Dudes (1987)

Two punks from the big city, traveling across the country in a Volkswagen bug, embrace the western ethos when they must take revenge against a group of rednecks for killing their friend in ... See full summary »

Director:

Penelope Spheeris

Writer:

Randall Jahnson

Stars:

Jon Cryer, Daniel Roebuck, Flea

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jon Cryer	...	Grant
Daniel Roebuck	...	Biscuit
Flea	...	Milo
Lee Ving	...	Missoula
Billy Ray Sharkey	...	Blix
Glenn Withrow	...	Wes
Michael Melvin	...	Logan
Marc Rude	...	Sonny
Catherine Mary Stewart	...	Jessie
Cal Bartlett	...	Witherspoon (as Calvin Bartlett)
Pete Willcox	...	Daredelvis
Vance Colvig Jr.	...	Hezekiah
Ancel Cook	...	Rhatigan
Wycliffe Young	...	Watts
Red Wing	...	Laughing Bear

Storyline

Two punks from the big city, traveling across the country in a Volkswagen bug, embrace the western ethos when they must take revenge against a group of rednecks for killing their friend in this lighthearted road movie. Along the way, they enlist the help of a young woman who runs a wrecking service.

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Plot Keywords:

revenge | punk | murder | rodeo | native american | 

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Taglines:

New York City is tough, but the country is really murder.

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 June 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Assalto na Noite

Filming Locations:

Cottonwood, Arizona, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Vista Organization

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Partially shot in Cottonwood, Arizona in the Old Town Theater, at the time the longest running single screen theater in the United States (opened 1923). In December 1998, the theater suffered from a 4-alarm fire that closed the theater for good. It has since been rebuilt as restaurant/bar.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Milo: I'm so sick of doing this; I'm sick of waiting for the world to end.
Biscut: Me, too. Why don't we do something else for a change?
Grant: Yeah? Like what?
Biscut: Well, if we put our heads together, maybe we could figure something out.
Grant: My head just got stepped on. I can't think of nothing.
Milo: California! Let's move to California!
Biscut: I got a job. I got responsibilities.
Milo: Biscut, you're washing dishes in a shithole, brother. Personally, I think you could risk the career change.

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Connections

References The Andromeda Strain (1971)

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Soundtracks

"Urban Struggle"
Performed by The Vandals

User Reviews

"That's it man. We're going to California."

Film-maker Penelope Spheeris's 80s absurdist road-tripping slacker black comedy sees three punk rockers leaving New York on their way to a better life in California, but on their way there they become targets of a ruthless hillbilly gang (led by an impressive Lee Ving) with one of them ending up dead. For the remaining two, instead of heading to California they decide go after the gang. This is one very odd, slapdash journey narrative with broad humour, but an even brutal tone and cross-cultural conflict as the modern punk scene meets old west philosophy as actors Jon Cryer, Daniel Roebuck and Flea find themselves along for the ride. I'm not that much of a fan of Cryer, but this is definitely the best thing I've seen him in. Also showing up in the cast is Catherine Mary Stuart. For a road movie, scenery is important and here the Arizona backdrop provides many picturesque sequences. Director Spheeris crafts out some surreal dynamics from the visuals and sets up some good stunt pieces. Pumping soundtrack, edgy script and kooky characters only added to this cult film's spontaneous and jarring charm.

"I'm so sick of waiting for the world to end."