Five Corners (1987)

Young psychotic man returns to neighborhood after release from prison. He seeks young lady he previously tried to rape and young man who protected her, with twisted ideas of love for her ... See full summary »

Director:

Tony Bill

Writer:

John Patrick Shanley

Stars:

Jodie Foster, Tim Robbins, Todd Graff

1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jodie Foster	...	Linda
Tim Robbins	...	Harry
Todd Graff	...	Jamie
John Turturro	...	Heinz
Michael R. Howard	...	Murray
Pierre Epstein	...	George
Jery Hewitt	...	Mr. Glascow
Rodney Harvey	...	Castro
Daniel Jenkins	...	Willie
Elizabeth Berridge	...	Melanie
Cathryn de Prume	...	Brita
Carl Capotorto	...	Sal
Jose Soto Jr.	...	Boy in Pet Store
Kathleen Chalfant	...	Mrs. Fitzgerald
John Seitz	...	Sullivan

Storyline

Young psychotic man returns to neighborhood after release from prison. He seeks young lady he previously tried to rape and young man who protected her, with twisted ideas of love for her and hate for him.

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Plot Keywords:

prison | psychotic | mirror | attempted rape | equality | 

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Taglines:

A young woman fights for her life when the man who raped her is released from prison

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

May 1988 (UK)

Also Known As:

5 Corners

Filming Locations:

Astoria, Queens, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$969,205 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cineplex-Odeon Films, HandMade Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min 95 min (Ontario)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Writer John Patrick Shanley said incidents in the story were based on his own experiences growing up in New York City.

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Goofs

Set in 1964, when Linda talks on her home phone with Heinz, the phone handset is clearly seen to have a modular plug connection to its cord. The now-popular modular plugs were not introduced until much later in the 70's.

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Quotes

Harry: And when I was sittin' home with my mother, watchin' the news about it on TV, the next thing they showed after that was Dr. Martin Luther King speaking. He was talking about the power of love in the face of senseless cruelty and violence. And I heard him, Mr. Kemp. I guess something had knocked the wax outta my ears. ' Cause I heard him loud and clear.

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Crazy Credits

Nearly at the end of the credits there is the following paragraph: 'Many thanks to the Penguins in this film. They were treated most respectfully and no harm ever came to them in their work.'

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Soundtracks

"Let The Little Girl Dance"
Words and Music by Glover - Spencer
Performed by Billy Bland
Master courtesy of Old Town Record Corp.

User Reviews

Terrific Tim Robbins performance almost saves it...

Offbeat--to say the least--comedy-drama from director Tony Bill and writer/co-producer John Patrick Shanley combines unforced, unshowy nostalgia with dark (and rather wobbly) comedic undertones. In a troubled Bronx neighborhood in the 1960s, Jodie Foster is a young woman hounded by just-released convict John Turturro, while Tim Robbins is a former classmate reevaluating his priorities based on turbulent world events. Foster has little to work with in a weakly-written role (she's not going to meet this nutcase in the park at night!), but Robbins' quiet sincerity is lovely, and his handsome face and expressive manner keeps the film grounded in reality. Overall, it's much too flighty, with a melodramatic final 30 minutes which doesn't do anything good for anybody--least of all the viewer. However, there is some dryly eccentric humor in Shanley's screenplay, and when director Bill's touch is light the film generally works. **1/2 from ****