Cisco Pike (1972)

Director:

Bill L. Norton

Writer:

Bill L. Norton (written by)

Release Date:

1 October 1979 (Sweden)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Gene Hackman and Kris Kristofferson and Karen Black and Viva and a footrace...a crooked cop...a lot of money and so little time.

Plot:

Cisco is an ex-rock star who has become a drug dealer. A corrupt cop blackmails Cisco to sell marijuana for him...

Plot Keywords:

Drugs | Marijuana | Nudity | Cannabis | Venice Beach California

Cast

Kris Kristofferson	...	Cisco Pike
Karen Black	...	Sue
Gene Hackman	...	Officer Leo Holland
Harry Dean Stanton	...	Jesse Dupre (as H.D. Stanton)
Viva	...	Merna
Joy Bang	...	Lynn
Roscoe Lee Browne	...	Music Store Owner
Chuy Franco	...	Mexican Man
Severn Darden	...	Lawyer
Herb Weil	...	Suspicious Customer
Antonio Fargas	...	Buffalo
Doug Sahm	...	Rex (as Douglas Sahm)
Howard Hesseman	...	Recording Engineer (as Don Sturdy)
Allan Arbus	...	Sim Valensi (as Alan Arbus)
Frank Hotchkiss	...	Motorcycle Officer

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:X (theatrical rating) | Sweden:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Acrobat Productions

Trivia:

Seymour Cassel was set to star but left shortly before filming began. Kris Kristofferson was a last minute replacement.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: Crew and tripod clearly visible in reflection of phone booth 23 minutes into the movie, after he rents the car.

Soundtrack:

Wailin' and Whoopin'

An overlooked gem from the early 70s

Cisco Pike was Kris Kristofferson's film debut and it's astonishing to see him looking so young. He also provided the bulk of the songs featured on the soundtrack. He plays Cisco Pike, a recovering drug dealer and semi pro musician who can't quite decide which direction his life is going to take. Crooked cop Gene Hackman approaches Kris with the chance to clear his criminal record by selling Gene's purloined stash of primo dope. The balance of the film follows Kris' efforts to unload the pot in one hurried weekend which finds him frolicking in bed with Warhol star Viva and porn actress Joy Bang, dropping in to the studio with Doug Sahm and the Sir Douglas Quartet, dining on fine food with Antonio 'Huggy Bear' Fargas, and reminiscing about old times with his strung out old music buddy H D (Harry Dean) Stanton. Add Karen Black, Severn Darden and Wavy Gravy himself, Hugh Romney, and you have an amazing time capsule and a tremendously entertaining and well acted picture. This would make a terrific double bill with 1971s Vanishing Point.