The Domino Killings (1977)
"The Domino Principle" (original title)

Tucker is a chronic underachiever and a loser. A Vietnam war veteran who just can't seem to keep out of trouble, in the years since his discharge. The only thing he got out of the war was ... See full summary »

Director:

Stanley Kramer

Writers:

Adam Kennedy (novel), Adam Kennedy (screenplay)

Stars:

Gene Hackman, Candice Bergen, Richard Widmark

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gene Hackman	...	Roy Tucker
Candice Bergen	...	Ellie Tucker
Richard Widmark	...	Tagge
Mickey Rooney	...	Spiventa
Edward Albert	...	Ross Pine - a member of the organization
Eli Wallach	...	General Reser
Ken Swofford	...	Ditcher
Neva Patterson	...	Gaddis
Jay Novello	...	Captain Ruiz
Joseph V. Perry	...	Bowkemp (as Joseph Perry)
Ted Gehring	...	Schnaible
Claire Brennen	...	Ruby (as Claire Brennan)
George Fisher	...	Henemyer
Bob Herron	...	Brookshire
Denver Mattson	...	Murdock

Storyline

Tucker is a chronic underachiever and a loser. A Vietnam war veteran who just can't seem to keep out of trouble, in the years since his discharge. The only thing he got out of the war was his skill with a rifle. Now, serving a long stretch in prison for murder, he has hit rock-bottom. But one day a man in a three-piece suit visits him in prison, a man he has never seen before, and informs him that he can walk out of prison a free man if he will shoot someone for them, no questions asked.

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Plot Keywords:

prison | mexico | hit and run | paranoia | convicted felon | 

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Taglines:

Trust no one. No one.

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Genres:

Thriller | Drama

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 July 1977 (Norway)

Also Known As:

Das Domino Komplott

Filming Locations:

Fairmont Miramar Hotel Santa Monica - 101 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Associated General Films, Incorporated Television Company (ITC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (CFI)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The mysterious organization is never actually known by any particular name and is only ever referred to as "They".

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Goofs

The bread truck carrying Tucker and Spiventa is shown driving across the Golden Gate Bridge in the southbound direction from Marin County to San Francisco. The very next scene, however, in which the prisoners are escorted out of the truck, clearly takes place under the roadway back on the Marin side of the bridge.

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Connections

Referenced in Nocturna (1979)

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Soundtracks

"Some Day Soon"
Lyrics by Harry Shannon
Music by Billy Goldenberg
Sung by Shirley Eikhard

User Reviews

Stupid title – a few great scenes – a brilliant Rooney

First I bought The Butterfly Effect, now The Domino Principle. In both movies the title makes a promise which is not kept in the least. The metaphor signifying that one falling stone brings all the others down has nothing to do with the story. The main character is rather a pawn in a game of chess, with no will of its own and part of an unknown scheme concocted by the player. Unfortunately the viewers do not learn much about the scheme either and everything simmers down to blind anti-government paranoia.

The acting is better than the story, and there are a few great helicopter scenes. This is possibly the last time Richard Widmark used his insane Tommy Udo laughter in a movie. Eli Wallach has not enough screen time to be more than reliable. One of the reasons to watch this is Mickey Rooney. His performance is a sheer delight. He plays Gene Hackman's sidekick in prison and steals every scene he's in. What a great character actor this former child star became!

For the opening credits of this movie they seem to have used several childhood photos of Gene Hackman, apart from a number of dominoes.