Deadfall (2012 film)

Last updated
Deadfall
Deadfall2012Poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Stefan Ruzowitzky
Written by Zach Dean
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography Shane Hurlbut
Edited by
Music by Marco Beltrami
Production
company
Distributed by
Release dates
Running time
94 minutes [1]
CountriesUnited States, Canada
LanguageEnglish
Budget$12 million
Box office$1.9 million [2]

Deadfall is a 2012 American crime drama film directed by Stefan Ruzowitzky, written by Zach Dean, and starring Eric Bana, Olivia Wilde, and Charlie Hunnam.

Contents

Plot

After a successful casino heist, siblings Addison and Liza go on the run in Michigan. They decide to split up when their driver is fatally injured in a car crash and Addison murders a state trooper responding to the scene. They resolve to cross the Canada–United States border during a blizzard. Meanwhile, after being released from prison, former boxer Jay calls his parents, retired sheriff Chet and his wife June, to say he'll be home for Thanksgiving. He confronts his former coach in Detroit, demanding money owed him. The two get into a fight and Jay, thinking he has killed him and unwilling to return to jail, flees.

Hannah, the sheriff's deputy, is invited to join Jay's parents for Thanksgiving dinner. She is treated poorly by her father, Sheriff Becker, who does not want to include her in the hunt for the fugitives. Hannah, who has been accepted to be trained for the FBI, excuses her father's behavior because of the loss of his wife several years ago. Jay finds a shivering Liza in the road and offers her a ride to the nearest gas station. Meanwhile, wandering in the snow, Addison murders an elderly man losing a little finger in the struggle and steals his damaged snowmobile. He is later forced to abandon the snowmobile, but not before cauterizing his wound on the still hot engine.

When Jay and Liza stop at a bar during the blizzard, she sneaks back to his truck, finds Jay's address, and leaves Addison a message to meet her there. A romantic relationship develops between Jay and Liza, who have sex in a motel. Elsewhere, Addison invades a cabin in the woods and kills the abusive father of the family. After dumping the man's body, he tends to the distraught wife and her children. Hannah is called to investigate the situation in the cabin. Meanwhile, realizing that she has feelings for Jay, Liza calls Addison to say she couldn't proceed with the plan and that she'll find another ride. Jay confesses his feelings for her. Liza explains how her brother was her protector from their abusive father, who was killed when they were young.

Hannah and two officers reach the cabin. Hannah notices a man's corpse and tries to warn the officer at the door, but Addison shoots him with a shotgun. Addison flees on a snowmobile with Hannah and the other officer giving chase, and the officer is killed.

Addison arrives at Jay's house and holds his parents captive. When Liza and Jay arrive for Thanksgiving dinner, Addison pretends at first not to know who Liza is. They eat dinner together. Addison sees Liza act protectively of Jay and his family. Hannah receives a call from a Detroit detective about Jay's coach, who is recovering from a concussion. She goes to the house and is also taken captive by Addison.

Becker finds Addison's snowmobile at the house, draws a weapon and goes inside. He fires at Addison, but it turns out to be his daughter, Hannah, surreptitiously dressed by Addison in his own jacket. Becker is then shot by Addison. A struggle between Jay and Addison ensues outside. Jay overpowers Addison but releases him when Liza begs him to, reminding Jay that Addison is her brother. Addison points another gun at Jay and challenges Jay to proclaim his love for Liza, which Jay does. Before Addison can decide what to do next, Liza fatally shoots him. Other police arrive to discover Hannah's life has been saved by a bulletproof vest.

Cast

Background

As a passenger on JetBlue Flight 292 in 2005, flying for hours in a figure 8 over Southern California to prepare for a risky landing, Zach Dean contemplated his mortality and resolved to write a screenplay about family. [4] The rights to the script, originally titled Kin, were optioned by Mutual Films and in 2010 it was reported that Bana, Wilde, and Hunnam were in casting talks. [5] Shooting began in Canada in 2011.

Release

Deadfall premiered at the 2012 Tribeca Festival. [6] It opened in theaters on December 7, 2012. [7]

Critical reception

Deadfall received negative reviews and has a rating of 35% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 81 reviews with an average rating of 4.93 out of 10. [8] The film also has a score of 52 out of 100 on Metacritic based on 24 reviews. [9] According to Deadfall at IMDb OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg , the film scored a 6.2 out of 10 stars with 39,570 star reviews. [10] Over 23,000 of these star reviews were in the 6-7 range with only 18.0% of these climbing into the 8-10 range. [10]

Related Research Articles

<i>Hannah and Her Sisters</i> 1986 film by Woody Allen

Hannah and Her Sisters is a 1986 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Woody Allen. It tells the intertwined stories of an extended family over two years that begins and ends with a family Thanksgiving dinner. Allen also stars in the film, along with Mia Farrow as Hannah, Michael Caine as her husband, and Barbara Hershey and Dianne Wiest as her sisters. Alongside them, the film features a large ensemble cast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric Bana</span> Australian actor (born 1968)

Eric Banadinović,, known professionally as Eric Bana, is an Australian actor and comedian. He began his career in the sketch comedy series Full Frontal before gaining notice in the comedy drama The Castle (1997). He achieved further critical recognition for starring in the biographical crime film Chopper (2000), and as the titular character in Hulk (2003).

<i>Deadfall</i> (1993 film) 1993 film by Christopher Coppola

Deadfall is a 1993 crime drama film directed by Christopher Coppola. Coppola co-wrote the script with Nick Vallelonga. The film stars Michael Biehn, Nicolas Cage, Sarah Trigger, Charlie Sheen, James Coburn, and Peter Fonda. It is also the prime influence on the song "Deadfall" written by the American hardcore punk band Snot. A prequel/sequel, Arsenal, starring Nicolas Cage as his character Eddie King, was released in 2017.

Barry Mendel is an American film producer. Mendel first produced Wes Anderson’s Rushmore starring Jason Schwartzman and Bill Murray, which won two Film Independent Spirit Awards for Best Director and Best Supporting Actor. This was followed by The Sixth Sense, directed by M. Night Shyamalan, which was nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Picture. Subsequently, he produced Shyamalan's follow-up, Unbreakable, then went back to work with Anderson on The Royal Tenenbaums, which was Oscar-nominated for Best Original Screenplay. Their collaboration continued on The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, which Mendel followed by producing Joss Whedon’s feature film directorial debut, Serenity. Mendel next conceived, developed and produced Munich, directed by Steven Spielberg, which was nominated for five Academy Awards including Best Picture. He then produced Whip It, Drew Barrymore’s debut as a feature director, which starred Elliot Page and Kristen Wiig. Mendel produced another film with Page, Peacock, which co-starred Cillian Murphy and Susan Sarandon.

Deadfall may refer to:

<i>Deadfall</i> (1968 film) 1968 British film

Deadfall is a 1968 British neo noir crime film written and directed by Bryan Forbes and starring Michael Caine, Eric Portman, Giovanna Ralli and Forbes's wife Nanette Newman, with music by John Barry in his final collaboration with Forbes. Barry also plays a musical conductor in the film. It is based on Desmond Cory's 1965 thriller and shot in and around Majorca, Spain. The film's theme song, "My Love Has Two Faces", was performed by Shirley Bassey.

<i>Beer for My Horses</i> (film) 2008 American film

Beer for My Horses is a 2008 American comedy film starring, co-written and co-produced by country music entertainer Toby Keith which is based on his song by the same name. The film was co-written by Keith and Rodney Carrington in his film writing debut and directed by Michael Salomon in his directional film debut, who has directed numerous music videos for Keith.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olivia Wilde</span> American actress (born 1984)

Olivia Jane Cockburn, known professionally as Olivia Wilde, is an American actress, director and producer. She played Remy "Thirteen" Hadley on the medical-drama television series House (2007–2012), and has appeared in the films Tron: Legacy (2010), Cowboys & Aliens (2011), The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (2013), and The Lazarus Effect (2015). She made her Broadway debut in 2017 as Julia in 1984.

<i>People Like Us</i> (2012 film) 2012 film directed by Alex Kurtzman

People Like Us is a 2012 American drama film directed by Alex Kurtzman in his directorial debut. The film was written by Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and Jody Lambert, and stars Chris Pine, Elizabeth Banks, Olivia Wilde, Michael Hall D'Addario and Michelle Pfeiffer. A. R. Rahman composed the soundtrack. The film was released by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures through Touchstone Pictures on June 29, 2012.

<i>The Words</i> (film) 2012 American film

The Words is a 2012 American mystery romantic drama film, written and directed by Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal in their directorial debut. It stars Bradley Cooper, Zoe Saldana, Olivia Wilde, Jeremy Irons, Ben Barnes, Dennis Quaid, and Nora Arnezeder. Cooper, a childhood friend of Klugman and Sternthal from Philadelphia, was also the executive producer.

<i>Wrong Turn</i> (film series) Horror series

Wrong Turn is an American slasher film series created by director Rob Schmidt and writers Alan B. McElroy, Adam Cooper and Bill Collage (uncredited.) The original script is similar to the X-files episode "Home." The series consists of seven films, five of which share the same continuity, while the later two films are served as a reboot. The films originally focus on various families of deformed cannibals who hunt and kill a group of people in West Virginia in horrific ways by using a mixture of traps and weaponry. The reboot film features a centuries-old cult in Virginia who respond violently to outsiders who intrude on their self-sufficient civilization. The film series became known primarily as a direct-to-video franchise grossing $21.8 million in home sales.

<i>Sons of Anarchy</i> season 1 First season of TV series Sons of Anarchy

The first season of the American television drama series Sons of Anarchy premiered on September 3, 2008, and concluded on November 26, 2008, after 13 episodes aired on cable network FX. It is also the only season to air on Wednesdays before the show moved to Tuesdays for the remainder of its run. Created by Kurt Sutter, it is about the lives of a close-knit outlaw motorcycle club operating in Charming, a fictional town in California's Central Valley. The show centers on protagonist Jackson "Jax" Teller, the vice president of the motorcycle club, who begins questioning the club and himself.

<i>Your Sisters Sister</i> 2011 film by Lynn Shelton

Your Sister's Sister is a 2011 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Lynn Shelton and starring Emily Blunt, Rosemarie DeWitt, and Mark Duplass. The film premiered on September 11, 2011, at the Toronto International Film Festival, and was released in the United States on June 15, 2012.

<i>Third Person</i> (film) 2013 film

Third Person is a 2013 romantic drama film directed and written by Paul Haggis and starring an ensemble cast consisting of Liam Neeson, Mila Kunis, Adrien Brody, Olivia Wilde, James Franco, Moran Atias, Kim Basinger, and Maria Bello. The film premiered at the 2013 Toronto Film Festival.

<i>Drinking Buddies</i> 2013 film by Joe Swanberg

Drinking Buddies is a 2013 American comedy-drama film written, directed and edited by Joe Swanberg, and starring Olivia Wilde, Jake Johnson, Anna Kendrick and Ron Livingston. The film is about two co-workers at a craft brewery in Chicago.

<i>Deliver Us from Evil</i> (2014 film) 2014 American film

Deliver Us from Evil is a 2014 American supernatural horror film directed by Scott Derrickson and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. The film claims to be based on a 2001 non-fiction book entitled Beware the Night by Ralph Sarchie and Lisa Collier Cool, and its marketing campaign highlighted that it was "inspired by actual accounts", however the plot is an original piece written by director Derrickson. The film stars Eric Bana, Édgar Ramírez, Sean Harris, Olivia Munn, and Joel McHale in the main roles and was released on July 2, 2014. The film grossed $87.9 million against a $30 million budget.

<i>Special Correspondents</i> 2016 film

Special Correspondents is a 2016 satirical comedy film written, directed by and starring Ricky Gervais. The film stars Gervais, Eric Bana, Vera Farmiga, Kelly Macdonald, Kevin Pollak, Benjamin Bratt, America Ferrera and Raúl Castillo. The film had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on 22 April 2016 and was released worldwide by Netflix on 29 April 2016. The film follows two radio journalists who concoct a scheme to fake their kidnappings in South America.

<i>Cabin Fever</i> (2016 film) Film by Travis Zariwny

Cabin Fever is a 2016 American horror film directed by Travis Zariwny and written by Eli Roth and Randy Pearlstein as a remake of Roth's 2002 film of the same name and the fourth installment in the Cabin Fever franchise. The film stars Samuel Davis, Gage Golightly, Matthew Daddario, Nadine Crocker, and Dustin Ingram. The film was released on February 12, 2016, by IFC Midnight. The film was universally lambasted by critics and underperformed at the box office.

Zach Dean is an American screenwriter and film producer, best known for writing the films Deadfall, The Tomorrow War and Fast X.

<i>Thanksgiving</i> (2023 film) Film by Eli Roth

Thanksgiving is a 2023 American slasher film directed by Eli Roth and written by Jeff Rendell, based on a story by the pair, who produced with Roger Birnbaum. Based on Roth's fictitious trailer of the same name from Grindhouse (2007), it is the third feature-length adaptation of a fictitious Grindhouse trailer after Robert Rodriguez's Machete (2010) and Jason Eisener's Hobo with a Shotgun (2011). The film stars Patrick Dempsey, Addison Rae, Milo Manheim, Jalen Thomas Brooks, Nell Verlaque, Rick Hoffman, and Gina Gershon, and follows a small Massachusetts town that is terrorized by a killer in a John Carver mask around the Thanksgiving holiday.

References

  1. Dargis, Manohla (7 December 2012). "Red Splashes on Snow Bring Horrors Home : 'Deadfall' Stars Eric Bana and Olivia Wilde". The New York Times . Retrieved 2015-09-20.
  2. "Deadfall (2012) (2012)". Box Office Mojo. 2013-01-24. Retrieved 2015-09-20.
  3. 1 2 "Kate Mara and Treat Williams Join Eric Bana and Olivia Wilde for Blackbird (Kin)". MovieCarpet.com. February 28, 2011. Archived from the original on August 22, 2011. Retrieved June 11, 2011.
  4. Steven Zeitchik (2010-03-24). "An in-flight scare leads to a buzz script on the ground". 24 Frames (Los Angeles Times). Retrieved 2015-12-25.
  5. Stuart Oldham (2010-12-16). "Eric Bana, Olivia Wilde in talks for 'KIN'". Variety. Retrieved 2015-12-25.
  6. Rooney, David (27 April 2012). "Deadfall: Tribeca Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  7. O'Hehir, Andrew (7 December 2012). "Pick of the week: "Deadfall" is a sexy, snowbound rural noir". Salon. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  8. "Deadfall (2012)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  9. "Deadfall Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2015-09-20.
  10. 1 2 Deadfall (2012) - IMDb , retrieved 2022-10-07