Kalifornia (1993)

Director:

Dominic Sena

Writers (WGA):

Stephen Levy (story) &
Tim Metcalfe (story) ...

Release Date:

3 September 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

A state of fear and terror

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Physical Abuse | Bare Butt | Disturbing | Male Rear Nudity | Helicopter

Awards:

3 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Brad Pitt	...	Early Grayce
Juliette Lewis	...	Adele Corners
David Duchovny	...	Brian Kessler
Michelle Forbes	...	Carrie Laughlin
Kathy Larson	...	Teenage Girl (as Catherine Larson)
David Milford	...	Driver
John Zarchen	...	Peter
David Rose	...	Eric
Tommy Chappelle	...	Old Man
Judson Vaughn	...	Parole Officer
Patricia Sill	...	Carol
Brett Rice	...	Police Officer
Marisa Raper	...	Little Girl
Bill Crabb	...	Middle Aged Farmer
Mary Ann Hagan	...	Waitress

Runtime:

117 min | USA:118 min (unrated version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (DeLuxe)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:R (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Iceland:16 | Singapore:M18 | Australia:MA | Finland:K-18 | France:-12 | Germany:18 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:18 (video premiere) | South Korea:18 (cut) | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:NC-17 (original rating) | USA:R | Argentina:16

Filming Locations:

Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, California, USA

Company:

PolyGram Filmed Entertainment

Trivia:

During the movie, Early Grace sports a chipped tooth. Brad Pitt chipped his tooth opening a bottle of Mountain Dew prior to shooting, and decided it would be a perfect addition to Grace's appearance.

Goofs:

Continuity: Early Grayce seems to be driving two different Pontiac Grand Prix in the opening scenes; the headlights differ.

Quotes:

Brian Kessler: I'd always wanted to be a writer, but there's a big difference between writing a magazine article and writing a book. I know I wrote a magazine article. Everything I ever wanted to know about serial killers fit nicely on those four pages. The article got me a book deal with a little cash up front...

Movie Connections:

Featured in Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003)

a dark and disturbing psychological thriller.

it's amazing that so many people that i know haven't seen this little gem. everybody i have turned on to it have come back with the same reaction: WHAT A GREAT MOVIE!!

i've never much cared for Brad Pitt (though his turns in 12 monkeys and Fight Club show improvement) but his performance in this film as a psycho is unnerving, dark and right on target.

everyone else in the film gives excellent performances and the movie's slow and deliberate pacing greatly enhance the proceedings. the sense of dread for the characters keeps increasing as they come to realize what has been really happening.

the only thing that keeps this from a 10 in my book, is that compared to what came before it, the ending is a bit too long and overblown. but that's the only flaw i could find in this cult classic.

if you check this film out, try to get the letterboxed unrated director's cut for the best viewing option.

rating:9