Flashpoint (1984)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

William Tannen

Writers:

George La Fountaine Sr. (novel)
Dennis Shryack (writer) ...

Release Date:

19 April 1985 (Sweden)

Genre:

Action | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

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

Plot:

Two Texas border guards find a jeep buried for 20 years in the desert, with a skeleton, a scoped rifle...

Plot Keywords:

Male Nudity | Kennedy Assassination | Bare Butt | Male Rear Nudity | Beefcake

Cast

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

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Singapore:PG | Australia:M | USA:R | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | West Germany:16

Company:

Home Box Office (HBO)

Trivia:

When the director William Tannen hired Tangerine Dream to score "Flashpoint" he told them not to do the end title song because he had one he was using -- "Sympathy For The Devil" by The Rolling Stones. Tangerine Dream said it was the perfect song to end the film with. They scored the entire film but this piece. The studio felt the song was too expensive and instead gave the assignment to an assistant who worked for one of the vice presidents. It was voted "worst" end title song for 1984 by Leonard Matlin, the film critic.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: The movie is supposed to take place in Texas near the Mexican border, but appears to be filmed around Tucson. During the accident scene with the oil tanker, downtown Tucson can be seen in the background, and saguaro cactus grow only in the Sonoran Desert of Southern Arizona and Northern Mexico (not in Texas).

Quotes:

[discussing two women]
Bobby: Which one do you want?
Ernie: The mean one.
Bobby: You're a sick man.
Ernie: You bet!

Soundtrack:

Flashpoint

Compelling mystery and suspense with big scenery

For whatever reason this movie is one of my favorites. I like movies more for their overall atmosphere than any plot particulars, and this delivers those rare ingredients.

There's something intangible about the southwestern locations and the border patrol lifestyle that creates a mood not found in many films. The big desert vistas contrast well with the daily routines and grim duties of the characters.

I think "Flashpoint" is in a similar class with "Breakdown," where roller-coaster events keep unfolding and remain unpredictable until the very end. It may be somewhat obscure but I wouldn't call it a "B movie" by any means.