Johnny Handsome (1989)

After being double crossed and thrown in jail, a deformed gangster gets a new face and rehabilitation, but his desire for revenge looms.

Director:

Walter Hill

Writers:

John Godey (novel), Ken Friedman (screenplay)

Stars:

Mickey Rourke, Ellen Barkin, Elizabeth McGovern

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mickey Rourke	...	John 'Johnny Handsome' Sedley / Johnny Mitchell
Ellen Barkin	...	Sunny Boyd
Elizabeth McGovern	...	Donna McCarty
Morgan Freeman	...	Lt. A.Z. Drones
Forest Whitaker	...	Dr. Steven Fisher
Lance Henriksen	...	Rafe Garrett
Scott Wilson	...	Mikey Chalmette
David Schramm	...	Vic Dumask
Yvonne Bryceland	...	Sister Luke
Peter Jason	...	Mr. Bonet
J.W. Smith	...	Larry
Jeffrey Meek	...	Earl (as Jeff Meek)
Allan Graf	...	Bob Lemoyne
Ed Zang	...	Prestige Manager
John P. Fertitta	...	Prestige Salesman (as John Fertitta)

Storyline

Johnny Handsome is a deformed gangster who plans a successful robbery with a friend of his, Mikey Chalmette, and another couple (Sunny Boid and Rafe Garrett). During the heist, Johnny and Mikey are double-crossed by Sunny and Rafe---Mikey is killed and Johnny sent to prison. While in prison, Johnny is invited to a rehabilitation program, where Dr. Steven Fischer rebuilds Johnny's face and helps Johnny get paroled. Johnny starts working in a shipyard, where he meets Donna McCarty and starts a romance. Lt. A.Z. Drones is a skeptical detective who follows the rehabilitation of Johnny. Johnny's new life is consumed by the desire of payback.

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Plot Keywords:

plastic surgery | neo noir | prison | rehabilitation | new life | 

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Taglines:

Revenge has a new face

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 September 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

Johnny Handsome - Der schöne Johnny

Filming Locations:

Avondale Shipyard - 5100 River Road, Avondale, Louisiana, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$7,237,794

Company Credits

Production Co:

Carolco Pictures,The Guber-Peters Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The movie is considered to be in the "film noir" genre. Walter Hill once said in an October 1, 1989 interview with The Philadelphia Inquirer: "This is very reminiscent of the kind of film noir they made in the '40s. You have the doomed character, and audiences back then were more comfortable with it. You can imagine John Garfield having a lot of fun with something like this."

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Goofs

During the graveyard scene, Larry "pumps" the action on a double barreled shotgun.

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Quotes

Vic Dumask: I don't know you, Mr. Mitchell. What can I do for you?
John 'Johnny Handsome' Sedley: A laundry service. Could be five million dollars worth.
Vic Dumask: That sounds illegal.
John 'Johnny Handsome' Sedley: [sotto voce] It is.

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Connections

Referenced in Il solitario (2008)

User Reviews

A Great Dramatic and Violent Movie

Johnny Handsome (Mickey Rooker) is a deformed gangster who planned a successful robbery with a friend of him Mikey Chalmette (Scott Wilson) and the couple Sunny Boid (Ellen Barkin) and Rafe Garrett (Lance Henriksen). After the heist, Johnny and Mikey are double-crossed by Sunny and Rafe, being Mikey killed and Johnny sent to prison. A few years later, Johnny is invited to a rehabilitation program, where Dr. Steven Fischer (Forest Whitaker) rebuilds Johnny's face and obtains his parole. Johnny starts working in a shipyard, where he meets Donna McCarty (Elizabeth McGovern) and starts a romance. Lt. A.Z. Drones (Morgan Freeman) is a detective who does not believe in the rehabilitation of Johnny. Johnny's new life is consumed by the desire of pay-back.

The photography of this Walter Hill's movie is very dark, like most of the characters. The excellent cast, supported by a great direction and a wonderful soundtrack of Ry Cooder makes this film a great dramatic and violent movie. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Um Rosto Sem Passado" ("A Face Without Past")