The Pursuit of D.B. Cooper (1981)

A speculation on the fate of the famous hijacker who parachuted with his ransom and disappeared in the mountains, has Cooper following a meticulous plan to disappear into anonymity despite ... See full summary »

Directors:

Roger Spottiswoode, Buzz Kulik (uncredited)

Writers:

J.D. Reed (book), Jeffrey Alan Fiskin (screenplay)

Stars:

Robert Duvall, Treat Williams, Kathryn Harrold

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robert Duvall	...	Gruen
Treat Williams	...	D.B. Cooper
Kathryn Harrold	...	Hannah
Ed Flanders	...	Brigadier
Paul Gleason	...	Remson
R.G. Armstrong	...	Dempsey
Dorothy Fielding	...	Denise
Nicolas Coster	...	Avery
Cooper Huckabee	...	Homer
Howard K. Smith	...	Howard K. Smith
Christopher Curry	...	Hippie
Ramon Chavez	...	El Capitan
Stacy Newton	...	Cowboy
Pat Ast	...	Horse Lady
Jack Dunlap	...	Drinking Buddy

Storyline

A speculation on the fate of the famous hijacker who parachuted with his ransom and disappeared in the mountains, has Cooper following a meticulous plan to disappear into anonymity despite the best efforts of a dogged cop.

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Plot Keywords:

ransom | money | parachute | jumping from an airplane | escape | 

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Taglines:

Who says you can't take it with you ?

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Genres:

Adventure | Crime | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 November 1981 (USA)

Also Known As:

Pursuit

Filming Locations:

Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Tucson, Arizona, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$12,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,214,767, 15 November 1981, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$3,702,028

Company Credits

Production Co:

PolyGram Filmed Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The true hijacker, of which this movie is based upon, never used the alias D.B. Cooper. Instead he used "Dan Cooper". D.B. Cooper was the name of a person the police checked out, in case the hijacker had stupidly used his own name. The media got hold of the information, that the police were checking out the rap sheet of a "D.B. Cooper", and the name has stuck ever since.

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Goofs

During the chase, the left wheel is wrenched off the biplane after D.B. uses it to pierce the roof of a car. But in later scenes, the biplane appears with its right wheel missing.

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Crazy Credits

The end credits says Possum - Marsoupial

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Connections

Referenced in Abominable (2006)

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Soundtracks

White Room
Performed by Cream
Written by Jack Bruce and Pete Brown
Casserole Music, Inc. (BMI)
Cream courtesy of RSO Records, Inc.

User Reviews

Humongous waste of a great opportunity

This film was hard to get a hold of, and when I eventually saw it the disappointment was overwhelming. I mean, this is one of the great stories of the twentieth century: an unknown man takes advantage of the unsuspecting airline industry and GETS AWAY with millions in ransom without hurting anyone or bungling the attempt. With all of this built-in interest, how could anyone make such a lackluster, talk-laden flick of this true-life event. While Williams is always interesting, the screenwriters assumed that the D.B. Cooper persona was stereotypically heroic like a movie star, s what we get is a type-without any engaging details or insights into the mind of a person daring enough and clever enough to have pulled it off. Harrold practically steals the movie with her spunk and pure beauty, but the real letdown was in the handling of the plot and the lame direction. Shame on this film for even existing.