Excessive Force (1993)

A group of Chicago cops are involved in a raid from which $3,000,000 disappears. The local mob go after them and the body count starts to rise. The new Chief of Police makes it clear to the... See full summary »

Director:

Jon Hess

Writer:

Thomas Ian Griffith

Stars:

Thomas Ian Griffith, Lance Henriksen, James Earl Jones

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Thomas Ian Griffith	...	Terry McCain
Lance Henriksen	...	Devlin
James Earl Jones	...	Jake
Tony Todd	...	Frankie Hawkins
Burt Young	...	Sal DiMarco
Antoni Corone	...	Fat Tommy
Liza Cruzat	...	Hooker
Leon Delaney	...	Hitman #1
Danny Epper	...	Hitman #2
Tony Epper	...	Delivery Man
Christopher Garbrecht	...	Red
Danny Goldring	...	Lieutenant Landry
Ian Gomez	...	Lucas
Paula Anglin	...	Yvonne
Bobby Bass	...	Limo Driver

Storyline

A group of Chicago cops are involved in a raid from which $3,000,000 disappears. The local mob go after them and the body count starts to rise. The new Chief of Police makes it clear to the last remaining officer that he will look the other way if he takes the law into his own hands. When the policeman finds he can't follow through on this someone else does and he finds himself and his girl are being hunted by more or less everyone for their own reasons.

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Plot Keywords:

police | stick fight | mafia | torture | bagpipes | 

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Taglines:

Finally the punishment fits the crime

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Genres:

Action

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence and language, and for sexuality and drug use

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 May 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

Alto Calibre

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$1,200,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

3 Arts Entertainment, Ian Page Productions, New Line Cinema

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Quotes

Terry McCain: Before they blew his head off, they smashed his knees. His knees, for Christ's sake.

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Connections

Referenced in The Cinema Snob: Crackerjack (2013)

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Soundtracks

"Just Like That"
Written by Edward H. Marshal
Performed by Bob Anderson

User Reviews

Sleazy Cast, Sleazy Film

This has all the earmarks of Hollywood excess in modern-day action/crime films: excessive violence, profanity, crooked cops, conspiracy theories, Rambo-like mentality, a sleazy hero and generally no likable characters in the whole film. That about summarizes this one.

However, when you hear that a film is a "direct to video" one, chances are it's not exactly a high- quality film. I agree with one critic who said Thomas Ian Griffith is a better actor than a writer. He does both in this film. It's basically his movie. I also think he's pretty good at being an unlikeable guy on screen. Of course, I could say the same of the sleazy characters Burt Young and Lance Henrikson usually played, too. When you see this cast, the content isn't surprising. I never thought James Earl Jones was as classy as his reputation, and him being mixed in with this group only solidifies my position regarding him.