Poster

The Manhattan Project ()


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A high school prodigy builds an atomic bomb with stolen plutonium to win the 45th National Science Fair and expose a nuclear weapons lab posing as a nuclear medical research facility in Ithaca, NY.

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Cast verified as complete

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John Mathewson
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Government Aide
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Government Aide
Paul Austin ...
General
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Scientist
Curt Dempster ...
Scientist
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Lab Assistant
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Paul Stephens
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Elizabeth Stephens
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Jenny Anderman
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Science Teacher
Abraham Unger ...
Roland (as Abe Unger)
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Max (as Robert Leonard)
David Quinn ...
Tennis
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Craig
Katherine Hiler ...
Emma
Trey Cummins ...
Terry
Steve Borton ...
Local FBI
Harlan Cary Poe ...
Local FBI
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Jenny's Parent
Sarah Burke ...
Jenny's Parent
Allen DeCheser ...
Jenny's Brother
Arthur De Cheser ...
Jenny's Brother (as Arthur DeCheser)
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Lt. Col. Conroy
Fred G. Smith ...
Conroy's Lieutenant
JD Cullum ...
Eccles (as John David Cullum)
Manny Jacobs ...
Moore
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Price (as Charlie Fields)
Eric Hsiao ...
Saito
Trevor Bolling ...
Halley's Comet Kid
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Laser Efficiency Kid (as Richard Cardona)
Heather Rose Dominic ...
Flirting Kid (as Heather Dominic)
Bruce Smolanoff ...
Flirting Kid
Joan Kendall ...
Registrar
John Doumanian ...
Cabbie
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Injection Doctor
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FBI (as Alec Massey)
Edward D. Murphy ...
FBI
Dee Ann McDavid ...
FBI
Joan Harris ...
Barbara Collins - TV Reporter
Kerry Donovan ...
Kerry Donovan - WBNG News
Ken Chapin ...
Command
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Electronics
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Computer
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Interrogator
Stephen Markle ...
Interogator
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Helicopter Pilot
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Radiation Controls Officer
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Night Guard
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Relief Guard
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Howard
Warren Manzi ...
Day Attendant
Michael Telesco ...
Day Security Receptionist
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SWAT
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SWAT
William Weslow ...
SWAT
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SWAT (as Dan E. Butler)
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SWAT
Richard Caselnova ...
SWAT
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
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Local townsperson (uncredited)
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Mary (uncredited)
George Cron ...
Computer Operator (uncredited)
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Teen at Science Fair (uncredited)
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C-4 Guy (uncredited)
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Extra (uncredited)
Keith Howard ...
Science Fair Kid (uncredited)
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D.O.D. Man (uncredited)

Directed by

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Marshall Brickman

Written by

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Marshall Brickman ... (written by) &
Thomas Baum ... (written by)

Produced by

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Marshall Brickman ... producer
Bruce McNall ... producer (uncredited)
Jennifer Ogden ... producer
Roger Paradiso ... associate producer

Music by

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Philippe Sarde

Cinematography by

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Billy Williams ... director of photography

Editing by

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Nina Feinberg

Editorial Department

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Kristina Boden ... assistant editor
Bob Hagans ... color timer
Bill Johnson ... apprentice editor
Camilla Toniolo ... assistant editor

Casting By

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Juliet Taylor

Production Design by

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Philip Rosenberg

Art Direction by

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Robert Guerra

Set Decoration by

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Nina Ramsey
Philip Smith

Costume Design by

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Shay Cunliffe

Makeup Department

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Richard Dean ... makeup artist
Tony Marrero ... hair stylist

Production Management

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Lois Kramer Hartwick ... assistant unit manager
Jennifer Ogden ... production manager
Roger Paradiso ... unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director

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Ron Bozman ... first assistant director
Judy Ferguson ... dga trainee
Kyle McCarthy ... second assistant director
David Sardi ... additional second assistant director
Chris Stoia ... additional second assistant director

Art Department

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Sil Avallone ... construction: laboratory
Carl Baldasso ... construction: laboratory
Hank Bauer ... construction foreman
Phillip Cullem ... construction: laboratory
Tony Gamiello ... property master
Kip Jackson ... construction: laboratory
Harry Joyner ... construction: laboratory
Robert Kohut ... construction: laboratory
Alan Lampel ... construction: laboratory
Brick Mason ... storyboard artist
Kevin McCarthy ... set dresser
Ann Miller ... props (as Annie Miller)
Robert 'Pete' Miller ... head construction grip (as Pete Miller)
Lars Pederson ... construction: laboratory
Richard Pirro ... construction: laboratory
Paul Pratt ... construction: laboratory
Jon Ringbom ... master scenic artist
Siv Sandstrom ... art department coordinator
Hans Swanson ... props
Alan D. Webb ... construction: laboratory (as Alan Webb)
Joan Winters ... graphic designer
Peter Ydeen ... construction: laboratory
John Alvin ... poster artist (uncredited)
Christopher Nelson ... set dresser (uncredited)

Sound Department

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Marjorie Deutsch ... looping editor
Lee Dichter ... re-recording mixer: Sound One
Michael DiCosimo ... consultant: Dolby Stereo
Kathleen Earle Killeen ... assistant sound editor (as Kathleen Kileen)
Vito L. Ilardi ... recordist (as Vito Ilardi)
Les Lazarowitz ... sound mixer
Barbara Minor ... assistant sound editor
Michael Moyse ... sound editor (as Michel Moyse)
Linda Murphy ... boom operator
Bitty O'Sullivan-Smith ... sound editor (as Bitty O'Sullivan Smith)
Dan Sable ... supervising sound editor
Lynn Sable ... assistant sound editor
Diane Schaub ... assistant looping editor
Reilly Steele ... adr engineer

Special Effects by

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Connie Brink ... special effects
Bran Ferren ... special effects supervisor

Visual Effects by

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John Alagna ... optical line-up: Associates & Ferren
Myles Ambrose ... electronics & robotics
Susan Coursey ... assistant: Mr. Ferren, Associates & Ferren
Topher Dow ... project coordinator: Associates & Ferren
Robert C. Francis ... electronics & robotics (as Robert Francis)
John Frith ... electronics & robotics
Charles Harrison ... chief engineer: Associates & Ferren
Chester Hartwell ... electronics & robotics
Martin Hill ... acquisitions: Associates & Ferren
John C. Huntington III ... electronics & robotics (as John Huntington)
Susan Le Ber ... purchasing agent: Associates & Ferren (as Susan LeBer)
Jeffrey Lind ... electronics & robotics
David McDonough ... researcher: Associates & Ferren
Mark Napoletano ... laser systems
Melissa Rice ... electronics & robotics
Robert Rowohlt ... optical cameraman: Associates & Ferren (as Bob Rowohlt)
Eric Schultz ... laser systems
Steven Schultz ... laser systems
James Shelly ... general manager: Associates & Ferren (as James N. Shelly)
Caleb Weissberg ... electronics & robotics
Marjorie Winslow ... secretary: Associates & Ferren
Ken Wisner ... mechanical engineer: Associates & Ferren

Stunts

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Roy Farfel ... stunts
Frank Ferrara ... stunt coordinator
Michael Russo ... stuntman (as Michael C. Russo)

Camera and Electrical Department

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Robert Connors ... rigging gaffer (as Bobby Connors)
S. Karin Epstein ... still photographer
Neil Fallon ... video technician
James Finnerty ... key grip (as Jim Finnerty)
John Finnerty ... key grip
Richard C. Kratina ... camera operator (as Dick Kratina) / director of photography: second unit (as Dick Kratina)
Gary Muller ... second assistant camera
Hank Muller ... first assistant camera
Tom Priestley Jr. ... camera operator (as Thomas Priestley Jr.)
Richard Quinlan ... gaffer (as Dick Quinlan)
Joseph Trammell ... video technician (as Joe Trammell)
Robert M. Volpe ... dolly grip (as Bobby Volpe)
Lance Wandling ... video technician
James Halligan ... grip (uncredited)

Casting Department

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Sylvia Fay ... extras casting
Ellen Lewis ... casting associate
Cynthia Neil ... assistant extras casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department

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Holly Hynes ... assistant costume designer
Daniel P. Lomax ... costume supervisor (as Dan Lomax)
Karen Whittaker ... costume supervisor

Location Management

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Donna E. Bloom ... location coordinator (as Donna Bloom)
Selma Brown ... location auditor
Charles Lum ... location coordinator
George Sinski ... location coordinator

Music Department

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Billy Byers ... orchestrator (as Bill Byers)
William Flageollet ... music engineer
Orchestre de Paris ... orchestra: music recorded by
Harry Rabinowitz ... conductor

Script and Continuity Department

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Mary Bailey ... script supervisor

Transportation Department

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Harry J. Leavey ... transportation coordinator (as Harry Leavey)
James Sweeney ... transportation co-captain

Additional Crew

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Michael Alatriste ... production assistant
Bruce Bahrenburg ... unit publicist
Sam Bruskin ... studio manager (as Samuel Bruskin)
Sarah Carson ... production office coordinator
Betsy Gleysteen ... production assistant
Jessica Gribetz ... assistant: Mr. Brickman
Liza J. Harris ... production assistant (as Liza Harris)
Donatella Hecht ... production assistant
Maureen Hudson-Murari ... assistant production office coordinator
Erin Quinn ... assistant location auditor
Annie Spiegelman ... production assistant
Jason Walsh ... production assistant
Skip Rose ... stan-in: Greg Edelman (uncredited)

Thanks

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Jim Hensen ... the producers wish to thank
Crew believed to be complete

Production Companies

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Distributors

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Special Effects

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Other Companies

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Storyline

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Plot Summary

Paul Stephens, a high school student in Ithaca, New York, is generally unmotivated academically despite being a science geek, his interest, as per his age, mostly in those science items that have a wow factor. It is his interest in science that connects him to Dr. John Mathewson, a scientist recently having relocated to Ithaca and who is interested romantically in Paul's soon to be divorced mother, Elizabeth Stephens. It is in that want to impress Elizabeth through Paul that John invites Paul to Medatomics, a medical research facility, so that he can demonstrate some of those "wow" type experiments on which he and his colleagues are working. While impressed enough, Paul is nonetheless more interested in something else in the facility that John only makes passing reference to when asked, that "green goo" which in combination with other things Paul discovers around the facility making him believe that the facility really a secret government nuclear one, the green goo radioactive material for atomic bombs. Paul and his classmate/girlfriend Jenny Anderman, an aspiring journalist, want to expose Medatomics for what they believe it to be as there was no community notification about operating a potentially dangerous nuclear facility there. While Jenny wants to go the traditional route in writing an exposé, Paul believes there is only one effective way to get their message across to the world while making them both famous. The further Paul, with Jenny's help, gets to enacting his plan to its intended end, the more he may place their lives and that of the community in danger, especially if the authorities discover what he is doing. Written by Huggo

Plot Keywords
Taglines Paul Stevens' high school science project has gotten a little out of hand. He just built an atomic bomb. Now he's got 11 hours to make sure it doesn't work. See more »
Genres
Parents Guide View content advisory »
Certification

Additional Details

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Also Known As
  • Juguete mortal (United States, Spanish title)
  • Deadly Game (United States)
  • Manhattan Project (France)
  • Juguete mortal (Spain)
  • マンハッタン・プロジェクト (Japan)
  • See more »
Runtime
  • 117 min
Country
Language
Color
Aspect Ratio
Sound Mix
Filming Locations

Box Office

Budget $18,000,000 (estimated)
Opening Weekend United States $1,503,000, 13 Jun 1986

Did You Know?

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Trivia The kids with science projects in the background of the science fair scenes were actual NYC middle school students with real science projects that were submitted to the NYC borough-wide science fair. These scenes were filmed over a three-day period at the Penta Hotel in NYC on 33rd St. See more »
Goofs Plutonium must be alloyed with another metal (usually gallium) in order to prevent forming allotropes which cause it to crack while cooling. Cracks in the pit would have significant impact in the weapon, and could result in a fizzle (non-nuclear explosion.) See more »
Movie Connections Featured in Ferris Bueller's Day Off/Back to School/The Manhattan Project (1986). See more »
Quotes Dr. John Matthewson: You try to tough it out with them, they'll lock you in a room somewhere and throw away the room.
See more »

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