Dogfight (1991)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Nancy Savoca

Writer (WGA):

Bob Comfort (written by)

Release Date:

October 1991 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Plot:

1963, the night before the 18 years old "Birdlace" Eddie and his friends are shipped to Vietnam. They...

Plot Keywords:

Sergeant | San Francisco California | Tattooing | Contest | Love

Cast

River Phoenix	...	Eddie Birdlace
Lili Taylor	...	Rose
Richard Panebianco	...	Berzin
Anthony Clark	...	Oakie
Mitchell Whitfield	...	Benjamin
Holly Near	...	Rose Sr.
Elizabeth Daily	...	Marcie (as E.G. Daily)
Sue Morales	...	Ruth Two Bears
Christina Mastin	...	Linda
Christopher Shaw	...	Donavin
John Lacy	...	Fector
Chris San Nicholas	...	Dogfight Buddy
Brian Gotta	...	Dogfight Marine
Peg Phillips	...	Older Cafe Customer
Neal Allen	...	Sgt. Judge

Runtime:

89 min | 94 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Finland:S | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Germany:12 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

San Francisco, California, USA

Trivia:

To prepare to play the Four B's, a close group of marines, River Phoenix (Birdlace), Richard Panebianco (Berzin), Mitchell Whitfield (Benjamin), and Anthony Clark (Oakie) were sent for a week of simulated boot camp, run by retired U.S. Marine Corps Captain Dale Dye.

Goofs:

Continuity: Right after Birdlace sticks the note to Rose's window, he loses his balance and falls, however in the next shot, as he is jumping over the fence to avoid Rose's attack dog, the window is empty and the note is no where to be seen.

Quotes:

Oakie: what did the ghost say to the bee? Boobee.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in A Night in the Life of Vinyl Eddie (2007) (V)

Soundtrack:

TURKEY TROT

always a favorite

I've seen it a million times, and it will always be one of my favorites. But what always struck me about this film is the silence - it opens very quietly, with no music and only muffled voices of the passengers on a bus. Our first views of the main character Eddie are of him sitting alone on a bus and at a truck stop. It is a perfect way to introduce a character that changes so much from beginning to end. In fact, the film starts at the end, and we are allowed to see the past when Eddie reminisces all that happened to him before he left for Okinawa. The movie has a quiet subtle way about it all the way through. There are tender, heartbreaking moments, but also moments that will have you laugh hysterically. Among the many issues the film addresses are honesty, friendship, forgiveness, war, and love. Someone said this is not a very romantic film, and I agree. It is not romantic in the way that most romances are. It is a decidely un-Hollywood approach to love, which is what makes it so memorable. The first kisses are not beautiful and elegant. They are awkward and uncertain in the most realistic way. They are not backed by melodramatic music, but rather the music that those characters would have really heard in their own ears. The poetry of it is that it ends the same way it began - in the quietest way possible, showing that for the two characters words are not needed.