Striking Distance (1993)

User Rating:

5.4/10   

Director:

Rowdy Herrington

Writers (WGA):

Rowdy Herrington (written by) &
Marty Kaplan (written by)

Release Date:

17 September 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

They shouldn't have put him in the water, if they didn't want him to make waves.

Plot:

Coming from a police family, Tom Hardy ends up fighting his uncle after the murder of his father. Tom believes the killer is another cop...

Plot Keywords:

River | Serial Killer | Police | Chase | Murder

Cast

Bruce Willis	...	Det. Tom Hardy
Sarah Jessica Parker	...	Jo Christman
Dennis Farina	...	Capt. Nick Detillo
Tom Sizemore	...	Det. Danny Detillo
Brion James	...	Det. Eddie Eiler
Robert Pastorelli	...	Det. Jimmy Detillo
Timothy Busfield	...	Tony Sacco
John Mahoney	...	Lt. Vince Hardy
Andre Braugher	...	Dist. Atty. Frank Morris
Tom Atkins	...	Sgt. Fred Hardy
Mike Hodge	...	Capt. Penderman, River Rescue Commandant
Jodi Long	...	Officer Kim Lee, River Rescue Dispatcher
Roscoe Orman	...	Sid, Eddie Eiler's Partner
Robert Gould	...	Douglas Kesser
Gareth Williams	...	Chick Chicanis

Also Known As:

Three Rivers (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, strong language and a sex scene.

Runtime:

101 min | Argentina:112 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Iceland:16 | South Korea:15 | Philippines:R-18 | Portugal:M/16 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Germany:16 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Singapore:NC-16 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R (certificate #31925)

Filming Locations:

Monongahela, Pennsylvania, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

At various stages of production the film was known as "Three Rivers" but was eventually released as "Striking Distance".

Goofs:

Continuity: When Tom chases the witness to the Polish Hill murders and tackles him to the ground, Tom's gun switches from the left side of the escapee's face to the right side, and then back to the left.

Quotes:

Lieutenant Vincent Hardy: Do you know what my dad used to say? Loyalty before all else exept honor.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Angels' Revenge (#7.22)" (1995)

Soundtrack:

FEEL LIKE A NUMBER

Give It A Chance

I'd be lying if I didn't admit this is yet another patterned Bruce Willis flick the kind where he plays the hard boiled cop with a colorful past, but I gave it a chance. This one finds Willis as Tom Hardy. A cop from a family of cops and things aren't going too well. First off, he's just ratted out his violent partner (Robert Pastorelli) at an official police inquiry and that doesn't win him any fans in the department. Then his depressed former partner jumps off a bridge killing himself. What a load to carry. All of the while there's this killer on the loose and when his father is murdered by him he lets it be known he thinks the killer is a cop and suddenly he's reassigned to River Patrol.

This movie succeeds on a basic level -- it's entertaining. Sure the story is loose and the film's surprises are somewhat stale, but it's all in good fun. Willis gets to look aptly serious and hunt for the killer on the waters and there's just enough suspense to sustain interest and the minor twists of the story keep things at a good pace. Meanwhile the rounded supporting cast keeps things lively and keeps the viewer going, "Where have I seen him before?" or "Hey that's such and such".

I've read on here how people think this is stupid, dumb and lacks any suspense or thrills. Like any of the Die Hard movies had exceptionally smart stories or you didn't know what was gonna happen next or how it would all end. Of course not. For a entry level Bruce Willis flick, this one satisfies. Now if only I could get the Little Red Riding Hood Song out of my mind...!