Extreme Prejudice (film)
| Extreme Prejudice | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical film poster | |
| Directed by | Walter Hill |
| Produced by |
Buzz Feitshans Mario Kassar |
| Written by |
John Milius Fred Rexer Deric Washburn Harry Kleiner |
| Starring |
Nick Nolte Powers Boothe María Conchita Alonso |
| Music by | Jerry Goldsmith |
| Cinematography | Matthew F. Leonetti |
| Editing by |
Freeman A. Davies David Holden Billy Weber |
| Studio | Carolco Pictures |
| Distributed by | TriStar Pictures |
| Release dates |
|
| Running time | 104 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $11,307,844 |
Extreme Prejudice is an American action film starring Nick Nolte and Powers Boothe, originally released in 1987.
The film was directed by Walter Hill; it was written by John Milius, Fred Rexer and Deric Washburn (the latter collaborated with Michael Cimino on Silent Running and The Deer Hunter).
Extreme Prejudice is an homage, of sorts, to The Wild Bunch, a western directed by Sam Peckinpah, with whom Hill worked on The Getaway (1972 film). Both films end with a massive gunfight in a Mexican border town.
The title originates from "terminate with extreme prejudice", a phrase popularized by the 1979 film Apocalypse Now, also written by John Milius.
The character of Jack Benteen was loosely based on Joaquin Jackson, now a retired Texas Ranger. Nolte spent three weeks in Texas with Jackson learning the day to day activities of a Ranger. Nolte took what he learned and incorporated it into his character; the mannerisms and dress.
Plot
A teletype message flashes across the screen...
- Master Sergeant Larry McRose, U.S. Army, Frankfurt, West Germany
- Report to Zombie Unit, El Paso, Texas
At the El Paso airport, five U.S. Army sergeants meet up with Major Paul Hackett (Ironside), the leader of the Zombie Unit. The unit is composed of soldiers reported to be killed, and are on temporary assignment under Hackett for this mission.
Jack Benteen (Nolte) is a tough Texas Ranger. His best friend from high school is Cash Bailey (Boothe), an American and former police informer who has crossed into Mexico and become a major drug trafficker.
A D.E.A. agent and several soldiers from the clandestine U.S. Army unit show up in town, all tracking Bailey. When the soldiers rob a local bank to get Bailey's money and a cash deposit box that contains accounts on the drug money he's deposited there, one of the soldiers is killed and two others are captured by Benteen and placed in the town jail.
Benteen is confronted by the D.E.A agent, who turns out to be their commanding officer and reveals their true mission to him to obtain his men's release. Now knowing the full story, Benteen joins with the soldiers and crosses the border into Mexico to track down Bailey and end his drug running. At Bailey's hacienda, Benteen's girlfriend Sarita (Alonso), who was once Bailey's woman, has crossed into Mexico to join him after arguing with Benteen.
At a huge Independence Day festival, Benteen confronts Bailey while the soldiers attack Bailey's private army. Hackett is witnessed shooting Bailey's accountant and, at the same time, revealing himself to be Bailey's partner. The town erupts into a gunfight, which few but Benteen and Sarita survive.
Cast
- Nick Nolte as Ranger Jack Benteen
- Powers Boothe as Cash Bailey
- Michael Ironside as Major Paul Hackett
- María Conchita Alonso as Sarita Cisneros
- Rip Torn as Sheriff Hank Pearson
- Clancy Brown as Master Sergeant Larry McRose
- William Forsythe as Sergeant 1st Class Buckman Atwater
- Matt Mulhern as Staff Sergeant Declan Patrick Coker
- Larry B. Scott as Sergeant 1st Class Charles Biddle
- Dan Tullis, Jr. as Sergeant 1st Class Luther Fry
Production
The film was first announced for production in 1976 with Milius to direct from his own script.[1] However Milius did Big Wednesday instead.
The project was revived in the 1980s, when Walter Hill hired Harry Kleiner to rewrite it.[2]
Reception
The movie received mixed to positive reviews.[3][4][5]
Box office
Extreme Prejudice debuted with $3.5 million at 1,071 screens its first weekend.[6]
Availability
The film was released on videocassette in the United States in 1987 by International Video Entertainment and again in 1989 by the same company. In 1991, it was re-released on VHS by Avid Home Entertainment, but in the EP (low quality) Mode. In 2001, Artisan Entertainment finally released the DVD, but in pan-and-scan and without bonus features. A DVD in the United Kingdom shows the film in widescreen and also contains the theatrical trailer as well as the teaser trailer.
The U.S. DVD has been criticized for its low quality transfer and lack of features.
See also
References
- ↑ FILM CLIPS: 'TELEFON' TO LINK BRONSON, SIEGEL Kilday, Gregg. Los Angeles Times (1923-Current File) [Los Angeles, Calif] 30 Aug 1976: f7.
- ↑ "Son Of 'Bullitt' " OUTTAKES May 10, 1987|Pat H. Broeske LA Times accessed 2 May 2013
- ↑ "Movie Review : Stylish Exploitation In 'Extreme Prejudice'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2012-06-02.
- ↑ "FILM: 'EXTREME PREJUDICE'". The New York Times. Retrieved 2012-06-02.
- ↑ "Extreme Prejudice". Chicago Sun Times. Retrieved 2012-06-02.
- ↑ "Weekend Box Office". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2012-06-02.
External links
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