Flatliners (1990)

Medical students bring themselves near death; their experiment begins to go awry.

Director:

Joel Schumacher

Writer:

Peter Filardi

Stars:

Kiefer Sutherland, Julia Roberts, Kevin Bacon

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kiefer Sutherland	...	Nelson
Julia Roberts	...	Dr. Rachel Mannus
Kevin Bacon	...	David Labraccio
William Baldwin	...	Dr. Joe Hurley
Oliver Platt	...	Randy Steckle
Kimberly Scott	...	Winnie Hicks
Joshua Rudoy	...	Billy Mahoney
Benjamin Mouton	...	Rachel's Father
Aeryk Egan	...	Young Nelson
Kesha Reed	...	Young Winnie
Hope Davis	...	Anne Coldren
Jim Ortlieb	...	Uncle Dave
John Duda	...	Young David (as John Joseph Duda)
Megan Stewart	...	Playground Kid
Tressa Thomas	...	Playground Kid

Storyline

Medical students begin to explore the realm of near death experiences, hoping for insights. Each has their heart stopped and is revived. They begin having flashes of walking nightmares from their childhood, reflecting sins they committed or had committed against them. The experiences continue to intensify, and they begin to be physically beaten by their visions as they try and go deeper into the death experience to find a cure.

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Plot Keywords:

death | medical student | near death experience | afterlife | childhood | 

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Taglines:

Some lines shouldn't be crossed.

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 August 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Línea mortal

Filming Locations:

Bensenville, Illinois, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$26,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$61,490,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation, Stonebridge Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) CDS (digital 35 mm prints) Dolby (analog 35 mm prints)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Val Kilmer turned down the role of Nelson Wright.

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Goofs

We see Nelson take potassium chloride from the bottle and inject it right into his arm. But the way one does it, is to draw blood from the arm into the syringe top where it mixes with the blood. Then the whole mixture is injected back into the body. A medical student would know this.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Nelson Wright: Today is a good day to die.

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Connections

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: The Best of David Spade (2005)

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Soundtracks

"PARTY TOWN"
Written and Performed by Dave Stewart
Courtesy of BMG Records (UK) Ltd.

User Reviews

A dark, original thriller

Hmmm.... Since I love Kiefer Sutherland so much, my review might be a little biased. He was, however, pretty good in Flatliners. A wonderful idea for a movie, and a great gothic-type thriller. Sutherland's guilt and fright at the return of boy he taunted terribly when he was young (I'll try not to give away the rest) seemed genuine, especially since he seems drawn more often than not to act characters that are a**holes (there was really no other way to put it). As a young medical school student, his research into life after death draws his friends into dangerous situations and a great finale. The medical school did seem a little sub-standard, though, I will admit. Kevin Bacon is great in Flatliners, as is one of my favorite sarcastic actors, Oliver Platt. William Baldwin's also a cutie and did okay, and though I'm not a Julia Roberts fan, so did she. The plot will draw you in and keep you on the edge of your seat, and there's an interesting dark atmosphere pervaded by a lot of red and blue for emotional impact. A good movie.. I'd give it at least an 8 out of 10