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The Lightship

  • 19851985
  • PG-13PG-13
  • 1h 29m
IMDb RATING
6.3/10
938
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Robert Duvall and Klaus Maria Brandauer in The Lightship (1985)
  • Crime
  • Drama
  • Thriller
A trio of robbers, two brothers and their twisted genius leader, invade a lightship, but don't reckon on the crew fighting back.A trio of robbers, two brothers and their twisted genius leader, invade a lightship, but don't reckon on the crew fighting back.A trio of robbers, two brothers and their twisted genius leader, invade a lightship, but don't reckon on the crew fighting back.
IMDb RATING
6.3/10
938
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Jerzy Skolimowski
  • Writers
    • Siegfried Lenz(book "The Lightship")
    • William Mai(screenplay)
    • David Taylor(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Robert Duvall
    • Klaus Maria Brandauer
    • Michal Skolimowski
Top credits
  • Director
    • Jerzy Skolimowski
  • Writers
    • Siegfried Lenz(book "The Lightship")
    • William Mai(screenplay)
    • David Taylor(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Robert Duvall
    • Klaus Maria Brandauer
    • Michal Skolimowski
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 19User reviews
    • 13Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 3 wins & 1 nomination

    Photos25

    The Lightship (1985)
    Robert Duvall and Klaus Maria Brandauer in The Lightship (1985)
    Robert Duvall and Klaus Maria Brandauer in The Lightship (1985)
    Robert Duvall and Klaus Maria Brandauer in The Lightship (1985)
    Klaus Maria Brandauer and Michal Skolimowski in The Lightship (1985)
    Michal Skolimowski in The Lightship (1985)
    Klaus Maria Brandauer in The Lightship (1985)
    Robert Duvall and Klaus Maria Brandauer in The Lightship (1985)
    Robert Duvall and Arliss Howard in The Lightship (1985)
    Robert Duvall and Klaus Maria Brandauer in The Lightship (1985)
    Robert Duvall and Arliss Howard in The Lightship (1985)
    Robert Duvall in The Lightship (1985)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Robert Duvall
    Robert Duvall
    • Calvin Casparyas Calvin Caspary
    Klaus Maria Brandauer
    Klaus Maria Brandauer
    • Captain Milleras Captain Miller
    Michal Skolimowski
    Michal Skolimowski
    • Alexas Alex
    Tom Bower
    Tom Bower
    • Coopas Coop
    Robert Costanzo
    Robert Costanzo
    • Stumpas Stump
    Tim Phillips
    • Thorneas Thorne
    Badja Djola
    Badja Djola
    • Nateas Nate
    William Forsythe
    William Forsythe
    • Geneas Gene
    Arliss Howard
    Arliss Howard
    • Eddieas Eddie
    • Director
      • Jerzy Skolimowski
    • Writers
      • Siegfried Lenz(book "The Lightship")
      • William Mai(screenplay)
      • David Taylor(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit
    Just when US Coast Guard captain Miller takes his teenage son Alex to his lightship off the coast of Virginia, Calvin Caspary and two criminal accomplices, on the run for the police, decide to hijack it. What the crazy trio didn't count on is that this small crew doesn't just keep taking it lying low, they will put up a fight. Alex hides dad's gun and wrestles his his war past and courage. —KGF Vissers
    • thompson gun
    • world war two veteran
    • fighting back
    • ship captain
    • hijacked ship
    • 65 more
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Taglines
      • The guiding light in a sea of treachery.
    • Genres
      • Crime
      • Drama
      • Thriller
    • Certificate
      • PG-13
    • Parents guide
      • Add content advisory

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      A "lightship" is a static floating lighthouse permanently anchored in one place that never sails anywhere.
    • Quotes

      Gene: I just killed a black bird Mr. Caspary, now i'm gonna kill a black man

    • Connections
      Remade as Das Feuerschiff (2008)

    User reviews19

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    Exciting thriller, average drama.
    War is over some 10 years ago, the time of tragedy has passed by and has taken its toll on Captain Miller (Klaus Maria Brandauer, good), now currently dealing with his rebel teenage son Alex (Michal Skolimowski, the director's son), bailing out of the jail after another rebellious act of his. Miller takes his son to stay with him to live on a lightship, stranded somewhere, to help with the ships that come and go in that route. What the Captain couldn't predict was that this simple lightship and its small crew consisting of mechanical workers (Robert Costanzo and Tom Bower), a cook (Badja Djola) and one military (Tim Phillips), would be taken by two armed and menacing robbers (Arliss Howard and William Forsythe) and their smooth-talking leader (Robert Duvall), rescued after they boat had some problems and they take the ship for whatever reasons, forcing everyone there to stay cool and don't fight back. Miller is bound to do that, but will the crew and even his troubled son, already conflicted with his father during his absence during the war, will be able to conform and not react against the invaders?

    "The Lightship" breaks from the routine of being a simple thriller by giving us a wit duel between two opposite poles on the same coin: the honorable Captain Miller, peaceful more than ever after surviving a terrible tragedy during the war; and Calvin, the group leader, also making the possible to preserve the life of his crew but knowing exactly what he's doing in the boat. While both men share their life's stories and try to find weaknesses and strengths in one another, both of their teams are about to collide and tragedy may ensue. And that's when the movie finally takes off, after some unexplained points, half constructed dialogs which carry little significance, and we wonder how much of the film was cut or rushed (that's why the narration by Miller's son from time to time).

    The dramatic exercise works sometimes with all the mystery surrounding Captain Miller and his strict decision of not fighting back (even that his crew is eager to follow him, and there's guns hidden in the ship, not to mention they can improvise more weapons). But the exchanges between him and Calvin are far from right, usually lost in substance or without causing interest in the audience, more concerned in the eventual clash between the men from both sides. And that doesn't disappoint. "The Lighsthip" is a heart-stopping thriller with one sequence better than other. The ship's takeover was a disappointment, probably some scenes were cut from the film (one minute there's an argument between Bower and Forsythe, and in the next shot, the robbers are breaking the radio); it was confusing just as much as a reason of why they're there - probably running from the police, as some say, and now they need a new boat to escape. But the cook's revenge against one of the lunatics, during the storm, is terrifying and powerfully made.

    The thesis proved here is that intelligence and wisdom must follow a whole set of actions, and good intentions must be thrown away when the rules are changed. If only they knew...8/10
    helpful•4
    1
    • Rodrigo_Amaro
    • Mar 15, 2014

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 26, 1986 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Killers at Sea
    • Filming locations
      • Schleswig-Holstein, Germany
    • Production company
      • CBS Theatrical Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 29 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono

    Related news

    Top 100 Most Anticipated Foreign Films of 2015: #16. Jerzy Skolimowski’s 11 Minutes
    Jan 9IONCINEMA.com
    David Thomson on Jerzy Skolimowski
    Mar 25The Guardian - Film News

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