Die Regeln der Gewalt (2007)

Chris is a once promising high school athlete whose life is turned upside down following a tragic accident. As he tries to maintain a normal life, he takes a job as a janitor at a bank, where he ultimately finds himself caught up in a planned heist.

Director:

Scott Frank

Writer:

Scott Frank

Stars:

Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jeff Daniels, Matthew Goode

1 win & 11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Joseph Gordon-Levitt	...	Chris Pratt
Jeff Daniels	...	Lewis
Matthew Goode	...	Gary Spargo
Isla Fisher	...	Luvlee
Carla Gugino	...	Janet
Bruce McGill	...	Robert Pratt
Alberta Watson	...	Barbara Pratt
Alex Borstein	...	Mrs. Lange
Sergio Di Zio	...	Deputy Ted
David Huband	...	Mr. Tuttle
Laura Vandervoort	...	Kelly
Greg Dunham	...	Bone
Morgan Kelly	...	Marty
Aaron Berg	...	Cork
Tinsel Korey	...	Maura

Storyline

An admired high school hockey player with a bright future foolishly takes a drive in the night with his girlfriend and two other friends with his headlights off with devastating results. The former athlete is left with a brain injury that prevents him from remembering many things for extended periods of time. To compensate, he keeps notes in a small notebook to aid him in remembering what he is to do. He also lives with a blind friend who aids him. Obviously, with the mental incapacitation, he is unable to have meaningful work. Thus he works as a night cleaning man in a bank. It is there he comes under the scrutiny of a gang planning to rob the bank. The leader befriends him and gets him involved with a young woman who further reels him in. After they get close and after reeling him in with his own failures, the bank plan unfolds. Confused but wanting to escape his current existence, he initially goes along with the scheme. After realizing he is being used, he attempts to stop the ...

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Plot Keywords:

amnesia | sex | female nudity | casual sex | seduction | 

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Taglines:

Whoever has the money has the power

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

12

Did You Know?

Trivia

To be more convincing as a blind man, Jeff Daniels spent time at the Michigan Commission for the Blind Training Center in Kalamazoo, observing and learning some basic skills used by blind people on a daily basis.

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Goofs

Highway signs for Route 24 show the number in a sunflower, which designates it as a Kansas state route. But the Route 24 that passes through the Kansas City Metro area is a U.S. Route, and would have a different type of sign.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Chris Pratt: It only happens once a year, and then they die. It's like a mating ritual or something.
Kelly: Isn't that romantic?

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Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Movie Characters with Memory Loss (2014)

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Soundtracks

That's Too Bad (Byron Jam)
(2006)
Written and Performed by Donavon Frankenreiter
Courtesy of Lost Highway Records
Under License from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

Deceptively captivating.

When you look at Scott Frank's writing credits --especially "Minority Report" and "Out Of Sight"-- it is really no surprise that this is an unusually smart and entertaining crime drama.

It is an "adult movie" in the best sense of that term.

This is a beautifully bleak looking movie where all the color is in the characters and their behavior. The acting is top notch. I've never seen this Levitt kid before, but he captures emotional and intellectual numbness with a finesse I haven't seen since Guy Pierce's work in "Memento". It is a tough role and he hits it out of the park. Jeff Daniels is Oscar-worthy as his best friend and Matthew Goode plays a guy who you know sheds more than one skin each year. Isla Fisher is a welcome ray of sunlight in this dark tale.

It is the anti-"300" (which I liked a lot). This movie really sneaks up on you, it doesn't bludgeon you but before you know it you are totally spellbound by it.

I'll be looking forward to the next movie directed (and written) by Scott Frank.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 September 2007 (Germany)

Also Known As:

Die Regeln der Gewalt

Filming Locations:

Hartney, Manitoba, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$16,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,007,000, 1 April 2007

Gross USA:

$4,600,585

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$5,371,181

Company Credits

Production Co:

Miramax, Spyglass Entertainment, Laurence Mark Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

DTS SDDS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1