Too Young to Die? (1990) (TV)

Director:

Robert Markowitz

Writers (WGA):

David Hill (story)
David Hill (teleplay) ...

Release Date:

26 February 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Crime

Tagline:

They were young, in love and wanted for murder.

Plot:

An abused 15 year old is charged with a murder that carries the death penalty in this fact-based story. |

Plot Keywords:

Death Penalty | Murder | Chains | Police Arrest | Killer Girl

Cast

Michael Tucker	...	Buddy Thornton
Juliette Lewis	...	Amanda Sue Bradley
Brad Pitt	...	Billy Canton
Alan Fudge	...	D.A. Mark Calhoun
Emily Longstreth	...	Jean Glessner
Laurie O'Brien	...	Wanda Bradley Sledge
Yvette Heyden	...	Annie Meacham
Tom Everett	...	Judge Harper
Michael O'Keefe	...	Mike Medwicki
Dean Abston	...	Harvey Sledge
J. Stephen Brady	...	Brian
Mark Davenport	...	Mickey
Lew Hopson	...	Star
Annabelle Weenick	...	Birdie Jewel
Charles C. Stevenson Jr.	...	Pastor

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Norway:15 (TV rating) | Australia:M | Germany:16 | South Korea:18 | UK:18 | USA:R | Brazil:18 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Taft, California, USA

Company:

Frank & Bob Films II

Goofs:

Factual errors: The movie is set in Oklahoma. Several references are made to execution in the gas chamber. Oklahoma has never used the gas chamber for executions. Electrocution was used from statehood (the first in 1915) until 1966, using an electric chair, "Old Sparky". Since 1977, the prescribed method is lethal injection.

Quotes:

Amanda Sue Bradley: [after a flashback reveals that Amanda did kill Mike] I was on so many drugs and there was so much stuff going on. What I can figure out is - is that I loved Mike. I really loved him.

Soundtrack:

PERFECT WORLD

With just 45 minutes watched, this one sticks!

I was surprised by this movie. I only saw the last 45 minutes of it, but it really grabbed me. Not only because of the very disturbing story, but also because of the, at some stages, incredible acting by Juliette Lewis.

Amanda and Billy/Juliette and Brad in this movie must have been the model for the trailer park couple in "Kalifornia". I found Kalifornia much less disturbing despite the in-your-face violence displayed by Brad's character there. I guess this is because "Too young to die?" was produced before the era of quick camera action. The slow pace of the film reminded me of "Badlands", with the same emptiness and destructive path, except that in "Too young to die" there's absolutely no romance involved. In a merciless way, it is outlining the destructive path that Amanda is on, with no one to help.

This is one of those films that stick, even with 45 minutes captured of it. And that's what movie experience is about.

Nice to see both Brad and Juliette at an early stage of their careers, clearly lying the foundation for their later roles (Brad as cowboy with Gena Davis in ..., Juliette with De Niro in Cape Fear and with Woody in Natural Born Killers).