Kalifornia (1993)

A journalist duo go on a tour of serial killer murder sites with two companions, unaware that one of them is a serial killer himself.

Director:

Dominic Sena

Writers:

Stephen Levy (story), Tim Metcalfe (story),

Stars:

Brad Pitt, Kathy Larson, David Milford

3 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Brad Pitt	...	Early Grayce
Kathy Larson	...	Teenage Girl (as Catherine Larson)
David Milford	...	Driver
David Duchovny	...	Brian Kessler
John Zarchen	...	Peter
David Rose	...	Eric
Michelle Forbes	...	Carrie Laughlin
Tommy Chappelle	...	Old Man
Juliette Lewis	...	Adele Corners
Judson Vaughn	...	Parole Officer
James Michael McDougal	...	John Diebold (as J. Michael McDougal)
Patricia Sill	...	Carol
Brett Rice	...	Police Officer
Marisa Raper	...	Little Girl
Bill Crabb	...	Middle Aged Farmer (as Bill Crabbe)

Storyline

Brian Kessler, a journalist researching serial killers, and his photographer girlfriend Carrie set out on a cross-country tour of the sites of the killings. Sharing the ride and their expenses are Early Grayce, a paroled white trash criminal, and his girlfriend Adele. As the trip progresses, Early begins to appear more and more unstable, and Brian and Carrie begin to fear that they may have a real-life killer in the back seat of their car.

---

Plot Keywords:

killer | serial killer | journalist | cross country | murder | 

---

Taglines:

A state of fear and terror

---

Genres:

Crime | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence, and for sexuality and language

Details

Official Sites:

MGM

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 September 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

Kalifornia - A halál nem utazik egyedül

Filming Locations:

87520 US Highway 66, Amboy, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$9,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$2,395,231 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

PolyGram Filmed Entertainment, Viacom Productions, Propaganda Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min 118 min (unrated)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Early in the movie, when Carrie (Michelle Forbes) and Brian (David Duchovny) first see Early Grayce (Brad Pitt) and Adele Corners (Juliette Lewis), Carrie is heard complaining to Brian, "They look like a couple Okies." Brad Pitt was born in Oklahoma and grew up in Springfield, Missouri, which is located in an area of America referred to by its mountain range, the Ozarks. Rural, unsophisticated people from the Ozarks are often referred to as "Okies" rather than "hillbillies".

---

Goofs

When Brian and Carrie are loading their luggage into the car to begin the trip (before they pick up Adele and Early), David Duchovny (Brian) accidentally rips the fabric on the suitcase. He stops and looks back at it, then continues with the dialogue.

---

Quotes

Parole Officer: [Early tells his parole officer of his desire to pack up and move] What are you talking about? You know you can't leave the state.
Early Grayce: Just a thought.
Parole Officer: What you CAN do is get a job. Be at this address at 3 o'clock.
Early Grayce: What for?
Parole Officer: [snickering] Janitor's job.
Early Grayce: [sighs, disgusted] Well, I don't wanna be no janitor.
Parole Officer: [turns to Early and shoves his artificial arm into the bottom of his beer bottle, knocking it back against his teeth] I don't give two shits what YOU want. All I'm saying is you better be there or ...
[...]

---

Connections

Referenced in Crossroads (2002)

---

Soundtracks

"Unfulfilled"
Written and Performed by Quicksand
Courtesy of Polydor Records
By Arrangement with PolyGram Special Markets

User Reviews

Kalifornia - Dark diamonds in the rough

Kalifornia came out in 1993, just as 3 of the 4 lead characters were up and coming to the levels of fame they now possess in 2006. This is a nice psycho-thriller that should appeal to all David Duchovny fans because of his dry and intelligent narratives that find their ways into his work, like with most of his episodes of the X-Files, Playing God, and Red Shoe Diaries.

People who were put off by the heavy southern accent from Brad Pitt and Juliette Lewis' characters obviously have never spent much time in the south. For every "Brian and Carrie" in the south, there is an "Adele and Early" and in 2006, that's the real horror of this flick.

Aside from that, I think the film was written with a cult film intention - like with Carrie's photography, it's not suitable for mass consumption. But if you have a copy of this in your personal library, I think it says something positive about your tastes for freaky movies.