Raven (film)

Last updated
Raven
Directed byRussell Solberg
Written byJacobsen Hart
Produced byScott Levitta
Rex Piano
Stu Segall
Starring Burt Reynolds
Matt Battaglia
Krista Allen
David Ackroyd
CinematographyJohn Dirlam
Edited byChris Worland
Music by Harry Manfredini
Production
company
Release date
  • December 11, 1996 (1996-12-11)
(Germany)
Running time
93 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Raven is a 1996 American direct-to-video action film starring Burt Reynolds.

Contents

Plot

A secret government agency known as Four Star Group has sent a team of black-ops soldiers into Bosnia. Their mission is to retrieve a top secret piece of military hardware. On their way home, "Raven" decides to go into business for himself. Raven plans to sell the device on the black market. He tries to convince his partner, "Duce", to sell out as well. Duce refuses, effectively ending their friendship, and leaving Raven no choice but to terminate Duce. Duce escapes with the device, and refuses to give it to Four Star Group.

On returning stateside, Raven assembles a team of ex-special-forces soldiers to help him eliminate Four Star Group. Raven even tracks down Duce, asking if he would like to bury the hatchet and help him take out their former employers. Duce again declines Raven's offer, which doesn't sit well with Raven, placing the two of them on a direct collision course with one another.

Cast

Production

The film was originally called Raven Team. [1] Reynolds said he changed every one of his lines in the script. "The really talented ones understand it's a collaborative effort and if you say something funny they say, 'I wrote that.'" He added, "This movie is very much a copy of that Travolta movie, Broken Arrow ... I play the Travolta part. It's a part I can play. It's my part, my persona. And if you play a pink flamingo, you can play one for life, if it's a hit." [2]

In addition to attending the Burt Reynolds Institute for Film and Theatre, co-star Battaglia was a personal acquaintance and protégé of Reynolds, due to a friendship the veteran actor had struck with his father Carmello Battaglia during their days as college football teammates. [3] Battaglia had already appeared next to Reynolds on several occasions, including a two-episode role on Evening Shade . But according to him, the star was unaware that he had been cast in Raven until the beginning of the shoot. [4] The two would co-star again in two made-for-television Universal Soldier sequels in 1998. [4]

Related Research Articles

<i>Like Mike</i> 2002 American sports comedy film

Like Mike is a 2002 American sports comedy film directed by John Schultz and written by Michael Elliot and Jordan Moffet. Starring Lil' Bow Wow, Morris Chestnut, Jonathan Lipnicki, Robert Forster, Crispin Glover, and Eugene Levy, the film follows an orphan who gets basketball talents after finding an old pair of sneakers that once belonged to Michael Jordan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burt Reynolds</span> American actor (1936–2018)

Burton Leon Reynolds Jr. was an American actor and icon of 1970s American popular culture. Reynolds first rose to prominence when he starred in television series, such as Gunsmoke (1962–1965), Hawk (1966), and Dan August (1970–1971). He had leading roles in films, such as Navajo Joe (1966) and 100 Rifles (1969), and his breakthrough role was as Lewis Medlock in Deliverance (1972).

<i>The Rundown</i> 2003 film by Peter Berg

The Rundown is a 2003 American buddy action comedy film directed by Peter Berg and written by James Vanderbilt and R.J. Stewart. It stars Dwayne Johnson, Seann William Scott, Christopher Walken, Rosario Dawson, and William Lucking. In the film, Johnson plays a bounty hunter who travels to Brazil to retrieve his employer's son (Scott). The film was released by Universal Pictures in North America and Japan and by Columbia TriStar Film Distributors International under the Columbia Pictures label internationally on September 26, 2003 and made $80.9 million on an $85 million budget.

<i>All Dogs Go to Heaven</i> 1989 animated film directed by Don Bluth

All Dogs Go to Heaven is a 1989 animated musical fantasy comedy-drama film directed by Don Bluth and co-directed by Gary Goldman and Dan Kuenster. Set in New Orleans in 1939, it tells the story of Charlie B. Barkin, a German Shepherd that is murdered by his former friend, Carface Carruthers. Charlie escapes from Heaven to return to Earth where his best friend, Itchy Itchiford, still lives, in order to take revenge on Carface. Instead, he ends up befriending a young orphan girl named Anne-Marie. In the process, Charlie learns an important lesson about kindness, friendship and love.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lee Majors</span> American actor (born 1939)

Lee Majors is an American actor. He portrayed the characters of Heath Barkley on the American television Western series The Big Valley (1965–1969), Colonel Steve Austin on the American television science-fiction action series The Six Million Dollar Man (1973–1978), and Colt Seavers on the American television action series The Fall Guy (1981–1986).

<i>The Longest Yard</i> (1974 film) 1974 film by Robert Aldrich

The Longest Yard is a 1974 American prison sports comedy-drama film directed by Robert Aldrich, written by Tracy Keenan Wynn, based on a story by producer Albert S. Ruddy, and starring Burt Reynolds, Eddie Albert, Ed Lauter, Michael Conrad and James Hampton. The film was released as The Mean Machine in the United Kingdom and South Africa. The film follows a former NFL player recruiting a group of prisoners and playing football against their guards. It features many real-life football players, including Green Bay Packers legend Ray Nitschke.

<i>Smokey and the Bandit II</i> 1980 film by Hal Needham

Smokey and the Bandit II is a 1980 American action comedy film directed by Hal Needham, and starring Burt Reynolds, Jackie Gleason, Jerry Reed, Dom DeLuise, Sally Field, Mike Henry, Paul Williams and Pat McCormick. The film is the second installment of the Smokey and the Bandit trilogy in the Smokey and the Bandit franchise and a sequel to Smokey and the Bandit (1977).

<i>Universal Soldier</i> (1992 film) 1992 film by Roland Emmerich

Universal Soldier is a 1992 American military science-fiction action film directed by Roland Emmerich, produced by Allen Shapiro, Craig Baumgarten, and Joel B. Michaels, and written by Richard Rothstein, Christopher Leitch, and Dean Devlin. The film tells the story of Luc Deveraux, portrayed by Jean-Claude Van Damme, a former U.S. Army soldier who was killed in the Vietnam War in 1969, and returned to life following a secret military project called the "Universal Soldier" program. However, he finds out about his past, though his memory was erased, and escapes alongside a young TV journalist. Along the way, they have to deal with the return of his archenemy, Sgt. Andrew Scott, who had lost his sanity in the Vietnam War, and became a psychotic megalomaniac, intent on killing him and leading the Universal Soldiers.

Matteo Martin "Matt" Battaglia is an American producer, actor and former American football linebacker.

<i>Stroker Ace</i> 1983 film by Hal Needham

Stroker Ace is a 1983 American action comedy sport film directed by Hal Needham and starring Burt Reynolds as the eponymous Stroker Ace, a NASCAR driver.

<i>Gator</i> (film) 1976 film by Burt Reynolds

Gator is a 1976 American action comedy film and a sequel to White Lightning starring and directed by Burt Reynolds in his directorial debut.

<i>Cop and a Half</i> 1993 film by Henry Winkler

Cop and a Half is a 1993 American family buddy cop-comedy film directed by Henry Winkler, and stars Burt Reynolds, Norman D. Golden II and Ray Sharkey. Reynolds plays a veteran cop who reluctantly takes an eight-year-old boy (Golden) as his partner to solve a murder investigation.

<i>Universal Soldier II: Brothers in Arms</i> 1998 television film directed by Jeff Woolnough

Universal Soldier II: Brothers in Arms is a 1998 Canadian—American made-for-television science fiction film directed by Jeff Woolnough and starring Matt Battaglia, Chandra West, Jeff Wincott and Gary Busey. It is the second installment in the Universal Soldier franchise. The film recasts all returning characters and introduces a long-lost brother to the hero, played by Wincott. It was followed in the same year by Universal Soldier III: Unfinished Business. In 1999, Universal Soldier: The Return, a theatrical sequel once again starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, retconed the plotline of the TV sequels.

<i>Universal Soldier III: Unfinished Business</i> 1999 television film directed by Jeff Woolnough

Universal Soldier III: Unfinished Business is a 1998 American made-for-television science fiction film directed by Jeff Woolnough and starring Matt Battaglia, Chandra West, Jeff Wincott, Richard McMillan, and Burt Reynolds. Like Universal Soldier II: Brothers in Arms, none of the actors or crew of the original returned, but most of the cast and crew from the first sequel are present. In 1999, a theatrical sequel starring Jean-Claude Van Damme again, Universal Soldier: The Return, ignored the plotline of the two sequels.

<i>Skullduggery</i> (1970 film) 1970 adventure film by Gordon Douglas

Skullduggery is a 1970 American adventure film directed by Gordon Douglas produced by Saul David and starring Burt Reynolds, Susan Clark. It is based on the French novel Les Animaux dénaturés (1952) by Jean Bruller.

<i>From Paris with Love</i> (film) 2010 French film

From Paris with Love is a 2010 English-language French action thriller film directed by Pierre Morel and starring John Travolta and Jonathan Rhys Meyers. The screenplay was co-written by Luc Besson. The film was released in the United States on February 5, 2010 by Lionsgate Films and both in United Kingdom and Japan by Warner Bros. Pictures.

The Razzie Award for Worst Screen Combo is an award presented at the annual Golden Raspberry Awards to the worst movie pairing or cast of the past year. The following is a list of nominees and recipients of the awards, along with the film(s) for which they were nominated.

<i>Universal Soldier</i> (film series) Series of military science fiction action films

Universal Soldier is a series of military science fiction action films. The franchise began in 1992 with Universal Soldier and as of 2012 comprises six entries. The films centered on the character of Luc Deveraux until Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning, which focuses on a new protagonist named John.

<i>Red Notice</i> (film) 2021 action comedy film by Rawson Marshall Thurber

Red Notice is a 2021 American action comedy film written and directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber starring Dwayne Johnson alongside Ryan Reynolds, Gal Gadot and Ritu Arya. It marks the third collaboration between Thurber and Johnson, following Central Intelligence (2016) and Skyscraper (2018). In the film, an FBI agent reluctantly teams up with a renowned art thief in order to catch an even more notorious thief.

<i>Tremors: Shrieker Island</i> 2020 film by Don Michael Paul

Tremors: Shrieker Island is a 2020 American direct-to-video horror monster film directed by Don Michael Paul and co-written with Brian Brightly. It is the seventh film in the Tremors franchise. The film stars Michael Gross and Jon Heder.

References

  1. Beck, Marilyn; Smith, Stacy Jenel (28 March 1996). "Reynolds Shedding Toupee, High Salary for Striptease". Los Angeles Daily News . p. L2.
  2. Hirschberg, Lynn (1996-06-16). "Deliverance". The New York Times Magazine . Retrieved 2018-08-28.
  3. Byrne, Wayne (20 December 2019). Burt Reynolds on Screen. Jefferson: McFarland & Company. pp. 211–212. ISBN   9781476638119.
  4. 1 2 Wardle, Paul (September 1998). "Showtime Sequels: Universal Soldiers". Cinefantastique. Vol. 30, no. 5–6. Forrest Park: Frederick S. Clarke. pp. 12–15.