Striking Distance (1993)

Coming from a police family, Tom Hardy ends up fighting his uncle after the murder of his father. Tom believes the killer is another cop, and goes on the record with his allegations. Demoted then to river duty, the killer taunts Tom.

Director:

Rowdy Herrington

Writers:

Rowdy Herrington, Marty Kaplan

Stars:

Bruce Willis, Sarah Jessica Parker, Dennis Farina

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bruce Willis	...	Det. Tom Hardy
Sarah Jessica Parker	...	Jo Christman
Dennis Farina	...	Capt. Nick Detillo
Tom Sizemore	...	Det. Danny Detillo
Brion James	...	Det. Eddie Eiler
Robert Pastorelli	...	Det. Jimmy Detillo
Timothy Busfield	...	Tony Sacco
John Mahoney	...	Lt. Vince Hardy
Andre Braugher	...	Dist. Atty. Frank Morris
Tom Atkins	...	Sgt. Fred Hardy
Mike Hodge	...	Capt. Penderman, River Rescue Commandant
Jodi Long	...	Officer Kim Lee, River Rescue Dispatcher
Roscoe Orman	...	Sid, Eddie Eiler's Partner
Robert Gould	...	Douglas Kesser
Gareth Williams	...	Chick Chicanis

Storyline

A serial killer is back in Pittsburgh to torment the former homicide detective who was on his trail years before. Tom Hardy, who has been relegated to water-way duty, along with new partner Jo Christman, navigate the three rivers looking for clues and discovering bodies. This time the victims are women Tom knows, he must find the killer to prove his innocence.

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Plot Keywords:

river | serial killer | police | chase | river rescue | 

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Taglines:

Loyalty above all else, except honour.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, strong language and a sex scene

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 September 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

Three Rivers

Filming Locations:

Hall of Justice - 211 W. Temple Street, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

£1,652,124 (UK) (20 May 1994)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Extensive reshooting took place after principal photography was completed due to a negative test screening. All the love/intimate scenes between Hardy and Jo were reshot to make things sexier. Several dialogue scenes, like the scene in the bar between Willis and Sizemore, pictured on the IMDB page, were also cut to make the film quicker paced. The change in tone of the film also made Columbia change the title from "Three Rivers" to "Striking Distance", as it now focused more on the action/thriller elements.

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Goofs

On the bridge after Jimmy was jumping, Tom's "walking help" was placed on the floor. In the next shot he was using it.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Newscaster: The search for the Polish Hill Strangler continues in the wake of the discovery of yet a fourth victim early this morning.

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Connections

References The Simpsons (1989)

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Soundtracks

"SPIDER'S BLUES (MIGHT NEED IT SOMETIME)"
Written by Paul Barrere, Fred Tackett and Bill Payne
Performed by Little Feat
Courtesy of Morgan Creek Music Group

User Reviews

Not Your Ordinary Action Film, Very Underrated

More than any film I can remember in a long time, I have never understood why this film hasn't gotten higher ratings than it has. The plot, while not ingenious (and even somewhat predictable) is still exciting and will keep you engrossed.

The film's creators get a lot of points in my book for locale creativity. Instead of setting the film in some predictable location such as New York, Los Angeles, Miami or San Francisco they set it in Pittsburgh, PA, definitely not your ordinary movie location. It's one that adds a wonderful freshness to the movie however.

The location shooting is outstanding. The scenery is different and excellent, the photography is great, even spectacular in places and the action is on a par with some of the best action films ever, including Bullitt. Who would normally think to expect extensive boating and water action in a state as synonymous with mountains as Pennsylvania is? That alone is worth taking a look at this movie.

I do not usually care much for Bruce Willis. I thought he was very well cast in this movie however and Sara Jessica Parker added extra special chemistry. The cast is much better than average overall and includes such outstanding actors as Andre Braugher, of the outstanding tv series "Homicide". I thought that the casting in general, as well as the photography, location and action very adequately made up for any possible deficiencies in the plot itself.

I would warn that there is extensive foul language in this film, more than is necessary even for a film of this genre in my opinion and probably it's biggest drawback. I would still say that the film is well worth watching when your in the mood for some escapist fun and action fare. As I said earlier, I think the film deserves higher ratings than it's gotten so far. I've watched it twice now (it was just as good the second time, in fact even better) and that definitely won't be the last time I watch it.