Tenderness (2009)

A policeman works to figure out whether a violent teen murdered his family.

Director:

John Polson

Writers:

Emil Stern (screenplay), Robert Cormier (novel)

Stars:

Russell Crowe, Jon Foster, Sophie Traub

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Russell Crowe	...	Lt. Cristofuoro
Jon Foster	...	Eric Poole
Sophie Traub	...	Lori
Laura Dern	...	Aunt Teresa
Alexis Dziena	...	Maria
Arija Bareikis	...	Marsha
Tim Hopper	...	Dan Komenko
Vivienne Benesch	...	Lisa Komenko
Brian Patrick Russell	...	Facility Director (as Brian Russell)
Lou Sumrall	...	Cafeteria Guard
Tanya Clarke	...	Jackie Cristofuoro
Michael Kelly	...	Gary
Lee R. Sellars	...	Sam (as Lee Sellars)
Matt Pepper	...	Ben
Saul Stein	...	Another Guard

Storyline

Three lives. Buffalo detective Lt. Cristofuoro, whose catatonic wife is in hospital, takes a special interest in Eric Komenko, a juvenile who killed his parents and will be freed on his 18th birthday. So does Lori Cranston, 15 or 16, her body fully developed and the object of lust by her boss and her mother's new boyfriend. She keeps a scrapbook about Eric, and when he's released from custody, she hides in the backseat of his car, insisting he take her with him on a trip toward Albany where he's planning to meet a girl. Cristofuoro is certain Eric will kill again, so he follows. It's clear early on that Cristofuoro's probably right, but what's Lori's motivation?

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Plot Keywords:

teenage girl | release from prison | road trip | ill wife | police | 

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Taglines:

The intimacy of the kill.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for disturbing violent and sexual content, and language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 January 2009 (Israel)

Also Known As:

Tenderness - Auf der Spur des Killers

Filming Locations:

Arthur Kill Correctional Facility - 2911 Arthur Kill Road, Staten Island, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$322,189

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lionsgate, GreeneStreet Films, iDeal Partners Film Fund

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Russell Crowe filmed all of his scenes in 9 days.

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Goofs

Near the end when the Detective is sponging off his wife's body, she has bikini tan lines, which make no sense since she's been paralyzed in the hospital for a long time.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Lt. Cristofuoro: My wife likes to say there are two kinds of people, those chasing pleasure, and those running from pain. Lorelei Cranston is Running. Running from all kinds of everything. Probably has been her whole life.
Lt. Cristofuoro: If you ask me, nobody gets to escape their pain. It's there when you brush your teeth at night. It's there before breakfast. It will come up fierce and sharp, and lay in to you blunt and heavy. The most you can hope for is one good day. Because on a good day you get to tell ...

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Connections

Referenced in Friday Night with Jonathan Ross: Episode #11.6 (2006)

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Soundtracks

Today Has Been OK
Written by Emiliana Torrini and Daniel De Mussenden Carey
Performed by Emiliana Torrini
Published by WB Music Corp. (ASCAP) o/b/o Warner Chappell Music Ltd.
Courtesy of Rough Trade Records Ltd

User Reviews

Not a Popcorn Thriller

I hadn't heard of this film until Redbox e-mailed me and reported it as a new release. I went out and rented it right away, curious to see what Russell Crowe had done as I like to watch him work.

Hats off to Jon Foster and Sophie Traub for telegraphing internal dialogue well enough to keep me nearly interested. There is tension, as you can't tell if Foster's character will act on impulse to bring more grief to the world.

Grief is the common theme. Life as Grief, Actions and Consequences as Grief, Breathing as Grief. Fortunately I took my Welbutrin this morning so I was in a pretty good mood both going in and coming out of the film experience.

All the professional elements are present: acting, directing, lighting, set design, and even a minimal amount of music. There is a story here, but its one that neither added to my life or made me feel better about the human condition.

Skip this one, don't waste the spot in your Netflix queue.