| Five Corners | |
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Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Tony Bill |
| Produced by | George Harrison (Exec. Prod.) Michael McDonnell (Assoc. Prod.) Forrest Murray (Producer) Denis O'Brien (Exec. Prod.) |
| Written by | John Patrick Shanley |
| Starring | Jodie Foster Tim Robbins John Turturro |
| Studio | HandMade Films |
| Distributed by | Cineplex-Odeon Films |
| Release date(s) | 1987 |
| Running time | 90 min |
| Country | USA UK |
| Language | English |
Five Corners is a 1987 American film starring Tim Robbins, Jodie Foster, John Turturro, and Rodney Harvey. It was directed by Tony Bill. It depicts 48 hours in the lives of a group of young New Yorkers in the 1960s.
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The action is set in The Bronx in 1964. It begins with the murder of a high-school teacher, who was shot in the back by an arrow (an incident which gives rise to a memorable line, "Someone murdered our teacher, so we have the day off. Want to go for a ride?").
A man offers to give two young ladies (who are apparently unconscious) to two teenage boys, even offering them cash to take the women off his hands. These ladies later wake in a strange apartment, lying naked under sheets. The next day, the boys tell the girls that their teacher was murdered, and that is why they were available to take the girls for the car ride.
Heinz has just been released from prison after serving a term for attempted rape, and has returned to his old neighborhood to resume his relationship with his demented mother and to "rekindle" his own demented version of a relationship with Linda, the near-rape victim. Harry had protected Linda in the near-rape, but since then he has adopted a policy of non-violent response to violence (caused by the murder of his policeman father and the non-violent protests against racism espoused by Dr. Martin Luther King). Harry has now become a Buddhist and a pacifist, and seeks to join Dr. King's movement, making protecting Linda again a difficult task. Heinz calls Linda, and tells her to meet him in a park at midnight. She reluctantly agrees, knowing that he may become dangerous if she doesn't comply. When arriving at the pool, she finds a board to use for protection and hides it. Heinz shows her a present he got for her: two penguins he stole from the Bronx zoo. She tells him that he has to return them because penguins need special food. Heinz becomes outraged, thinking that she was rejecting his gift, and kills one of the penguins. Linda attempts to fight Heinz off, but he overpowers her and renders her unconscious.
The movie ends with Heinz taking an unconscious Linda to a rooftop, where police secure the building. A sharpshooter is in a position to kill him but doesn't because it would endanger Linda. Heinz is killed by a mysterious arrow to his back, just like the teacher at the beginning of the film.
The film earned $969,205.[1]
Critics generally praised this movie's actors, many of whom went on to become A-list names, but were less generous with the script:
"Five Corners is so filled with inspired, memorable moments that it's tough to completely fault it when it inanely begins spiraling out of control towards the conclusion. After all, the entire picture is so beautifully messy from the outset that any hope for rational tie-ups is equally absurd . ."[3]
The movie is assumed to be public domain, as it has received numerous VHS and DVD releases. A laserdisc released by Criterion shows the film in widescreen.
Image Entertainment is now set to release a new widescreen DVD of the film in February 2011. The film is also set to make its debut onto Blu-Ray around the same time.
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