Chattahoochee (1989)

Director:

Mick Jackson

Writer:

James Hicks (written by)

Release Date:

20 April 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama

Tagline:

At the edge of insanity lies hope.

Plot:

An American war hero attempts suicide and ends up in Chattahoochee State Mental Hospital. But he realise...

Plot Keywords:

Suicide Attempt | Mental Institution | Attempted Suicide By Cop | Korean War Veteran | 1950s

Cast

Gary Oldman	...	Emmett Foley
Dennis Hopper	...	Walker Benson
Frances McDormand	...	Mae Foley
Pamela Reed	...	Earlene
Ned Beatty	...	Dr. Harwood
M. Emmet Walsh	...	Morris
William De Acutis	...	Missy
Lee Wilkof	...	Vernon
Matt Craven	...	Lonny
Gary Howard Klar	...	Clarence (as Gary Klar)
Timothy Scott	...	Harley
Richard Portnow	...	Dr. Debner
William Newman	...	Jonathan
Whitey Hughes	...	Mr. Johnson
Wilbur Fitzgerald	...	Duane

Runtime:

Germany:94 min (TV) | UK:97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (TVC)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Germany:18 | UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #29867)

Filming Locations:

Columbia, South Carolina, USA

Company:

Hemdale Film

Quotes:

Emmett Foley: I got one for you, Baker. There's these two goldfish, see, having this argument. And then one of them gets madder than hell. He gets so mad, he just swims away... and sits there for a long time in the corner of his goldfish bowl, sulking. And then all of a sudden, he gets this real smirky look on his face. So he sidles up to this other fish... and real smart-like, he says: 'Oh, good. If there's no God, then who changes the water?'

Great film, two thumbs up to Gary Oldman

Chattahoochee is a fine film that explores heroism as well as the trials of personal relationships in times of hardship. The acting is superb, especially Oldman's performance of Emmet Folley as the unstable Korean war Veteran who ends up in an abusive and unsanitary mental hospital. Dennis Hopper also does a fine job and special recognition to Frances McDormand who plays Emmet's wife. She isn't the most likeable character but she proves herself again to be a fine character actor. I appreciated the movies realism and there was no doubt about the horror and darkness associated with the institution which Oldman's character was fighting against. Watching the entire movie is worth it just to see the scene where Emmet barricades himself behind the bunk beds and begins rallying against the guards. I wasn't completely satisfied with the sound track but the music was used in the all the right places. A great film both for it's historical significance and for it's study of relationships--and also of course for it's well built up exciting moments.