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The Formula
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The Formula (1980) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
5.4/10   898 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 2% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
John G. Avildsen
Writers:
Steve Shagan (novel)
Steve Shagan (screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Formula on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
19 December 1980 (USA) more
Genre:
Crime | Thriller more
Tagline:
In a world starved for energy, no secret is more valuable. more
Plot:
A detective uncovers a formula that was devised by the Nazis in WW II to make gasoline from synthetic products... more | add synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. Another 4 nominations more
User Comments:
THE FORMULA (DIDIER BECU) more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

George C. Scott ... Lt. Barney Caine LAPD

Marlon Brando ... Adam Steiffel, Chairman Titan Oil

Marthe Keller ... Lisa Spangler

John Gielgud ... Dr. Abraham Esau, Director Reich Energy
G.D. Spradlin ... Arthur Clements
Beatrice Straight ... Kay Neeley
Richard Lynch ... General Helmut Kladen / Frank Tedesco
John Van Dreelen ... Hans Lehman, Prefect of Police Berlin
Robin Clarke ... Major Tom Neeley

Ike Eisenmann ... Tony
Marshall Thompson ... Geologist #1
Dieter Schidor ... Assassin
Werner Kreindl ... Schellenberg

Jan Niklas ... Gestapo Captain
Wolfgang Preiss ... Franz Tauber, Swiss businessman
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Die Formel (West Germany)
more
Runtime:
117 min
Country:
USA | West Germany
Color:
Color (Metrocolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono
Filming Locations:
Berlin, Germany more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
This is the only time that Marlon Brando and George C. Scott, the only two actors that refused to accept their Oscars, worked together. more
Goofs:
Errors in geography: At the beginning of The Formula, a Nazi General is given the task of driving a truck to the Swiss border. In the next scene the truck has been captured by the US Army. The scene is shot in the snow. This is supposed to take place in the first week of May 1945. There is nowhere that would be covered in snow between Berlin and the Swiss border in May, even if he went the long way i.e. via Austria. more
Quotes:
Arthur Clements: [proposing that Titan Oil can raise their gasoline prices] The people will accept the 12 cents now because we can blame it on the Arabs!
Adam Steiffel, Chairman Titan Oil: Ah, Arthur, you're missing the point: We *are* the Arabs.
more
Movie Connections:
References Little Caesar (1931) more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
8 out of 15 people found the following comment useful:-
THE FORMULA (DIDIER BECU), 29 August 2003
4/10
Author: Didier (Didier-Becu) from Gent, Belgium

I admit it, the sole reason I wanted to see this was because of Marlon Brando but once you see his appearance you can't imagine that this is the man from Elia Kazan-movies or Don Corleone...at contrary, he plays like an idiot... Okay, George C Scott is the kind of actor that never works on my nerves and he also was the only reason why I kept watching as this movie sucks... You can write thrillers and spionagescenarios but please don't forget that an average watcher cant follow thousand plots in 100 minutes, director John G Avildsen doesn't even give us the time to let us discover who is who as from the moment a new personage appears he ends up being shot three minutes later plus you are wondering what the hell it's all about.... There used to be a formula created during the Third Reichregime that creates synthetic oil and cos that's quite nasty for those who gain their money with oil, everyone must be eliminated who comes in touch with the formula...that's it...and the big problem is that after 10 minutes you know who did it (you probably already know it yourself, not?) but before all this you have to watch thousands useless plots... Bad cinema!

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Formula (1980)
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Strip Club Scene nygfan
Totally Underrated..... concord_trimming
Brando's teeth... kegan-3
Bill Conti's music john-wheat
Formula no secret SeldonRL
Opening Music stevejosephhill
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