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Hard Choices

  • 1984
  • Not Rated
  • 1h 30m
IMDb RATING
6.2/10
138
YOUR RATING
Hard Choices (1984)
CrimeDrama

A teenaged boy goes for a ride with his brother and the brother's friends, who proceed to rob a store and murder the clerk. They are caught and, despite the young boy's protestations, he is ... Read allA teenaged boy goes for a ride with his brother and the brother's friends, who proceed to rob a store and murder the clerk. They are caught and, despite the young boy's protestations, he is convicted of murder and sent to prison. A female social worker assigned to the boy's case ... Read allA teenaged boy goes for a ride with his brother and the brother's friends, who proceed to rob a store and murder the clerk. They are caught and, despite the young boy's protestations, he is convicted of murder and sent to prison. A female social worker assigned to the boy's case not only believes him, but begins to fall in love with him, and determines to either help ... Read all

  • Director
    • Rick King
  • Writers
    • Rick King
    • Robert Mickelson
  • Stars
    • Margaret Klenck
    • Gary McCleery
    • John Seitz
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    6.2/10
    138
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Rick King
    • Writers
      • Rick King
      • Robert Mickelson
    • Stars
      • Margaret Klenck
      • Gary McCleery
      • John Seitz
    • 10User reviews
    • 4Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 nomination

    Photos6

    Hard Choices (1984)
    Hard Choices (1984)
    Hard Choices (1984)
    Hard Choices (1984)
    Hard Choices (1984)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Margaret Klenck
    • Laura Stephens
    Gary McCleery
    • Bobby Lipscomb
    John Seitz
    • Sheriff Mavis Johnson
    John Sayles
    John Sayles
    • Don
    J.T. Walsh
    J.T. Walsh
    • Deputy Anderson
    John Snyder
    John Snyder
    • Ben
    Martin Donovan
    Martin Donovan
    • Josh
    Spalding Gray
    Spalding Gray
    • Terry Norfolk
    John P. Connolly
    • Preach
    Willey Reynolds
    • Horton
    • (as Wiley Reynolds III)
    Ruth Miller
    • Mrs. Lipscomb
    Richard Allen
    • Judge I
    Geraldine Bartlett
    • Nan
    Judson Camp
    • Jimmy
    Charles Chalmers
    • Larry Farrell
    Tony Farentino
    • Deputy London
    Ilona Garcen
    • Judge II
    Larry Golden
    • Carl
    • Director
      • Rick King
    • Writers
      • Rick King
      • Robert Mickelson
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Film debut of Martin Donovan.
    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: Out of Bounds/Belizaire the Cajun/Heartburn/Hard Choices (1986)

    User reviews10

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    9/10
    Powerful little sleeper. Unforgettable.
    HARD CHOICES begins with a young boy in a small town who dreams about flying planes. One day his brother and another guy take him on a joyride, which culminates in the murder of a store clerk in a botched robbery. That's the end of the kid. The kid is a victim of circumstance but not to the law who put him in a cell with the hard criminals.

    HARD CHOICES begins in almost documentary fashion. We observe the Tennessee backwoods where Bobby lives. Up until the crime the movie seems painfully routine - I guess that's the idea - and then the murder. The middle text of the movie is with Bobby in prison, and he's a hearbreaker. A female social worker(Margaret Klennck) comes to visit him. Bobby's attracted to her and she to him and then the unpredictable happens.

    HARD CHOICES, gritty and rough, contains moments of pure revelation. The sad course of Bobby's life and the shocking but touching affair with the woman whch is both senstive as it is hot and forbidden.. That's unpredictable enough but things escalate, the movie becomes a sombre thriller and anything's possible.

    I didn't recognize any of the actors in this movie, although John Sayles plays a kind hearted drug dealer with a crush on the woman. This movie come to think of it is full of hard choices and Rick King the director never makes the material predictable or soapy. In the end, all we can hope is for Bobby to have some kind of life., maybe flying a plane. This is a great film, the kind of film that cries out to be discovered on video and cable.

    DG

    STAR STAR STAR STAR (out of four)
    helpful•2
    0
    • dg-7
    • Nov 2, 1998

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • May 16, 1986 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Harte Pfeile - Mitten ins Herz
    • Filming locations
      • Tennessee, USA
    • Production companies
      • Breakout
      • Screenland
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 30 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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