6.2/10
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19 user 5 critic

The Lightship (1985)

PG-13 | | Drama | 26 September 1986 (USA)
The Lightship Poster
A trio of robbers, two brothers and their twisted genius leader, invade a lightship, but don't reckon on the crew fighting back.

Director:

Jerzy Skolimowski

Writers:

Siegfried Lenz (book), William Mai (screenplay) | 1 more credit »

Stars:

Robert Duvall, Klaus Maria Brandauer, Tim Phillips | See full cast & crew »
Reviews

On Disc

at Amazon

3 wins & 1 nomination. See more awards »

Photos

See all 10 photos »
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Cast

Credited cast:
Robert Duvall ... Calvin Caspary
Klaus Maria Brandauer ... Captain Miller
Tim Phillips Tim Phillips ... Thorne
Arliss Howard ... Eddie
William Forsythe ... Gene
Michal Skolimowski Michal Skolimowski ... Alex (as Michael Lyndon)
Robert Costanzo ... Stump
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Tom Bower ... Coop
Badja Djola ... Nate
See full cast »
Edit

Storyline

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. Written by KGF Vissers

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

lightship | captain | u.s. coast guard | on the run | explosion | See All (47) »

Taglines:

The guiding light in a sea of treachery.

Genres:

Drama

Certificate:

PG-13 | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

Add content advisory for parents »
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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 September 1986 (USA) See more »

Also Known As:

Killers at Sea See more »

Filming Locations:

Schleswig-Holstein, Germany See more »

Company Credits

Production Co:

CBS Theatrical Films See more »
Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color
See full technical specs »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Robert Duvall is the son of a Navy Admiral. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Alex: [narrating] My old man was a captain in the Coast Guard. We never saw too much of each other. Most of the time he was away at sea. But this time I was lucky. He made it to my graduation.
See more »

Connections

Remade as Das Feuerschiff (2008) See more »

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User Reviews

Routine crime-drama set on the high-seas
23 February 2000 | by dstatzer – See all my reviews

There isn't much new in this gangsters-take-ship-and-crew-hostage drama, except that it takes place on a floating Light Ship. Having endured 14 months of duty on one of these floating torture chambers myself, I can tell you that nothing this exciting ever took place. All we ever did was bounce up and down and listen to a fog-horn, day and night. Too bad Duvall wasn't out there then, we could have keel-hauled him for making this very inaccurate flick!
4 of 11 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you? | Report this
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