The Presidio (1988)

Jay Austin is now a civilian police detective. Colonel Caldwell was his commanding officer years before when he left the military police over a disagreement over the handling of a drunk ... See full summary »

Director:

Peter Hyams

Writer:

Larry Ferguson

Stars:

Sean Connery, Mark Harmon, Meg Ryan

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sean Connery	...	Lt. Col. Alan Caldwell
Mark Harmon	...	Jay Austin
Meg Ryan	...	Donna Caldwell
Jack Warden	...	Sgt. Maj. Ross Maclure
Mark Blum	...	Arthur Peale
Dana Gladstone	...	Col. Paul Lawrence
Jenette Goldstein	...	Patti Jean Lynch
Marvin J. McIntyre	...	MP Zeke
Don Calfa	...	Howard Buckely
John DiSanti	...	Det. Marvin Powell
Robert Lesser	...	Sgt. Mueller
James Hooks Reynolds	...	George Spota
Curtis W. Sims	...	Sgt. Garfield
Rick Zumwalt	...	Bully in Bar
Rosalyn Marshall	...	Lawrence's Secretary

Storyline

Jay Austin is now a civilian police detective. Colonel Caldwell was his commanding officer years before when he left the military police over a disagreement over the handling of a drunk driver. Now a series of murders that cross jurisdictions force them to work together again. That Austin is now dating Caldwell's daughter is not helping the relationship at all.

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Plot Keywords:

army | arrest | detective | presidio | murder | 

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Taglines:

THE PRESIDIO ARMY BASE, SAN FRANCISCO. When a landmark of historic tradition becomes the scene of a shocking murder, a military commander and a street-tough cop are forced into action... against the killer, the mysterious past, and each other.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 June 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Presidio

Filming Locations:

San Francisco, California, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$20,036,242 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Dolby SR (35 mm prints)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Tony Scott was originally set to direct before he was replaced with Peter Hyams.

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Goofs

The diamonds are smuggled in bottles of water supposedly because they are invisible when immersed in water. Not true. The diamond index of refraction is very different from that of water. They would easily be seen. If the liquid had been mineral oil, which has a much closer index of refraction to diamonds, then the gems would have been hidden somewhat.

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Quotes

Thug (unknown): Who the hell do you think you are?
Sgt. Major Ross Maclure: I'm the Infantry, sonny.

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Connections

Referenced in Crap Shoot: The Documentary (2007)

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Soundtracks

"Hard Rockin'"
Written by David Bellamy
Performed by Bellamy Brothers
Courtesy of Curb Records

User Reviews

Great Chase Scenes Highlight an Engrossing Film

I would be giving this film a 10 out of 10 if it weren't for the relative letdown of the ending which does not quite resonate the way it should have.

But this small disappointment does nothing to erase the first hour of the film which brims with great characterization, great acting and great direction.

Peter Hyams chose to pace his film with two great chase scenes which are so well directed, they should be studied by younger filmmakers who think fast cutting and CGI somehow makes action scenes exciting.

Shot with long takes and real stunts, the car chase is a model of great action directing that takes your breath away even after the tenth viewing. As for the foot chase scene, it is so well-paced (kudos to Hyams' editor Jim Mitchell) that you can still see everything in spite of the frenetic action (again a craft that is totally lost in most of today's disappointing action films) Extra tip of the hat should also go to Bruce Broughton for his inspired and powerful score.