Banzai Runner

Last updated
Banzai Runner
Directed by John G. Thomas
Written by Phil Harnage
John G. Thomas
Produced byKenneth L. Hulbert
John G. Thomas
Starring Dean Stockwell
John Shepherd
Charles Dierkop
Dawn Schneider
Ann Cooper
Barry Sattels
Billy Drago
CinematographyHoward Wexler
Edited byDrake Silliman
Music by Joel Goldsmith
Production
company
Montage Films
Distributed by Vidmark Entertainment
Release date
  • May 1987 (1987-05)
Running time
88 minutes
CountryUnited States
Language English

Banzai Runner is a 1987 American action film starring Dean Stockwell, John Shepherd, Charles Dierkop, Rick Fitts, Dawn Schneider, Billy Drago and directed by John G. Thomas. [1]

Contents

Plot

A group of wealthy motorists drive exotic cars at extreme speeds late at night on the public highways. These drivers are referred to as the Banzai Runners. The majority of the Runners participate for the excitement of the driving, but one of the Runners is a cruel, ruthless drug dealer. During one of these contests, a policeman is killed. With no witnesses, it's up to the cop's brother to see justice is done. He accomplishes this by assuming a false identity and joining the race. To join the group of Runners, the police officer goes undercover, and obtains a 1972 DeTomaso Pantera. With this car he competes in an all out fight to the finish with the evil drug dealer.

Cast

Related Research Articles

<i>The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension</i> 1984 American science fiction film by W. D. Richter

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension, often shortened to Buckaroo Banzai, is a 1984 American science fiction comedy film produced and directed by W. D. Richter and written by Earl Mac Rauch. It stars Peter Weller in the title role, with Ellen Barkin, John Lithgow, Jeff Goldblum, and Christopher Lloyd. The supporting cast includes Lewis Smith, Rosalind Cash, Clancy Brown, Pepe Serna, Robert Ito, Vincent Schiavelli, Dan Hedaya, Jonathan Banks, John Ashton, Carl Lumbly and Ronald Lacey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff Baxter</span> American guitarist

Jeffrey Allen "Skunk" Baxter is an American guitarist, known for his stints in the rock bands Steely Dan and The Doobie Brothers during the 1970s and Spirit in the 1980s. More recently, he has worked as a defense consultant and advised U.S. members of Congress on missile defense. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of The Doobie Brothers in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dean Stockwell</span> American actor (1936–2021)

Robert Dean Stockwell was an American actor with a career spanning seven decades. As a child actor under contract to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, he appeared in Anchors Aweigh (1945), Song of the Thin Man (1947), The Green Years (1946), Gentleman's Agreement (1947), The Boy with Green Hair (1948), and Kim (1950). As a young adult, he had a lead role in the 1957 Broadway and 1959 screen adaptation of Compulsion; and in 1962 he played Edmund Tyrone in the film version of Long Day's Journey into Night, for which he won two Best Actor Awards at the Cannes Film Festival. He was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama for his starring role in the 1960 film version of D. H. Lawrence's Sons and Lovers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rick Reilly</span> American sportswriter

Richard Paul Reilly is an American sportswriter. Long known for being the "back page" columnist for Sports Illustrated, Reilly moved to ESPN on June 1, 2008, where he was a featured columnist for ESPN.com and wrote the back page column for ESPN the Magazine. Reilly hosted ESPN's Homecoming with Rick Reilly, an interview show, and he is a contributing essayist for ESPN SportsCenter and ABC Sports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billy Drago</span> American actor (1945–2019)

William Eugene Burrows, known professionally by his stage name Billy Drago, was an American television and film actor. Drago's films, in which he was frequently cast as a villain, included Clint Eastwood's western Pale Rider and Brian De Palma's The Untouchables. He also had recurring roles in the television series The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. and Charmed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ronald Lacey</span> British actor

Ronald William Lacey was an English actor. He made numerous television and film appearances over a 30-year period. His roles included Harris in Porridge (1977), Frankie in the Bud Spencer comedy Charleston (1978), SD agent Sturmbannführer Arnold Ernst Toht in Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) and the Bishop of Bath and Wells in Blackadder II (1986).

John William Shepherd is an American actor and producer who has starred in film and on television since the 1980s.

<i>Back Roads</i> (1981 film) 1981 film by Martin Ritt

Back Roads is a 1981 American romantic comedy film starring Sally Field and Tommy Lee Jones. It is directed by Martin Ritt. It got middling reviews and grossed $11 million at the box office. This was the first film produced by CBS Theatrical Films. The film was distributed by Warner Bros.

The HSV Dealer Team, previously known as Tom Walkinshaw Racing Australia and John Kelly Racing, was an Australian V8 Supercar team. The team ceased operations at the end of 2008, with Walkinshaw Racing and Kelly Racing being formed by owners and staff of the former team. The team is best known for winning the Bathurst 1000 in 2003 and 2004 and the V8 Supercars Drivers & Teams Championships in 2006 and 2007.

<i>Free Ride</i> (1986 film) 1986 film

Free Ride is a 1986 comedy film. Cast includes Gary Hershberger, Reed Rudy, Mamie Van Doren, Peter DeLuise and Frank Campanella.

750 Motor Club is a motor racing club in the UK. It was founded in 1939 to promote the sporting use of the Austin 7. '750' refers to the near-750cc Austin 7 engine. It later led to racing and the 750 Formula where specials are raced. Famous members include Colin Chapman, Eric Broadley, Adrian Reynard, Arthur Mallock, Derek Bennett, Tony Southgate, Brian Hart, Gordon Murray, Jem Marsh, Frank Costin and Mike Pilbeam. These engineers and designers produced the first Lotus, Lola, Chevron, Speedex, Marcos, Pilbeam and other sports and racing cars between the 1940s and 1960s.

<i>The Organization</i> (film) 1971 film by Don Medford

The Organization is a 1971 DeLuxe Color American crime thriller film starring Sidney Poitier and directed by Don Medford. It was the last of the trilogy featuring the police detective Virgil Tibbs that had begun with In the Heat of the Night (1967), followed by They Call Me Mister Tibbs! (1970). In The Organization, Tibbs is called in to hunt down a gang of urban revolutionaries, suspected of a series of crimes. The screenplay was penned by James R. Webb, and the film co-stars Barbara McNair, Gerald S. O'Laughlin, Sheree North and Raul Julia.

John G. Thomas is an American filmmaker. He has been in the film and television business for over 30 years.

<i>Mad Dogs</i> (British TV series) British black comedy and psychological thriller television series

Mad Dogs is a British psychological thriller television series, written and created by Cris Cole, that began airing on Sky1 on 10 February 2011, and ended on 29 December 2013 after four series and 14 episodes. It is produced by Left Bank Pictures, and co-produced by Palma Pictures. The series stars John Simm, Marc Warren, Max Beesley, and Philip Glenister as four long-time and middle-aged friends getting together in a villa in Majorca to celebrate the early retirement of their friend Alvo. After Alvo is murdered, the group find themselves caught up in the world of crime and police corruption.

<i>Angels Hard as They Come</i> 1971 American film

Angels Hard as They Come is a 1971 biker film directed by Joe Viola and starring Scott Glenn, Charles Dierkop, Gilda Texter, James Iglehart, and Gary Busey. It was co-written and produced by Jonathan Demme.

Coda (<i>The Walking Dead</i>) 8th episode of the 5th season of The Walking Dead

"Coda" is the eighth episode and mid-season finale of the fifth season of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead, which aired on AMC on November 30, 2014. The episode marks Lennie James's second uncredited post-credits appearance in the fifth season as Morgan Jones. The episode was written by Angela Kang and directed by Ernest Dickerson.

The Loners is a 1972 American film starring Dean Stockwell and Gloria Grahame. It was the final film produced by Sam Katzman, who died the following year.

<i>White Boy Rick</i> 2018 film by Yann Demange

White Boy Rick is a 2018 American crime drama film directed by Yann Demange and written by Andy Weiss, Logan Miller, and Noah Miller. The film stars Matthew McConaughey, Richie Merritt in his film debut, Bel Powley, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Brian Tyree Henry, Rory Cochrane, RJ Cyler, Jonathan Majors, Eddie Marsan, Bruce Dern, and Piper Laurie in her final film role. The film is loosely based on the story of Richard Wershe Jr., who in the 1980s became the youngest FBI informant ever at the age of 14.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central State Marauders and Lady Marauders</span> Sports teams of Central State University

The Central State Marauders and Lady Marauders are the athletic teams that represent Central State University, located in Wilberforce, Ohio, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the Division II level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), primarily competing in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) since the 2015–16 academic year. The Marauders and Lady Marauders previously competed in the D-II Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) from 2012–13 to 2014–15, and as an NCAA D-II Independent from 2002–03 to 2011–12; as well as competing in the American Mideast Conference of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 2000–01 to 2001–02.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Normand Hamel</span> Canadian gangster (1956–2000)

Normand Hamel, better known as "Biff", was a Canadian outlaw biker and gangster. A senior member of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club in Montreal, Hamel was the right-hand man of Hells Angels leader Maurice "Mom" Boucher and became one of Quebec's top drug traffickers before he was shot dead in 2000. A member of the rival Rock Machine gang, Tony Duguay, was convicted of Hamel's murder in 2006 but was acquitted of the killing in 2016 after a witness in the case admitted that he lied while on the witness stand.

References

  1. Hal Erickson (2016). "Banzai Runner". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times . Archived from the original on 2016-03-10. Retrieved 2017-03-04.