Chaindance (1991)

As a part of a special government reform program, inmate J.T. Blake has to take care of Johnny Reynolds who has cerebral palsy. In the meantime, another inmate wants to take care of J.T. Blake forever.

Director:

Allan A. Goldstein

Writers:

Alan Aylward (original screenplay), Alan Aylward (screenplay)

Stars:

Scott Andersen, R. Nelson Brown, Norman Browning

4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Scott Andersen	...	James
R. Nelson Brown	...	Greason
Norman Browning	...	Topper
Leslie Carlson	...	Willy
Rae Dawn Chong	...	Ilene Curtis
Bill Croft	...	Mitch
Don S. Davis	...	Sergeant
Brad Dourif	...	Johnny
Russell Ferrier	...	Eric
Bruce Glover	...	Casey
Deryl Hayes	...	Policeman outside Bar
Janet Hodgkinson	...	Resident in Cafeteria
Michael Ironside	...	J.T. Blake
Michael A. Jackson	...	Black Lady
Lee Jeffery	...	Guard #2

Storyline

A prison decides that the best way to rehabilitate a particularly troublesome prisoner is to chain him to the wheelchair of a rebellious, bad-tempered young man with cerebral palsy. The government rationale behind this is three fold. First it will help a terribly understaffed nursing home. Second, being chained to a handicapped person may inspire caring in the prisoner and third, it could help to toughen up the patients...

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Plot Keywords:

cerebral palsy | prison | wheelchair | poetry | interrupted sex | 

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Taglines:

They had nothing in common but their desire to break free.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Nick Nolte and John Hurt were originally considered for the roles of J.T. Blake and Johnny, respectively.

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Quotes

Johnny: I think I'm in love
J.T. Blake: You're in lust.
Johnny: I'll call it what I want.

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Connections

Referenced in Serial Mom (1994)

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Soundtracks

AND DEATH SHALL HAVE NO DOMINION
Written by Dylan Thomas
Granted by Harold Ober Associates Incorporated

User Reviews

Touching, hopeful and original

This movie is basically about giving people a second chance. Michael Ironside's character gets a chance to become a better person by helping someone else, which is really kind of a nice theme.

Ironside and Dourif are the stars of this unlikely buddy picture, and together they give great performances. Dourif in particular disappears into his role, becoming almost unrecognizable. He really is a chameleon in this film. Ironside, as usual, gives a reliable, strong performance, giving his loser character some depth and presence.

This was a small production and doesn't get anything like the attention it deserves. More than 15 years later, it still deserves a good look.

Details

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 April 1992 (South Korea)

Also Known As:

Common Bonds

Filming Locations:

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

R&R Motion Pictures, Téléfilm Canada, British Columbia Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Color:

Color