Messenger of Death (1988)

Director:

J. Lee Thompson

Writers (WGA):

Rex Burns (novel)
Paul Jarrico (screenplay)

Release Date:

1989 (Peru)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

What the cops can't do, he will.

Plot:

Wifes and children of the Mormon Orville Beecham become victims of a massacre in his own house. The police believes the crime had a religious motive...

Plot Keywords:

Mormon | Murder | Journalist | Shootout | Newspaper Reporter

Cast

Charles Bronson	...	Garret Smith
Trish Van Devere	...	Jastra Watson
Laurence Luckinbill	...	Homer Foxx
Daniel Benzali	...	Chief Barney Doyle
Marilyn Hassett	...	Josephine Fabrizio (as Marilyn Hasset)
Charles Dierkop	...	Orville Beecham
Jeff Corey	...	Willis Beecham
John Ireland	...	Zenas Beecham
Penny Peyser	...	Trudy Pike
Gene Davis	...	Junior Assassin
John Solari	...	Senior Assassin
Jon Cedar	...	Saul
Tom Everett	...	Wiley
Duncan Gamble	...	Lieutenant Scully
Bert Williams	...	Sheriff Yates
Jerome Thor	...	Jimmy
Sydna Scott	...	Sarah Beecham
Cheryl Waters	...	Magda Beecham
Melanie Noble	...	Rebecca Beecham
Patricia Allison	...	Florinda Beecham
Maria Mayenzet	...	Esther Beecham
Sheila Gale Kandlbinder	...	Ursula Beecham
Margaret Howell	...	Naomi Beecham
Warner Loughlin	...	Ruth Beecham
Kimberly Beck	...	Piety Beecham
Beverly Thompson	...	Mrs. Lucy Bigelow
Don Kennedy	...	Cyrus Pike
Susan Bjurman	...	Mrs. Doyle
John F. McCarthy	...	Sergeant Purdue
Phil Zuckerman	...	Caleb Beecham
David Cooper	...	Willis's Follower
Jeffrey Concklin	...	Joshua, The Priest
William Phipps	...	Doc Turner (as William Edward Phipps)
Jim Bullock	...	Neighbor
Erez Yaoz	...	Party Guest
Saladin James	...	Maitre D'
Enrica Gaspari	...	Willis's Daughter
Joseph Darrell	...	Fund Raiser Contributor
Menash Benmoshe	...	Fund Raiser Contributor
Tarrish Potter	...	Elizabeth Beecham
Eric Fry	...	Timothy Beecham

Directed by
J. Lee Thompson

Writing credits (WGA)
Rex Burns		(novel "The Avenging Angel")
Paul Jarrico		(screenplay)

Produced by
Yoram Globus	....	executive producer
Menahem Golan	....	executive producer
Pancho Kohner	....	producer
Patricia G. Payró	....	associate producer
Richard Driscoll	....	assistant producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Robert O. Ragland

Cinematography by
Gideon Porath		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Peter Lee-Thompson

Casting by
Perry Bullington

Art Direction by
Whitney Brooke Wheeler		(as W. Brooke Wheeler)

Set Decoration by
Susan Carsello		(as Susan Carsello-Smith)

Costume Design by
Shelley Komarov

Makeup Department
Manny Benmoshe	....	hair stylist
Carla M. Fabrizi	....	key hair stylist (as Carla Fabrizi)
Carla M. Fabrizi	....	key makeup artist (as Carla Fabrizi)
Linda Vallejo	....	assistant makeup artist (as Linda A. Vallejo)

Production Management
Michael Alden	....	post-production supervisor
Marc S. Fischer	....	executive in charge of production
Alain Jakubowicz	....	post-production supervisor
Sheridan Dar Reid	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Robert C. Ortwin Jr.	....	first assistant director
George Van Noy	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Michael A. Allowitz	....	lead man (as Michael Allowitz)
Phil Brandes	....	assistant art director
Craig Gadsby	....	set dresser
Loy Hopkins	....	set dresser
John Kaye	....	property master
Tim Keegan	....	lead man
Kevin Long	....	set dresser
Robert A. Maisto	....	construction coordinator (as Robert Maisto)
Gerald Wade	....	assistant properties (as Gerry Wade)
Gerald Witt	....	on-set dresser

Sound Department
Laura Lee Bong	....	second assistant sound editor
Thomas Burke	....	sound editor (as Thomas Gillis Burke)
Jeff Burman	....	sound editor
Richard Burton	....	sound editor
Mark S. Cafolla	....	second assistant sound editor
Tina Canny	....	sound recordist
Thomas Paul Croce	....	apprentice sound editor (as Thomas P. Crocker)
David Cunningham	....	sound re-recording mixer
Patrick Cyccone Jr.	....	sound re-recording mixer
Christine Danelski	....	sound editor
Craig Felburg	....	sound mixer
Kurt Nicholas Forshager	....	first assistant sound editor (as Kurt N. Forshager)
Tony Garber	....	supervising sound editor
Tommy Goodwin	....	adr mixer
Tommy Goodwin	....	foley mixer
Cameron Hamza	....	boom operator
Godfrey Marks	....	sound editor
Frank A. Montaño	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Frank A. Montano Jr.)
Tony Pascuzzo	....	sound recordist (as T-Bone Pascuzzo)
Kathy Siegel	....	foley editor
Susanne Spain	....	second assistant sound editor
Christopher M. Taylor	....	cable man
Bill Van Daalen	....	sound editor
Jon Varady	....	second assistant sound editor
James Bailey	....	foley artist (uncredited)
Dean St. John	....	adr recordist (uncredited)
Dean St. John	....	foley recordist (uncredited)

Stunts
Ray Bickel	....	stunt player
Bob Brown	....	stunt player
Justin De Rosa	....	stunt player
Debbie Evans	....	stunt player
Bob Herron	....	stunt player
Tommy J. Huff	....	truck stunts
Whitey Hughes	....	stunt player
Al Jones	....	stunt player
Lane Leavitt	....	stunt player
Carey Loftin	....	truck stunts
Burt Marshall	....	stunt player
Buck McDancer	....	stunt player
Ernie F. Orsatti	....	stunt coordinator (as Ernie Orsatti)
Noon Orsatti	....	stunt player
J.P. Romano	....	stunt player (as Jean-Pierre Romano)
George A. Sack Jr.	....	stunt player (as George E. Sack Jr.)
Rick Seaman	....	stunt player
Brian Smrz	....	stunt player
Jim Wilkey	....	stunt player
Gene Hartline	....	stunt driver (uncredited)
Tommy J. Huff	....	stunt driver (uncredited)
Carey Loftin	....	stunt driver (uncredited)
Carey Loftin	....	stunts (uncredited)
Harry Wowchuk	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Robert J. Babin	....	key grip
Richard Crompton	....	grip
Vito DePalma	....	additional camera assistant (as Vito De Palma)
Brian Devin	....	grip
Frank E. Ellison	....	dolly grip (as Frank Ellison)
Richard Haas	....	second assistant camera
Christopher Hager	....	dolly grip
John Karls	....	second assistant camera (as John F. Karls)
Scott Lieu	....	best boy grip
Brian McLaughlin	....	still photographer
Sean McLin	....	additional camera operator
Lloyd Moriarity	....	electrician (as Lloyd M. Moriarity)
Tom Neuwirth	....	additional photographer
Guy Skinner	....	first assistant camera (as Guy Ladd Skinner)
Lon Thompson	....	electrician
Vance Trussell	....	best boy electrician (as Vance Phillips)
David Wood	....	electrician
Mark A. Shelton	....	electrician (uncredited)

Casting Department
Dennis Hansen	....	extras casting
Burton Sharp	....	voice casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Scilla Scandiuzzi	....	wardrobe assistant
Tony Velasco	....	on-set costumer
Sherry Reavis Wade	....	wardrobe supervisor

Editorial Department
Laura Lee Bong	....	apprentice editor
Lucy Hofert	....	apprentice editor (as Lucy Hofert Rose)
Mary E. Jochem	....	first assistant editor
Rolf Johnson	....	second assistant editor
Omneya 'Nini' Mazen	....	post-production coordinator
Angelo Russo	....	color timer
Anne-Marie Vitello	....	negative cutter
Ron Vitello	....	negative cutter (as Ronald Vitello)

Music Department
Elissa Assa	....	music editor
Joachim H. Hansch	....	music supervisor
Lisa Hulac	....	music coordinator
Bill Jenkins	....	music scoring mixer (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Edward Flotard	....	transportation captain
Jimmy Jones	....	transportation coordinator
Joel Renfro	....	transportation coordinator
Kat Werner	....	transportation secretary

Other crew
Wenden K. Baldwin	....	title designer
Tommy Bartee	....	production assistant
Joe Benn	....	production assistant
M. Ginanne Carpenter	....	assistant production coordinator
Karin Cooper	....	script supervisor
Fabricio DiSanto	....	production assistant (as Fabricio Di Santo)
David K. Goodwin	....	equipment technician
Gretchen Iverson	....	production coordinator (as Gretchen Iversen)
Virlana Kardash	....	production assistant
Don Morton	....	extras wrangler (as Don L. Morton)
Larry Pearson	....	location manager
Emily Rice	....	production auditor (as Emily J. Rice)
Kyle Seidenbaum	....	title designer
Burton Sharp	....	adr group coordinator
Kelly A. Snyder	....	assistant auditor
George Sweney	....	production auditor
Gerald Wade	....	weapons technician (as Gerry Wade)
Bob Wishnefsky	....	production assistant (as Robert Wishnefsky)
Joe Straw	....	production accountant (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Golan-Globus Productions

Distributors

• Cannon Group, The (1988) (USA) (theatrical)
• Cineplex Odeon Films (1988) (Canada) (theatrical)
• América Vídeo (Brazil) (video)
• Cannon Home Video (video)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2004) (Germany) (DVD)
• MGM Home Entertainment (USA) (DVD)
• MTC Video (1990) (Greece) (VHS)
• Pan-Canadian Film Distributors (Canada)
• Showtime
• VMP (1989) (West Germany) (VHS)

Special Effects

• Pioneer FX

Other Companies

• Arrangment, The  catering
• Cannon Sound Studios  re-recording at (as Cannon Sound Studio, Los Angeles)
• Colorado Film Commission  special thanks to: for their assistance (as The Colorado Film Commission)
• General Cameras West  photographic equipment provided by (as General Camera West)
• Keylite Production Services  production services and equipment provided by
• Pacific Title  main titles and opticals
• Panavision  photographic equipment (as Panavision®)
• TVC Laboratories  color (as TVC)

Also Known As:

"Avenging Angels" - International (English title), USA (alternative title)

Runtime:

91 min | Finland:86 min (cut)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Certification:

Norway:18 (video premiere) | USA:R (No. 29264) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Singapore:PG | Finland:K-16 (1989) (cut) | Finland:K-18 (2004) (uncut) | UK:18 | Australia:M (Violence) | Iceland:16 | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Colorado National Monument, Fruita, Colorado, USA

Company:

Golan-Globus Productions

Trivia:

Director J. Lee Thompson fell ill during the making of this film, the picture was finished by the 2nd unit director.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the car chase, Smith's car is on the inside of one of the tankers on the first corner out of the tunnel, but in the next shot it's back in the middle of both tankers.

Quotes:

Garret Smith:[punching the assassin] Bastard child killer!

A Bronson-movie with a strong supporting cast

One of the things that bugs me most about the later Charles Bronson-movies is that so many of them flaunt a terrible supporting cast. Don't get me wrong, it's great to see Stephen Elliott ham it up as Bronson's boss in "Assassination" or Juan Fernandez as a creepy pimp in "Kinjite: Forbidden Subjects" but aside from one or two OK performances good old Charlie was too often surrounded by grade-C actors or good but uninspired actors, the last two decades of his career.

"Messenger of Death" however, is an exception.

Here the legendary action-hero is surrounded by the likes of Jeff Corey, Daniel Benzali, John Ireland, Charles Dierkop (Police Woman) and given likeable female support from Trish Van Devere. The story itself is just average, but certainly not as ludicrous as the paper-thin material in movies like "Assassination" and "Death Wish 4" and "5" and you know where I'm going.

British veteran director J. Lee-Thompson (Cape Fear, The Guns of Navarone) did an impressive nine movies with Bronson, and "Messenger of Death" was their 8th teaming. It opens with a horrifying scene where a large family is executed in cold blood (the entire scene is brilliantly done and much better than what one would expect from someone who just did "Death Wish 4" and "Firewalker"). The movie then delivers a lot of beautiful scenery, a smashing action-scene with some trucks and a likeable finale where the guilty party is unmasked.

Compared to most Bronson-fare at the time this is better-than-average, much thanks to the afore mentioned good supporting cast. But don't expect mindless vigilante action, Bronson plays a reporter but he still gets to kick some ass, and he does a nice job considering he was in his late sixties at the time.