City Limits (1985 film)

Last updated
City Limits
CityLimitsposter.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Aaron Lipstadt
Written by Don Opper
Story by
  • Aaron Lipstadt
  • James Reigle
Produced byRupert Harvey
Barry Opper
Starring
Cinematography Tim Suhrstedt
Edited byR. J. Kizer
Music by Mitchell Froom
Distributed by Atlantic Releasing
Release date
  • September 1, 1985 (1985-09-01)
Running time
86 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$2.5-3.4 million [1]

City Limits is a 1985 post-apocalyptic action film written and directed by Aaron Lipstadt and is based on a story by Lipstadt & James Reigle. [2] [3] [4] The film stars Darrell Larson, [5] [6] John Stockwell, [7] [8] Kim Cattrall, [9] Rae Dawn Chong, [10] John Diehl, [11] [12] Pamela Ludwig, [13] Tony Plana, [14] [15] Robby Benson, [16] [17] Dean Devlin, [9] [18] [19] and James Earl Jones. [20]

Contents

Plot

In the near future a mysterious plague kills almost every adult and leaves behind "a world of orphans". Some fortunate few are raised by the surviving adults, including Lee (John Stockwell), who is taken in and raised by Albert (James Earl Jones) on his remote farm. Fifteen years later, Lee sets out for the nearby ruins of Los Angeles in the hopes of joining the Clippers, a famous motorcycle gang. Lee follows a convoy of trucks into a fenced off building, where he is noticed by Bolo (Norbert Weisser), who is overseeing operations. When workers begin to converge on Lee he flees on his motorcycle.

After defending himself against and fleeing from a hostile group of bikers known as the DAs, Lee makes his way into Clippers territory and meets their leader Mick (Darrell Larson) and his second in command Whitey (John Diehl). When Lee asks to join the gang, he is rebuffed. Mick sends Yogi (Rae Dawn Chong) along to escort Lee safely to the city limits. The two are chased by the DAs when they discover one of the bikers who attacked Lee earlier has died from his injuries. Lee and Yogi manage to evade the DAs and head back to Clippers territory. Whitey and Mick debate turning him over to Ray (Danny De La Paz), the leader of the DAs, to preserve the "no guns, no killing" truce that exists between the two gangs, but Sammy (Don Keith Opper) offers a suggestion. When Ray arrives, Whitey proposes a test of combat between Lee and the DAs' best combatant to decide if he lives; Ray agrees. After he leaves Ray heads to the factory where he reports to Bolo, who tells him he will be sending one of his employees with him to the competition.

The next day the two gangs arrive for the competition. Before the fight begins Ray presents Wickings (Kim Cattrall), who introduces herself and Bolo as representatives of the Sunya Corporation, brought to L.A. at the behest of the Federal government. Wickings attempts to convince Mick to have the Clippers help with Sunya's efforts to restore the city, but Mick turns her down. The gangs proceed with the competition, pitting Lee against a female DA. Though initially surprised by the woman's fierceness, Lee ultimately defeats her without killing her as the Clippers leave victorious, Lee now officially a member of the gang.

Back at the Sunya factory, Wickings unsuccessfully tries to convince Bolo and his boss Carver (Robby Benson) that the Clippers can be brought around. Bolo leaves the office to meet Ray, where he scolds the gang leader for failing to bring the Clippers on board, then gives him a gun. This is observed from the rafters by Whitey, but as he attempts to leave he nearly falls and is noticed. Bolo's men give chase and ultimately capture him, and Bolo executes him in front of Ray. Wickings leaves the office in time to see Bolo standing over Whitey's body. The next day she files an electronic report with the government accusing Bolo and Carver of violating company directives, specifically in using armed force to recruit workers, but receives a reply that the two have been authorized to use any and all measures they deem necessary. After being confronted by Bolo, Wickings returns to her quarters where she obtains a schematic of the facility's sewer system and uses it to escape.

As the Clippers prepare to have a funeral for Whitey, Bolo makes plans to ambush the group during the ceremony. Ray begs Bolo for one last chance to convince Mick; Bolo agrees, but readies his men anyway. At the funeral Ray attempts to reason with Mick, but instead starts a brawl between the DAs and Clippers. The brawl is cut short when Bolo and his men open fire on the Clippers, killing many and rounding up others to be used as slave labor. Mick is wounded, but he, Lee, Yogi, Frankie (Pamela Ludwig), Sammie, Ramos (Tony Plana) and a few others escape. Mick leaves for one last meeting with Ray, who tries to convince Mick to leave town as soon as he can. Bolo and a group of men arrive at the meeting and take custody of Mick, tipped off to its location by Ernie. Bolo tasks Ray with bringing Ernie back to the Sunya factory; Ray gives him a ride, but kills him along the way for his betrayal of his former friend. Bolo tortures Mick to reveal the location of the remaining Clippers, but before he can get the information the group arrives, rescues Mick and flees the city for Albert's farm.

The group spends time at Albert's farm recuperating, during which time Lee and Wickings become romantically involved. Lee and Mick form a plan to retake the city from Sunya. The group fix up their bikes, and head to the city, accompanied by Albert in his restored 1950s Cadillac. Wickings and Lee infiltrate the Sunya factory using the sewers, overpower the guard overseeing the captured Clippers' training, and frees the group, leading them back to their impounded motorcycles. The reformed Clippers head back for Sunya to finish the job, only to be stopped by the DAs. Rather than fighting them though, Ray allows them to proceed, and he and the rest of the DAs join the Clippers in their assault on the Sunya factory.

At Sunya, Wickings and Sammy disable the power, allowing the unified gang to attack in the confusion. Bolo arrives soon after, holding the two at gunpoint and turning the power back on. This allows a Sunya vehicle with a mounted machine gun to open fire on the gangs. The advantage is short-lived: assisted by Frankie, Albert takes out the vehicle using an explosive-laden remote controlled model plane. Sammy and Wickings make their escape while Bolo is stunned by the explosion, and Albert crashes a second explosive plane into Bolo, killing him. With most of Sunya's personnel fleeing or dead, Lee, Wickings, Mick and Yogi head for the main building to confront Carver. They find him, but Carver is unimpressed, calmly stating that even if he is killed, someone just like him or worse will be sent in his place. Before anyone else can act Ray drives into the office on his motorcycle, simply responding with, "no", before he crushes Carver between his desk and the wall, killing him.

In the aftermath, the Clippers and DAs unite, becoming the Clippers Corporation. Wickings assists in helping them petition the Federal government to grant them official control of the city, which the government accepts. Lee stays with the Clippers, while Albert returns to his farm.

Cast

Production

Following the success of Android , director Aaron Lipstadt got the idea for City Limits taking the idea of ife in a post-apocalyptic world and making it less about a return to savagery and more about what society would do with a clean slate. [21] Lipstadt wrote the initial treatment for City Limits in London following the successful premiere of Android and showed it to British home video distributor Videoform Pictures who responded well to it and provided the film's $2.5 million budget. [21] Lipstadt then reunited with his Android collaborator, Don Keith Opper, to write the screenplay. [21] Robert and Dennis Skotak provided the matte and miniature work via their company L.A. Effects Group. [21] Lipstadt stated his intention with City Limits was less analogous to Lord of the Flies despite both being about societies run by youths without adults, and instead was more in the vein of The Three Musketeers with the film more spiritually aligned with that of a swashbuckler. [21]

Critical response

The Variety review praised about the depiction of a tribal society, the action scenes and the "vibrant" score yet considered the Sunya Corp. plot less convincing while [22] TV Guide rated the film 2 out of 5 stars. [23]

City Limits was featured on an episode of the cult television series Mystery Science Theater 3000 , [24] during which Crow T. Robot sang a song in tribute to actress Kim Cattrall, who appears in the movie. When Kim Cattrall saw the episode, she arranged for flowers to be sent to Trace Beaulieu, Crow's puppeteer. [25] [16] In a Q&A during SF SketchFest 2019, it was clarified that the flowers had actually been addressed to Crow rather than his puppeteer.

Release

City Limits was released in theatres on September 1, 1985. It was first released on video by Vestron Video sometime later. The film was later released on VHS in 1998 by Televista. [26] City Limits was released on DVD on September 11, 2007, by Televista. [27] The episode was featured on the MST3K Volume XXXVI DVD set on July 21, 2016. [28]

Related Research Articles

<i>Independence Day</i> (1996 film) 1996 film directed by Roland Emmerich

Independence Day is a 1996 American science fiction action film directed by Roland Emmerich and written by Emmerich and Dean Devlin. It stars an ensemble cast that consists of Will Smith, Bill Pullman, Jeff Goldblum, Mary McDonnell, Judd Hirsch, Margaret Colin, Randy Quaid, Robert Loggia, James Rebhorn, and Harvey Fierstein. The film focuses on disparate groups of people who converge in the Nevada desert in the aftermath of a worldwide attack by a powerful extraterrestrial race. With the other people of the world, they launch a counterattack on July 4—Independence Day in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kim Cattrall</span> British and Canadian actress (born 1956)

Kim Victoria Cattrall is a British and Canadian actress. She is known best for her portrayal of Samantha Jones on HBO's Sex and the City (1998–2004), for which she received five Primetime Emmy Award nominations and four Golden Globe Award nominations, winning the 2002 Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress. She reprised the role in the films Sex and the City (2008) and Sex and the City 2 (2010).

<i>Mannequin</i> (1987 film) 1987 film by Michael Gottlieb

Mannequin is a 1987 American romantic comedy film directed by Michael Gottlieb in his directional debut, and written by Edward Rugoff and Gottlieb. It stars Andrew McCarthy, Kim Cattrall, Estelle Getty, Meshach Taylor and G. W. Bailey. The original music score was composed by Sylvester Levay. The film revolves around a chronically underemployed passionate artist named Jonathan Switcher who lands a job as a department-store window dresser and the mannequin he created which becomes inhabited by the spirit of a woman from Ancient Egypt, but only comes alive for Jonathan.

<i>BMX Bandits</i> (film) 1983 Australian crime comedy action film

BMX Bandits is a 1983 Australian crime comedy action film directed by Brian Trenchard-Smith and starring Nicole Kidman.

John Henry Diehl is an American character actor. Noted for his work in avant-garde theater, Diehl has performed in more than 140 films and television shows, including Land of Plenty, Stripes, City Limits, Nixon, Jurassic Park III and the TV series Miami Vice, The Shield, and Point Pleasant.

<i>The Poughkeepsie Tapes</i> 2007 American pseudo-documentary horror film

The Poughkeepsie Tapes is a 2007 American pseudo-documentary horror film written, directed, edited, and co-developed by John Erick Dowdle. It is about the murders of a serial killer in Poughkeepsie, New York, told through interviews and footage from a cache of the killer's snuff films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Achyutananda Dasa</span> Indian devotional Poet from Odisha

MahapurusaAchyutananda Dasa (Odia:-ଅଚ୍ୟୁତାନନ୍ଦ ଦାସ ) was a 16th-century poet seer and Vaishnava saint from Odisha, India. He was popularly known as Gopala Guru. He was considered to have the power to see the past, present and future. He was a prolific author, and one of the group of five, that led a revolution in spirituality in Odisha by translating Sanskrit texts into the Odia language for common people.

<i>She-Devils on Wheels</i> 1968 film by Herschell Gordon Lewis

She-Devils on Wheels is a 1968 American exploitation biker film about an all-female motorcycle gang called The Man-Eaters, directed and produced by Herschell Gordon Lewis. Actual female motorcycle club members were cast for the film, who were from the Iron Cross motorcycle club's Cut-Throats Division.

<i>Sex and the City 2</i> 2010 American romantic comedy film directed by Michael Patrick King

Sex and the City 2 is a 2010 American romantic comedy film written, co-produced, and directed by Michael Patrick King. It is the sequel to the 2008 film Sex and the City, based on the 1998–2004 television series. Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis, and Cynthia Nixon reprised their roles as friends Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte, and Miranda, while Chris Noth co-stars as Carrie's husband Mr. Big. It features cameos from Liza Minnelli, Miley Cyrus, Tim Gunn, Ron White, Omid Djalili, Penélope Cruz, Norm Lewis, and Kelli O'Hara.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scott Cooper (director)</span> American actor and filmmaker

Scott Cooper is an American director, screenwriter, producer and actor. He is known for writing and directing Crazy Heart (2009), Out of the Furnace (2013), Black Mass (2015), Hostiles (2017), and Antlers (2021).

<i>Black Mass</i> (film) 2015 American film

Black Mass is a 2015 American biographical crime drama film about American mobster Whitey Bulger. Directed by Scott Cooper and written by Mark Mallouk and Jez Butterworth, it is based on Dick Lehr and Gerard O'Neill's 2001 book Black Mass: The True Story of an Unholy Alliance Between the FBI and the Irish Mob. The film features an ensemble cast led by Johnny Depp as Bulger, alongside Joel Edgerton, Benedict Cumberbatch, Kevin Bacon, Jesse Plemons, Peter Sarsgaard, Dakota Johnson, and Corey Stoll.

<i>John Wick</i> (film) 2014 American film directed by Chad Stahelski

John Wick is a 2014 American action thriller film directed by Chad Stahelski and written by Derek Kolstad. The film follows John Wick, a legendary hitman who is forced out of retirement to seek revenge against the men who killed his puppy, a final gift from his recently deceased wife. John Wick also stars Michael Nyqvist, Alfie Allen, Adrianne Palicki, Bridget Moynahan, Dean Winters, Ian McShane, John Leguizamo, and Willem Dafoe.

<i>The Legend of Ben Hall</i> 2016 film

The Legend of Ben Hall is a 2016 Australian bushranger film. Written and directed by Matthew Holmes, it is based on the exploits of bushranger Ben Hall and his gang. The film stars Jack Martin in the title role, Jamie Coffa as John Gilbert, and William Lee as John Dunn.

<i>John Wick: Chapter 2</i> 2017 American film directed by Chad Stahelski

John Wick: Chapter 2 is a 2017 American neo-noir action thriller film directed by Chad Stahelski and written by Derek Kolstad. The film is sequel to John Wick (2014) and the second installment in the John Wick franchise. It stars Keanu Reeves as the eponymous character, alongside Common, Laurence Fishburne, Riccardo Scamarcio, Ruby Rose, Lance Reddick, Peter Stormare, Bridget Moynahan, Franco Nero, John Leguizamo, and Ian McShane. In the film, retired hitman John Wick is forced back into his old life to fulfill a blood oath to crime lord Santino D'Antonio (Scamarcio).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chad Stahelski</span> American stuntman and film director

Chad Stahelski is an American stuntman and film director. He directed the 2014 film John Wick and its three sequels. He has worked as a stuntman, stunt coordinator and second unit director on several films.

<i>Denial</i> (2016 film) 2016 film

Denial is a 2016 biographical film directed by Mick Jackson and written by David Hare, based on Deborah Lipstadt's 2005 book History on Trial: My Day in Court with a Holocaust Denier. It dramatises the Irving v Penguin Books Ltd case, in which Lipstadt, a Holocaust scholar, was sued by Holocaust denier David Irving for libel. It stars Rachel Weisz, Tom Wilkinson, Timothy Spall, Andrew Scott, Jack Lowden, Caren Pistorius and Alex Jennings.

<i>Godless</i> (miniseries) American Western drama

Godless is an American Western drama streaming television miniseries created, written and directed by Scott Frank. In the series, set in 1884, a young outlaw on the run from his vengeful mentor winds up in a small New Mexico town populated almost entirely by women. The seven-episode series began production in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in September 2016, and was released on Netflix globally on November 22, 2017. The series received positive reviews, and was named one of the year's 10 best by The Washington Post and Vanity Fair.

John Wick is an American neo-noir action thriller media franchise created by Derek Kolstad and centered on John Wick, a former hitman who is forced back into the criminal underworld he had previously abandoned.

<i>John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum</i> 2019 American film directed by Chad Stahelski

John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum is a 2019 American neo-noir action thriller film directed by Chad Stahelski from a screenplay by Derek Kolstad, Shay Hatten, Chris Collins, and Marc Abrams, based on a story by Kolstad. The film is the sequel to John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017) and the third installment in the John Wick franchise. It stars Keanu Reeves as the eponymous character, alongside an ensemble supporting cast including Halle Berry, Laurence Fishburne, Mark Dacascos, Asia Kate Dillon, Lance Reddick, Anjelica Huston, and Ian McShane. The film centers on John Wick going on the run from a legion of hitmen after a bounty is placed for his murder.

<i>And Just Like That...</i> American comedy drama television series

And Just Like That... is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Michael Patrick King for HBO Max. It is a revival and a sequel of the HBO television series Sex and the City created by Darren Star, which is based on Candace Bushnell's newspaper column and 1996 book anthology of the same name.

References

  1. ↑ "City Limits". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved 2022-05-10.
  2. ↑ Kerrville Daily Times Staff 1997, p. 82.
  3. ↑ "City Limits". AFI Catalog of Feature Films . United States: American Film Institute . Retrieved February 5, 2017.
  4. ↑ "City Limits". Turner Classic Movies . Atlanta: Turner Broadcasting System (Time Warner). Retrieved February 5, 2017.
  5. ↑ "Darell Larson". Hollywood.com . Boca Raton, Florida: Hollywood.com, LLC . Retrieved February 5, 2017.
  6. ↑ "Darell Larson". Film Reference Library . Toronto: TIFF Bell Lightbox . Retrieved February 5, 2017.
  7. ↑ Kehr, Dave (August 16, 2002). "An Actress In Transit". The New York Times . New York City . Retrieved February 5, 2017.
  8. ↑ White 2015, p. 560.
  9. 1 2 P., Ken (July 16, 2002). "AN INTERVIEW WITH DEAN DEVLIN". IGN . San Francisco: j2 Global . Retrieved February 5, 2017.
  10. ↑ Klotman & Gibson 1997, p. 93.
  11. ↑ "John Diehl". Hollywood.com . Boca Raton, Florida: Hollywood.com, LLC . Retrieved February 5, 2017.
  12. ↑ "John Diehl". Film Reference Library . Toronto: TIFF Bell Lightbox . Retrieved February 5, 2017.
  13. ↑ "Pamela Ludwig". Hollywood.com . Boca Raton, Florida: Hollywood.com, LLC . Retrieved February 5, 2017.
  14. ↑ "Tony Plama". Hollywood.com . Boca Raton, Florida: Hollywood.com, LLC . Retrieved February 5, 2017.
  15. ↑ "Tony Plama". Film Reference Library . Toronto: TIFF Bell Lightbox . Retrieved February 5, 2017.
  16. 1 2 Murray, Noel (May 20, 2010). "Mystery Science Theater 3000, "City Limits"". The A.V. Club . Chicago: The Onion, Inc. Retrieved February 5, 2017.
  17. ↑ City Limits (1984) Trailer posted by Night of the Trailers on YouTube
  18. ↑ "Dean Devlin". Hollywood.com . Boca Raton, Florida: Hollywood.com, LLC . Retrieved February 5, 2017.
  19. ↑ "Dean Devlin". TV Guide . United States: NTVB Media (magazine) CBS Interactive (CBS Corporation) (digital assets). Retrieved February 5, 2017.
  20. ↑ "James Earl Jones". TV Guide . United States: NTVB Media (magazine) CBS Interactive (CBS Corporation) (digital assets). Retrieved February 5, 2017.
  21. 1 2 3 4 5 Scapperotti, Dan (September 1984). "City Limits". Cinemafantastique. Fourth Castle Micromedia. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  22. ↑ Brown 1992, p. 24.
  23. ↑ "City Limits". TV Guide . Chicago, Illinois: NTVB Media (magazine) CBS Interactive (CBS Corporation) (digital assets). Retrieved February 5, 2017.
  24. ↑ COMET MST3K Episodic City Limits on Vimeo
  25. ↑ Beaulieu et al. 1996, p. 66.
  26. ↑ City Limits. Televista . Lagos, Nigeria: Consolidated Media Associates. ASIN   6304812930. ASIN   6304812930.
  27. ↑ "City Limits". Televista . Lagos, Nigeria: Consolidated Media Associates. September 11, 2007. ASIN   B00028G6VM . Retrieved February 5, 2017.
  28. ↑ MST3K: Volume XXXVI - DVD|Shout! Factory

Sources

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.