Plot
 | This article needs an improved plot summary.(October 2024) |
| Pure Danger | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | C. Thomas Howell |
| Written by | Joseph John Barmettler William Applegate Jr. |
| Produced by | Richard Pepin Joseph Merhi |
| Starring | C. Thomas Howell Teri Ann Linn Michael Russo Marcus Chong Leon |
| Cinematography | Ken Blakey |
| Edited by | Scott Riddle |
| Music by | Alex Wilkinson |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | PM Entertainment Group |
Release date |
|
Running time | 99 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Pure Danger is a 1996 action film starring and directed by C. Thomas Howell. It co-stars Teri Ann Linn, Michael Russo, Marcus Chong and Leon. The story concerns an ex-con cook (Howell) and a waitress (Linn) who happen upon stolen diamonds, and find themselves on the run from the two gangs looking to get them back, respectively led by a mafioso (Russo) and his African-American rival (Leon).
| This article needs an improved plot summary.(October 2024) |
Pure Danger was C. Thomas Howell's second film as a director after 1995's Hourglass. [1] [2] The transition remained difficult, as people often dismissed it as an actor's whim, and his private lifestyle did not give him much political sway in Hollywood. [1] The IMDb, based on unspecified sources, has filming taking place during parts of September and October 1995. [3] Although some establishing shots place scenes in Las Vegas, main unit photography took place in Los Angeles. [4] Comedian Scott "Carrot Top" Thompson, who had a similar cameo in Hourglass, makes an appearance as a morgue truck driver in the climactic chase. [4]
In a 2019 book detailing his grievances against the movie business, actor Marcus Chong blames Howell and PM for destroying his relationship with the William Morris talent agency during the making of this film. According to Chong, he took the part of "Freethrow" as a favor to his sister Rae Dawn Chong, who was Howell's ex-wife. He was later called to perform ADR, but could not attend on the desired date due to his commitment to a stage play. Chong claims that Howell was unduly rigid in refusing to reschedule the recording session. Instead, the director joined PM employees in making angry phone calls to Chong and William Morris, causing him be let go and hurting his career. [5]
Pure Danger was released on VHS by PM Entertainment on September 10, 1996. [6] [7]
Pure Danger has received mixed to positive reviews. Mike Mayo of The Roanoke Times praised the "quickly paced action" and the "terrific car chases" for which PM Entertainment is known. Although he found that some Tarantino stylings were "blatantly borrowed, the L.A. locations are well-chosen and the humor is rough, earthy, and original", making the film "refreshingly unpredictable". [8] Mistakenly referring to it as Howell's directorial debut, VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever called the movie "fast paced and surprisingly entertaining". [9] Sister publications TV Guide and The Motion Picture Annual were less enthusiastic, describing it as "a convoluted crime caper" which "borders on the truly tasteless, and features too many criminals to keep track of". It further complained that "[i]t's never quite clear whether Pure Danger is intended as comedy or drama." [4]
Howell directed and starred in another crime film for PM Entertainment the following year, The Big Fall .
Christopher Thomas Howell, also known professionally as C. Thomas Howell, is an American actor and director. He has starred in the films The Outsiders (1983), Red Dawn (1984), Secret Admirer (1985), Soul Man (1986), A Tiger's Tale (1987), and Young Toscanini (1988). He has also appeared in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), Tank (1984), The Return of the Musketeers (1989) and Old Dads (2023).
Marcus Scott Chong is an American actor. He played Miguel Mendez in the crime drama, Street Justice (1991–1993), real-life activist Huey P. Newton in Panther (1995), directed by Mario Van Peebles, and Tank in The Matrix (1999), directed by The Wachowskis.
Bullies is a 1986 Canadian action drama film directed by Paul Lynch and starring Jonathan Crombie, Janet-Laine Green, Stephen Hunter, and Olivia d'Abo. In a story that has elicited occasional comparisons to Romeo and Juliet, a vendetta arises from the forbidden relationship between a teenage girl, whose clan terrorizes a small town, and the son of a newly arrived family. The film received polarized reviews, which often praised its craftsmanship while questioning the ethics of its vigilante violence.
Rae Dawn Chong is a Canadian-American actress. She made her big screen debut appearing in the 1978 musical drama film Stony Island, and in 1981 starred in the fantasy film Quest for Fire, for which she received the Genie Award for Best Actress.
Soul Man is a 1986 American comedy film directed by Steve Miner and written by Carol L. Black. C. Thomas Howell stars as a white male law student who pretends to be black in order to qualify for a scholarship. Its title refers to the song of the same name by Isaac Hayes and David Porter; the original soundtrack includes a version performed by Sam Moore and Lou Reed.
The Giant Spider Invasion is a 1975 American independent science fiction action horror film produced, composed and directed by Bill Rebane. Starring Steve Brodie, Barbara Hale, Robert Easton, Leslie Parrish, and Alan Hale, it follows giant spiders that terrorize the town of Merrill, Wisconsin and its surrounding area. The script was written by having Rebane locking Easton in a cabin to on the incentive of being fed. The film was theatrically released in 1975 by Group 1 Films and enjoyed a considerable run to become one of the 50 top-grossing films of that year.
Wicked Stepmother is a 1989 American black comedy fantasy film written, produced, and directed by Larry Cohen and starring Bette Davis and Barbara Carrera.
Time Walker is a 1982 American science fiction horror film directed by Tom Kennedy.
Cyclone is a 1987 science fiction action film directed by Fred Olen Ray, starring Heather Thomas, Jeffrey Combs, Martine Beswick, Huntz Hall and Martin Landau. It concerns a woman who must keep the ultimate motorcycle from falling into the wrong hands.
Charades is a 1998 mystery drama film directed by Stephen Eckelberry. The film stars Erika Eleniak, C. Thomas Howell, and Karen Black, who was a writer and producer on the film.
Teri Ann Linn is an American actress and singer who also worked in Finland and Italy. She originated the role of Kristen Forrester Dominguez on The Bold and the Beautiful, appearing regularly from 1987 to 1990, briefly returning in 1992 and again in 1994.
The Rage is a 1997 Canadian–American action-thriller film directed by Sidney J. Furie, starring Lorenzo Lamas, Gary Busey, Kristen Cloke and Roy Scheider. Lamas and Cloke play FBI agents who are tasked with pursuing a murderous militia driven mad by their experiences in the Vietnam War.
Rainbow Drive is a 1990 American made-for-television thriller film directed by Bobby Roth and starring Peter Weller, Sela Ward and David Caruso. The film first aired on September 8, 1990, on the Showtime Cable Network. It is based on the 1986 novel of the same name by Roderick Thorp.
Red Scorpion 2 is a 1994 Canadian–American action film directed by Michael Kennedy, starring Matt McColm, John Savage, Jennifer Rubin and Michael Ironside. The film is a sequel to the 1988 film Red Scorpion, although the cast is different and the story largely unrelated. It pits a ragtag commando unit against a neo-Nazi group, whose leader believes that the legendary Spear of Destiny can seal his ascent to power.
Dangerous Love is a 1988 American crime film starring Elliott Gould, Lawrence Monoson and Brenda Bakke.
Forever is a 1992 horror-thriller film by Thomas Palmer Jr., at his feature film debut.
Last Man Standing is a 1995 American action film written, produced and directed by Joseph Merhi, starring Jeff Wincott, Jillian McWhirter, Jonathan Fuller and Jonathan Banks. Wincott and McWhirter star as a cop and his banker wife, caught in a crossfire between a gang of robbers who clean Los Angeles' vaults and the husband's corrupt colleagues, who are in league with the bandits.
The Sweeper is a 1996 American action film produced and directed by Joseph Merhi, starring C. Thomas Howell, Ed Lauter, Kristen Dalton, Janet Gunn and Jeff Fahey. Howell plays a cop haunted by the early loss of his father (Fahey), whose unhinged behavior makes him a prime recruit for the vigilante unit assembled by a hardline LAPD veteran (Lauter).
Back in Action is a 1994 Canadian action film directed by Steve DiMarco and Paul Ziller, starring Billy Blanks, Roddy Piper, Bobbie Phillips and Nigel Bennett. Blanks and Piper play contrasting types on a mission to take down a criminal cartel who threatens the former's sister, and killed the latter's police partner.
Jungleground is a 1995 Canadian action film directed by Don Allan and starring Roddy Piper, Torri Higginson, Peter Williams, JR Bourne and Rachel Wilson. Piper plays a cop challenged to a high stakes escape game by the ruler of a violent no-go zone, who has kidnapped his girlfriend (Higginson) and threatens to kill her if he fails.