Sacrifice (2011 film)

Last updated
Sacrifice
Sacrifice FilmPoster.jpeg
DVD cover
Directed by Damian Lee
Written byDamian Lee
Produced byMichael Baker
Lowell Conn
Robert Menzies
Starring Cuba Gooding Jr.
Christian Slater
Devon Bostick
Lara Daans
Kim Coates
Cinematography David Pelletier
Edited byJoseph Weadick
Music bySteve Raiman
Zion Forrest
Distributed by Alliance Films (Canada)
Millennium Entertainment (USA)
Release date
  • April 26, 2011 (2011-04-26)
Running time
100 minutes
CountriesUnited States
Canada
LanguageEnglish
Budget$6,800,000 (estimated)

Sacrifice is a 2011 American/Canadian action thriller film written and directed by Canadian film director Damian Lee, and starring Cuba Gooding Jr. and Christian Slater. It was filmed in Ottawa, Ontario. [1] The film was produced by Zed Filmworks based in Ottawa, as well as Styx Productions. [1] This film was released direct-to-video.

Contents

The main theme of the film is child abduction. In the film, an undercover cop is entrusted with the care of a 5-year-old girl. The girl is kidnapped shortly after, and the cop has to locate and retrieve her.

Plot

A tough undercover cop named John (Cuba Gooding Jr.) inadvertently gets involved in a dangerous heroin ring when Mike (Devon Bostick), a young defector of the drug trade leaves his five-year-old sister, Angel (Arcadia Kendal) within his care. After Mike is killed, Angel is kidnapped and trapped in an underground drug ring. John then sets out to save the girl with the help of Father Porter (Christian Slater).

John is initially acquainted with the priest after the death of his family in an underground operation that went south, where his wife and daughter were the victims. His life after the murder has him finding solace in alcohol as he turns to Father Porter for salvation in his attempts to save Angel. Unbeknownst to this, Father Porter enlists in the help of John once the statues within his church are stolen by violent criminals and he too is then wrapped up in the whirlwind of this world of crime and punishment.

Cast

Production

The casting of this film was done by Stephanie Gorin and Ilona Smyth, the costume designer was Ton Pascal, and the production designer was Lisa Soper. [2] This film was also executively produced by Jeff Sackman, Darren Bell, and Adrian Love. [2] In this film Kim Coates and Stephanie Gorin were also responsible for co-executive producing. [3]

The production began March 28, 2010 in Ottawa, Ontario on the indie crime film into late April. [4] The reported budget of the film is $6.8 million. Although the film is set in Los Angeles and Toronto, the production team dressed the streets of Ottawa to look more like these cities while making the most of their surroundings. [4] The film being filmed outside of Toronto had to do with the preferable provincial tax breaks given to filmmakers who film in other areas of the province. With this push, it was reported that in the year of 2011, Canadian-owned and controlled distributors were responsible for 77% of films released in Canada (both Canadian and non-Canadian films). [5]

According to Robert Menzies of the production team "the movie has a lot of religious overtones...it's a no-holds barred action film with lots of interesting themes." [4]

Release

The film was distributed exclusively through Alliance Films in Canada on April 26, 2011. [2] It was also released on DVD and Blu-ray in the United States through Millennium Entertainment. The international release of this film was handled through Bliss Media (China), ACE Entertainment (France), Emerald (Argentina) and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (Australia) respectively. [3] The release was handled by Tanweer Films for most of South Asia, including Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. [3]

Related Research Articles

<i>Charlies Angels</i> (2000 film) 2000 film directed by McG

Charlie's Angels is a 2000 American action comedy film directed by McG in his feature film directorial debut, and written by Ryan Rowe, Ed Solomon, and John August. It is the first installment in the Charlie's Angels film series, a continuation of the television series of the same name created by Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts, which is also a continuation of the series story. Unlike the original series, which had dramatic elements, the film features more comic elements.

<i>Kindergarten Cop</i> 1990 action comedy film directed by Ivan Reitman

Kindergarten Cop is a 1990 American action comedy film directed by Ivan Reitman and distributed by Universal Pictures. Arnold Schwarzenegger stars as John Kimble, a tough police detective working undercover as a kindergarten teacher to locate the wife and child of drug dealer Cullen Crisp, who are living under assumed identities. Pamela Reed, Penelope Ann Miller and Linda Hunt co-star. The original music score was composed by Randy Edelman. A direct-to-video sequel, Kindergarten Cop 2, was released in 2016.

Garth Drabinsky is a Canadian film and theatrical producer and entrepreneur. In 2009, he was convicted and sentenced to prison for fraud and forgery. The sentence was reduced from 7 to 5 years in prison, on appeal to the Ontario Court of Appeal, and the Supreme Court of Canada declined to hear a subsequent appeal. In April 2023, a judge dismissed Drabinsky’s defamation lawsuit against American Actor’s Equity for placing him on their ‘Do Not Work’ list, and in July 2024 the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed this dismissal, along with his claim that the union's conduct violated antitrust law. Drabinsky has attempted 3 comebacks all resulting in failure and millions of investor dollars being lost.

<i>RoboCop: Prime Directives</i> 2001 Canadian television series

RoboCop: Prime Directives is a Canadian cyberpunk TV miniseries released in 2001. It is a spin-off from the action film RoboCop franchise. The series, created by Fireworks Entertainment, consists of four feature-length episodes: Dark Justice, Meltdown, Resurrection and Crash and Burn. All four episodes have been released on DVD. Page Fletcher stars as Officer Alex Murphy / RoboCop.

<i>Undercover Angel</i> (film) 1999 Canadian film

Undercover Angel, also known as Un vrai petit ange, is a 1999 romantic comedy film written and directed by Bryan Michael Stoller and starring Yasmine Bleeth and Dean Winters.

Damian Lee is a Canadian film director, writer, and producer responsible as well as notable for such films as Abraxas, Guardian of the Universe, No Exit and Ski School. He started his own production company, Rose & Ruby Productions, in the 1980s.

<i>The Rocket</i> (2005 film) 2005 Canadian film

The Rocket is a French-Canadian biopic about the ice hockey player Maurice "The Rocket" Richard. It stars Roy Dupuis and was directed by Charles Binamé. It features appearances by National Hockey League players Mike Ricci, Sean Avery, Vincent Lecavalier, Philippe Sauvé, Stéphane Quintal, Ian Laperrière and Pascal Dupuis.

<i>Time and Tide</i> (2000 film) 2000 Hong Kong film

Time and Tide is a 2000 Hong Kong action film directed, produced and co-written by Tsui Hark. The film is set in Hong Kong where a young man becomes a bodyguard and befriends a mercenary determined to begin life anew with the woman he just married. The two men find themselves working together to foil an assassination attempt which propels them toward confrontation with each other.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fireworks Entertainment</span> Canadian-British television and film production company

Fireworks Entertainment was an independent studio originally founded in 1991 by Brian K. Ross and later bought out by Jay Firestone in 1996 to produce, distribute and finance television shows and feature films.

<i>Twisted</i> (1996 film) 1996 film by Seth Michael Donsky

Twisted is a 1996 film written and directed by Seth Michael Donsky in his debut. The film, a Don Quixote and Miravista Films production, is a retelling of Charles Dickens' classic 1838 novel Oliver Twist, set in a New York City contemporary underground populated by drag queens, drug abusers and hustlers. The film was an official selection and debuted in 1997 at the 47th Berlin International Film Festival, and was also screened as an official selection at the Seattle International Film Festival. Donsky's film was made prior to Jacob Tierney's similar film Twist, starring American actor Nick Stahl.

<i>Defendor</i> 2009 film by Peter Stebbings

Defendor is a 2009 Canadian-American vigilante comedy-drama film written and directed by Peter Stebbings in his directorial debut. It stars Woody Harrelson as Arthur Poppington, a regular man who adopts a superhero persona named Defendor, with Elias Koteas, Michael Kelly, Sandra Oh and Kat Dennings in supporting roles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Devon Bostick</span> Canadian actor (born 1991)

Devon Bostick is a Canadian actor. Bostick is known for his main role as Rodrick Heffley in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid film series (2010–2012). His other lead roles include Adoration (2008), Dead Before Dawn 3D (2012), Okja (2017), and Tuscaloosa (2019). Bostick has also had a number of supporting roles in films such as Godsend (2004), Saw VI (2009), The Art of the Steal (2013), Regression (2015), Words on Bathroom Walls (2020), and Oppenheimer (2023).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alliance Films</span> Canadian motion picture distribution/production company

Alliance Films was a Canadian motion picture distribution and production company.

<i>Pars: Operation Cherry</i> 2007 Turkish film

Pars: Operation Cherry is a 2007 Turkish action film written, produced and directed by Osman Sınav. The film, which focuses on the lucrative but seedy underworld of drug trafficking, tells the story of a narcotics cop nicknamed "Pars" whose single aim is to revenge the death of his narcotics cop father who died 15 years ago while working on a case. The film went on general release across Turkey on 20 April 2007 and is the ninth-highest grossing Turkish film of 2007.

Adult Swim is a Canadian English language discretionary specialty channel owned by Showcase Television, Inc., a subsidiary of Corus Entertainment. The channel primarily airs animated and live-action comedies targeting a teenage and young adult audience. Its branding is licensed from the Adult Swim programming block broadcast by Warner Bros. Discovery's Cartoon Network; it is the first full-time television channel to use the "Adult Swim" brand.

<i>A Dark Truth</i> 2012 film

A Dark Truth is a 2012 action thriller film directed and written by Damian Lee, and produced by Gary Howsam and Bill Marks. The film stars Andy García, Kim Coates, Deborah Kara Unger, Eva Longoria and Forest Whitaker. It premiered at the 2012 Boston Film Festival and was released theatrically in the United States on January 4, 2013.

<i>Saints and Sinners</i> (1994 film) 1994 American film

Saints and Sinners is a 1994 American crime drama film starring Damian Chapa, Jennifer Rubin, and Scott Plank. It was written, produced and directed by Paul Mones. The film's production company was MDP Worldwide.

<i>Term Life</i> 2016 film by Peter Billingsley

Term Life is a 2016 American action drama film based on the graphic novel of the same name. It is directed by Peter Billingsley from a screenplay by A.J. Lieberman. The film stars Vince Vaughn, who also produces the film, Hailee Steinfeld, Jonathan Banks, Mike Epps, Jordi Molla, Shea Whigham, William Levy, Taraji P. Henson, Annabeth Gish, and Terrence Howard. The film was released on April 29, 2016, in a limited release and through video on demand by Focus World. The film received negative reviews.

Lowell Dean is a Canadian filmmaker.

<i>Undercover Doctor</i> 1939 film by Louis King

Undercover Doctor is a 1939 American crime film directed by Louis King, written by William R. Lipman and Horace McCoy. The film stars Lloyd Nolan, Janice Logan, J. Carrol Naish, Heather Angel, Broderick Crawford and Robert Wilcox. It was released on June 9, 1939 by Paramount Pictures.

References

  1. 1 2 (2011-04-04) Action Flick filmed in Ottawa. Ottawa Sun, retrieved 2018-03-30
  2. 1 2 3 "Sacrifice (2011) Official Trailer". Youtube. 2013-06-03.
  3. 1 2 3 Lee, Damian (2011-04-26), Sacrifice , retrieved 2016-03-18
  4. 1 2 3 Stevens, Michael (2010-04-06). "Ottawa Offers Up A "Sacrifice"". Sneak Peek.
  5. Morris, Peter (2012-06-10). "Film Distribution in Canada". Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2018-03-30.