8 Million Ways to Die (1986)

Director:

Hal Ashby

Writers:

Lawrence Block (book)
Oliver Stone (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

25 April 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

Death comes to all except those who deserve it most

Plot:

Scudder is a detective with the Sheriff's Department who is forced to shoot a violent suspect during a narcotics raid...

Plot Keywords:

Drugs | Murder | Female Frontal Nudity | Molotov Cocktail | Female Nudity

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Jeff Bridges	...	Matthew 'Matt' Scudder
Rosanna Arquette	...	Sarah
Alexandra Paul	...	Sunny
Randy Brooks	...	Willie 'Chance' Walker
Andy Garcia	...	Angel Moldonado
Lisa Sloan	...	Linda Scudder
Christa Denton	...	Laurie Scudder
Vance Valencia	...	Quintero
Wilfredo Hernández	...	Hector Lopez (as Wilfredo Hernandez)
Luisa Leschin	...	Hector's Wife
Vyto Ruginis	...	Joe Durkin
Chip Arnold	...	Homicide Detective
James Avery	...	Deputy D.A.
Jack Younger	...	Drunk
Zoaunne LeRoy	...	Nurse
Abigail Shelton	...	AA Member
Don Edmonds	...	Elderly Man
Phil Peters	...	Rugged Man
Elva García	...	Daughter (as Elva Garcia)
Michael Galindo	...	Son #2
Pete Galindo	...	Son #1
Miriam E. Schubach	...	AA Speaker #1
Lois Gerace	...	AA Speaker #2
Jay Ingram	...	AA Member
Sue Rihr	...	Young Woman
Gene Ross	...	Slim
Tommy 'Tiny' Lister	...	Nose Guard
William Marquez	...	Tio
Fred Asparagus	...	Mundo
Robb Madrid	...	Victor Padillo
Raegan Newman	...	Girl
Richard A. Michels	...	Player
Arie Gedis	...	Gambler
Rosalind Allen	...	Tote Lady (as Rosalind Ingledew)
Arthur Ervin	...	Waiter
Frank Dent	...	Boot Salesman
Henry Lewis	...	PO'Boy's Market Manager
Roberto A. Jimenez	...	Jamie Rodriguez (as Roberto Jimenez)
Victor Rivers	...	Angel Heavy #3
Danny De La Paz	...	Angel Heavy #4
Oliver 'Ollie' Farley	...	Ollie
Loyd Catlett	...	Buster
Art Fransen	...	Cop
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Anne Lockhart	...	Police Officer (uncredited)
Robert Madrid	...	Juan (uncredited)

Directed by
Hal Ashby

Writing credits
Lawrence Block		(book)
Oliver Stone		(screenplay) &
David Lee Henry		(screenplay)
Robert Towne		uncredited

Produced by
Mark Damon	....	executive producer
John W. Hyde	....	executive producer
Charles Mulvehill	....	co-producer
Stephen J. Roth	....	producer (as Steve Roth)

Original Music by
James Newton Howard

Cinematography by
Stephen H. Burum

Film Editing by
Robert Lawrence
Stuart H. Pappé		(as Stuart Pappé)

Casting by
Lynn Stalmaster

Production Design by
Michael D. Haller		(as Michael Haller)

Art Direction by
Mark W. Mansbridge

Set Decoration by
Barbara Krieger
John T. Walker		(as John Thomas Walker)

Costume Design by
Gloria Gresham

Makeup Department
Pete Altobelli	....	makeup artist: Jeff Bridges
Nadia	....	makeup artist
Kaye Pownall	....	hair stylist
Rick Stratton	....	special makeup effects artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Hal Harrison	....	post-production supervisor
Charles Mulvehill	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Robert Engelman	....	second assistant director
Nancy King	....	second second assistant director
W. Thomas Snyder	....	key second assistant director: reshoots
L. Andrew Stone	....	first assistant director (as Andy Stone)

Art Department
Steve Alexander	....	construction foreman
Larry Clark Bird	....	property master (as Larry Bird)
Curt Jackson	....	paint foreman
Don Kaeding	....	set dresser
Bob Lawless	....	stand-by painter
Gordon Meloeny	....	lead man (as Gordon T. Meloeny)
Butch West	....	construction foreman
Ken Zimmerman	....	assistant property master

Sound Department
Anna Boorstin	....	sound editor
Jean Caperonis	....	sound editorial assistant
William C. Carruth	....	adr editor
Don Coufal	....	production sound
Samuel C. Crutcher	....	supervising sound editor
Bruce Fortune	....	sound editor
Gaspar	....	sound editorial assistant
Walter A. Gest	....	sound recordist
Robert J. Litt	....	sound re-recording mixer
Steve Maslow	....	sound re-recording mixer
Steve Richardson	....	sound editor
Norman B. Schwartz	....	post-production dialogue (as Norman Schwartz)
James Simcik	....	adr assistant
Karen I. Stern	....	adr editor (as Karen Stern)
Beth Sterner	....	supervising foley editor
Jim Stuebe	....	production sound
Elliot Tyson	....	sound re-recording mixer
Tim Webb	....	sound recordist
Jeff Wexler	....	production sound
Butch Wolf	....	sound editor
Gary Wright	....	sound editor

Special Effects by
Phil Cory	....	special effects coordinator (as Phil Corey)
Thomas R. Ward	....	special effects foreman (as Tom Ward)
John Hughes	....	special effects (uncredited)

Stunts
Bobby Bass	....	stunts
Christine Anne Baur	....	stunts (as Christine Baur)
Michael Cassidy	....	stunts (as Mike Cassidy)
Gary Davis	....	stunts
John Escobar	....	stunt driver
Cindy Folkerson	....	stunts
Ted Grossman	....	stunts
Billy Hank Hooker	....	stunts
Buddy Joe Hooker	....	stunts
Jimmy Nickerson	....	stunts
Victor Paul	....	stunts
Mario Roberts	....	stunts
Thomas Rosales Jr.	....	stunts (as Tom Rosales)
Scott L. Treger	....	surf stunts
Jon Parker Ward	....	stunts (as Parker Ward)
Loyd Catlett	....	stunts (uncredited)
Buddy Joe Hooker	....	stunt coordinator (uncredited)
James Winburn	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Sidney Ray Baldwin	....	still photographer
Dustin Blauvelt	....	first assistant camera
Emmett Brown	....	key grip (as Emmett A. Brown)
Joseph Cosko Jr.	....	second assistant camera
Elliot Davis	....	camera operator
Bob Fillis	....	best boy electric (as Robert Fillis)
Bill Fleming	....	key grip (as William Fleming)
Robert E. Gaynor	....	dolly grip (as Robert Gaynor)
Tim Griffith	....	chief lighting technician
Michael J. Hogan	....	video assist operator
Dennis M. Kuneff	....	best boy grip (as Dennis Kuneff)
Louis Mahler	....	video technician
Stan McClain	....	camera operator: aerial unit, opening titles
Rick Fee	....	assistant camera (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Cheryl Beasley Blackwell	....	costumer: women
Roberta Newman	....	assistant costumer
G. Tony Scarano	....	costumer: men (as Tony Scarano)

Editorial Department
Donah Bassett	....	negative cutter (as Donah J. Basset)
Vicki Hiatt	....	assistant film editor
Stephen Mark	....	assistant film editor
Paula Pappé	....	assistant film editor
Richard Ritchie	....	color timer (as Dick Ritchie)
Ed Stabile	....	assistant editor (uncredited)

Music Department
James Newton Howard	....	musician
Michael Mason	....	music engineer
Ted Whitfield	....	music editor

Transportation Department
Walt Freitas	....	transportation coordinator
William Charles Hauer	....	transportation captain (as William C. Hauer)
Wayne Nelson	....	transportation coordinator

Other crew
Alicia Alexander	....	production assistant
Warren Glen Chidester	....	production assistant (as Warren Chidester)
Charles Conley	....	craft service
Richard Davis Jr.	....	location manager (as Richard Davis)
Marc Deschaine	....	production assistant
Eric Haller	....	production assistant
Beat Hellstern	....	production assistant
Michael J. Hogan	....	assistant video technician (as Michael Hogan)
Larry Hollister	....	first aid
Carol Shapiro Janson	....	unit publicist
David R. Lawson	....	first aid (as David Lawson)
Steven McAfee	....	production secretary
Ingrid C. Michaels	....	production coordinator
Stuart H. Pappé	....	title background designer (as Stuart Pappé)
Gilbert O. Parra	....	technical advisor (as Sgt. Gilbert O. Parra)
Sheila Possner	....	assistant: Mr. Ashby
Spencer Quinn	....	location manager
Ana Maria Quintana	....	script supervisor
William F. Rose Jr.	....	assistant accountant (as William Rose Jr.)
Roberta Rose	....	production accountant
Patrice Ryan	....	title designer (as Patty Greer)
Ann Scrimshaw	....	assistant: Mr. Roth
Lincoln Stalmaster	....	production assistant
Donna Wells	....	assistant: Mr. Roth
Bruce Goldstein	....	stand-in (uncredited)
Melissa J.L. Smith	....	sales and marketing coordinator (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Producers Sales Organization (PSO)

Distributors

• TriStar Pictures (1986) (USA) (theatrical)
• Columbia Pictures (1986) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Warner-Columbia (1986) (Austria) (theatrical)
• CBS/Fox Home Video (1987) (Australia) (video)
• CBS/Fox Video (1987) (Belgium) (VHS)
• CBS/Fox (1990) (USA) (VHS)
• Koch Media (2011) (Germany) (DVD)
• Producers Sales Organization (PSO) (1986) (worldwide) (all media) (sales)

Other Companies

• Acme Film Editing  post-production services
• Bertus Productions  music recorded at
• Bill Schnee Studios  music mixed at
• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  camera cranes
• Modern Film Effects  titles and opticals
• Variety Cinema Catering  catering

Also Known As:

Runtime:

115 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Canada:R (Ontario) | Iceland:16 | USA:R (Certificate #28302) | Portugal:M/12 | Australia:R | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Norway:16 (1986) | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Producers Sales Organization (PSO)

Trivia:

According to Executive Producer Mark Damon (quoted from "A Life in Film: An Interview with Mark Damon," Director Hal Ashby "threw away the script" and had the actors improvise all their dialog and actions.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Matt is laying on top of the fence at his house the position of the newspaper on the driveway changes depending on the shot.

Quotes:

Matthew 'Matt' Scudder:You have quite an education haven't you?
Sarah:Anyone who gets passed the age of two has an education.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Untouchables: The Script, the Cast (2004) (V)

Underrated Mid-80's detective film

This film is consistently rated at or below the median for it's genre and period. In my opinion, this is an unfair rating... the film is better than it has been portrayed.

Jeff Bridges plays Matt Scudder, a down on his luck detective who is suspended by the LAPD after a violent confrontation with a suspect.

Bridges life spirals down (in something of a preview of the character he would later play in perhaps his best film, 1991's The Fisher King) into chronic alcoholism. He receives an unexpected invitation to a party hosted by Angel Maldonado (Andy Garcia in an early role) and there the story proper begins.

Scudder is drawn into the dark side of LA's party scene by "Sunny", one of Maldonado's erstwhile hangers on. Through this connection, Scudder determines to bring down Maldonado's drug empire - and make off with Maldonado's favourite girl...

All standard hollywood stuff, but reasonably well done. The mid 80's seems to have been a fairly soft time for truly good films, but this one is worth watching. I give it 7/10 on the public scale...