Deadfall is a 1993 crime drama film directed by Christopher Coppola. Coppola co-wrote the script with Nick Vallelonga. The film stars Michael Biehn, Coppola's brother Nicolas Cage, Sarah Trigger, Charlie Sheen, James Coburn, and Peter Fonda. It is also the prime influence on the song "Deadfall" written by the American hardcore punk band Snot. A prequel/sequel, Arsenal, starring Nicolas Cage as his character Eddie King, was released in 2017.
| Deadfall | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical film poster | |
| Directed by | Christopher Coppola |
| Written by | Christopher Coppola Nick Vallelonga |
| Produced by | Mark Amin Gerson Fox Gertrude Fox Ted Fox |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Maryse Alberti |
| Edited by | Phillip Linson |
| Music by | Jim Fox |
| Distributed by | Trimark Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 98 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $3 million |
| Box office | $18,369 |
Plot
editThis article needs an improved plot summary. (September 2015) |
After con artist Joe Donan accidentally kills his father Mike during a sting when his blank bullets were replaced with live ammunition, he tries to carry out Mike's dying wish to recover "the cake". To do so he goes to find his uncle Lou. Uncle Lou, also a con artist, tries to get Joe in on one of his cons, but Joe falls in love with Lou's assistant's girlfriend Diane and decides that they will take the money from the con and run away. After the con goes wrong and Uncle Lou gets shot, Joe flees with the money but runs into his father, alive and well. Joe learns that Mike and Diane were working together to con Lou. Enraged, Joe fires his gun at Mike, not knowing whether the bullets inside were blanks or real. The bullet is a blank, and the film ends with Joe walking away from Mike.
Cast
edit- Michael Biehn as Joe Donan
- Sarah Trigger as Diane
- Nicolas Cage as Eddie
- James Coburn as Mike Donan / Lou Donan
- Peter Fonda as Pete
- Charlie Sheen as Morgan "Fats" Gripp
- Talia Shire as Sam
- Micky Dolenz as Bart
- Ron Taylor as The Baby
- Michael Constantine as Frank
Production
editVal Kilmer was initially cast to play the role of Joe. He left the film at the last minute because he apparently didn't get along with the producer. He instead did The Real McCoy. Christopher Coppola accused him of breaking his contract and leaving because he was offered $1 million for the other project. After he left, Trimark Pictures slashed the budget from $8 million to $3 million. After the budget was cut and the actors were paid, about $300,000 of the budget was left, which was actually supposed to go to Christopher Coppola. But he put it back into the production and didn't get a single cent.
When the film premiered, the lab made a mistake on the print and they double printed the awkward sex scene, meaning the scene played twice back to back. The studio didn't bother checking the print.
Critical reception
editThe movie received negative reviews from critics. Kevin Thomas described it as "a hopelessly callow, leaden-paced attempt at film noir."[1]
The film holds a 0% "Rotten" rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 5 reviews.[2]
Star Michael Biehn called this one of the worst films he ever made.[3]
References
edit- ^ "MOVIE REVIEW : 'Deadfall' a Coppola Family Affair". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2012-06-01.
- ^ "Deadfall". www.rottentomatoes.com. 1993-07-15. Retrieved 2016-05-17.
- ^ Vespe, Eric. "AICN Legends: Quint chats with Michael Biehn, Part 2! William Friedkin, Michael Bay, Nic Cage, Grindhouse, Megiddo, The Rock, The Victim and More!". Ain't it Cool News. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
External links
edit
- Deadfall at IMDb
- Deadfall at AllMovie
- Deadfall at Box Office Mojo
- Deadfall at Rotten Tomatoes
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