American Crude (2008)

Director:

Craig Sheffer

Writers:

Jeff Winiski (story) and
Mike Diiorio (story) ...
(more)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

Four lives collide in one crazy night.

Plot:

The paths of several eccentric and troubled strangers cross one night.

Plot Keywords:

Republican Bashing | Pot Smoking | Hooker | Death Spasm | Police Officer Killed

Cast

Raymond J. Barry	...	Mr. Grand
Aaron Brumfield	...	Policeman
Gino Cabanas	...	Bagman
Ski Carr	...	Ed butler
Claudia Choi	...	Cindy
Daniel Colletti	...	Benny
Amanda Detmer	...	Olivia
Martin Dorsla	...	Stripper cop
Michael Clarke Duncan	...	Spinks
Jennifer Esposito	...	Carlos
Sarah Foret	...	Tammy
Cam Gigandet	...	Kip Adams
Kamal John Iskander	...	Manny (as John Iskander)
Shannon Ivey	...	Marlene (as Shannon Jarrell)
Jeffrey Licon	...	Julio
Ron Livingston	...	Johnny
Scott MacDonald	...	Mr. Snow
Jia Mae	...	Caberet patron (as Jia Perlich)
Andrea Marcellus	...	Police Officer #2
Nancy Marlow	...	Mrs. Grand
Shannon Mathers	...	Bad Kitty
John C. McGinley	...	Jim
Benjamin Ochieng	...	Toomy
Missi Pyle	...	Gigi
Leonard Robinson	...	Cop #4
Sam Sabbah	...	Arresting Officer
Rob Schneider	...	Bill
LaRita Shelby	...	Roof Cop
Jacob Snyder	...	Police Officer #1
Danny Spalluto	...	Sam
Eric Stonestreet	...	Phil
Cynthia Watros	...	Jane
Tennille Williams	...	Bachelorette Party Guest (as Tennille Villagomez)
Ron Yuan	...	The Guard
Ernesto Trinidad	...	Gay Bar Patron (uncredited)

Directed by
Craig Sheffer

Writing credits
Jeff Winiski		(story) and
Mike Diiorio		(story) and
Craig Sheffer		(story)
Craig Sheffer		(screenplay)

Produced by
Bradley Kramer	....	producer
Oak O'Connor	....	co-producer
Craig Sheffer	....	producer

Original Music by
Dennis Hamlin

Cinematography by
James Mathers

Film Editing by
Tariq Anwar
Blair Daily
Saska Simpson

Casting by
Anne McCarthy
Jay Scully

Production Design by
Suzanne Rattigan

Costume Design by
Jill Lucas

Makeup Department
Saundra Jordan	....	makeup artist
Ken Niederbaumer	....	special makeup effects artist: Rob Schneider
Iris Stobbelaar	....	makeup artist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Arturo Guzman	....	second assistant director
Jetzen O'Connor	....	second assistant director (as Jetzen R. O'Connor)
Erin Quigley	....	second second assistant director
Tom Reynolds	....	first assistant director
Lee Whittaker	....	second unit director

Art Department
Charles Eck	....	art department
Patrick Eck	....	art department
Katie Esposito	....	property master
Cindy Gauhan	....	props
Tim Neighbors	....	art department
Joni Smith	....	set dresser
Gina Zycher	....	props

Sound Department
Tyler Claridge	....	sound effects editor
Lisa Hannan	....	sound effects editor
Kamal John Iskander	....	sound mixer (as John Iskander)
Randy Lawson	....	additional sound mixer
Joshua Minyard	....	sound recording engineer
Rod O'Brien	....	sound editor
Mick Ryall	....	boom operator
Geordy Sincavage	....	foley mixer

Special Effects by
Lee Cole	....	special effects technician
Roger Matsuo	....	special effects supervisor
Steve Newquist	....	pyrotechnician

Visual Effects by
Geoffrey Mark	....	visual effects supervisor

Stunts
Keith Adams	....	stunt driver: 427 Shelby Cobra
Kacie Borrowman	....	stunt double: Katya Abelski
Jeremy Fry	....	stunt driver
Gary Guercio	....	stunt double: Rob Schneider
Dan Lemieux	....	stunt coordinator (re-shoots)
Jalil Jay Lynch	....	stunt double: Michael Clark Dunkin
H. Charles Parrish	....	safety rigger
Heidi Pascoe	....	stunt double
Marc Schaffer	....	stunt driver
Michele Waitman	....	stunt double
Lee Whittaker	....	stunt coordinator
Lee Whittaker	....	stunt double: Kip
Stuart F. Wilson	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Krystof Andres	....	grip
Sharla Cipicchio	....	electrician
Bernard Cistrunk	....	grip
Jon Epstein	....	electrician
Jerry Gregoricka	....	lighting technician
Joshua Lee Huber	....	electrician
Amos James	....	key grip
Scott MacDonald	....	first assistant camera
Justin Maresch	....	best boy electric
Tim Neighbors	....	second assistant camera
William Russell	....	gaffer
Kevin Sambells	....	electrician
Darryl St. Juste	....	best boy grip
Dan Wade	....	chief lighting technician
Nicholas Whalen	....	electrician

Casting Department
Heidi Snoe	....	casting associate

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Shantell Guy-Bailey	....	set costumer (as Shantell Guy-Rowland)
Lizette Kilmer	....	costumer (as Lizette Jaimes)

Editorial Department
Steven Ivey	....	post-production coordinator
Mary Kay Miller	....	co-colorist

Music Department
Justin Kozonis	....	music editor
Matthew Robert	....	composer: original music
Marcelo Troilo	....	music director

Transportation Department
Michael Locke	....	transportation coordinator
Richard Maginnis	....	driver
Randy Mangum	....	transportation captain
Hugo Ocana	....	driver

Other crew
Krista Bean	....	script supervisor
Angelo Dalmacio	....	production assistant
Patty De Anda	....	craft service
Torrence Hall	....	armorer
Mike Mannino	....	production assistant
Jackie Mazawey	....	assistant production coordinator
Elizabeth Perikli	....	production coordinator
Irwin M. Rappaport	....	production attorney
Lisa Sanow	....	script supervisor
Heidi Snoe	....	assistant to producer
Stephany Stamatis	....	production assistant
Mike Tristano	....	armorer
Victoria Wong	....	office production assistant

Production Companies

• Kramer Management
• Sheffer/Kramer Productions

Distributors

• LK-TEL (2008) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2008) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2008) (Germany) (DVD)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2008) (USA) (DVD)
• Sony Pictures Releasing (2008) (Argentina) (all media)

Other Companies

• Central Casting  extras casting
• ShowBiz Enterprises  draperies
• Wells/Mark Media Inc.  visual effects

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated R for strong sexual content, violence, language and some drug use

Runtime:

Greece:94 min | Argentina:96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:R | Netherlands:16 | Argentina:16 | South Korea:18 | Singapore:R21 | Australia:MA | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:M18 (edited TV version) | Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Kramer Management

Goofs:

Factual errors: In his opening voice-over, the character Johnny Grand (Ron Livingston) attributes the quote "Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive," to William Shakespeare. Sir Walter Scott actually wrote that in Marmion in 1808, about 192 years after Shakespeare died. This probably is the quote most often erroneously attributed to Shakespeare.

Soundtrack:

Swing

Hooker, Nudity, Sex With Multiple Partners, Lesbianism, Hermaphrodite, Pot Smoking, Coke, Electrocution, Pedophile, and Killings !

..These are some of the movie's plot keys. Yes, you read it right; "some" !

Was Craig Sheffer, the actor and the movie's director, trying to make a crime movie ? Was he trying to make a satire about the "night" of America then thought of presenting it in a comic style ? Was he trying to make a black comedy ? Was he – oh god – thinking that it's a comedy from the start ? Whatever the answer is, that guy made an ugly, disturbing and disturbed movie.

Originally many problems in one night could produce a fine comedy, black or else. But many problems in one movie could produce just a bad movie. It is made in such a poor, primitive and messy way. The script thinks itself a genius, while mixing the genres together, in one night, with many story lines, and absurd spirit. But it lost being anything good or bearable. What it did win though was having a one of a kind silly sense of humor; and it's damn natural since it's directed by Sheffer; one of the silliest actors alive !

I bet that none of the movie's cast knew what the main goal was. I guess Sheffer told them that he wanted to make a satiric cross between Pulp Fiction and American Pie. So sometimes it's about bloody crimes, then it's about crude comedy, then it's about both, then it's about the ugliness of America, then it's about just ugliness !

It's "let's put some of the dirtiest matters on screen for the sake of making a satire". It turned into a great satire towards stupid movie-making mainly. Here's a movie that feeds itself, and us, with massive amount of dirt, a monster of a comedy, and low movie-making to torture everyone sat to complete it. Thus putting the American flag at the top of the movie's presented crimes wasn't something serious about "only in America"; it was rather a try to sell the movie's own crimes as something serious !

Anyway don't be confused, asking was it a comedy? A satire? A black comedy? A crime movie? A soft porn?? Because in fact it is confused. It tried to say that America has become a big toilet, but ended up as a big toilet itself. Thus I won't say "give it a chance and think about it", instead I'll say "don't forget to flush" !

(American Crude) is a dictionary of dirtiness and bad movie-making. It's nasty matters shown in nasty way.