Heat Wave (TV 1990)

Director:

Kevin Hooks

Writer:

Michael Lazarou

Stars:

Cicely Tyson, Blair Underwood, James Earl Jones

Won 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 5 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Cicely Tyson	...	Ruthana Richardson
Blair Underwood	...	Bob Richardson
James Earl Jones	...	Junius Johnson
Margaret Avery	...	Roxie Turpin
David Strathairn	...	Bill Thomas
Glenn Plummer	...	J.T. Turpin
Vondie Curtis-Hall	...	Clifford Turpin
Paris Vaughan	...	Lada
Harold Pruett	...	John Riggs
Adam Arkin	...	Art Berman
Robert Hooks	...	Reverend Brooks
Michael Greene	...	Mr. Canfield
Charlie Korsmo	...	Jason (age 12)
Sally Kirkland	...	Mrs. Canfield
T.E. Russell	...	Dominique Freeman

Storyline

---

Plot Keywords:

police brutality | los angeles california | 1960s | south central los angeles | police harassment | 

---

Genres:

Drama | History

---

Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 August 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Emeutes en Californie

Filming Locations:

Beverly Hills, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Avnet/Kerner Productions, Propaganda Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

User Reviews

Smart Story Of Watts Riots

This was an intelligent, well-done story about the Watts' riots in Los Angeles back in 1965. An intelligent cast is featured here, too, with Cicely Tyson, Blair Underwood, James Earl Jones and Sally Kirkland.

Language-wise, this is a surprisingly clean movie. Even more of a shock is to see a good Christian woman in the lead (Tyson as "Ruthana Richardson") You don't see that too often in films anymore. Blair and Underwood play likable characters as well.

This is a good movie the whole family could enjoy. However, it's not one you're likely to watch many times. It's just not that riveting, but certainly deserves more attention that it's getting here with just a handful of reviews. Worth seeing and discussing.