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Kings and Desperate Men

  • 1981
  • PG-13
  • 1h 58m
IMDb RATING
5.2/10
126
YOUR RATING
Kings and Desperate Men (1981)
DramaThriller

A group of terrorists take a radio disk jockey and his wife and child hostage in order to get their manifesto out to the world.A group of terrorists take a radio disk jockey and his wife and child hostage in order to get their manifesto out to the world.A group of terrorists take a radio disk jockey and his wife and child hostage in order to get their manifesto out to the world.

  • Director
    • Alexis Kanner
  • Writers
    • Edmund Ward
    • Alexis Kanner
  • Stars
    • Patrick McGoohan
    • Alexis Kanner
    • Andrea Marcovicci
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    5.2/10
    126
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Alexis Kanner
    • Writers
      • Edmund Ward
      • Alexis Kanner
    • Stars
      • Patrick McGoohan
      • Alexis Kanner
      • Andrea Marcovicci
    • 12User reviews
    • 9Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 nomination

    Photos

    Kings and Desperate Men (1981)
    Kings and Desperate Men (1981)
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    Top cast

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    Patrick McGoohan
    Patrick McGoohan
    • John Kingsley
    Alexis Kanner
    Alexis Kanner
    • Lucas Miller
    Andrea Marcovicci
    Andrea Marcovicci
    • Terrorist
    Margaret Trudeau
    • Elizabeth Kingsley
    Budd Knapp
    Budd Knapp
    • Judge McManus
    Neil Vipond
    • Henry Sutton
    Peter MacNeill
    Peter MacNeill
    • Kidnapper
    Marcel Beaulieu
    • Special Squad
    Jean-Pierre Brown
    • Chris Kingsley
    Kevin Fenlon
    • Laz
    Jane Hooper
    • Girl with Radio
    Andre Koudsey
    • Special Squad
    Bob Lepage
    • Special Squad
    Frank Moore
    Frank Moore
    • Pete Herrera
    Kate Nash
    • Mrs.McPhearson
    Dave Patrick
    • Grant Gillespie
    Norman Roy
    • Special Squad
    • (as Normand Roy)
    August Schellenberg
    August Schellenberg
    • Stanley Aldini
    • Director
      • Alexis Kanner
    • Writers
      • Edmund Ward
      • Alexis Kanner
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      This film was the brainchild of Alexis Kanner. He and Patrick McGoohan met via Kanner's performance in an episode of McGoohan's popular British television show The Prisoner (1967). Kanner worked on the idea and polished it for a few years before finally calling up McGoohan to ask him to star in the film.
    • Goofs
      The reflection of two crew members are briefly seen just before Margaret Trudeau enters an elevator towards the beginning of the film.
    • Quotes

      Lucas Miller: When you sign off at the end of your show, you always say, "This is your program"... well I am taking you up on that, Mr. Kingsley.

    • Crazy credits
      Kineversal Productions Presents a Film of a Hostage Incident
    • Connections
      Featured in In Search of the Prisoner (2001)

    User reviews12

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    6/10
    So-So Drama
    Overly long and often aimless hostage story with lots of funky camera angles that try to convey confusion -- though one need not look much farther than the plot for that. Good performances by McGoohan & Kanner (who worked together on McGoohan's THE PRISONER), but overall, the poor plot drags it down.
    helpful•2
    7
    • gar-18
    • Apr 24, 2000

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    Details

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    • Release date
      • August 22, 1981 (Canada)
    • Country of origin
      • Canada
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Kings and Desperate Men: A Hostage Incident
    • Filming locations
      • Montréal, Québec, Canada
    • Production company
      • Kineversal Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    • Budget
      • CA$1,200,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • Runtime
      1 hour 58 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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