film.
• The microphone flag the sports reporter has is for UPN affiliate WCGV channel 24. This was an actual station’s logo, call sign, and channel in Milwaukee during the time the movie was released.
• The song Cooper is humming when he uses plant clippers to cut off his finger when psyching out the San Antonio Defenders player is heavily based upon the instrumental theme played during the pre-feature animated trailer at General Cinema Corporation movie theaters.
• There are 25 “psych outs” during the film.
• The kissing scene when Coop and Remer make up was Parker and Stone’s idea
• In the scene in the car where Cooper is listening to the radio and the song starts “your life is spinning out of control”, it is actually Trey Parker singing on the recording of that song.
• Victoria Silvstedt, Kelly Monaco, and Courtney Ford’s film debut.
• During the hospital scene where Coop and Remer are “attempting” to bring little Joey back to life, Coop requests heart paddles, calling them “the little things George Clooney uses.” This is a reference to when Clooney was on E.R. (1994). Clooney would later cameo as Dr. Gouache in South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut (1999) and as Sparky the dog in the South Park television series.
• The line “you’re excited? Feel these nipples!” was previously used by director David Zucker in Brain Donors (1992), which he produced. It was reused in another movie Zucker directed, Scary Movie 3 (2003).
• The taxi that Dale Earnhardt drives has a big #3 on each side, just like the NASCAR racer he was famous for competing in.
• Director David Zucker is one of the three men with hotdogs shooting out (he’s in the middle) when the pole dancing cheerleaders are performing.
• Reel Big Fish performs at the Baseketball event
• The car that they are working on is a Chevrolet Corvair.
• When Joey is in the hospital, Coop yells “10000 volts!” and Doug increases the machine to 15,000 volts.
• Cast includes one Oscar winner Ernest Borgnine and two Oscar nominees Robert Vaughn and Robert Stack.
• The celebration salute that Remer, Coop, and Squeak do after the Beers win the Denslow Cup is the same salute that the NFL team the Denver Broncos did as a touchdown celebration at the time. This was known as the “Mile High Salute”. Matt Stone and Trey Parker are avid Denver Broncos fans.
• During the scene where a young Coop and Remer are at the 1977 World Series one of the fans seated next to him is Matt Stone
• Body Count: 5 (three are mentioned on a news report).

About The Movie From IMDB

Previous Next Note: All images are property of their respected owners and used for editorial purposes.

View Details

The 3 Guys Podcast Recorded on 6/9/2022 Superhero Anatomy! Topless Fortune Telling! Bunny Bashing! And More. In this episode we review Kevin Smith’s cult classic Mallrats (released 1995) starring Shannen Doherty, Jeremy London, Jason Lee, Claire Forlani, Ben Affleck, Priscilla Barnes, Michael Rooker, Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes. WARNING: There will be SPOILERS! The 3 Guys Rating  3.3/5

Interested in owning the Mallrats Blu-ray? Click the button below.

Mallrats Blu-ray

Jay & Silent Bob Statue Sideshow and Level52 Studios are proud to present the Jay and Silent Bob polystone statue.

Jay and Silent Bob Statue from Sideshow

Notes From The Show * Quick Synopsis * Released: October 20, 1995

Directed By: Kevin Smith

Screenplay By: Kevin Smith

Music By: Ira Newborn

Stars: Shannen Doherty, Jeremy London, Jason Lee, Claire Forlani, Ben Affleck, Priscilla Barnes, Michael Rooker, Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes

Plot: Both dumped by their girlfriends, two best friends seek refuge in the local mall.

Tagline: Superhero Anatomy! Topless Fortune Telling! Bunny Bashing! And More!

How did this movie do Budget: $6 Million Box Office: $2 Million * Extended Edition * Extended Scenes found in the collectors edition: + The extended cut contains over 30 minutes of additional footage and subplots. + An alternate opening scene, in which Mr. Svenning hosts a Ball for the Governor of New Jersey (played by Elizabeth Ashley). In this scene, T.S. (dressed as a colonial musketman), accidentally gets his musket tangled up in Brandi’s hair, then accidentally shoots at the Governor on the roof of a school, which ends up costing Mr. Svenning his reputation as well as a big pay raise. This explains the reason why Svenning shows an intense dislike for T.S. and why Brandi is so intent on breaking up with him. This scene also makes no mention of Julie Dwyer’s death, as the theatrical cut did. (That cut subplot was referenced in the final cut of the movie, where the TV execs mention to Svenning that they do not want a repeat of the Governor’s Ball). + A shot that shows the Quick Stop from Clerks. + A new subplot of Brodie showing intentions of wanting to be on television, which explains his surprised look during his appearance on Truth or Date. + An extended rant from Mr. Svenning, a result of T.S. letting it slip that he intended to propose to Brandi. + The scene where Mr. Svenning meets with Brodie before he has both Brodie and T.S. removed by LaFours has several restored lines and ends with more finger- and hand-licking of the melty pretzel chocolate by Mr. Svenning after the boys are removed. + A scene after Truth or Date in which Mr. Svenning demands to have T.S. and Brodie arrested, but instead he is the one who is arrested. It turns out that since Svenning was the producer of the show, he faces multiple FCC fines for Brodie’s antics. + An extended “Where are they now?” ending sequence, in which Mr. Svenning is shown at his job at the network as a janitor (along with his production assistant, still wearing his headset), and Shannon Hamilton is shown screaming after his rape in prison. + A scene that showed Tricia flirting and having sex with LaFours in order to distract him from catching Jay and Silent Bob. This explains the final segment in the ‘where are they now’ ending sequence, showing LaFours kissing Tricia during the book signing. * Sequel News * News on the sequel as of 6/17/2022: + On March 13, 2015, Kevin Smith confirmed that Mallrats 2 was being written and was slated to begin shooting in summer 2016. + In January 2020, Smith announced that development on a Mallrats sequel film has started up again, under a new title Twilight of the Mallrats. + On a recent Fan Club Q&A, Kevin Smith said there were three paths to getting the movie done. - First was through Universal, but they are currently focused on Fast and Furious sized movies and the folks there always forget they even own Mallrats. - Second, there is a Universal Video division. As of right now the film they believe will cost in the 7 – 8 million range to get done. Universal Video has said they can film anything he wants but will have to deal with a 5 Million cap. So right now that seems to be up in the air. - Third possibility with Peacock (which is owned by Universal). Kevin has stated that maybe after Clerks 3 they will pitch the Mallrats movie or 6 episode mini-series as a Peacock production. * Trivia * + Kevin Smith’s friend Walter was the template for Brodie. Like Brodie, Walter has a comics vault, Walter has been known to carry a dixie cup around (sometimes for an entire day), Walter is a Sega freak. The only difference is Walter is married. + Kevin Smith jokingly apologized for making Mallrats at the Independent Spirit Awards. On his office’s answering machine after the movie’s poor showing in theaters, Lee recalled that Smith greeted callers by saying, “Hey, this is Kevin. We can’t get to the phone right now. We’re too busy licking our wounds.” + LaFours the security guard who wears the white straw cap is a reference to LaFours in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid who also always wears a white straw cap. + The character of Shannon Hamilton is meant to be an inside joke about Shannen Doherty. She was married very briefly to Ashley Hamilton so hence her name was (temporarily) Shannen Hamilton. + Note the Jaws reference – not the obvious marriage scene link – the main characters are called TS Quint and Brodie Bruce, compared to Quint and Brody from Jaws. The nickname for the shark on set was “Bruce”. + Brodie’s comic book collection seen in the movie was director Kevin Smith’s collection at the time (which has grown considerably since). The collection is what Smith was able to purchase back after selling his original collection to finance production of Clerks (1994). + The studio almost replaced Jason Mewes (Jay) with Seth Green. Kevin Smith insisted that Mewes should play Jay, but the studio made Smith take auditions for the role. Breckin Meyer also auditioned. In the end, all concerned agreed that Mewes was right for the part. + While shopping, Rene Mosier (Shannen Doherty) is seen wearing at least three different outfits. Doherty had a clause in her contract that stated she could keep everything her character wore, so she came up with the plan that her character would wear everything she bought. + Brodie’s shirt is the faces of all the actors that auditioned for the role of Brodie morphed together. + According to Kevin Smith, another actor auditioned for, and eventually received, the lead role of Brodie. On the first day of shooting his scenes, the unnamed actor “broke down”, and was unable to give the same performance that had earned him the role. The actor was then replaced by Jason Lee. + This is the second film in Kevin Smith’s intricately interconnected View Askewniverse series (the others being Clerks (1994), Chasing Amy (1997), Dogma (1999), Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001), Clerks II (2006) and Jay and Silent Bob Reboot (2019)). The movies are all linked by characters, themes, and events, and each contains numerous references to the others. + The only film by Kevin Smith that he did not edit himself, although he and Scott Mosier cut the extended version that’s on the Tenth Anniversary DVD. + The content of the dialogue between Quint and Brodie about whether Superman would be able to have sex and/or a baby with a non-superpowered woman, is taken from a classic 1971 essay by science fiction author Larry Niven called “Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex.” + Seth Green was on-call, ready at any moment to fly to Minnesota, so he could replace Jason Mewes as Jay. + The Wile E. Coyote-style blueprints used by Jay and Silent Bob were drawn by producer Scott Mosier. + During the Batman homage, as Jay and Silent Bob escape from La Fours, the belting attached to Kevin Smith slipped. The crane refused to start (someone had shut it off), and the key could not be located, nearly resulting in a possibly lethal fall. + The original beginning of the movie tested poorly and was replaced by one that was filmed in Los Angeles. The original beginning contained an incident at the Governor’s Ball (the one mentioned by the television executives). + Brodie is named after the main character in Jaws (1975) (a favorite film of Smith’s, and one that he frequently references in his work), while his surname, Bruce, was the nickname given to the animatronic shark in the Jaws film franchise. + While doing event appearances as Merle Dixon from AMC’s The Walking Dead, fans brought Michael Rooker (Mr. Svenning) bags of chocolate covered pretzels. + The end credits scene telling us the fate of each of the main characters is an homage to Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982), which also has many scenes that take place in a mall. Kevin Smith even made sure to use the same font and color for the graphics. Both films were cast by Don Phillips, who also cast Dazed and Confused (1993). + Studio executives required quite a bit of language to be removed or replaced with weaker language. + The song playing in the background, while the characters wait for the elevator, is the same one playing inside the elevator at the end of The Blues Brothers (1980). + When Brodie is trying to cut in line at the comic book store, and is being yelled at, the “fan boy” says, “Tell ’em, Steve Dave!” The man named Steve Dave yelling at Brodie is played by Bryan Johnson, and the fan boy is played by Walter Flanagan. This catchphrase was later used as the title of a podcast in which Johnson and Flanagan take part. + When Willam (Ethan Suplee) gets startled, he says “poopie trim”. This is a reference to an inside joke between Kevin Smith and script supervisor Carol Banker. + The pass that Mr. Svenning wears around his neck is the logo of View Askew, the film’s production company. + In Stan Lee’s cameo for Captain Marvel (2019), Carol Danvers finds Lee reading the script for this film rehearsing his lines. + The scene where backstage before the game show ran by Jared Svenning starts, Roddy yelled at T.S. and Brodie quoting “You called down the thunder, now you got it”! That’s the same line that was quoted by Wyatt Earp in Tombstone (1993). Kurt Russell played Wyatt Earp alongside Michael Rooker, who played Sherman McMasters. Rooker’s character was present when Russell quoted this line. The whole line is “All right, Clanton… you called down the thunder, well now you’ve got it! You see that? It says United States Marshal! Take a good look at him, Ike… ’cause that’s how you’re gonna end up! The Cowboys are finished, you understand? I see a red sash, I kill the man wearin’ it! So run, you cur… RUN! Tell all the other curs the law’s comin. You tell ’em I’M coming… and Hell’s coming with me, you hear?… Hell’s coming with me!” + Jason Lee and Ethan Suplee would both go on to star in My Name Is Earl (2005). + In the magic eye picture in the mall there is no sail boat, it’s a bunch of shapes. + Cameo – Stan Lee: Originally, Stan Lee was not going to have a cameo in the movie. Kevin Smith had written a fictional Stan Lee-type character, but through a connection, Stan Lee was asked to be in the movie and agreed. + Stan Lee initially didn’t want to be in the film. He felt the dialogue assigned to him wasn’t what he would personally say. Kevin Smith responded that it was just pretend, to which Lee replied, “Okay, Spider-Friend.” + Stan Lee can be seen looking to his left or right repeatedly while talking with Brodie. This is so he can see his cue cards + When Rene (Shannen Doherty) runs to tell Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Kevin Smith) that Brodie (Jason Lee) and T.S. (Jeremy London) are being arrested, Ethan Suplee (Willam) says, “Brenda?” – a joke reference to Doherty’s character on Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990). The exchange wasn’t in the script, but rather, Suplee was told to say this by Smith before the scene was shot, and so was Doherty. However, Suplee wasn’t told that she would respond, so his reaction is genuine. + Silent Bob has only one line in the entire movie, consisting of: “Adventure? Excitement? A Jedi craves not these things.” He had an additional line in the extended version, which was “There was never anything good to say before.”

Released: October 20, 1995

Directed By: Kevin Smith

Screenplay By: Kevin Smith

Music By: Ira Newborn

Stars: Shannen Doherty, Jeremy London, Jason Lee, Claire Forlani, Ben Affleck, Priscilla Barnes, Michael Rooker, Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes

Plot: Both dumped by their girlfriends, two best friends seek refuge in the local mall.

Tagline: Superhero Anatomy! Topless Fortune Telling! Bunny Bashing! And More!

How did this movie do Budget: $6 Million Box Office: $2 Million

Extended Scenes found in the collectors edition: * The extended cut contains over 30 minutes of additional footage and subplots. * An alternate opening scene, in which Mr. Svenning hosts a Ball for the Governor of New Jersey (played by Elizabeth Ashley). In this scene, T.S. (dressed as a colonial musketman), accidentally gets his musket tangled up in Brandi’s hair, then accidentally shoots at the Governor on the roof of a school, which ends up costing Mr. Svenning his reputation as well as a big pay raise. This explains the reason why Svenning shows an intense dislike for T.S. and why Brandi is so intent on breaking up with him. This scene also makes no mention of Julie Dwyer’s death, as the theatrical cut did. (That cut subplot was referenced in the final cut of the movie, where the TV execs mention to Svenning that they do not want a repeat of the Governor’s Ball). * A shot that shows the Quick Stop from Clerks. * A new subplot of Brodie showing intentions of wanting to be on television, which explains his surprised look during his appearance on Truth or Date. * An extended rant from Mr. Svenning, a result of T.S. letting it slip that he intended to propose to Brandi. * The scene where Mr. Svenning meets with Brodie before he has both Brodie and T.S. removed by LaFours has several restored lines and ends with more finger- and hand-licking of the melty pretzel chocolate by Mr. Svenning after the boys are removed. * A scene after Truth or Date in which Mr. Svenning demands to have T.S. and Brodie arrested, but instead he is the one who is arrested. It turns out that since Svenning was the producer of the show, he faces multiple FCC fines for Brodie’s antics. * An extended “Where are they now?” ending sequence, in which Mr. Svenning is shown at his job at the network as a janitor (along with his production assistant, still wearing his headset), and Shannon Hamilton is shown screaming after his rape in prison. * A scene that showed Tricia flirting and having sex with LaFours in order to distract him from catching Jay and Silent Bob. This explains the final segment in the ‘where are they now’ ending sequence, showing LaFours kissing Tricia during the book signing.

News on the sequel as of 6/17/2022: * On March 13, 2015, Kevin Smith confirmed that Mallrats 2 was being written and was slated to begin shooting in summer 2016. * In January 2020, Smith announced that development on a Mallrats sequel film has started up again, under a new title Twilight of the Mallrats. * On a recent Fan Club Q&A, Kevin Smith said there were three paths to getting the movie done. + First was through Universal, but they are currently focused on Fast and Furious sized movies and the folks there always forget they even own Mallrats. + Second, there is a Universal Video division. As of right now the film they believe will cost in the 7 – 8 million range to get done. Universal Video has said they can film anything he wants but will have to deal with a 5 Million cap. So right now that seems to be up in the air. + Third possibility with Peacock (which is owned by Universal). Kevin has stated that maybe after Clerks 3 they will pitch the Mallrats movie or 6 episode mini-series as a Peacock production.

• Kevin Smith’s friend Walter was the template for Brodie. Like Brodie, Walter has a comics vault, Walter has been known to carry a dixie cup around (sometimes for an entire day), Walter is a Sega freak. The only difference is Walter is married.
• Kevin Smith jokingly apologized for making Mallrats at the Independent Spirit Awards. On his office’s answering machine after the movie’s poor showing in theaters, Lee recalled that Smith greeted callers by saying, “Hey, this is Kevin. We can’t get to the phone right now. We’re too busy licking our wounds.”
• LaFours the security guard who wears the white straw cap is a reference to LaFours in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid who also always wears a white straw cap.
• The character of Shannon Hamilton is meant to be an inside joke about Shannen Doherty. She was married very briefly to Ashley Hamilton so hence her name was (temporarily) Shannen Hamilton.
• Note the Jaws reference – not the obvious marriage scene link – the main characters are called TS Quint and Brodie Bruce, compared to Quint and Brody from Jaws. The nickname for the shark on set was “Bruce”.
• Brodie’s comic book collection seen in the movie was director Kevin Smith’s collection at the time (which has grown considerably since). The collection is what Smith was able to purchase back after selling his original collection to finance production of Clerks (1994).
• The studio almost replaced Jason Mewes (Jay) with Seth Green. Kevin Smith insisted that Mewes should play Jay, but the studio made Smith take auditions for the role. Breckin Meyer also auditioned. In the end, all concerned agreed that Mewes was right for the part.
• While shopping, Rene Mosier (Shannen Doherty) is seen wearing at least three different outfits. Doherty had a clause in her contract that stated she could keep everything her character wore, so she came up with the plan that her character would wear everything she bought.
• Brodie’s shirt is the faces of all the actors that auditioned for the role of Brodie morphed together.
• According to Kevin Smith, another actor auditioned for, and eventually received, the lead role of Brodie. On the first day of shooting his scenes, the unnamed actor “broke down”, and was unable to give the same performance that had earned him the role. The actor was then replaced by Jason Lee.
• This is the second film in Kevin Smith’s intricately interconnected View Askewniverse series (the others being Clerks (1994), Chasing Amy (1997), Dogma (1999), Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001), Clerks II (2006) and Jay and Silent Bob Reboot (2019)). The movies are all linked by characters, themes, and events, and each contains numerous references to the others.
• The only film by Kevin Smith that he did not edit himself, although he and Scott Mosier cut the extended version that’s on the Tenth Anniversary DVD.
• The content of the dialogue between Quint and Brodie about whether Superman would be able to have sex and/or a baby with a non-superpowered woman, is taken from a classic 1971 essay by science fiction author Larry Niven called “Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex.”
• Seth Green was on-call, ready at any moment to fly to Minnesota, so he could replace Jason Mewes as Jay.
• The Wile E. Coyote-style blueprints used by Jay and Silent Bob were drawn by producer Scott Mosier.
• During the Batman homage, as Jay and Silent Bob escape from La Fours, the belting attached to Kevin Smith slipped. The crane refused to start (someone had shut it off), and the key could not be located, nearly resulting in a possibly lethal fall.
• The original beginning of the movie tested poorly and was replaced by one that was filmed in Los Angeles. The original beginning contained an incident at the Governor’s Ball (the one mentioned by the television executives).
• Brodie is named after the main character in Jaws (1975) (a favorite film of Smith’s, and one that he frequently references in his work), while his surname, Bruce, was the nickname given to the animatronic shark in the Jaws film franchise.
• While doing event appearances as Merle Dixon from AMC’s The Walking Dead, fans brought Michael Rooker (Mr. Svenning) bags of chocolate covered pretzels.
• The end credits scene telling us the fate of each of the main characters is an homage to Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982), which also has many scenes that take place in a mall. Kevin Smith even made sure to use the same font and color for the graphics. Both films were cast by Don Phillips, who also cast Dazed and Confused (1993).
• Studio executives required quite a bit of language to be removed or replaced with weaker language.
• The song playing in the background, while the characters wait for the elevator, is the same one playing inside the elevator at the end of The Blues Brothers (1980).
• When Brodie is trying to cut in line at the comic book store, and is being yelled at, the “fan boy” says, “Tell ’em, Steve Dave!” The man named Steve Dave yelling at Brodie is played by Bryan Johnson, and the fan boy is played by Walter Flanagan. This catchphrase was later used as the title of a podcast in which Johnson and Flanagan take part.
• When Willam (Ethan Suplee) gets startled, he says “poopie trim”. This is a reference to an inside joke between Kevin Smith and script supervisor Carol Banker.
• The pass that Mr. Svenning wears around his neck is the logo of View Askew, the film’s production company.
• In Stan Lee’s cameo for Captain Marvel (2019), Carol Danvers finds Lee reading the script for this film rehearsing his lines.
• The scene where backstage before the game show ran by Jared Svenning starts, Roddy yelled at T.S. and Brodie quoting “You called down the thunder, now you got it”! That’s the same line that was quoted by Wyatt Earp in Tombstone (1993). Kurt Russell played Wyatt Earp alongside Michael Rooker, who played Sherman McMasters. Rooker’s character was present when Russell quoted this line. The whole line is “All right, Clanton… you called down the thunder, well now you’ve got it! You see that? It says United States Marshal! Take a good look at him, Ike… ’cause that’s how you’re gonna end up! The Cowboys are finished, you understand? I see a red sash, I kill the man wearin’ it! So run, you cur… RUN! Tell all the other curs the law’s comin. You tell ’em I’M coming… and Hell’s coming with me, you hear?… Hell’s coming with me!”
• Jason Lee and Ethan Suplee would both go on to star in My Name Is Earl (2005).
• In the magic eye picture in the mall there is no sail boat, it’s a bunch of shapes.
• Cameo – Stan Lee: Originally, Stan Lee was not going to have a cameo in the movie. Kevin Smith had written a fictional Stan Lee-type character, but through a connection, Stan Lee was asked to be in the movie and agreed.
• Stan Lee initially didn’t want to be in the film. He felt the dialogue assigned to him wasn’t what he would personally say. Kevin Smith responded that it was just pretend, to which Lee replied, “Okay, Spider-Friend.”
• Stan Lee can be seen looking to his left or right repeatedly while talking with Brodie. This is so he can see his cue cards
• When Rene (Shannen Doherty) runs to tell Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Kevin Smith) that Brodie (Jason Lee) and T.S. (Jeremy London) are being arrested, Ethan Suplee (Willam) says, “Brenda?” – a joke reference to Doherty’s character on Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990). The exchange wasn’t in the script, but rather, Suplee was told to say this by Smith before the scene was shot, and so was Doherty. However, Suplee wasn’t told that she would respond, so his reaction is genuine.
• Silent Bob has only one line in the entire movie, consisting of: “Adventure? Excitement? A Jedi craves not these things.” He had an additional line in the extended version, which was “There was never anything good to say before.”

Kevin Smith: Guru Askew (Dope Variant) Reframe your view with the flocked Kevin Smith: Guru Askew (Dope Variant) Designer Collectible Toy by artist CHOGRIN today.

Kevin Smith: Guru Askew from Sideshow

About The Movie From IMDB

Previous Next

Note: All images are property of their respected owners and used for editorial purposes.

View Details

The 3 Guys Podcast Recorded on 6/2/2022 You won't know the facts until you've seen the fiction. In this episode we review Quentin Tarantino/s masterpiece Pulp Fiction (released 1994) starring John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman and Bruce Willis. This week we are joined by our special guest Danny. WARNING: There will be SPOILERS! The 3 Guys Rating  4.7/5

Interested in owning the Pulp Fiction Blu-ray? Click the button below.

Pulp Fiction Blu-ray

Pulp Fiction Canvas Poster Unframe: 16×24inch(40×60cm)

Pulp Fiction Movie Poster

Notes From The Show * Quick Synopsis * Released: October 14, 1994

Directed By: Quentin Tarantino

Screenplay By: Quentin Tarantino & Roger Avary

Stars: John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Amanda Plummer, Maria de Medeiros, Ving Rhames, Eric Stoltz, Rosanna Arquette, Christopher Walken, Bruce Willis and a bunch of other people.

Plot: The lives of two mob hitmen, a boxer, a gangster and his wife, and a pair of diner bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption.

Tagline: You won’t know the facts until you’ve seen the fiction.

How did this movie do Budget: $8 Million Box Office: $214 Million * Awards * Academy Awards

+ Nominations – Best Picture, Director, Actor (Travolta), Supporting Actor (Jackson), Supporting Actress (Thurman), Original Screenplay, and Film Editing.
+ Winner – Tarantino and Avary won for Best Original Screenplay.

• Casting
• • The role of Vincent Vega was originally (and exclusively) written with Michael Madsen firmly in mind. Quentin Tarantino had been working on his script for seven months and, even though Madsen knew of Quentin’s plans and had expressed his desire to play the part, Madsen had already signed up for the role of Virgil Earp in Wyatt Earp (1994), and was unable to commit to the film. He later regretted the decision.
  • Uma Thurman originally turned down the role of Mia Wallace. Quentin Tarantino was so desperate to have her as Mia, he ended up reading her the script over the phone, finally convincing her to take on the role.
  • According to Quentin Tarantino, Jennifer Aniston narrowly missed out on the role of Mia Wallace to Uma Thurman.
  • Harvey Keitel convinced his friend Bruce Willis to take part in the film, knowing that Willis had been a big fan of Reservoir Dogs (1992). Bruce Willis worked on the film for only eighteen days.
  • Quentin Tarantino wrote the character of Winston “The Wolf” Wolfe specifically for Harvey Keitel.
  • Quentin Tarantino wrote the role of Jules specifically for Samuel L. Jackson, however, it was almost given to Paul Calderon after a great audition. When Jackson heard this, he flew to Los Angeles and auditioned again to secure the role. Calderon ended up with a small role, as Paul.
  • Mickey Rourke passed on the role of Butch Coolidge in order to pursue his boxing career. He also claimed that he didn’t understand the script. He later regretted this decision.
  • The role of Lance was written for John Cusack, but once he passed on the role, the second choice for the role, Eric Stoltz, was cast.
• Trivia
• • Something bad happened every time Vincent (John Travolta) went to the bathroom (always with a “pulp fiction” book to read), which, upon his exiting, involved him (Mia overdosing, Pumpkin and Honey Bunny robbing the restaurant, Butch shooting him).
  • Blonde, a.k.a. Vic Vega, played by Michael Madsen in Reservoir Dogs (1992), is the brother of Vincent Vega. Quentin Tarantino even had a spin-off film in development, titled “Double V Vega”, which was a prequel to both movies. This film was scrapped, because both actors were too old to play younger versions of themselves.
  • The movie cost only $8 million to make. The initial budget was reportedly even lower until Bruce Willis was added to the cast (he had a recent string of domestic flops but was still a box-office draw overseas). $5 million went to pay the actors’ and actresses’ salaries. The film was already profitable when its worldwide rights were sold for $11 million (again, mainly on the strength of Willis’ presence). It went on to gross over $200 million at the box office. The largest chunk of the budget, $150,000, went to creating the Jack Rabbit Slim’s set.
  • When Vincent is at Lance’s house he says that the other day someone keyed his car. This took place at Wallace’s strip club. In an interview Tarantino was asked about that. He said that the person who keyed the car was Butch the boxer, who Vincent had insulted that night.
  • The 1964 Chevelle Malibu convertible driven by Vincent Vega (John Travolta) belonged to writer and director Quentin Tarantino, and was stolen during production of the film. In 2013, a police officer saw two kids stripping an older car. He arrested them, and while looking up the owner of the vehicle he found the VIN had been altered. It turned out that it was Tarantino’s stolen car. The owner had recently purchased it and had no idea it was stolen.
  • The quote Jules uses is supposed to be from Ezekiel 25:17 in the Old Testament. In Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) when Nick Fury (played by Samuel L. Jackson) stands by the headstone at his grave, the marker reads “THE PATH OF THE RIGHTEOUS MAN…” EZEKIEL 25:17.
  • Vincent Vega is the only character who is present in every segment of the film: “Vincent Vega and Marsellus Wallace’s Wife”, “The Gold Watch”, “The Bonnie Situation”, and “The Diner”.
  • The screenplay says that Zed and Maynard are brothers
  • The passage from the Bible that Jules has memorized was mostly made up by Quentin Tarantino and Samuel L. Jackson. The first part about the righteous man and the tyranny of evil men is not real. However the second half, “And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger. And you will know My name is the Lord when I lay My vengeance upon thee”, is a direct quote from Ezekiel 25:17. It’s likely that Tarantino included it as a reference to the Shin’ichi “Sonny” Chiba film Bodigaado Kiba (1973) as the quote is almost word for word from the opening scene. Tarantino has also said that he is big fan of the actor, and is therefore likely to have seen the movie.
  • Towards the end of the film, Jules says he wants to retire and become a drifter. In Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004), Samuel L. Jackson turned up as Rufus, a piano playing drifter
  • Mia Wallace’s comment “An Elvis man should love this” is a reference to a deleted scene (included in some edited for television versions) where Mia claims that everyone can be classified as either an “Elvis” (Elvis Presley) person or a “Beatles” (The Beatles) person. She bets Vincent that he is an “Elvis”, and he confirms it.
  • Although widely regarded as John Travolta’s second comeback film (Look Who’s Talking (1989) was his first), it served a similar purpose for Bruce Willis, whose films outside of the Die Hard franchise had been considered disappointments (except for Look Who’s Talking (1989)).
  • The man who burst from the bathroom in Brett’s apartment was played by the then-named Robert Arquette (whose sister, Rosanna Arquette, played Jody). However, she was listed in the credits as “Alexis Arquette”, the name she later adopted after coming out as a transgender woman.
  • The end credits mention “Special Thanks to Jennifer Beals”. The actress was close friends with Quentin Tarantino back in the nineties. He often stayed at her house, while struggling as a director before making this movie.
  • John Travolta ad-libbed the line “That’s a pretty good question” after Uma Thurman asks why it’s necessary to talk about bullshit.
  • It is strongly implied that Fabienne was pregnant with Butch’s child: she had talked about looking at herself in the mirror, picturing herself with a potbelly and how good she would look with it. After having a shower, Fabienne goes to tell Butch something but sees that he is fast asleep and says “never mind”. The next morning she talks about having a very large and unusual breakfast, which is uncommon for a woman so petite who isn’t pregnant.
  • At Jack Rabbit Slim’s, Mia Wallace tells Vincent Vega about the pilot she starred in called “Fox Force Five”. Wallace describes the other girls in the force, “There was a blonde one … she was a leader. The Japanese fox was a kung fu master. The black girl was a demolition expert. French fox’s specialty was sex. [Mine was] knives.” So, Mia was talking specifically about the Kill Bill which would be in theaters in 9 years.
  • In the special features, Tarantino describes Pulp Fiction as a salvation film, with the three parts of the anthology seeing the salvation of Pumpkin and Honey Bunny, the salvation of Jules, and the salvation of Butch and Fabienne.
  • John Travolta said that the iconic look of Vincent Vega, like the long hair and cigarette, was his idea. Quentin Tarantino originally wanted Travolta to play Vega with his more or less normal appearance, but approved Travolta’s ideas about his character when presented to him.
  • What was in the case?
    • Diamonds from Reservoir Dogs
    • Elvis’s gold suit from True Romance
    • Marcellus Soul from a deal with the devil (band-aid represents where his soul was taken)
    • An orange bulb
    • In a radio interview with Howard Stern in late 2003, Quentin Tarantino was asked by a caller the contents of the briefcase, and he answered, “It’s whatever the viewer wants it to be.”
  • Foreshadowing: Jules remarked that “Marcellus Wallace don’t like to be fucked by anybody but Mrs. Wallace”, “foreshadowing” his later scene with Zed. Marcellus also demonstrated what happens to those who break this rule.
  • The word “fuck” is used 265 times.
  • Body count: eight (six on-screen, two mentioned).

Released: October 14, 1994

Directed By: Quentin Tarantino

Screenplay By: Quentin Tarantino & Roger Avary

Stars: John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Amanda Plummer, Maria de Medeiros, Ving Rhames, Eric Stoltz, Rosanna Arquette, Christopher Walken, Bruce Willis and a bunch of other people.

Plot: The lives of two mob hitmen, a boxer, a gangster and his wife, and a pair of diner bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption.

Tagline: You won’t know the facts until you’ve seen the fiction.

How did this movie do Budget: $8 Million Box Office: $214 Million

Academy Awards

• Nominations – Best Picture, Director, Actor (Travolta), Supporting Actor (Jackson), Supporting Actress (Thurman), Original Screenplay, and Film Editing.

• Winner – Tarantino and Avary won for Best Original Screenplay.

• The role of Vincent Vega was originally (and exclusively) written with Michael Madsen firmly in mind. Quentin Tarantino had been working on his script for seven months and, even though Madsen knew of Quentin’s plans and had expressed his desire to play the part, Madsen had already signed up for the role of Virgil Earp in Wyatt Earp (1994), and was unable to commit to the film. He later regretted the decision.

• Uma Thurman originally turned down the role of Mia Wallace. Quentin Tarantino was so desperate to have her as Mia, he ended up reading her the script over the phone, finally convincing her to take on the role.
• According to Quentin Tarantino, Jennifer Aniston narrowly missed out on the role of Mia Wallace to Uma Thurman.
• Harvey Keitel convinced his friend Bruce Willis to take part in the film, knowing that Willis had been a big fan of Reservoir Dogs (1992). Bruce Willis worked on the film for only eighteen days.
• Quentin Tarantino wrote the character of Winston “The Wolf” Wolfe specifically for Harvey Keitel.
• Quentin Tarantino wrote the role of Jules specifically for Samuel L. Jackson, however, it was almost given to Paul Calderon after a great audition. When Jackson heard this, he flew to Los Angeles and auditioned again to secure the role. Calderon ended up with a small role, as Paul.
• Mickey Rourke passed on the role of Butch Coolidge in order to pursue his boxing career. He also claimed that he didn’t understand the script. He later regretted this decision.

• The role of Lance was written for John Cusack, but once he passed on the role, the second choice for the role, Eric Stoltz, was cast.

• Something bad happened every time Vincent (John Travolta) went to the bathroom (always with a “pulp fiction” book to read), which, upon his exiting, involved him (Mia overdosing, Pumpkin and Honey Bunny robbing the restaurant, Butch shooting him).

• Blonde, a.k.a. Vic Vega, played by Michael Madsen in Reservoir Dogs (1992), is the brother of Vincent Vega. Quentin Tarantino even had a spin-off film in development, titled “Double V Vega”, which was a prequel to both movies. This film was scrapped, because both actors were too old to play younger versions of themselves.
• The movie cost only $8 million to make. The initial budget was reportedly even lower until Bruce Willis was added to the cast (he had a recent string of domestic flops but was still a box-office draw overseas). $5 million went to pay the actors’ and actresses’ salaries. The film was already profitable when its worldwide rights were sold for $11 million (again, mainly on the strength of Willis’ presence). It went on to gross over $200 million at the box office. The largest chunk of the budget, $150,000, went to creating the Jack Rabbit Slim’s set.
• When Vincent is at Lance’s house he says that the other day someone keyed his car. This took place at Wallace’s strip club. In an interview Tarantino was asked about that. He said that the person who keyed the car was Butch the boxer, who Vincent had insulted that night.
• The 1964 Chevelle Malibu convertible driven by Vincent Vega (John Travolta) belonged to writer and director Quentin Tarantino, and was stolen during production of the film. In 2013, a police officer saw two kids stripping an older car. He arrested them, and while looking up the owner of the vehicle he found the VIN had been altered. It turned out that it was Tarantino’s stolen car. The owner had recently purchased it and had no idea it was stolen.
• The quote Jules uses is supposed to be from Ezekiel 25:17 in the Old Testament. In Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) when Nick Fury (played by Samuel L. Jackson) stands by the headstone at his grave, the marker reads “THE PATH OF THE RIGHTEOUS MAN…” EZEKIEL 25:17.
• Vincent Vega is the only character who is present in every segment of the film: “Vincent Vega and Marsellus Wallace’s Wife”, “The Gold Watch”, “The Bonnie Situation”, and “The Diner”.
• The screenplay says that Zed and Maynard are brothers
• The passage from the Bible that Jules has memorized was mostly made up by Quentin Tarantino and Samuel L. Jackson. The first part about the righteous man and the tyranny of evil men is not real. However the second half, “And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger. And you will know My name is the Lord when I lay My vengeance upon thee”, is a direct quote from Ezekiel 25:17. It’s likely that Tarantino included it as a reference to the Shin’ichi “Sonny” Chiba film Bodigaado Kiba (1973) as the quote is almost word for word from the opening scene. Tarantino has also said that he is big fan of the actor, and is therefore likely to have seen the movie.
• Towards the end of the film, Jules says he wants to retire and become a drifter. In Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004), Samuel L. Jackson turned up as Rufus, a piano playing drifter
• Mia Wallace’s comment “An Elvis man should love this” is a reference to a deleted scene (included in some edited for television versions) where Mia claims that everyone can be classified as either an “Elvis” (Elvis Presley) person or a “Beatles” (The Beatles) person. She bets Vincent that he is an “Elvis”, and he confirms it.
• Although widely regarded as John Travolta’s second comeback film (Look Who’s Talking (1989) was his first), it served a similar purpose for Bruce Willis, whose films outside of the Die Hard franchise had been considered disappointments (except for Look Who’s Talking (1989)).
• The man who burst from the bathroom in Brett’s apartment was played by the then-named Robert Arquette (whose sister, Rosanna Arquette, played Jody). However, she was listed in the credits as “Alexis Arquette”, the name she later adopted after coming out as a transgender woman.
• The end credits mention “Special Thanks to Jennifer Beals”. The actress was close friends with Quentin Tarantino back in the nineties. He often stayed at her house, while struggling as a director before making this movie.
• John Travolta ad-libbed the line “That’s a pretty good question” after Uma Thurman asks why it’s necessary to talk about bullshit.
• It is strongly implied that Fabienne was pregnant with Butch’s child: she had talked about looking at herself in the mirror, picturing herself with a potbelly and how good she would look with it. After having a shower, Fabienne goes to tell Butch something but sees that he is fast asleep and says “never mind”. The next morning she talks about having a very large and unusual breakfast, which is uncommon for a woman so petite who isn’t pregnant.
• At Jack Rabbit Slim’s, Mia Wallace tells Vincent Vega about the pilot she starred in called “Fox Force Five”. Wallace describes the other girls in the force, “There was a blonde one … she was a leader. The Japanese fox was a kung fu master. The black girl was a demolition expert. French fox’s specialty was sex. [Mine was] knives.” So, Mia was talking specifically about the Kill Bill which would be in theaters in 9 years.
• In the special features, Tarantino describes Pulp Fiction as a salvation film, with the three parts of the anthology seeing the salvation of Pumpkin and Honey Bunny, the salvation of Jules, and the salvation of Butch and Fabienne.
• John Travolta said that the iconic look of Vincent Vega, like the long hair and cigarette, was his idea. Quentin Tarantino originally wanted Travolta to play Vega with his more or less normal appearance, but approved Travolta’s ideas about his character when presented to him.
• What was in the case?
  • Diamonds from Reservoir Dogs
  • Elvis’s gold suit from True Romance
  • Marcellus Soul from a deal with the devil (band-aid represents where his soul was taken)
  • An orange bulb
  • In a radio interview with Howard Stern in late 2003, Quentin Tarantino was asked by a caller the contents of the briefcase, and he answered, “It’s whatever the viewer wants it to be.”
• Foreshadowing: Jules remarked that “Marcellus Wallace don’t like to be fucked by anybody but Mrs. Wallace”, “foreshadowing” his later scene with Zed. Marcellus also demonstrated what happens to those who break this rule.
• The word “fuck” is used 265 times.
• Body count: eight (six on-screen, two mentioned).

About The Movie From IMDB

Previous Next

Note: All images are property of their respected owners and used for editorial purposes.

View Details

The 3 Guys Podcast Recorded on 5/29/2022 As far back as I can remember, I've always wanted to be a gangster. In this episode we review the movie GoodFellas (released 1990) starring Robert De Niro. Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci, Lorraine Bracco and Paul Sorvino. WARNING: There will be SPOILERS!

The 3 Guys Rating  4.7/5

Interested in owning the GoodFellas (Two-Disc Special Edition)? Click the button below.

GoodFellas (Two-Disc Special Edition)

This is the true-crime bestseller that was the basis for Martin Scorsese’s film masterpiece GoodFellas.

Book: Wise Guy by Nicholas Pileggi

Notes From The Show * Quick Synopsis * Released: September 19, 1990

Directed By: Martin Scorsese

Screenplay By: Nicholas Pileggi and Martin Scorsese

Based on the Book: Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi

Stars: Robert De Niro. Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci, Lorraine Bracco, Paul Sorvino and a bunch of other people.

Plot: The story of Henry Hill and his life in the mob, covering his relationship with his wife Karen Hill and his mob partners Jimmy Conway and Tommy DeVito in the Italian-American crime syndicate.

Tagline: “As far back as I can remember, I’ve always wanted to be a gangster.” — Henry Hill, Brooklyn, N.Y. 1955.

How did this movie doBudget: $25 MillionBox Office: $47 Million * Awards * Academy Awards

+ Nominated: Best Picture, Director, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, Adapted Screenplay and Film Editing.
+ Won: Best Supporting Actor – Joe Pesci

• Casting
• • Martin Scorsese originally offered Joe Pesci the role of Paulie, since Pesci was decades too old for the role of Tommy. Scorsese even auditioned young unknown actors for the role of Tommy, including Michael Imperioli, who would go on to play Spider in the film. However, Pesci eventually convinced Scorsese to cast him as Tommy and try to make him look younger using makeup.
  • Tom Cruise, Nicolas Cage, Sean Penn, Alec Baldwin and John Travolta were considered for the role of Henry Hill.
  • Ellen Barkin was considered for the role of Karen Hill.
  • Al Pacino was offered the role of Jimmy Conway. He turned it down due to fears of typecasting. The same year, Pacino ended up playing an even more stereotyped gangster, Big Boy Caprice, in Dick Tracy (1990). He admits regretting the decision.
• Inaccuracies
• • The film, told from Henry Hill’s perspective, portrays him as a major player in the world of organized crime. Real-life gangsters of that era have said that Hill was a minor figure, and more of a hanger-on like most of the other guys who took part in the Lufthansa heist (apart from Jimmy Burke, who was an important Mafia associate).
  • Henry Hill doesn’t kill a single person in the movie. That might not be accurate in real life, since Hill said on The Howard Stern Show that he had killed three people for the mob, and that he was free to talk about it because he had immunity.
  • Henry states that Tommy was shot in the face so that his mother could not give him an open-casket funeral. It was later intimated that he was not killed instantly as shown but was tortured beforehand. Tommy’s real-life counterpart, Tommy DeSimone, was killed in January 1979. His remains have never been recovered.
  • The character of Frankie Carbone, like some mobsters depicted in the movie, was a fictional composite of a mobster named Angelo Sepe (who was actually present with Tommy DeVito/DeSimone in the scene of Parnell “Stacks” Edwards’ murder) and a small-time drug dealer and con man named Richard Eaton (the infamous trailer freezer scene). Eaton fleeced Jimmy Conway/Burke out of $250,000, then was murdered; the money came out of the Lufthansa robbery. In real life, this was the only murder that Burke was ever convicted of despite committing countless murders.
  • Other than Henry Hill and his family, Prosecutor Ed McDonald, and some of the deceased, most of the characters last names were changed, presumably for fear of libel suits. For example, Jimmy Conway’s real name was Jimmy Burke, his mother’s last name was Conway. Tommy DeVito’s real name was Tommy DeSimone. Paul Cicero’s real name was Paul Vario. Morris “Morrie” Kessler’s real name was Marty Krugman. His name was censored with bleeps in the DVD Commentary by the real Henry Hill and Ed McDonald, who was instrumental in getting Hill into the Federal Witness Protection Program.
  • In the movie, Henry and Tommy hung around a lot. In the book though, Tommy and Henry knew each other, but, the latter actually hung out more with Paulie, Jr., son of mob chief Paul “Paulie” Vario, who is Paul “Paulie” Cicero in the movie.
  • According to US Attorney Edward MacDonald, who plays himself in the film, one important real life detail was left out of the scene of him sitting in the office with Henry and Karen Hill discussing entering the Witness Protection Program: Waiting outside of the office were two of Henry’s mistresses whom he also wanted to be brought along into the program.
  • An important detail left out of the film was Henry Hill and Jimmy Burke’s involvement was the sports bribery scandal in which they paid players of the Boston College Basketball Team to shave points. This scheme was intertwined with the Luftansa Airlines Heist chronicled in the film. Both Henry and Jimmy used the earnings from the heist to make bets on the team with different bookmakers all over New York City. In an interview for the ESPN series “30 for 30” which chronicles this scheme in the episode “Playing For The Mob”, Henry Hill says that Jimmy was making large bets everywhere using money from the heist. According to Henry, he had no idea for certain how much Jimmy bet on the fixed games but guessed that he was making bets totaling tens of thousands of dollars because Jimmy would fly into a rage whenever the players failed to deliver on the fixes, costing him untold thousands of dollars.
• Trivia
• • According to Henry Hill, whose life was the basis for the book and film, Joe Pesci’s portrayal of Tommy DeSimone was 90-99% accurate, with one notable exception; the real Tommy DeSimone was massively built.
  • The “How am I funny?” scene is based on something that actually happened to Joe Pesci. While working in a restaurant, a young Pesci apparently told a mobster that he was funny, a compliment that was met with a less-than-enthusiastic response. Pesci relayed the anecdote to Martin Scorsese, who decided to include it in the film. Scorsese didn’t include the scene in the shooting script, so that Pesci and Ray Liotta’s interactions would elicit genuinely surprised reactions from the supporting cast.
  • For the scene where Sonny Bunz complains to Paulie, Martin Scorsese secretly told Tony Darrow to improvise more lines for his character without telling Paul Sorvino. Sorvino’s confused reaction was real.
  • The dinner scene with Tommy’s mother was almost completely improvised, including Tommy asking his mother if he could borrow her butcher’s knife and Jimmy’s “hoof” comment.
  • Ray Liotta turned down the part of Harvey Dent in Batman (1989) in order to make this movie.
  • The long tracking shot through the Copacabana nightclub came about because the filmmakers couldn’t get permission to go in the short way, forcing them to go around the back. Martin Scorsese decided to film the sequence in one unbroken shot in order to symbolize that Henry’s entire life was ahead of him. “It’s his seduction of her (Karen), and it’s also the lifestyle seducing him”. This sequence was shot eight times.
  • “Fuck” and its derivatives are used 321 times, an average of 2.04 per minute. Joe Pesci says about half of them. The script called for the word to be used 70 times, but much of the dialogue was improvised during shooting, and the expletives piled up. At the time of the films’ release, it had the most profanity of any movie in history. As of 2020, it’s #15; The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), also directed by Martin Scorsese, is #3. After Joe Pesci’s mother saw the film, she told him the movie was good, then asked him if he had to curse so much.
  • Jimmy Burke, on whom Jimmy Conway was based, would’ve been eligible for parole in 2004. He died of lung cancer in 1996, while still in prison.
  • Although Martin Scorsese and Nicholas Pileggi collaborated on the screenplay (and received Oscar nominations for doing so), much of the film’s eventual dialogue was improvised by the cast.
  • Ray Liotta had said on a documentary special that his first person narration for the film was often done by him actually saying his narration to another person in a room. That way it felt more authentic, and made it easier for him to tell a story.
  • Henry states that he and Jimmy could never be “made”, because they weren’t of full Italian descent. That rule was changed in 2000 by the Commission (the five New York City families). A man can now be “made” if his father is of Italian descent, and his last name is Italian. That would still exclude Henry and Jimmy; Henry’s father in the film was Irish, and Jimmy’s surname is not Italian.
  • Henry Hill was paid roughly $550,000 for the film. Hill considered it chump change compared to the $15,000 to $40,000 a week he made during his gangster days. He claims he blew almost all of his mob money on partying and a “degenerate” gambling problem.
  • The film has 43 songs, the equivalent of about four albums. According to music editor Christopher Brooks, Martin Scorsese had thought about all the songs and where they would appear “three years before he shot the film.”
  • The long tracking shot in the Copa took seven takes. One take was ruined because Henny Youngman forgot his lines. According to Illeana Douglas, Scorsese was inspired by the long Steadicam shot in The Untouchables (1987).
  • Ray Liotta was intimidated by Robert De Niro. He really wanted De Niro to like him. De Niro put Liotta at ease, saying, “Don’t worry about it. This is all going to work out.”
  • Joe Pesci’s Oscar acceptance speech is the sixth shortest in the Academy’s history, “it’s my privilege, thank you.” Pesci later admitted that he didn’t say very much, because he genuinely felt that he didn’t have a chance of winning. Patty Duke said “Thank you” in 1963 when she won Best Actress in a Supporting Role for The Miracle Worker (1962). Louie Psihoyos said “Thank you” in 2010 when he won Best Documentary for The Cove (2009). Gloria Grahame and Alfred Newman both said “Thank you very much.” in 1953. William Holden said “Thank you. Thank you.” in 1954. Alfred Hitchcock said “Thank you. Very much indeed.” when he won an Honorary Oscar in 1968.
  • The film takes place from 1955 to 1980.
  • The film’s name was changed from “Wiseguy” to avoid confusion with both the television series Wiseguy (1987) and Brian De Palma’s similarly titled film. Charles Scorsese, Catherine Scorsese, and Frank Vincent appear in Wise Guys (1986) and this movie.
  • Henry Hill’s testimony against some of the most powerful Lucchese crime family associates led to over 50 convictions. As Hill learned at the very beginning of his career, Mafia rule number one is “never rat on your friends, and always keep your mouth shut.” In 2010, he told The Telegraph “It’s surreal, totally surreal, to be here. I never thought I’d reach this wonderful age.” He theorized that he hadn’t been murdered because “there’s nobody from my era alive.” Following his death in 2012, The Guardian hypothesized that fame or bureaucratic disorganization in the criminal underworld might have been the reason.
  • The Lufthansa heist remained an unsolved mystery until 2014. Most of the members of the crew that were still alive were elderly or arrested.
  • When Henry Hill closes the door to his house at the end, the sound resembles the sound of a prison cell being closed. Implying normal life is his prison now.
  • Martin Scorsese said John Wayne’s final confrontation in Red River (1948) influenced the pistol-whipping scene.
  • As Goodfellas makes clear, many of the mobsters involved with the $6 million 1978 Lufthansa heist-at the time the largest cash robbery in American history-were taken out by a paranoid and greedy Jimmy Burke, while more still were put in jail by Hill’s testimony on unrelated charges. But as of 2014, the Lufthansa heist case was still an active case, as evidenced by the 2014 arrest of Vincent Asaro (who was 78 years old at the time) on cooperating witness testimony. Authorities claim that Asaro served as lookout and helped the getaway. And in a tie to the movie, Asaro is believed to have taken Spider to get stitched up after he was shot.
  • This was the first Martin Scorsese film for which Saul Bass designed the titles.
  • Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Frank Vincent and Tony Sirico (who played Tony Stacks) would reunite seven years later in another crime thriller, 1997’s Cop Land. Sirico, who would play a mobster named Toy Torillo, was not an active character in the film, but was seen in newspaper clippings and surveillance photos.
  • After the premiere, Henry Hill went around and revealed his true identity. In response, the government kicked him out of the Federal Witness Protection Program.
  • While filming the scene in which his character is killed by Joe Pesci, Michael Imperioli broke a glass in his hand and had to be rushed to the emergency room. When doctors saw what appeared to be a gunshot wound in his chest, they tried to treat it. When Imperioli told them what was really up, he was made to wait for three hours. Martin Scorsese told Imperioli that some day he’d be telling that story on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (1992).
  • When Henry and Karen Hill are negotiating to enter the Witness Protection Program, former U.S. Attorney Edward McDonald played himself, reenacting what he did in reality.
  • The scene in which Tommy kills Spider was mostly improvised. The only line that was said as scripted was Spider’s “Why don’t you go fuck yourself, Tommy”.
  • When Paulie confronts Henry after Hill’s released from prison, Paul Sorvino improvised the slap to Ray Liotta’s face, hence Liotta’s reaction.
  • As he enters the Witness Protection program, Henry requests not to be sent to a cold place. In the final scene, Henry picks up the Youngstown Vindicator, the local newspaper for Youngstown, Ohio, which gets very cold in the winter.
  • In the book “Wiseguy”, Henry Hill cites a few reasons why Tommy was killed. The main reason, of course, was because he killed Billy Batts and a guy named Foxy. Another chilling reason is probably because he once stated that mob chief Paulie “didn’t like having Tommy around”.
  • Late in his life, Henry Hill launched GoodfellaHenry.com, a website devoted to the film and life in the mob. Many of the people visiting the site derided Hill as a snitch. Hill died in 2012. As of fall 2021, the site is still up selling memorabilia from the film.
  • The house where Tommy was killed is located at 80th Street and Shore Road, in the Bay Ridge area of Brooklyn, New York. The interior was re-created on a soundstage after the scenes shot on-location were deemed unacceptable.
  • CAMEO: Martin Scorsese’s father appeared in the film. He is one of the two men who take Tommy DeVito to be killed. He is not the one who pulled the trigger. He earlier appeared in prison, where he made spaghetti sauce. The character played by Martin Scorsese’s mother is often seen making spaghetti sauce outside of prison. Off-camera, they pressed the collars on all of the suits.
  • Henry Hill explained to a fan on the Howard Stern Show in March 2003 that neither he nor Jimmy Burke (his last name was changed to Conway in the film) were executed along with Tommy Desimone (Tommy DeVito) for the murder of Billy Batts because both Hill and Burke were huge money makers for the mob.
  • After Henry is arrested for the first time, Jimmy tells him that he just learned the two most important things in life: “never rat on your friends, and always keep your mouth shut.” By the end of the film, Henry will have violated both of these principles.

Released: September 19, 1990

Directed By: Martin Scorsese

Screenplay By: Nicholas Pileggi and Martin Scorsese

Based on the Book: Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi

Stars: Robert De Niro. Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci, Lorraine Bracco, Paul Sorvino and a bunch of other people.

Plot: The story of Henry Hill and his life in the mob, covering his relationship with his wife Karen Hill and his mob partners Jimmy Conway and Tommy DeVito in the Italian-American crime syndicate.

Tagline: “As far back as I can remember, I’ve always wanted to be a gangster.” — Henry Hill, Brooklyn, N.Y. 1955.

How did this movie doBudget: $25 MillionBox Office: $47 Million

Academy Awards

• Nominated: Best Picture, Director, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, Adapted Screenplay and Film Editing.

• Won: Best Supporting Actor – Joe Pesci

• Martin Scorsese originally offered Joe Pesci the role of Paulie, since Pesci was decades too old for the role of Tommy. Scorsese even auditioned young unknown actors for the role of Tommy, including Michael Imperioli, who would go on to play Spider in the film. However, Pesci eventually convinced Scorsese to cast him as Tommy and try to make him look younger using makeup.

• Tom Cruise, Nicolas Cage, Sean Penn, Alec Baldwin and John Travolta were considered for the role of Henry Hill.
• Ellen Barkin was considered for the role of Karen Hill.

• Al Pacino was offered the role of Jimmy Conway. He turned it down due to fears of typecasting. The same year, Pacino ended up playing an even more stereotyped gangster, Big Boy Caprice, in Dick Tracy (1990). He admits regretting the decision.

• The film, told from Henry Hill’s perspective, portrays him as a major player in the world of organized crime. Real-life gangsters of that era have said that Hill was a minor figure, and more of a hanger-on like most of the other guys who took part in the Lufthansa heist (apart from Jimmy Burke, who was an important Mafia associate).

• Henry Hill doesn’t kill a single person in the movie. That might not be accurate in real life, since Hill said on The Howard Stern Show that he had killed three people for the mob, and that he was free to talk about it because he had immunity.
• Henry states that Tommy was shot in the face so that his mother could not give him an open-casket funeral. It was later intimated that he was not killed instantly as shown but was tortured beforehand. Tommy’s real-life counterpart, Tommy DeSimone, was killed in January 1979. His remains have never been recovered.
• The character of Frankie Carbone, like some mobsters depicted in the movie, was a fictional composite of a mobster named Angelo Sepe (who was actually present with Tommy DeVito/DeSimone in the scene of Parnell “Stacks” Edwards’ murder) and a small-time drug dealer and con man named Richard Eaton (the infamous trailer freezer scene). Eaton fleeced Jimmy Conway/Burke out of $250,000, then was murdered; the money came out of the Lufthansa robbery. In real life, this was the only murder that Burke was ever convicted of despite committing countless murders.
• Other than Henry Hill and his family, Prosecutor Ed McDonald, and some of the deceased, most of the characters last names were changed, presumably for fear of libel suits. For example, Jimmy Conway’s real name was Jimmy Burke, his mother’s last name was Conway. Tommy DeVito’s real name was Tommy DeSimone. Paul Cicero’s real name was Paul Vario. Morris “Morrie” Kessler’s real name was Marty Krugman. His name was censored with bleeps in the DVD Commentary by the real Henry Hill and Ed McDonald, who was instrumental in getting Hill into the Federal Witness Protection Program.
• In the movie, Henry and Tommy hung around a lot. In the book though, Tommy and Henry knew each other, but, the latter actually hung out more with Paulie, Jr., son of mob chief Paul “Paulie” Vario, who is Paul “Paulie” Cicero in the movie.
• According to US Attorney Edward MacDonald, who plays himself in the film, one important real life detail was left out of the scene of him sitting in the office with Henry and Karen Hill discussing entering the Witness Protection Program: Waiting outside of the office were two of Henry’s mistresses whom he also wanted to be brought along into the program.

• An important detail left out of the film was Henry Hill and Jimmy Burke’s involvement was the sports bribery scandal in which they paid players of the Boston College Basketball Team to shave points. This scheme was intertwined with the Luftansa Airlines Heist chronicled in the film. Both Henry and Jimmy used the earnings from the heist to make bets on the team with different bookmakers all over New York City. In an interview for the ESPN series “30 for 30” which chronicles this scheme in the episode “Playing For The Mob”, Henry Hill says that Jimmy was making large bets everywhere using money from the heist. According to Henry, he had no idea for certain how much Jimmy bet on the fixed games but guessed that he was making bets totaling tens of thousands of dollars because Jimmy would fly into a rage whenever the players failed to deliver on the fixes, costing him untold thousands of dollars.

• According to Henry Hill, whose life was the basis for the book and film, Joe Pesci’s portrayal of Tommy DeSimone was 90-99% accurate, with one notable exception; the real Tommy DeSimone was massively built.

• The “How am I funny?” scene is based on something that actually happened to Joe Pesci. While working in a restaurant, a young Pesci apparently told a mobster that he was funny, a compliment that was met with a less-than-enthusiastic response. Pesci relayed the anecdote to Martin Scorsese, who decided to include it in the film. Scorsese didn’t include the scene in the shooting script, so that Pesci and Ray Liotta’s interactions would elicit genuinely surprised reactions from the supporting cast.
• For the scene where Sonny Bunz complains to Paulie, Martin Scorsese secretly told Tony Darrow to improvise more lines for his character without telling Paul Sorvino. Sorvino’s confused reaction was real.
• The dinner scene with Tommy’s mother was almost completely improvised, including Tommy asking his mother if he could borrow her butcher’s knife and Jimmy’s “hoof” comment.
• Ray Liotta turned down the part of Harvey Dent in Batman (1989) in order to make this movie.
• The long tracking shot through the Copacabana nightclub came about because the filmmakers couldn’t get permission to go in the short way, forcing them to go around the back. Martin Scorsese decided to film the sequence in one unbroken shot in order to symbolize that Henry’s entire life was ahead of him. “It’s his seduction of her (Karen), and it’s also the lifestyle seducing him”. This sequence was shot eight times.
• “Fuck” and its derivatives are used 321 times, an average of 2.04 per minute. Joe Pesci says about half of them. The script called for the word to be used 70 times, but much of the dialogue was improvised during shooting, and the expletives piled up. At the time of the films’ release, it had the most profanity of any movie in history. As of 2020, it’s #15; The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), also directed by Martin Scorsese, is #3. After Joe Pesci’s mother saw the film, she told him the movie was good, then asked him if he had to curse so much.
• Jimmy Burke, on whom Jimmy Conway was based, would’ve been eligible for parole in 2004. He died of lung cancer in 1996, while still in prison.
• Although Martin Scorsese and Nicholas Pileggi collaborated on the screenplay (and received Oscar nominations for doing so), much of the film’s eventual dialogue was improvised by the cast.
• Ray Liotta had said on a documentary special that his first person narration for the film was often done by him actually saying his narration to another person in a room. That way it felt more authentic, and made it easier for him to tell a story.
• Henry states that he and Jimmy could never be “made”, because they weren’t of full Italian descent. That rule was changed in 2000 by the Commission (the five New York City families). A man can now be “made” if his father is of Italian descent, and his last name is Italian. That would still exclude Henry and Jimmy; Henry’s father in the film was Irish, and Jimmy’s surname is not Italian.
• Henry Hill was paid roughly $550,000 for the film. Hill considered it chump change compared to the $15,000 to $40,000 a week he made during his gangster days. He claims he blew almost all of his mob money on partying and a “degenerate” gambling problem.
• The film has 43 songs, the equivalent of about four albums. According to music editor Christopher Brooks, Martin Scorsese had thought about all the songs and where they would appear “three years before he shot the film.”
• The long tracking shot in the Copa took seven takes. One take was ruined because Henny Youngman forgot his lines. According to Illeana Douglas, Scorsese was inspired by the long Steadicam shot in The Untouchables (1987).
• Ray Liotta was intimidated by Robert De Niro. He really wanted De Niro to like him. De Niro put Liotta at ease, saying, “Don’t worry about it. This is all going to work out.”
• Joe Pesci’s Oscar acceptance speech is the sixth shortest in the Academy’s history, “it’s my privilege, thank you.” Pesci later admitted that he didn’t say very much, because he genuinely felt that he didn’t have a chance of winning. Patty Duke said “Thank you” in 1963 when she won Best Actress in a Supporting Role for The Miracle Worker (1962). Louie Psihoyos said “Thank you” in 2010 when he won Best Documentary for The Cove (2009). Gloria Grahame and Alfred Newman both said “Thank you very much.” in 1953. William Holden said “Thank you. Thank you.” in 1954. Alfred Hitchcock said “Thank you. Very much indeed.” when he won an Honorary Oscar in 1968.
• The film takes place from 1955 to 1980.
• The film’s name was changed from “Wiseguy” to avoid confusion with both the television series Wiseguy (1987) and Brian De Palma’s similarly titled film. Charles Scorsese, Catherine Scorsese, and Frank Vincent appear in Wise Guys (1986) and this movie.
• Henry Hill’s testimony against some of the most powerful Lucchese crime family associates led to over 50 convictions. As Hill learned at the very beginning of his career, Mafia rule number one is “never rat on your friends, and always keep your mouth shut.” In 2010, he told The Telegraph “It’s surreal, totally surreal, to be here. I never thought I’d reach this wonderful age.” He theorized that he hadn’t been murdered because “there’s nobody from my era alive.” Following his death in 2012, The Guardian hypothesized that fame or bureaucratic disorganization in the criminal underworld might have been the reason.
• The Lufthansa heist remained an unsolved mystery until 2014. Most of the members of the crew that were still alive were elderly or arrested.
• When Henry Hill closes the door to his house at the end, the sound resembles the sound of a prison cell being closed. Implying normal life is his prison now.
• Martin Scorsese said John Wayne’s final confrontation in Red River (1948) influenced the pistol-whipping scene.
• As Goodfellas makes clear, many of the mobsters involved with the $6 million 1978 Lufthansa heist-at the time the largest cash robbery in American history-were taken out by a paranoid and greedy Jimmy Burke, while more still were put in jail by Hill’s testimony on unrelated charges. But as of 2014, the Lufthansa heist case was still an active case, as evidenced by the 2014 arrest of Vincent Asaro (who was 78 years old at the time) on cooperating witness testimony. Authorities claim that Asaro served as lookout and helped the getaway. And in a tie to the movie, Asaro is believed to have taken Spider to get stitched up after he was shot.
• This was the first Martin Scorsese film for which Saul Bass designed the titles.
• Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Frank Vincent and Tony Sirico (who played Tony Stacks) would reunite seven years later in another crime thriller, 1997’s Cop Land. Sirico, who would play a mobster named Toy Torillo, was not an active character in the film, but was seen in newspaper clippings and surveillance photos.
• After the premiere, Henry Hill went around and revealed his true identity. In response, the government kicked him out of the Federal Witness Protection Program.
• While filming the scene in which his character is killed by Joe Pesci, Michael Imperioli broke a glass in his hand and had to be rushed to the emergency room. When doctors saw what appeared to be a gunshot wound in his chest, they tried to treat it. When Imperioli told them what was really up, he was made to wait for three hours. Martin Scorsese told Imperioli that some day he’d be telling that story on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (1992).
• When Henry and Karen Hill are negotiating to enter the Witness Protection Program, former U.S. Attorney Edward McDonald played himself, reenacting what he did in reality.
• The scene in which Tommy kills Spider was mostly improvised. The only line that was said as scripted was Spider’s “Why don’t you go fuck yourself, Tommy”.
• When Paulie confronts Henry after Hill’s released from prison, Paul Sorvino improvised the slap to Ray Liotta’s face, hence Liotta’s reaction.
• As he enters the Witness Protection program, Henry requests not to be sent to a cold place. In the final scene, Henry picks up the Youngstown Vindicator, the local newspaper for Youngstown, Ohio, which gets very cold in the winter.
• In the book “Wiseguy”, Henry Hill cites a few reasons why Tommy was killed. The main reason, of course, was because he killed Billy Batts and a guy named Foxy. Another chilling reason is probably because he once stated that mob chief Paulie “didn’t like having Tommy around”.
• Late in his life, Henry Hill launched GoodfellaHenry.com, a website devoted to the film and life in the mob. Many of the people visiting the site derided Hill as a snitch. Hill died in 2012. As of fall 2021, the site is still up selling memorabilia from the film.
• The house where Tommy was killed is located at 80th Street and Shore Road, in the Bay Ridge area of Brooklyn, New York. The interior was re-created on a soundstage after the scenes shot on-location were deemed unacceptable.
• CAMEO: Martin Scorsese’s father appeared in the film. He is one of the two men who take Tommy DeVito to be killed. He is not the one who pulled the trigger. He earlier appeared in prison, where he made spaghetti sauce. The character played by Martin Scorsese’s mother is often seen making spaghetti sauce outside of prison. Off-camera, they pressed the collars on all of the suits.
• Henry Hill explained to a fan on the Howard Stern Show in March 2003 that neither he nor Jimmy Burke (his last name was changed to Conway in the film) were executed along with Tommy Desimone (Tommy DeVito) for the murder of Billy Batts because both Hill and Burke were huge money makers for the mob.
• After Henry is arrested for the first time, Jimmy tells him that he just learned the two most important things in life: “never rat on your friends, and always keep your mouth shut.” By the end of the film, Henry will have violated both of these principles.

About The Movie From IMDB

Previous Next

View Details

The 3 Guys Podcast Recorded on 5/21/2022 Killer looks. In this episode we review the movie American Psycho (released 2000) starring Christian Bale, Willem Dafoe, Jared Leto, Chloë Sevigny and Reese Witherspoon. WARNING: There will be SPOILERS! The 3 Guys Rating  2.4/5

Interested in owning the American Psycho [Blu-ray]? Click the button below.

American Psycho Blu-ray

Interested in owning the book American Psycho by Bret Easton? Click the button below.

American Psycho Book

Notes From The Show * Quick Synopsis * Released: January 21, 2000 at Sundance, April 14, 2000 in the United States

Directed By: Mary Harron

Screenplay By: Mary Harron and Guinevere Turner

Based on the Book: American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis

Music By: John Cale

Stars: Christian Bale (Patrick Bateman), Willem Dafoe (Donald Kimball), Jared Leto (Paul Allen), Chloë Sevigny (Jean) and Reese Witherspoon (Evelyn Williams)

Plot: A wealthy New York City investment banking executive, Patrick Bateman, hides his alternate psychopathic ego from his co-workers and friends as he delves deeper into his violent, hedonistic fantasies.

Tagline: Killer Looks.

How did this movie do Budget: $7 Million Box Office: $34 Million * Director Issues * + Mary Harron quit during pre-production due to the producers wanting Leonardo DiCaprio to star. + Oliver Stone was brought in to direct, recasting the entire movie with Leonardo cast as Patrick. + Leonardo wanted too much money (21M) and left to star in The Beach. Oliver Stone quit soon after. + Mary Harron was brought back in and went back to her original cast. + Bale was paid 7M for his role as Patrick. * Theories * + Patrick is a serial killer + Patrick’s psychosis made him think he killed all those people, but he really didn’t kill anyone + Patrick killed some of those people, but as he sunk more into madness, he imagined killing others. A lot of people either covered up for the murders and/or can’t tell people apart (all the mis-naming). - The condo seller didn’t want to lose value on the condo, so had the bodies removed [GREED] - So many people in the movie couldn’t get other’s names right, so nobody knows who is alive or dead…Paul Allen could be dead as the Lawyer could have been with someone he thinks is Paul - The ATM’s message “Feed me the Kitten” - The police car blowing up with via a gunshot (even Patrick had a hard time believing) + The director and author have confirmed their answers… * Trivia * + During production, Christian Bale followed the morning routine that his character Patrick Bateman describes toward the beginning of the film. + Bale based his character off Tom Cruise. Bale saw in Cruise “this very intense friendliness and nothing behind the eyes”. + Tom Cruise is actually featured in the novel. He lives in the same apartment complex as Bateman, who meets him in an elevator and gets the name of Cocktail (1988) wrong, calling it “Bartender.” + The vast majority of the dialogue in the movie is taken word-for-word from the novel by Bret Easton Ellis. + The film had various problems with designer labels during production. Cerruti agreed to allow Christian Bale to wear their clothes, but not when the character was killing anyone. Rolex agreed that anyone in the film could wear their watches except Bateman (hence the famous line from the book “Don’t touch the Rolex” had to be changed to “Don’t touch the watch”). Perry Ellis provided underwear at the last minute after Calvin Klein pulled out of the project. Comme des Garçons refused to allow one of their overnight bags to be used to carry a corpse, so Jean Paul Gaultier was used instead. + Christian Bale was warned by many that it would be career suicide for him to play the lead in a film like this. This only made him more eager to take the part, inspired by Nicolas Cage in Vampire’s Kiss (1989). Fortunately for him, the opposite turned out to be true. + During his big chainsaw scene, Christian Bale would happily (literally) hang out between takes wearing nothing but a sock over his penis and some tennis shoes. + Casting: Leonardo DiCaprio, Ewan McGregor, Johnny Depp and Keanu Reeves were all considered for the role of Patrick + To block the three-way sex scene with two prostitutes, co-writer and director Mary Harron and Christian Bale watched x-rated tapes. In her commentary, Harron says Bale made stick-figure drawings of the positions he thought would work best. + The head that appears in Patrick Bateman’s refrigerator was achieved by the actress in question sticking her head up through the fridge’s shelves. + The business cards belonging to Patrick Bateman, David Van Patten, Timothy Bryce, Paul Allen, and Luis Carruthers each contain the same typo. On the top right, underneath where the company name “Pierce & Pierce” is listed, the department is written as “Mergers and Aquisitions” rather than “Mergers and Acquisitions”. + During the famous Business Card scene every card lists their title as “Vice President”. Since none of these Vice Presidents are ever shown actually doing any work this could be a call back to the famous “Greed is Good” speech in Wall Street where Gordon Gekko points out that the company he’s taking over has 33 Vice Presidents and he can’t figure out what any of them do. + Certain scenes in the book either had to be completely removed or toned down for the film, due to the graphic and extreme nature of the murders and torture scenes. + Patrick suggests to Elizabeth to have sex with Christy, to which Elizabeth scoffs at the suggestion, asking why he’d think she’d be into lesbianism. Patrick responded that she went to Sarah Lawrence College. In real life, Guinevere Turner, who portrays Elizabeth and is also one of the writers of the film, went to Sarah Lawrence College, and is a lesbian. + Guinevere Turner, who played Patrick’s friend “Elizabeth” (in the scene with Christie the call girl), also wrote the film’s screenplay. + The Huey Lewis & The News song “Hip to Be Square”, which appears in the film, was initially on the soundtrack album, but it was removed shortly after release because of a lack of publishing rights. + Over 100k albums had to be destroyed due to the publishing rights issue. + Huey Lewis has denied that he didn’t allow the song to be used on the album (just a rumor) + Whitney Houston refused to allow any of her songs to be used in the film. + For Willem Dafoe’s scenes, Mary Harron instructed him to play each one in three different styles – one as if he is suspicious of Patrick Bateman, two as if he has no clue as to Bateman’s guilt and three as if he is undecided. + In Dexter (2006), Dexter Morgan uses Patrick Bateman’s name as an alias to obtain M-99 to incapacitate his victims. Both characters notably share some similarities in terms of each being serial killers who lead double lives. + Christian Bale underwent extensive dental work in order to play the character of Patrick Bateman. + Christian Bale insisted on getting Bret Easton Ellis’s approval for his portrayal before filming and arranged a meeting. Bale showed up to the meeting dressed and groomed as Bateman, even introducing himself as “Patrick Bateman”. After 10 minutes Easton Ellis begged Bale to stop, because his hands were shaking and he could not take it anymore. Easton Ellis has said this was the single creepiest moment of his life. + In 2013, Funny or Die recreated the “Hip to be Square” scene with American Psycho with Huey Lewis and Weird Al (2013). Huey Lewis himself played the Patrick Bateman role and ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic was the Paul Allen role. In the scene, Lewis discusses the film, its controversial reception, Christian Bale’s acting, and its effect on Bale’s performance as Batman. Rather than listening to a song, Lewis pops in the American Psycho (2000) DVD, and at one point he points to the television while discussing Bale as Bale is shown pointing at the stereo discussing Lewis. It ends with Lewis killing Yankovic saying “Try parodying one of my songs now, you stupid bastard!” The video ends with the song “I Want a New Duck,” a parody of the Huey Lewis and the News song “I Want a New Drug.” + The first porn movie Bateman is watching is White Angel (1998). The second is Red Vibe Diaries: Object of Desire (1997). + Two scenes featured unexpected improvisation by Christian Bale. When Bateman is jumping rope, he starts to skip and cross his jump rope as a schoolgirl would. Bale surprised co-writer and director Mary Harron even more by starting to dance as Bateman was preparing to kill Paul Allen (Jared Leto). That time, she says in interviews and the commentary, she collapsed with laughter. + Christian Bale’s frenzied confession to his lawyer down the phone that he’s a serial killer was filmed in 14 takes. Director Mary Harron kept pressing Bale to do another take as he improved with each one. Bale was fueled regularly by cappuccinos during all this. + Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) spends forty percent of the film either shirtless, in his underwear, or nude. + Luis Carruthers, Jean, and the kitten are the only characters that unknowingly escaped Bateman’s attempted murderous attacks. Jean is the only one to see Patrick is deranged. + Body Count: 12 (implied to possibly be up to 50 or more)

Released: January 21, 2000 at Sundance, April 14, 2000 in the United States

Directed By: Mary Harron

Screenplay By: Mary Harron and Guinevere Turner

Based on the Book: American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis

Music By: John Cale

Stars: Christian Bale (Patrick Bateman), Willem Dafoe (Donald Kimball), Jared Leto (Paul Allen), Chloë Sevigny (Jean) and Reese Witherspoon (Evelyn Williams)

Plot: A wealthy New York City investment banking executive, Patrick Bateman, hides his alternate psychopathic ego from his co-workers and friends as he delves deeper into his violent, hedonistic fantasies.

Tagline: Killer Looks.

How did this movie do Budget: $7 Million Box Office: $34 Million

• Mary Harron quit during pre-production due to the producers wanting Leonardo DiCaprio to star.
• Oliver Stone was brought in to direct, recasting the entire movie with Leonardo cast as Patrick.
• Leonardo wanted too much money (21M) and left to star in The Beach. Oliver Stone quit soon after.
• Mary Harron was brought back in and went back to her original cast.

• Bale was paid 7M for his role as Patrick.

• Patrick is a serial killer

• Patrick’s psychosis made him think he killed all those people, but he really didn’t kill anyone
• Patrick killed some of those people, but as he sunk more into madness, he imagined killing others. A lot of people either covered up for the murders and/or can’t tell people apart (all the mis-naming).
  • The condo seller didn’t want to lose value on the condo, so had the bodies removed [GREED]
  • So many people in the movie couldn’t get other’s names right, so nobody knows who is alive or dead…Paul Allen could be dead as the Lawyer could have been with someone he thinks is Paul
  • The ATM’s message “Feed me the Kitten”
  • The police car blowing up with via a gunshot (even Patrick had a hard time believing)

• The director and author have confirmed their answers…

• During production, Christian Bale followed the morning routine that his character Patrick Bateman describes toward the beginning of the film.

• Bale based his character off Tom Cruise. Bale saw in Cruise “this very intense friendliness and nothing behind the eyes”.
• Tom Cruise is actually featured in the novel. He lives in the same apartment complex as Bateman, who meets him in an elevator and gets the name of Cocktail (1988) wrong, calling it “Bartender.”
• The vast majority of the dialogue in the movie is taken word-for-word from the novel by Bret Easton Ellis.
• The film had various problems with designer labels during production. Cerruti agreed to allow Christian Bale to wear their clothes, but not when the character was killing anyone. Rolex agreed that anyone in the film could wear their watches except Bateman (hence the famous line from the book “Don’t touch the Rolex” had to be changed to “Don’t touch the watch”). Perry Ellis provided underwear at the last minute after Calvin Klein pulled out of the project. Comme des Garçons refused to allow one of their overnight bags to be used to carry a corpse, so Jean Paul Gaultier was used instead.
• Christian Bale was warned by many that it would be career suicide for him to play the lead in a film like this. This only made him more eager to take the part, inspired by Nicolas Cage in Vampire’s Kiss (1989). Fortunately for him, the opposite turned out to be true.
• During his big chainsaw scene, Christian Bale would happily (literally) hang out between takes wearing nothing but a sock over his penis and some tennis shoes.
• Casting: Leonardo DiCaprio, Ewan McGregor, Johnny Depp and Keanu Reeves were all considered for the role of Patrick
• To block the three-way sex scene with two prostitutes, co-writer and director Mary Harron and Christian Bale watched x-rated tapes. In her commentary, Harron says Bale made stick-figure drawings of the positions he thought would work best.
• The head that appears in Patrick Bateman’s refrigerator was achieved by the actress in question sticking her head up through the fridge’s shelves.
• The business cards belonging to Patrick Bateman, David Van Patten, Timothy Bryce, Paul Allen, and Luis Carruthers each contain the same typo. On the top right, underneath where the company name “Pierce & Pierce” is listed, the department is written as “Mergers and Aquisitions” rather than “Mergers and Acquisitions”.
• During the famous Business Card scene every card lists their title as “Vice President”. Since none of these Vice Presidents are ever shown actually doing any work this could be a call back to the famous “Greed is Good” speech in Wall Street where Gordon Gekko points out that the company he’s taking over has 33 Vice Presidents and he can’t figure out what any of them do.
• Certain scenes in the book either had to be completely removed or toned down for the film, due to the graphic and extreme nature of the murders and torture scenes.
• Patrick suggests to Elizabeth to have sex with Christy, to which Elizabeth scoffs at the suggestion, asking why he’d think she’d be into lesbianism. Patrick responded that she went to Sarah Lawrence College. In real life, Guinevere Turner, who portrays Elizabeth and is also one of the writers of the film, went to Sarah Lawrence College, and is a lesbian.
• Guinevere Turner, who played Patrick’s friend “Elizabeth” (in the scene with Christie the call girl), also wrote the film’s screenplay.
• The Huey Lewis & The News song “Hip to Be Square”, which appears in the film, was initially on the soundtrack album, but it was removed shortly after release because of a lack of publishing rights.
• Over 100k albums had to be destroyed due to the publishing rights issue.
• Huey Lewis has denied that he didn’t allow the song to be used on the album (just a rumor)
• Whitney Houston refused to allow any of her songs to be used in the film.
• For Willem Dafoe’s scenes, Mary Harron instructed him to play each one in three different styles – one as if he is suspicious of Patrick Bateman, two as if he has no clue as to Bateman’s guilt and three as if he is undecided.
• In Dexter (2006), Dexter Morgan uses Patrick Bateman’s name as an alias to obtain M-99 to incapacitate his victims. Both characters notably share some similarities in terms of each being serial killers who lead double lives.
• Christian Bale underwent extensive dental work in order to play the character of Patrick Bateman.
• Christian Bale insisted on getting Bret Easton Ellis’s approval for his portrayal before filming and arranged a meeting. Bale showed up to the meeting dressed and groomed as Bateman, even introducing himself as “Patrick Bateman”. After 10 minutes Easton Ellis begged Bale to stop, because his hands were shaking and he could not take it anymore. Easton Ellis has said this was the single creepiest moment of his life.
• In 2013, Funny or Die recreated the “Hip to be Square” scene with American Psycho with Huey Lewis and Weird Al (2013). Huey Lewis himself played the Patrick Bateman role and ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic was the Paul Allen role. In the scene, Lewis discusses the film, its controversial reception, Christian Bale’s acting, and its effect on Bale’s performance as Batman. Rather than listening to a song, Lewis pops in the American Psycho (2000) DVD, and at one point he points to the television while discussing Bale as Bale is shown pointing at the stereo discussing Lewis. It ends with Lewis killing Yankovic saying “Try parodying one of my songs now, you stupid bastard!” The video ends with the song “I Want a New Duck,” a parody of the Huey Lewis and the News song “I Want a New Drug.”
• The first porn movie Bateman is watching is White Angel (1998). The second is Red Vibe Diaries: Object of Desire (1997).
• Two scenes featured unexpected improvisation by Christian Bale. When Bateman is jumping rope, he starts to skip and cross his jump rope as a schoolgirl would. Bale surprised co-writer and director Mary Harron even more by starting to dance as Bateman was preparing to kill Paul Allen (Jared Leto). That time, she says in interviews and the commentary, she collapsed with laughter.
• Christian Bale’s frenzied confession to his lawyer down the phone that he’s a serial killer was filmed in 14 takes. Director Mary Harron kept pressing Bale to do another take as he improved with each one. Bale was fueled regularly by cappuccinos during all this.
• Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) spends forty percent of the film either shirtless, in his underwear, or nude.
• Luis Carruthers, Jean, and the kitten are the only characters that unknowingly escaped Bateman’s attempted murderous attacks. Jean is the only one to see Patrick is deranged.
• Body Count: 12 (implied to possibly be up to 50 or more)

About The Movie From IMDB

Previous Next