At Close Range (1986)

In 1978 rural Pennsylvania an absentee father is reacquainted with his estranged teenage sons and they become intrigued with romanticized life of crime.

Director:

James Foley

Writers:

Elliott Lewitt (story), Nicholas Kazan (story),

Stars:

Sean Penn, Christopher Walken, Mary Stuart Masterson

2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sean Penn	...	Brad Whitewood Jr.
Christopher Walken	...	Brad Whitewood Sr.
Mary Stuart Masterson	...	Terry
Chris Penn	...	Tommy Whitewood (as Christopher Penn)
Millie Perkins	...	Julie
Eileen Ryan	...	Grandma
Tracey Walter	...	Uncle Patch Whitewood
R.D. Call	...	Dickie
David Strathairn	...	Tony Pine
J.C. Quinn	...	Boyd
Candy Clark	...	Mary Sue
Jake Dengel	...	Lester
Kiefer Sutherland	...	Tim
Stephen Geoffreys	...	Aggie
Crispin Glover	...	Lucas

Storyline

A boy and his friends seek to join a mid-atlantic gang led by the boy's estranged father, unaware that his father's ruthlessness takes no account of family ties.

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Plot Keywords:

murder | 1970s | gang | criminal | pennsylvania | 

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Taglines:

Like father. Like son. Like hell.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 April 1986 (USA)

Also Known As:

Auf kurze Distanz

Filming Locations:

Franklin, Tennessee, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$6,500,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$2,347,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hemdale Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Christopher Walken works with guns in film, he checks them himself before each scene for safety reasons and his own personal ease. During the scene when Sean Penn sticks a gun in Walken's face, Walken checked the gun before the scene started. Before the director had the chance to say "Action", Penn ran off camera and shouted, "Give me the other gun!" He immediately returned to Walken and started the scene. This is the cut that made it into the movie, and Walken was really terrified.

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Goofs

During the rape in the motel room, Brad Sr. chains the door, but the door is unchained/chained again in subsequent shots.

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Quotes

Brad Whitewood Jr.: [to Terry] I thought about your smile a lot.

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Connections

Referenced in The Dialogue: An Interview with Screenwriter Nick Kazan (2006)

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Soundtracks

"Miss You"
Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards
Performed by The Rolling Stones
Courtesy of Rolling Stones Records

User Reviews

A sharp and very unforgiving tale of betrayl.

Tender yet painful story about a rural Pennsylvania teen, Brad Whitewood, Jr. (Sean Penn) who along with his half-brother, Tommy (real-life brother Chris Penn) finally meet their estranged father, Brad Sr. (Christopher Walken), decide to join their father's crime network only to discover how brutal that he can be to them while dodging the feds at any cost. (Sean) Penn and Walken are well-cast here and to watch the pair on-screen at the same time is a delight. Director James Foley guides the film where it should go and the script by Nicholas Kazan is made to near perfection in handling the mood and tension. It's also a surprise that the film itself is based on a true story that took placed in 1978. A sharp and very unforgiving tale of betrayl.