At Close Range

At Close Range

Infobox Film | name = At Close Range


caption = Theatrical release poster
director = James Foley
producer = Don Guest
Elliott Lewitt
writer = Elliott Lewitt (story)
Nicholas Kazan (story and screenplay)
starring =Sean Penn
Christopher Walken
music = Patrick Leonard
Madonna
cinematography = Juan Ruiz Anchía
editing = Howard E. Smith
distributor = Orion Pictures Corporation
released = April 18, 1986 (U.S. release)
runtime = 111 min
country = USA
language = English
budget = $6,500,000 (estimated)
amg_id = 1:3185
imdb_id = 0090670

"At Close Range" is a film based on the real life rural Pennsylvania crime family led by Bruce Johnston, Sr. which operated during the 1960s and 1970s. It was released April 18 1986, and stars Sean Penn, Christopher Walken, Chris Penn, Mary Stuart Masterson, Millie Perkins, Candy Clark and Crispin Glover. The film is directed by James Foley.

Plot

The film stars Christopher Walken as Brad Whitewood, Sr., the leader of an organized crime family consisting of his brothers and close friends. One night, his estranged oldest son, Brad, Jr. (Sean Penn), contacts him after a fight he had with his mother's boyfriend. Eventually, he becomes involved with his father's criminal endeavors, resulting in starting his own gang with his brother, Tommy (Chris Penn), and friends. The boys get excited at the idea of easy money and decide one night to attempt a daring heist, which results in their arrest by the police. Their father believes that his sons and their friends will inform the police about his criminal activities, so he rapes Brad's girlfriend, Terry (Mary Stuart Masterson), as a warning to his eldest son. The attack results in the opposite effect as Brad, Jr. begins informing the authorities about his father's activities, including a murder of a snitch he witnessed. When the father's name is given to the grand jury by his own son, Brad, Sr. feels his only recourse is to eliminate every witness that can connect himself and his crew with his sons and their crew, and he has them killed one by one. He murders Tommy himself, but orders a hit against Brad, Jr. and Terry. Terry dies, but Brad, Jr. survives and is able to testify against his father.

Trivia

* Based on the actual crimes of Bruce Johnston, Sr., in Chester County, Pennsylvania.

* Actress Eileen Ryan who plays Sean Penn's and Chris Penn's grandmother in the movie, is their real-life mother.

* The role of Brad Whitewood, Sr. was offered to Robert De Niro, who turned it down because he felt the character was too dark. [ [http://www.notstarring.com/actors/de-niro-robert Not Starring - Robert De Niro] . Retrieved 26 March 2007.]

* Shots of the movie appear in the music video for Madonna's song "Live to Tell". Madonna and Sean Penn were married at the time, and the song served as the movie's theme song. Christopher Walken would later act in Madonna's video for 1993's "Bad Girl".

* Some of the filming locations were in Franklin, Tennessee in the town square and at Fred J. Page High School.

Cast

ee also

*Bruce Johnston, Sr.

References

External links

*imdb title|id=0090670
* [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,919990-1,00.html "It was Pennsylvania Gothic"] , "Time", January 15, 1979 (news report of the real life events that inspired the film)
* [http://archive.southcoasttoday.com/daily/08-02/08-11-02/zzzddobi.htm#xind Bruce Johnston Sr. obituary] James Foley


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