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Johnny Handsome (1989)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
29 September 1989 (USA) moreTagline:
Revenge has a new face morePlot:
Johnny Handsome is a deformed gangster who plans a successful robbery with a friend of his, Mikey Chalmette... more | full synopsisNewsDesk:
(9 articles)
Movie News Wrap Up: February 8th, 2009 (From Screen Rant. 9 February 2009, 1:33 PM, PST)
Mickey Rourke Heads For St. Vincent
(From EmpireOnline. 9 February 2009, 12:18 AM, PST)
User Comments:
"Pretty Hard To Believe, Ain't It" moreCast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Mickey Rourke | ... | John Sedley a.ka. Johnny Handsome / Johnny Mitchell | |
| Ellen Barkin | ... | Sunny Boyd | |
| Elizabeth McGovern | ... | Donna McCarty | |
| Morgan Freeman | ... | Lt. A.Z. Drones | |
| Forest Whitaker | ... | Dr. Steven Fisher | |
| Lance Henriksen | ... | Rafe Garrett | |
| Scott Wilson | ... | Mikey Chalmette | |
| David Schramm | ... | Vic Dumask | |
| Yvonne Bryceland | ... | Sister Luke | |
| Peter Jason | ... | Mr. Bonet | |
| J.W. Smith | ... | Larry | |
| Jeffrey Meek | ... | Earl (as Jeff Meek) | |
| Allan Graf | ... | Bob Lemoyne | |
| Ed Zang | ... | Prestige Manager | |
| John P. Fertitta | ... | Prestige Salesman (as John Fertitta) |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parentsRuntime:
94 minCountry:
USALanguage:
EnglishColor:
Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 moreSound Mix:
DolbyCertification:
Iceland:16 | South Korea:15 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:16 | Australia:M | Singapore:NC-16Fun Stuff
Trivia:
The birth date used for Mickey Rourke's character, as seen on the monitor in the hopsital operating room, is Mickey Rourke's actual birthday moreGoofs:
Revealing mistakes: During the graveyard scene, Larry "pumps" the action on a double barreled shotgun. moreFAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more
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It is rare that a movie with a premise as far-fetched as Johnny Handsome could wind up being so memorable. It helps when a top notch action director is assisted by an outstanding ensemble cast firing on all cylinders to make this story believable.
Johnny Handsome hit theaters in the fall of '89. It bombed, largely due to a weak promotional campaign by Tri-Star pictures. 19 years later, it is still unavailable on DVD. The excellent cast includes Ellen Barkin, Scott Wilson, and future Oscar winners Morgan Freeman and Forrest Whittaker. However, it is Mickey Rourke in the title role and Lance Henriksen as his arch-nemesis who truly hit grand slams with their performances. The heartbreaking original score by Ry Cooder and the rich atmosphere of the New Orleans setting also elevate this material considerably. This is not your typical revenge action picture.
The movie can best be described as a gritty, noir-ish crime drama with a sci-fi twist that maintains plausibility instead of drifting off into comedic territory as with 1997's Face/Off. The film moves at a brisk pace, which is fine, but this fact ultimately winds up being the only flaw with Johnny Handsome. One almost gets the impression more was filmed but the studio demanded a 90 minute cut. A Special Edition director's cut DVD is warranted. A longer run time allowing for more scenes to flesh out the characters portrayed by the great supporting cast would have made this already outstanding film a true classic.
It would really be nice to see Walter Hill direct another action film one of these days. Him and Peckinpah were the real deals. Other filmmakers (such as John Woo) strive to match the perfection of these two, but have yet to achieve it.