Eye of the Tiger (film)
Eye of the Tiger | |
---|---|
Gregory Prange | |
Music by | Don Preston |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Scotti Brothers Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 92 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $3 million |
Eye of the Tiger is a 1986 American action film directed by Richard C. Sarafian, and stars Gary Busey, Yaphet Kotto, Denise Galik, Seymour Cassel, William Smith, and Judith Barsi. Busey plays a wrongfully incarcerated ex-convict who fights back against the biker gang harassing his hometown and the crooked sheriff protecting them. The film marked the beginning of the actor's transition to the action roles that would epitomize his career for much of the late 1980s and 1990s.
Plot summary
Just released from prison, Vietnam War veteran Buck Matthews returns to his small town to start his life over with his wife Christie and their five-year-old daughter Jennifer, but soon learns that it has fallen into the clutches of a motorcycle gang. On his first night back to his old job at a construction yard, Buck hears the screams of a local nurse about to get raped by several bikers. Buck manages to chase them off using his truck. The leader of the biker gang, Blade, takes Buck's actions personally and plots an attack on the Matthews' home, during which Buck is severely beaten and his wife is killed, leaving their daughter traumatized.
The local sheriff refuses to help Buck, leaving him with no other option but to take justice into his own hands. Buck then calls in a favor from Jamie, a Miami-based Colombian drug kingpin whom Buck protected from violence when they served time together. Buck receives a high tech truck, equipped with machine guns and mortars. J.B. Deveraux, a local deputy who fought alongside Buck in Vietnam, provides Buck with a history of the motorcycle gang. The sheriff is shown to be corrupt and in league with the motorcycle gang.
Buck and J.B. start whittling down Blade's gang by luring them into traps or gunning them down outright. Eventually, the bikers kidnap Buck's daughter Jennifer from the hospital, forcing Buck to go to their camp in the desert outside of town. With the help of J.B., flying a bomb-dropping
Cast
- Gary Busey as Buck Matthews
- Yaphet Kotto as J.B. Deveraux
- Seymour Cassel as Sheriff
- Bert Remsen as Father Healey
- Denise Galik as Christie Matthews
- William Smith as "Blade"
- Kimberlin Brown as Dawn
- Judith Barsi as Jennifer Matthews
- Joe Brooks as Jake
- Jorge Gil as Jamie
- Cooper Huckabee as Roger
- Ted Markland as Floyd
- Thomas Rosales Jr. as Jamie's Relative
- Timothy Scott as Deputy
Production notes
Development
Although the film was marketed as being inspired by the hit song "
Montgomery promoted the bundle without the help of an agent, by sending promotional posters and cold-calling some 100 production companies across the U.S. and Canada. About half responded, of which fifteen offered an in-person meeting about one film or the other.
Casting
For Busey, the film marked the beginning of what he called the third stage of his career, following his fast rise to fame and a period of drug and alcohol addiction that saw his weight balloon to 240 pounds. Now back to a fitter 180 pounds thanks to swimming, weightlifting and a
Filming
Busey announced that he would start work on the film on July 21, 1986.[6] The film was shot in the Los Angeles area, including Valencia.[7][8] It was budgeted at around $3 million.[8]
Release
Pre-release
To celebrate the film's release, Montgomery purchased a full-page ad in film trade publications Variety and The Hollywood Reporter on his own dime, which featured a reprint of a career profile previously published in his hometown newspaper. The Reporter ran it, but Variety refused, purportedly because the article contained partially unverifiable allegations by Montgomery about the settlement of an unrelated lawsuit against the makers of Smokey and the Bandit.[3]
Theatrical
Eye of the Tiger opened on about 800 screens on November 21, 1986.[3][5]
Home media
Eye of the Tiger arrived on
Reception
Eye of the Tiger was not screened for critics,
Ballantine Books' Video Movie Guide was more amicable, finding that "Busey and Yaphet Kotto give quality performances that save this formula vengeance film".[15] In a retrospective review, Donald Guarisco of AllMovie was positive, assessing that "it won't be confused for a classic but it gets the job done with style and economy. In short, anyone who likes action fare—particularly that of the 1980's variety—will find Eye Of The Tiger to be a tidy little surprise."[16]
Soundtrack
In addition to the titular "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor, the film's soundtrack also features "Gravity", a song performed by James Brown and taken from his recently released Scotti Bros. album of the same name.[17]
See also
References
- ^ a b Freedman, Richard (November 21, 1986). "Eye of the Tiger is a dim story of vengeance". The Spokesman-Review/Spokane Chronicles. p. 16 – via newspapers.com (subscription required) .
- ^ a b Cason, Colleen (November 7, 1986). "Rambo with a Typewriter". News Chronicle. Thousand Oaks. p. V1–V3 – via newspapers.com (subscription required) .
- ^ a b c Wilson, John (November 23, 1986). "Pryor Restraints". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
- ^ Frazier, Tony (March 6, 1987). "Busey changing image with new role, weight". The Daily Oklahoman/Weekend. Oklahoma City. p. 4 – via newspapers.com (subscription required) .
- ^ a b Beck, Marilyn (November 21, 1986). "Gary Busey cleans up his act and find films are fun again". Corpus Christi Times. Tribune Media Services. p. 7G – via newspapers.com (subscription required) .
- ^ Chapman, Art (July 20, 1986). "Long way from Goose Creek, Texas". p. 1E–5E – via newspapers.com (subscription required) .
- ^ Beale, Lewis (September 3, 1986). "Actor is looking for a (stage) fight". Springfield News-Sun. Knight-Ridder News Service. p. 6 – via newspapers.com (subscription required) .
- ^ a b "Eye of the Tiger (1986): History". AFI Catalogue of Feature Films. American Film Institute. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
- ^ Cidoni, Mike (April 18, 1987). "Video Corner". Battle Creek Enquirer. Gannett News Service. p. 3B – via newspapers.com (subscription required) .
- ISSN 0006-2510.
- ^ "Eye of the Tiger (1986): Releases". allmovie.com. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
- ^ Price, Mike H. (November 21, 1986). "Cinemas reel with new releases". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. p. 34 – via newspapers.com (subscription required) .
- ^ Thomas, Kevin (November 24, 1986). "Vengeance Is Busey's In 'Eye Of The Tiger'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
- ^ "Eye of the Tiger". TV Guide. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
- ISBN 0345420969.
- ^ Guarisco, Donald. "Eye of the Tiger (1986): Review". allmovie.com. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
- ^ "Eye of the Tiger (1986): Credits". AFI Catalogue of Feature Films. American Film Institute. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
External links
- Eye of the Tiger at IMDb
- Eye of the Tiger at Rotten Tomatoes
- Eye of the Tiger at AllMovie