The Crossing Guard (1995)

Director:

Sean Penn

Writer (WGA):

Sean Penn (written by)

Release Date:

16 November 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Some lives cross, others collide.

Plot:

Freddie Gale is a seedy jeweler who has sworn to kill the drunk driver who killed his little girl.

Plot Keywords:

Girl | Hit And Run | Jeweler | Obsession | Prison

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 3 nominations

Cast

Jack Nicholson	...	Freddy Gale
David Morse	...	John Booth
Anjelica Huston	...	Mary
Robin Wright	...	Jojo
Piper Laurie	...	Helen Booth
Richard Bradford	...	Stuart Booth
Priscilla Barnes	...	Verna
David Baerwald	...	Peter
Robbie Robertson	...	Roger
John Savage	...	Bobby
Kari Wuhrer	...	Mia
Jennifer Leigh Warren	...	Jennifer
Kellita Smith	...	Tanya
Richard C. Sarafian	...	Sunny Ventura (as Richard Sarafian)
Bobby Cooper	...	Coop
Jeff Morris	...	Silas
Buddy Anderson	...	Buddy
Edward L. Katz	...	Eddie (as Dr. Edward L. Katz)
Joe Viterelli	...	Joe
Eileen Ryan	...	Woman in Shop
Ryo Ishibashi	...	Jefferey (as Ryo Ishabashi)
Dennis Fanning	...	Cop
Lisa Crawford	...	Cop
Jay Koiwai	...	Asian Man
Elizabeth Gilliam	...	Little Asian Girl
Michael Ryan	...	Twin Boy #1
Matthew Ryan	...	Twin Boy #2
Penelope Allen	...	Woman on Bus (as Penny Allen)
Nicky Blair	...	Himself
Gene Kirkwood	...	Swinger
Jason Kristofer	...	Bus Passenger
Randy Meadoff	...	Bus Passenger
Leo Penn	...	Hank
Michael Abelar	...	Bum
Daysi Moreno	...	Freddy's Chicana
Christel Ehde	...	Dancer
Kamala Petty	...	Dancer
Millicent Sheridan	...	Dancer
Joi Travers	...	Dancer
Erin Dignam	...	Peter's Guest #1
Jeremiah Birkett	...	Jefferey's Boyfriend (as Jeremiah Wayne Birkett)
Hadda Brooks	...	Piano Player
Ruby McKoy	...	Deputy Sheriff
Hanna Newmaster	...	Little Girl
William Dignam	...	The Crossing Guard (as Dr. William Dignam)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
James Mathers	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
Martha Thimmesch	...	Peter's Friend (uncredited)

Directed by
Sean Penn

Writing credits (WGA)
Sean Penn		(written by)

Produced by
Richard N. Gladstein	....	executive producer
David Hamburger	....	producer (as David S. Hamburger)
Sean Penn	....	producer
Bob Weinstein	....	executive producer
Harvey Weinstein	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Jack Nitzsche

Cinematography by
Vilmos Zsigmond

Film Editing by
Jay Cassidy

Casting by
Don Phillips

Production Design by
Michael D. Haller		(as Michael Haller)

Set Decoration by
Derek R. Hill

Costume Design by
Jill M. Ohanneson		(as Jill Ohanneson)

Makeup Department
Stephen Abrums	....	makeup supervisor
Hallie D'Amore	....	makeup artist: Ms. Huston
Margaret E. Elliott	....	makeup artist (as Margaret Elliott)
Lynda Gurasich	....	hair stylist: Ms. Huston
Stephen Robinette	....	hair stylist (as Steve Robinette)
Marlene D. Williams	....	hair stylist supervisor (as Marlene Williams)

Production Management
David Hamburger	....	production manager (as David S. Hamburger)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Brian W. Cook	....	first assistant director
Phil Dupont	....	additional second assistant director (as Phillippe R. Dupont)
Carl Goldstein	....	second assistant director
Michael Neumann	....	second second assistant director

Art Department
Eric J. Bates	....	property master (as Eric Bates)
Richard Bradley	....	propmaker
Frank Calvert	....	swing gang (as Frank A. Calvert)
Tim Donelan	....	swing gang (as Timothy Donelan)
David Goldstein	....	paint boss
Martin Grimes	....	assistant property master (as Martin L. Grimes)
Bret Haller	....	additional property assistant (as Bret D. Haller)
Charles L. Hoffman	....	propmaker
Roger Irvin	....	construction coordinator (as Roger L. Irvin)
Jay Koiwai	....	on-set painter
Wayne Lamb	....	propmaker
Tom Lawson	....	propmaker foreman
Scott W. Leslie	....	swing gang
Helen Gene Nichols	....	artwork: Jojo
Helen Gene Nichols	....	assistant art director
Bennett L. Sperber	....	construction foreman
Charles Swenson	....	sketch artist
William Kemper Wright	....	leadman (as William K. Wright)

Sound Department
Christopher Assells	....	sound effects editor
Karen Baker Landers	....	first assistant sound editor (as Karen Baker)
Bob Beemer	....	sound re-recording mixer
Bob Beher	....	foley editor
Joseph F. Brennan	....	boom operator
Thomas Causey	....	sound mixer
John T. Cucci	....	foley artist
Richard Dwan Jr.	....	dialogue editor
Thom 'Coach' Ehle	....	stereo sound consultant: Dolby
Bryan Fowler	....	stage recordist
Don Givens	....	foley recordist (as Don Given)
Sarah Goldsmith	....	dialogue editor
Per Hallberg	....	supervising sound editor
Philip A. Hess	....	foley editor
Ellen Heuer	....	foley artist
Chris Hogan	....	sound effects editor
Craig S. Jaeger	....	supervising foley editor (as Craig Jaeger)
David Jobe	....	foley mixer
Richard Kite	....	utility sound technician
Lou Kleinman	....	foley editor
Tony Lamberti	....	sound assistant
Michael Minkler	....	sound re-recording mixer
Brion Paccassi	....	stage recordist
Rudy Pi	....	additional sound
Randy Piotroski	....	adr recordist
Dan M. Rich	....	dialogue editor (as Dan Michael Rich)
Charleen Richards	....	adr mixer
Peter Michael Sullivan	....	sound effects editor
Tove Blue Valentine	....	utility playback
Kim Waugh	....	additional sound
Jason England	....	assistant dialogue editor (uncredited)
Thomas Giordano	....	sound technician: re-shoots (uncredited)
Jerry Jacobson	....	sound editor (uncredited)
Matt Sietz	....	assistant sound recording engineer (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Terry Newell	....	special effects technician
Eddie Surkin	....	special effects coordinator (as Eddie E. Surkin)

Stunts
Charlie Brewer	....	stunts
Kathryn Connolly	....	stunts
Erik Cord	....	stunts
George Fisher	....	stunts
Tabby Hanson	....	stunts
Jim Hardy	....	stunts
Larry Holt	....	stunts
Red Horton	....	stunts
Lisa McCullough	....	stunts
John Moio	....	stunts
Joe Murphy	....	stunts
Patricia M. Peters	....	stunts (as Tricia Peters)
Mario Roberts	....	stunts
John Santini	....	stunts
Anthony G. Schmidt	....	stunts (as Anthony Schmidt)
John Tamburro	....	helicopter stunt pilot
Neezer Tarleton	....	stunts
Chuck Waters	....	stunt coordinator
James Waters	....	stunts (as Jim Waters)
Jim McConnell	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Colin J. Campbell	....	chief lighting technician (as Colin Campbell)
John J. Connor	....	director of photography: second unit
Ray De La Motte	....	camera operator
Dick Deats	....	key grip (as Dicky Deats)
Robert Dudley	....	grip
Antonio V. Garrido	....	dolly grip (as Tony Garrido)
Donald J. Hennes	....	grip
Frank R. Jimenez Jr.	....	lighting technician (as Frank Jimenez Jr.)
Duane Katz	....	lighting technician
Shawn Landis	....	camera loader
Vincent Mata	....	second assistant camera
Michael E. Matteson	....	best boy grip
Ken Nishino	....	first assistant camera (as Kenneth Nishino)
Randy Nolen	....	Steadicam operator
Joyce Rudolph	....	still photographer
Frank Scheidbach	....	assistant chief lighting technician
Dennis Seawright	....	second assistant camera
John Shoemaker	....	lighting technician
Robert Ulland	....	Steadicam operator (as Bob Ulland)
Joseph D. Urbanczyk	....	additional camera operator
Donald Burghardt	....	additional first assistant camera: pick-ups (uncredited)
Mike Gerzevitz	....	electrician (uncredited)
Robert Jason	....	electrician (uncredited)
Lee Johnson	....	lighting technician (uncredited)

Casting Department
Terrence Harris	....	extras casting: Bill Dance Casting
Kate Kennedy	....	casting associate
Tammy L. Smith	....	extras casting: Bill Dance Casting (as Tammy Smith)
Lisa Bankert	....	casting associate (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Cindy Evans	....	set costumer
Meg Goodwin	....	costume supervisor
Nava R. Sadan	....	costumer: Ms. Huston
Lori Stilson	....	costumer: Mr. Nicholson

Editorial Department
Phillip J. Bartell	....	apprentice editor
Gena Bleier	....	assistant film editor
Peggy Davis	....	first assistant editor
Phil Hetos	....	color timer
Cynthia Kimoto	....	assistant film editor
Nina Lucia	....	assistant film editor
Rajeev Malhotra	....	post-production associate: Miramax
Jennifer Mangan	....	assistant film editor
Sharon McGeeney	....	negative cutter
Dana B. Wilson	....	apprentice editor (as Dana Wilson)

Music Department
Bob Clearmountain	....	music mixer: "Missing"
Bradford Ellis	....	musician: score (as Bradford Terrence Ellis)
Sonny Fortune	....	musician: feature soloist on tenor and alto saxophone
Michael Hoenig	....	score producer
Pamela Neal	....	score engineer
Randall Poster	....	music supervisor
Robin Urdang	....	music coordinator
Joseph Vitarelli	....	composer: additional music
Richard Whitfield	....	music editor
Deborah N. Hurwitz	....	music arranger (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Chet Badalato	....	driver: Mr. Nicholson
Alonzo Brown Jr.	....	driver
Paul Burlin	....	driver
Bruce Callahan	....	driver
Kenneth Cervi	....	driver: Mr. Nicholson (as Ken Cervi)
Jim Chesney	....	transportation captain (as James Chesney)
C. David Earle	....	driver
Steve Earle	....	driver
Don Feeney	....	driver
Joe Feeney	....	driver (as Joseph Feeney)
Scotty Goudreau	....	driver (as Scott Goudreau)
Harry Hill	....	driver
Alan Kaminsky	....	driver (as Allan Kaminsky)
Richard Middleton	....	driver (as Richard C. Middleton)
Dan Morgan	....	driver
Derek Raser	....	transportation coordinator
Charles Renfroe	....	driver
J.T. Thayer	....	transportation captain (as J.T. Thayer II)
Earl Thielen	....	driver (as Earl V. Thielen)
Tracy Thielen	....	driver
Gregg Willis	....	driver (as Gregory P. Willis)
Mitchell Bergman	....	driver: second unit (uncredited)
Richard Burch	....	driver: insert car (uncredited)
George A. Sack	....	driver (uncredited)

Other crew
Jeremy Alter	....	location assistant
Jennifer Anderson	....	production assistant (as Jennifer Taback)
Christine Baer	....	production coordinator
Howard Baral	....	post-production accountant: R.C. Baral & Co.
Tommy Baratta	....	chef: Mr. Nicholson (as Thomas T. Baratta)
Susan Bradley	....	title designer
Laura Brownson	....	assistant to producer
Russell Clark	....	choreographer
Holly Ashwell Cushing	....	production office assistant
Deborah Dasher	....	post-production accountant: R.C. Baral & Co. (as Deborah Dacher)
Carol DePasquale	....	script supervisor (as Carol De Pasquale)
Konrad Dowling	....	insurance
Harold Fowler	....	medic (as Harold Fowler LVN)
Mark Freedman	....	production assistant
Katy Genovese	....	payroll accountant (as Katy Tatian)
Ellen Gessert	....	assistant location manager
John Hackett	....	stand-in
Daniel Hall	....	craft service (as Dan Hall)
Robert Jellen	....	insurance (as Bob Jellen)
Edward L. Katz	....	watchdog: Clyde is hungry (as Dr. Edward Katz)
Diane Krakower	....	assistant: Mr. Nicholson
Annie Marshall	....	assistant: Mr. Nicholson
Louis Shaw Milito	....	production assistant
Don Miller	....	production accountant
Daniella Milton	....	assistant: Ms. Huston
Corinne Needle	....	assistant production coordinator
Alan D. Purwin	....	helicopter pilot (as Alan Purwin)
Cathy Ragona	....	coordinator: Miramax (as Cathy Agcayab)
Michael Risoli	....	production assistant
Laurel Robinson	....	production assistant
Michael Schultz	....	caterer: Sunrise Caterers (as Mike Schultz)
Ned R. Shapiro	....	location manager (as Ned Shapiro)
Lois Smith	....	special publicity: PMK
Lita Stevens	....	stand-in
Michael Tamburro	....	helicopter pilot
Bernadette Tanchauco	....	assistant production accountant (as Berni Tanchauco)
Robert Taylor	....	stand-in
David Thornsberry	....	assistant location manager
Nicholas Viterelli	....	additional scoring engineer (as Nick Viterelli)
Brian McMillan	....	head animal trainer (uncredited)

Thanks
Charles Bukowski	....	dedicatee
Walter Coblenz	....	special thanks: $ Guru
Michael Fitzgerald	....	special thanks
Art Linson	....	special thanks
Patricia Morrison	....	special thanks
Bruce Springsteen	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Miramax Films

Distributors

• Miramax Films (1995) (USA) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Films AB (1996) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Filmes Castello Lopes (1996) (Portugal) (theatrical)
• Scotia International Filmverleih (1996) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Spentzos Films (1996) (Greece) (theatrical)
• Egmont Film (1996) (Sweden) (VHS)
• Buena Vista Pictures Distribution (1997) (USA) (VHS) (For Miramax Home Entertainment) (pan and scan)
• Vértigo Films (1997) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Gativideo (1997) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (1998) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• TV3 Sverige (1999) (Sweden) (TV)
• Buena Vista Home Entertainment (2002) (UK) (DVD)
• RCV Home Entertainment (2003) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Universum Film (UFA) (2004) (Germany) (DVD)
• Nordisk Film (2005) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Pyramide Distribution (1995) (France) (theatrical)
• Audio Visual Enterprises (1996) (Greece) (VHS)
• Echo Bridge Home Entertainment (2011) (USA) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Cinema Research (digital visual effects) (as Cinema Research Corporation)

Other Companies

• All Video  video transfer
• Bill Dance Casting  extras casting
• Buena Vista Imaging  main and end titles
• Cinema Research  opticals
• Film Finances  completion guarantor
• J.L. Fisher  camera dollies
• NT Audio Visual  optical sound negative
• RTV Video  video transfer
• Skywalker Sound  adr and re-recording facilities
• Soundelux  sound editing

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated R for sexuality and strong language

Runtime:

111 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:M | Finland:K-12 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/16 | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:R | Argentina:13 | Iceland:12 | Brazil:14 | Singapore:M18 | Canada:14A (Ontario) | South Korea:18

Filming Locations:

Long Beach Harbor, Long Beach, California, USA

Company:

Miramax Films

Trivia:

The movie concludes with a dedication to "My friend, Charles Bukowski. I miss you, S.P." Sean Penn was a close friend of the writer and poet.

Goofs:

Continuity: When JoJo is dancing in front of John to Salt n Pepa's "Whatta Man", John gets up and stops the tape player. A minute later, he presses play on the tape player again, and the song comes in, however it is almost 4 bars rewound, and plays the same lyrics over again that has already been played, though no one rewound the tape.

Quotes:

John Booth:Would you maybe, ya know, would you take a couple days, and maybe think about not taking my life?

Movie Connections:

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

Soundtrack:

Unspoken

A real stretch of a script........

Unfortunately some fine acting by Jack Nicholson is badly wasted due to a script that stretches credibility to the extreme. The first problem is the numerous t&a scenes that do nothing to enhance anything other than Jack Nicholson's ego. Second, there are scenes that are totally unbelievable, and the ending seems nothing more than audience manipulation. Third, there is very little character development other than Jack Nicholson, and Angelica Huston's part should have had far more importance. Fourth, the title "The Crossing Guard" is way off base, giving no hint that the main theme of the film is redemption, and forgiveness. Not recommended. - MERK