Too Young to Die? (1990)

An abused 15 year old is charged with a murder that carries the death penalty in this fact-based story.

Director:

Robert Markowitz

Writers:

David Hill (story), David Hill (teleplay)

Stars:

Michael Tucker, Juliette Lewis, Brad Pitt

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michael Tucker	...	Buddy Thornton
Juliette Lewis	...	Amanda Sue Bradley
Brad Pitt	...	Billy Canton
Alan Fudge	...	D.A. Mark Calhoun
Emily Longstreth	...	Jean Glessner
Laurie O'Brien	...	Wanda Bradley Sledge
Yvette Heyden	...	Annie Meacham
Tom Everett	...	Judge Harper
Michael O'Keefe	...	Mike Medwicki
Dean Abston	...	Harvey Sledge
J. Stephen Brady	...	Brian
Mark Davenport	...	Mickey
Lew Hopson	...	Star
Annabelle Weenick	...	Birdie Jewel
Charles C. Stevenson Jr.	...	Pastor

Storyline

An abused 15 year old is charged with a murder that carries the death penalty in this fact-based story.

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Plot Keywords:

death penalty | murder | teenage prostitute | wedding | verdict | 

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Taglines:

They were young, in love and wanted for murder.

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Genres:

Drama | Crime

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 February 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Too Young to Die

Filming Locations:

Taft, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Frank & Bob Films II,Von Zerneck Sertner Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Brad Pitt and Juliette Lewis started dating while shooting this film in 1989. Lewis was 16 years old while Pitt was 26 when their relationship began. They worked together again in Kalifornia (1993). The relationship ended in 1993, after four years.

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Goofs

There is a police car driving through a crowd and an egg is thrown at the window, you can briefly see the camera man in the right front seat wearing a jean jacket instead of a police uniform.

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Quotes

[last lines]
Amanda Sue Bradley: When are they coming?
Buddy Thornton: Soon.
Amanda Sue Bradley: So they're taking me to death row? I'm gonna die now.
[Buddy hugs her as she cries]
Amanda Sue Bradley: I don't wanna die now!

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Connections

Referenced in Star Stories: Jennifer Aniston: The One Where Jen's Husband Dumps Her for a Total Bitch (2006)

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Soundtracks

PERFECT WORLD
Written by Alex Call
Performed by Huey Lewis & The News (as Huey Lewis and The News)
Courtesy of Chrysalis Records and Lew-Bob Songs

User Reviews

With just 45 minutes watched, this one sticks!

I was surprised by this movie. I only saw the last 45 minutes of it, but it really grabbed me. Not only because of the very disturbing story, but also because of the, at some stages, incredible acting by Juliette Lewis.

Amanda and Billy/Juliette and Brad in this movie must have been the model for the trailer park couple in "Kalifornia". I found Kalifornia much less disturbing despite the in-your-face violence displayed by Brad's character there. I guess this is because "Too young to die?" was produced before the era of quick camera action. The slow pace of the film reminded me of "Badlands", with the same emptiness and destructive path, except that in "Too young to die" there's absolutely no romance involved. In a merciless way, it is outlining the destructive path that Amanda is on, with no one to help.

This is one of those films that stick, even with 45 minutes captured of it. And that's what movie experience is about.

Nice to see both Brad and Juliette at an early stage of their careers, clearly lying the foundation for their later roles (Brad as cowboy with Gena Davis in ..., Juliette with De Niro in Cape Fear and with Woody in Natural Born Killers).