Boiling Point (I) (1993)

A pair of sociopath killers take on the police and the mob in order to make one last big score.

Director:

James B. Harris

Writers:

Gerald Petievich (novel), James B. Harris (screenplay)

Stars:

Wesley Snipes, Dennis Hopper, Lolita Davidovich

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Wesley Snipes	...	Jimmy Mercer
Dennis Hopper	...	Rudolph 'Red' Diamond
Lolita Davidovich	...	Vikki Dunbar
Viggo Mortensen	...	Ronnie
Seymour Cassel	...	Virgil Leach
Jonathan Banks	...	Max Waxman
Christine Elise	...	Carol
Tony Lo Bianco	...	Tony Dio
Valerie Perrine	...	Mona
James Tolkan	...	Levitt
Paul Gleason	...	Transaction Man
Lorraine Evanoff	...	Connie
Stephanie Williams	...	Sally Mercer (as Stephanie E. Williams)
Tobin Bell	...	Roth
Bobby Hosea	...	Steve

Storyline

Red is an aging scam-artist who's just been released from prison together with Ronnie, a young and not-so-bright hoodlum who is easily manipulated. Their new business is to organize fake-money sales and then kill the buyer to take his money; but when Ronnie kills an undercover secret service agent, his partner Jimmy Mercer vows revenge and is given one week to catch the killers before being transferred.

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Plot Keywords:

sociopath | police | buddy cop | t man | hotel fight | 

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Taglines:

He's a cop who reached the Boiling Point

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and language

Details

Country:

USA France

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 April 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

Money Men

Filming Locations:

1605 Vine Street, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$10,058,318 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

StudioCanal

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Max Waxman, the character played by Jonathan Banks was also present in To Live and Die in L.A. played by Christopher Allport. Both films are adaptations from Gerald Petievich's novels.

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Goofs

When the junkie girl blows up the house with built up gas from the stove, there is a flame showing lit in blue on one of the stove burners before she strikes the lighter; there would be no gas built up in the house... There would be no explosion.

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Quotes

Tony Dio: Fuck you!
[Ronnie shoots him]
Rudolph 'Red' Diamond: Fuck me?
[laughs]

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Connections

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: The Best of David Spade (2005)

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Soundtracks

"Stompin with Red"
Written and Produced by Daniel May
Performed by The Danny May Orchestra

User Reviews

"All good things come to people who wait."

Those looking for an action hit look elsewhere, because this Wesley Snipes and Dennis Hopper starring vehicle is a lyrically moody and underplayed crime drama driven by characters and circumstances. And Snipes rarely boils over. This does not make it any less, but it's the complexities and performances that really nail this one down. Watching these characters interact or pass each other by without really knowing just how connected they are, explored some interesting directions (like the personal relationships in these character's lives and the baggage that came from it) and this is where the tension arose from. Not the action, although it did probably lack the thrills. But those moments when they occur did hit hard and that possibly can be attributed to the taut, multi-facet script exploring the protagonists. But you could say it relied heavily on these ironic encounters and the plot's knotty arrangement when these character's worlds collide. But it sure does make them open up their eyes to what's going on around them.

Undercover cop Jimmy Mercer goes after the killer of his detective partner and is given a week to track down those who were responsible. Red Diamond is a conman who has just been released from prison along with his former cell-mate Ronnie Royce who planned the hit on the undercover detective. Diamond did it to pay off a $50,000 debt, but that was only part of it and he has got one week to come up with the rest of it.

"Boiling Point" was a nicely atypical surprise by writer / director James B. Harris. It's a slick-looking production with some silky camera-work and a jazzy soundtrack. There's a real humid atmosphere and the Los Angeles' locations are brought to life. The performances are all quite varied with Snipes in dogged mode, Hooper smooth talking his way around and Viggo Mortensen quietly going about his business with brutal intent. Then the extra support sees the likes of Dan Hedaya, Seymour Cassel, Jonathan Banks, Tony Lo Bianco, Lolita Davidovich and Valerie Perrine adding to the fascinating rapport. Showing up in minor parts are James Tolkan, Paul Gleason and Tobin Bell.

"Who am I to tell you how to run your business. "