Kalifornia (1993)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

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:

Serial Killer | White Trash | Murder | Rape | Neo Noir

Awards:

3 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

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)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence, and for sexuality and language.

Runtime:

117 min | USA:118 min (unrated version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Singapore:M18 | Canada:R (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | New Zealand:R18 | 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:

The locations where the serial killer events take place are related to the names of the actors in the movie. Lewiston Ranch, Mt. Juliet, TX (Juliette Lewis); Forbes, TN (Michelle Forbes; Davidson Mine, Dew Cove, NV (David Duchovny); Bradbury Textile Warehouse in Pittsburgh, PA (Brad Pitt).

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): 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:

[at abandoned place eating Chinese food for breakfast]
Early Grayce: [to Adele] Mama... sing us a song.
Adele Corners: Ahm...
[singing]
Adele Corners: I... wish... Carrie was happy.
[smiles and looks at Carrie]
Carrie Laughlin: [puts her face on her hand even more miserable than before Adele started singing]
Adele Corners: [still smiling continues to sing as the camera shows the outside of the place] I... wish... she would smile.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003)

Soundtrack:

(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66

Haunting

"Kalifornia" is one of my all-time favourite movies, and it easily could be labeled as one of the best psychological thrillers of the 90`s. The film has a very stylish surface to it, but behind that are a lot of disturbing and honest depictions of homicidal maniacs and the terrifyng violence they inflict upon others. One of the film`s strongest aspects is it`s performances, Brad Pitt is startlingly great as a trailer-trash psycho named Early. Pitt potrays his frightening character almost flawlessly. Juliette Lewis is equally as good playing his naive girlfriend, her innocence is almost heart-breaking. "Kalifornia" has a very simple plot to it, that goes steadily and slowly forward for about an hour, but it suddenly plunges into a harrowing spree of murder, as Pitt unleashes his psychotic personality. There are alot of shocking scenes, and it all mounts to a power-house climax that will haunt you for days. "Kalifonia" is a film that should really be watched for it`s intense look at how monstrous a human being can be, and not only for it`s violence and gore.