Flashpoint (1984)

Two Texas border guards find a jeep buried for 20 years in the desert, with a skeleton, a scoped rifle, and a box with $800,000 in cash. They decide to keep the money, but quietly check up ... See full summary »

Director:

William Tannen

Writers:

George LaFountaine (novel), Dennis Shryack,

Stars:

Kris Kristofferson, Treat Williams, Rip Torn

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kris Kristofferson	...	Bobby Logan
Treat Williams	...	Ernie Wyatt
Rip Torn	...	Sheriff Wells
Kevin Conway	...	Brook
Kurtwood Smith	...	Carson
Miguel Ferrer	...	Roget (as Miguell Ferrer)
Jean Smart	...	Doris
Guy Boyd	...	Lambasino
Mark Slade	...	Hawthorne
Roberts Blossom	...	Amarillo
Tess Harper	...	Ellen
Terry Alexander	...	Peterson
Ana Auther	...	Roget's Date (as Ana Marie Auther)
Barry Davis	...	Max
Sam Edelman	...	Van Driver

Storyline

Two Texas border guards find a jeep buried for 20 years in the desert, with a skeleton, a scoped rifle, and a box with $800,000 in cash. They decide to keep the money, but quietly check up on the info they find. Soon the Feds are running all over the place, and it looks like jeep maybe linked to the JFK assassination. But the Feds are trying to cover it up, and eliminate anyone involved with the jeep.

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Plot Keywords:

male rear nudity | homosexual subtext | neo western | male nudity | shower | 

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Taglines:

A wrecked jeep.... A skeleton.... A rifle... $800,000 dollars in cash

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 April 1985 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

Die Grenzwölfe

Filming Locations:

Tucson, Arizona, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Home Box Office (HBO), Silver Screen Partners

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This was the first theatrical film produced by Home Box Office (in association with Silver Screen Partners).

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Goofs

While supposedly in San Antonio-- mountains are clearly reflected in the windows of a store.

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Quotes

Doris: Are you here to sell us tickets to the Policemen's Ball or something?
Logan: We're with the Border Patrol, ma'am. We don't have any balls.

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Connections

Referenced in Fast Forward (1985)

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Soundtracks

"Flashpoint"
Written by Scott Richardson
Performed by Scott Richardson and The Gems

User Reviews

"Every morning when I get up, I thank God for drugs and murder and subversion."

"Flashpoint" is, essentially, an unbalanced action film that doesn't really know what it wants to be. It could be lighthearted comedy/action, or a mystery, or something else altogether. Whatever it ends up being isn't really complete or wholly compelling. The script is not worth mentioning here. So, what is good? The actors, for the most part. I've always liked Kris Kristofferson, and he usually earns it. His performance is very believable. The best performance is actually by Kurtwood Smith, who plays the heavy. He offers up one of the most menacing and powerful monologues I've ever heard in a scene where his and Kristofferson's characters wait to make a drug bust. I was glad to see Tess Harper, one of my favorite actresses. She's given little or nothing to do, but she has a compelling presence. Two-thirds of the way through the film, she disappears as if she never really mattered in the first place. On the other end, acting wise, Rip Torn offers up a totally ridiculous characterization and nearly ends up embarrassing himself. And he's usually quite good, in my opinion.

There's not much else to speak of here. William Tannen is not what you would exactly call an inspired director. This is the only thing approaching a decent film that he was ever involved with. Peter Moss provides some good cinematography, so there's usually at least something worth looking at. Tangerine Dream's soundtrack IS nice, with the right elements of mystery and tension. But a real low point is the closing credits theme. The lyrics sum up basically everything we've seen in the film in the most obvious, unimaginative way. It's like some sort of cheesy rock/folk storytelling song. If you felt like the ending had any sort of good quality, I can guarantee that this stupid song will take that thought straight out of your head.

"Flashpoint" is pretty much an example of a film that is only interesting in context. There's plenty of other films from this era that are timeless or have at least aged pretty well. This is not one of them.