The Rookie (1990)

Director:

Clint Eastwood

Writers (WGA):

Boaz Yakin (written by) &
Scott Spiegel (written by)

Release Date:

7 December 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Plot:

Clint Eastwood plays a veteran cop who gets stuck with a rookie cop (Charlie Sheen) to chase down a German criminal (Raul Julia.)

Plot Keywords:

Auto Theft | Veteran Cop | Rescue | Police | Chase

Cast

Clint Eastwood	...	Nick Pulovski
Charlie Sheen	...	David Ackerman
Raul Julia	...	Strom
Sonia Braga	...	Liesl
Tom Skerritt	...	Eugene Ackerman
Lara Flynn Boyle	...	Sarah
Pepe Serna	...	Lt. Raymond Garcia
Marco Rodríguez	...	Loco Martinez
Pete Randall	...	Cruz
Donna Mitchell	...	Laura Ackerman
Xander Berkeley	...	Ken Blackwell
Tony Plana	...	Morales
David Sherrill	...	Max
Hal Williams	...	Powell
Lloyd Nelson	...	Freeway Motorist
Pat DuVal	...	Interrogator #1
Mara Corday	...	Interrogator #2
Jerry Schumacher	...	Interrogator #3
Matt McKenzie	...	Wang
Joel Polis	...	Lance
Rodger LaRue	...	Maitre'D
Robert Dubac	...	Waiter
Anthony Charnota	...	Romano
Jordan Lund	...	Bartender
Paul Ben-Victor	...	Little Felix
Jeanne Mori	...	Connie Ling
Anthony Alexander	...	Alphonse
Paul Butler	...	Captain Hargate
Seth Allen	...	David as a Child
Coleby Lombardo	...	David's Brother
Roberta Vasquez	...	Heather Torres
Joe Farago	...	Anchorman
Robert Harvey	...	Whalen
Nick Ballo	...	Vito
Jay Boryea	...	Sal
Marylou Kenworthy	...	Receptionist
George Orrison	...	Detective Orrison
James W. Gavin	...	Aerial Coordinator / Pilot
Thomas H. Friedkin	...	Pilot (as Thomas Friedkin)
Craig Hosking	...	Pilot
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Doreen Foo Croft	...	(uncredited)
Nick Fenske	...	Bell Boy (uncredited)
Caron Strong	...	Mechanic (uncredited)

Directed by
Clint Eastwood

Writing credits (WGA)
Boaz Yakin		(written by) &
Scott Spiegel		(written by)

Produced by
Howard G. Kazanjian	....	producer
Steven Siebert	....	producer
David Valdes	....	producer

Original Music by
Lennie Niehaus

Cinematography by
Jack N. Green		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Joel Cox

Casting by
Phyllis Huffman

Production Design by
Judy Cammer

Art Direction by
Ed Verreaux

Set Decoration by
Daniel Loren May

Makeup Department
Susan Germaine	....	hair stylist
Ralph Gulko	....	makeup artist
Michael Hancock	....	makeup artist

Production Management
David Valdes	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Matt Earl Beesley	....	first assistant director
Frank Capra III	....	key second assistant director
D. Scott Easton	....	first assistant director: second unit
George Fortmuller	....	second assistant director: second unit
Buddy Van Horn	....	second unit director
Jeffrey Wetzel	....	second second assistant director

Art Department
Edward Aiona	....	property master
John Berger	....	set designer
Randy Bostic	....	swing gang
Tom Cranham	....	illustrator
Edward Espinosa	....	swing gang
Walt Hadfield	....	construction coordinator (as Walton D. Hadfield)
Casey Hallenbeck	....	lead man
Rich Hobaica	....	assistant property master
Kelly Hudson	....	stand-by painter
Steven Curtis Husch	....	swing gang (as Steven Husch)
Dawn Snyder	....	set designer
Barbara Anne Bock	....	art crew (uncredited)

Sound Department
Bub Asman	....	sound editor
Virginia Cook-McGowan	....	sound editor
Michael Evje	....	sound mixer
Les Fresholtz	....	sound re-recording mixer
Robert G. Henderson	....	supervising sound editor
David L. Horton Jr.	....	foley editor
David M. Horton	....	sound editor (as David M. Horton Sr.)
Michael Jiron	....	re-recording mixer
Brent Johnson	....	cable person
Donald F. Johnson	....	sound mixer
Godfrey Marks	....	adr editor
Darrin Martin	....	assistant sound editor
Alan Robert Murray	....	supervising sound editor
Jayme S. Parker	....	sound editor (as Jayme Parker)
Vern Poore	....	sound re-recording mixer
James Simcik	....	adr editor
Mychal Smith	....	boom operator
Brooke Henderson Ward	....	assistant sound editor
Rosemarie Wheeler	....	assistant sound editor
Marshall Winn	....	sound editor
Butch Wolf	....	foley editor
John Roesch	....	foley artist (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Jan Aaris	....	special effects
Wayne Edgar	....	special effects
John Frazier	....	special effects supervisor
Rocky Gehr	....	special effects foreman
Richard L. Hill	....	special effects (as Rick Hill)
Bruce Y. Kuroyama	....	special effects
Patrick Lee	....	special effects
Richard Lopez	....	special effects
Gary Monak	....	special effects
Robert Phillips	....	special effects
Steve Riley	....	special effects
Paul Ryan	....	special effects
Harold Selig	....	special effects
A.J. Thrasher	....	special effects
Frank Toro	....	special effects

Stunts
John Alden	....	stunts
Bobby Aldridge	....	stunts
Robert Apisa	....	stunts
John Ashby	....	stunts
Perry Barndt	....	stunts
Gary Baxley	....	stunts
Sandy Berumen	....	stunts
Simone Boisseree	....	stunts
Brad Bovee	....	stunts
Eddie Braun	....	stunts
Kathy Brock	....	stunts
Troy Brown	....	stunts
Brian Burrows	....	stunts
Phil Chong	....	stunts
Carl Ciarfalio	....	stunts
Roydon Clark	....	stunts
Chuck Courtney	....	stunts
Charles Croughwell	....	stunts
Phil Culotta	....	stunts
David D. Darling	....	stunts
Jani D. Davis	....	stunts
Deborah A. Discoe	....	stunts
Richard L. Duran	....	stunts
Kenny Endoso	....	stunts
Jeannie Epper	....	stunts
Kurtis Epper	....	stunts
Stephanie Epper	....	stunts
Donna Evans	....	stunts
Frank Ferrara	....	stunts
Cindy Folkerson	....	stunts
Steve Geray	....	stunts
Andree Gibbs	....	stunts
Al Goto	....	stunts
William Shane Grisco	....	stunts
Orwin C. Harvey	....	stunts
Eddie Hice	....	stunts
Rick Hill	....	stunts
Larry Holt	....	stunts
Jeff Imada	....	stunts
Steven Ito	....	stunts
Terry Jackson	....	stunt double: Clint Eastwood
Dean Jeffries	....	stunts
Gary Jensen	....	stunts
Wayne King	....	stunts
Walt La Rue	....	stunts
William T. Lane	....	stunts
Terry Leonard	....	stunt coordinator
Will Leong	....	stunts
Clay M. Lilley	....	stunts
Carey Loftin	....	stunts
Cotton Mather	....	stunts
Michael Maurer	....	stunts
Matt McColm	....	stunts
Mike H. McGaughy	....	stunts
Cole S. McKay	....	stunts
John Meier	....	stunts
Tom Morga	....	stunts
Cherée L. Nelson	....	stunts
Larry Nicholas	....	stunts
Donna L. Noguchi	....	stunts
Jimmy Ortega	....	stunts
Debi Parker	....	stunts
David Perna	....	stunts
Denney Pierce	....	stunts
Jeff Ramsey	....	stunts
Mario Roberts	....	stunts
J.P. Romano	....	stunts
Ronnie Rondell Jr.	....	stunts
Thomas Rosales Jr.	....	stunts
Kerry Rossall	....	stunts
David Rowden	....	stunts
Bill M. Ryusaki	....	stunts
George A. Sack Jr.	....	stunts
Ben Scott	....	stunts
John-Clay Scott	....	stunts
Alex Sharp	....	stunts
Spike Silver	....	stunts
Al Simon	....	stunts
Russell Solberg	....	stunts
Jann Steele	....	stunts
Joe Stone	....	stunts
R.L. Tolbert	....	stunts
Buddy Van Horn	....	stunts
Mike Watson	....	stunts
Jim Wilkey	....	stunts
Jerry Wills	....	stunts
Danny Wong	....	stunts
Bill Young	....	precision driving coordinator
Bill Young	....	stunts
Mark Le Mon	....	precision driver (uncredited)
Gary Rodriguez	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Vincent Baldino	....	camera operator: "b" camera (as Vince Baldino)
Keith Banks	....	second assistant camera: second unit
Josh Bleibtreu	....	first assistant camera: second unit
Don Burgess	....	director of photography: second unit
Michael A. Chavez	....	first assistant camera: second unit (as Michael Chavez)
Murray Close	....	still photographer
Michael Ferris	....	camera operator: second unit
Kelly Green	....	second assistant camera
Bobby Huber	....	key grip: second unit (as Bob Huber)
Jack E. McLean Jr.	....	assistant chief lighting technician: second unit (as Jack McLean)
John Murphy	....	best boy: second unit
Víctor Pérez	....	assistant chief lighting technician
Tony Rivetti	....	first assistant camera: "b" camera (as Anthony J. Rivetti)
Rod Robertson	....	lighting technician
Andy Ryan	....	chief lighting technician: second unit
Mike Schwake	....	dolly grip
Sidney Sidell	....	first assistant camera: "b" camera (as Jerry Sidell)
Bruce D. Spellman	....	second company grip (as Bruce Spellman)
Scott Sproule	....	second assistant camera: second unit
Stephen St. John	....	camera operator: "a" camera
Tom Stern	....	chief lighting technician
Bill Young	....	key grip (as William C. Young)
Jack Anderson	....	additional camera operator (uncredited)
Peter N. Green	....	camera department trainee (uncredited)
Ron Kunecke	....	musco light operator (uncredited)

Casting Department
Judith Bouley	....	casting: San Jose atmosphere
Nadene Katz	....	casting assistant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Deborah Hopper	....	costume supervisor: women
Robert Stewart	....	costumer: men
Pat Trbovich	....	costumer: women (as Patricia Ann Trbovich)
Glenn Wright	....	costume supervisor: men

Editorial Department
Donah Bassett	....	negative cutter
Michael Cipriano	....	assistant film editor

Music Department
Robert Fernandez	....	score mixer
Donald Harris	....	music editor

Transportation Department
Keith Dillin	....	transportation coordinator
Ray Holmgren	....	transportation co-captain
Randy Luna	....	transportation captain
Robert Suer	....	picture car coordinator: second unit (as Rob Suer)
Jacek Wysocki	....	transportation captain: second unit
Nicholas Rich	....	auto transport driver (uncredited)

Other crew
Marco Barla	....	unit publicist
Laura Brown	....	assistant location manager
Marguerite P. Condon	....	production office assistant
Thomas H. Friedkin	....	pilot
James W. Gavin	....	aerial coordinator
James W. Gavin	....	pilot
Craig Hosking	....	pilot
David R. Lawson	....	first aid
Antoinette Levine	....	location manager
Michael Maurer	....	production accountant
Cheryl Meier	....	assistant location manager
Lloyd Nelson	....	script supervisor
Ray Quiroz	....	script supervisor: second unit
Willie Radcliff	....	craft service
Melissa Rooker	....	assistant: Mr. Eastwood
Tom Rooker	....	assistant: Mr. Eastwood
Karen Shaw	....	production secretary
Jackson Sousa	....	trainer: Mr. Sheen and Mrs. Braga
Thais Zoe	....	production secretary: second unit
James Marlowe	....	communications coordinator (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Warner Bros (as Warner Bros.) (presents)
• Malpaso Productions (as Malpaso)
• Kazanjian/Siebert Productions
• Lighthouse Entertainment (producer)

Distributors

• Warner Bros (1990) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (1991) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (1991) (France) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (1991) (UK) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (1991) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (1991) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Warner Home Video (1991) (Germany) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (1991) (USA) (VHS) (pan and scan)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1994) (USA) (TV)
• Warner Home Video (2000) (USA) (VHS)
• Sandrews (2003) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2010) (Sweden) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Warner Home Video (2010) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Warner Home Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)

Other Companies

• BT Industrial Supply  expendables
• Bill Young's Precision Driving Team  stunt precision driving
• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  camera cranes
• Medics at the Movies  ambulance support
• On Tour Productions  transport/trucks

Also Known As:

Runtime:

120 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

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

Certification:

Australia:M | Finland:K-18 | Germany:18 | Norway:18 | South Korea:15 (DVD) (2003) | Sweden:15 (cut) | UK:18 | USA:R | Germany:BPjM Restricted | Spain:18 | Iceland:16 | Singapore:PG (cut) | Canada:PG | West Germany:16 (re-rated) (video) | Singapore:NC-16 (edited version) | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:M18 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:R16

Filming Locations:

Highland Park, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros

Trivia:

Actress Sonia Braga is from Puerto Rico and actor Raul Julia was from Puerto Rico and both played Germans in the movie, something that appeared quite peculiar to a number of critics and viewers.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Nick's Harley is identified as a 1948 FL. It is actually a 1987-89 FLSTC Heritage Softtail Classic, which bears little resemblance to a '48 Panhead FL.

Quotes:

Loco:Just for that, I'm gonna make it hurt, puta!
[while attacking Sarah, who scratched him in the face]

Movie Connections:

References Blazing Saddles (1974)

Soundtrack:

Red Zone

Forgettable action fodder

Typical of the late 80's/early 90's brand of action/comedies where the audience was never entirely sure whether they were viewing a comedy or an action-thriller, such was the mix of ubiquitous car chases and smarmy one-liners, interposed by sadistic violence. Eastwood directs himself as a hard-nosed detective with little time for organised crime, teaming up with rich kid turned cop (Sheen) whose high society parents (Skerritt & Mitchell) have to bear the ignominy of his career choice which leaves them estranged. Eastwood to some degree fills the absent father-figure role in spite of his tough exterior and initial dislike of Sheen and his well-to-do pedigree.

Sharing a mutual love of vintage motorcycles, the pair form an unlikely (and at times reluctant) alliance as they combine to take down a notorious South American drug lord (Julia). Brazilian beauty Sonia Braga has a decent supporting role as Julia's most trusted enforcer, tackling well beyond her weight.

It's formula stuff with no surprises, a sort of "Lethal Weapon" / "Dirty Harry" hybrid and a disappointing directorial effort by Eastwood, especially considering the substance of his other film projects made around the same time.