Eyewitness (1981 film)

Last updated
Eyewitness
Eyewitnessposter1981.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Peter Yates
Written by Steve Tesich
Produced byPeter Yates
Starring William Hurt
Sigourney Weaver
Christopher Plummer
James Woods
Cinematography Matthew F. Leonetti
Edited by Cynthia Scheider
Music by Stanley Silverman
Color process Technicolor
Distributed by 20th Century Fox
Release date
  • February 13, 1981 (1981-02-13)
Running time
103 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$8.5 million [1] or $6.4 million [2]
Box office$4.5 million (US/ Canada) [3]

Eyewitness (released in the UK as The Janitor) is a 1981 American neo-noir [4] thriller film produced and directed by Peter Yates and written by Steve Tesich. It stars William Hurt, Sigourney Weaver, Christopher Plummer, and James Woods. The story involves a television news reporter and a janitor who team to solve a murder. [5]

Contents

Plot

New York City janitor Daryll Deever is an avid fan of television news reporter Toni Sokolow. Another janitor, Aldo, is fired from the same office building Daryll works at after a confrontation with Mr. Long, a wealthy Vietnamese man suspected of criminal connections. Trying to have Aldo reinstated, Daryll talks to Mr. Long. However, he quickly realizes that Aldo was fired for being disrespectful, most probably because of the xenophobic sentiments he developed while fighting in the Vietnam war. One night, Daryll finds Mr. Long strangled to death. Looking for the killer, the police become suspicious of Aldo but also of Daryll, who fought in Vietnam as well and was the first to find the body. Aldo lies to the police about where he was that night and later shows up with more money than he ever had. Because of all of this, Daryll is sure Aldo killed Long.

Meanwhile, Toni believes Deever knows something about the crime. She keeps after him for information, a pursuit Daryll allows because he is romantically interested in Toni. The two start meeting regularly and soon develop feelings for each other. One night, before one of their "dates", Long's Vietnamese associates attempt to kidnap her to know how much she has learned about their organization. To escape them, Toni manages to jump out of their car and onto the street, where Daryll picks her up on his motorcycle. At Daryll's place, he takes care of her wounds, and the two eventually sleep together. Aldo is later revealed to be innocent of the murder; he lied to the police because he was secretly dealing with loan sharks from two different sides of town. From them, he got two huge loans to start a business with Daryll, who refuses to be involved. Worried about Aldo's life, Daryll tells him to return the money.

Joseph, Toni's fiancé, also suspects Daryll knows more than he lets on. One night, he attempts to kill Daryll by strangling him. However, Joseph fails this time and is forced to flee. He turns out to be the murderer of Mr. Long, whose organization was helping Joseph smuggle out Jews from the Soviet Union. When Mr. Long appeared with threats of blackmail, Joseph was forced to kill him. Unaware of all of this, Toni decides to break up with Daryll and marry Joseph, who belongs to her social class and, thus, would make her parents happy. In an attempt to save his relationship, Daryll arranges a meeting with her and her parents at Toni's place. However, before it occurs, Joseph calls Daryll pretending to be Toni's father and talks him into going alone to a different address. When Daryll does not show up at her place, Toni goes to his apartment, realizes what is going on and calls the police.

Meanwhile, Daryll goes to the address Joseph gave him, which turns out to be a horse stable on a deserted street. There, he is attacked by Joseph and an associate. Using his knowledge of animals and a firecracker, Daryll creates a stampede within the building that ends up disarming Joseph and making his associate flee. Joseph and Darryll fight hand to hand until the police arrives. Joseph then stops fighting and goes outside. One of the officers, Lt. Jacobs, believes Joseph is armed (Joseph deliberately reaches into an inside pocket to give that impression) and shoots him dead. Later, Toni arrives and embraces Daryll, realizing he is alive and well.

Cast

Production

The news equipment and promotional posters actually belonged to a real television station in New York City, then-Metromedia owned independent WNEW-TV. Two then-station employees, news anchor John Roland and sportscaster Bill Mazer, made cameo appearances in the film. Sigourney Weaver, whose father Sylvester "Pat" Weaver had been a top network television executive, also worked for the station in order to gain experience. Both WNEW-TV (now Fox-owned-and-operated WNYW) and the film were under the corporate umbrella of 21st Century Fox until March 20, 2019, when Fox closed on its sale of its entertainment assets, including the film, to The Walt Disney Company.

Producer-director Peter Yates and screenwriter Steve Tesich had collaborated two years earlier on the film Breaking Away .

Hum To Mohabbat Karega , a 2000 Bollywood thriller-comedy film starring Karishma Kapoor and Bobby Deol, was inspired by Eyewitness.

Reception

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 75% based on 12 reviews.

Related Research Articles

<i>Unbreakable</i> (film) 2000 film by M. Night Shyamalan

Unbreakable is a 2000 American superhero thriller film written, produced, and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, and starring Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, Robin Wright, Spencer Treat Clark, and Charlayne Woodard. It is the first installment in the Unbreakable film series. In Unbreakable, David Dunn (Willis) survives a train crash with no injuries, leading to the realization that he harbors superhuman abilities. As he begins to grapple with this discovery, he comes to the attention of disabled comic book store owner Elijah Price (Jackson), who manipulates David to understand him.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sigourney Weaver</span> American actress (born 1949)

Susan Alexandra "Sigourney" Weaver is an American actress. A figure in science fiction and popular culture, she has received various accolades, including a British Academy Film Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Grammy Award, in addition to nominations for three Academy Awards, four Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Tony Award. In 2003, she was voted Number 20 in Channel 4's countdown of the 100 greatest movie stars of all time.

<i>Breaking Away</i> 1979 film by Peter Yates

Breaking Away is a 1979 American coming of age comedy-drama film produced and directed by Peter Yates and written by Steve Tesich. It follows a group of four male teenagers in Bloomington, Indiana, who have recently graduated from high school. The film stars Dennis Christopher, Dennis Quaid, Daniel Stern, Jackie Earle Haley, Barbara Barrie, Paul Dooley, and Robyn Douglass.

<i>Working Girl</i> 1988 film by Mike Nichols

Working Girl is a 1988 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Mike Nichols, written by Kevin Wade, and starring Harrison Ford, Sigourney Weaver, and Melanie Griffith. Its plot follows an ambitious secretary from Staten Island who takes over her new boss's role while the boss is laid up with a broken leg. The secretary, who has been going to business night school, pitches a profitable idea, only to have the boss attempt to take credit.

<i>Alien Resurrection</i> 1997 film by Jean-Pierre Jeunet

Alien Resurrection is a 1997 American science fiction horror film, directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, written by Joss Whedon, and starring Sigourney Weaver and Winona Ryder. It is the fourth installment of the Alien franchise, and was filmed at the 20th Century Fox studios in Los Angeles, California.

<i>Alien 3</i> 1992 film by David Fincher

Alien 3 (stylized as ALIEN3) is a 1992 American science fiction horror film directed by David Fincher and written by David Giler, Walter Hill, and Larry Ferguson, from a story by Vincent Ward. It stars Sigourney Weaver, reprising her role as Ellen Ripley. It is the third installment of the Alien franchise and led to a sequel, Alien Resurrection (1997).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Tesich</span> Serbian-American screenwriter, playwright and novelist (1942–1996)

Stojan Steve Tesich was a Serbian-American screenwriter, playwright, and novelist. He won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay in 1979 for the film Breaking Away.

<i>House Party 2</i> 1991 film by Doug McHenry and George Jackson

House Party 2 is a 1991 American comedy film and the sequel to the 1990 film House Party released by New Line Cinema. The film returns most of the cast of the first film such as Kid 'n Play, Full Force, Tisha Campbell, and Martin Lawrence along with new cast members such as Iman, Queen Latifah, and Georg Stanford Brown and more guest appearances by other famous entertainers, such as Tony! Toni! Toné! and Ralph Tresvant. The film is directed by Doug McHenry and George Jackson in their directorial debut.

<i>Mr. & Mrs. Smith</i> (1941 film) 1941 film by Alfred Hitchcock

Mr. & Mrs. Smith is a 1941 American screwball comedy film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, written by Norman Krasna, and starring Carole Lombard and Robert Montgomery. It also features Gene Raymond, Jack Carson, Philip Merivale, and Lucile Watson.

<i>Copycat</i> (1995 film) 1995 thriller film by Jon Amiel

Copycat is a 1995 American psychological thriller film directed by Jon Amiel and starring Sigourney Weaver, Holly Hunter, and Dermot Mulroney. The score was composed by Christopher Young. The film follows a criminal psychologist and a homicide detective who must work together to find a serial killer who is committing copycat crimes modeled after notorious murderers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Yates</span> English film director

Peter James Yates was an English film director and producer, known for his versatility and “attention to detail” across a variety of genres. He received nominations for four Academy Awards, three BAFTA Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards.

<i>Rose of Washington Square</i> 1939 film by Gregory Ratoff

Rose of Washington Square is a 1939 American musical drama film, featuring the already well-known popular song with the same title. Set in 1920s New York City, the film focuses on singer Rose Sargent and her turbulent relationship with con artist Barton DeWitt Clinton, whose criminal activities threaten her professional success in the Ziegfeld Follies.

<i>The Girl in the Kremlin</i> 1957 film

The Girl in the Kremlin is a 1957 American film noir mystery film directed by Russell Birdwell and starring Lex Barker, Zsa Zsa Gabor and Jeffrey Stone.

<i>Ironclads</i> (film) American TV series or program

Ironclads is a 1991 made-for-television movie produced by Ted Turner's TNT company about the events behind the creation of CSS Virginia from the remains of USS Merrimack and the battle between Virginia and USS Monitor in the Battle of Hampton Roads, March 8, 1862 – March 9, 1862. Noel Taylor received an Emmy Award nomination for his costume designs for the production.

<i>Prayers for Bobby</i> 2009 television film directed by Russell Mulcahy

Prayers for Bobby is a televised drama film that premiered on the Lifetime network on January 24, 2009. The film is based on the book of the same name by Leroy F. Aarons, which is itself based on the true story of the life and legacy of Bobby Griffith, a gay young man who killed himself in 1983 due to his mother's homophobia. Ryan Kelley stars as Bobby Griffith and Sigourney Weaver portrays his mother Mary.

Mommy is a 1995 American low budget thriller starring Patty McCormack as a mother who is psychotically obsessed with her 12-year-old daughter Jessica Ann.

<i>The Cold Light of Day</i> (2012 film) 2012 film directed by Mabrouk El Mechri

The Cold Light of Day is a 2012 American action thriller film directed by Mabrouk El Mechri and distributed by Summit Entertainment. It was written by Scott Wiper and John Petro and stars Henry Cavill, Bruce Willis, and Sigourney Weaver. The story follows Will (Cavill), who finds that his family has been kidnapped by foreign agents who are searching for a briefcase stolen by his father (Willis), which forces him to take matters into his own hands to find them.

<i>The Amazing Mr. Williams</i> 1939 film by Alexander Hall

The Amazing Mr. Williams is a 1939 American screwball comedy film produced by Everett Riskin for Columbia Pictures and directed by Alexander Hall. The film stars Melvyn Douglas, Joan Blondell and Clarence Kolb. It was written by Dwight Taylor, Sy Bartlett and Richard Maibaum. The film is about a police lieutenant who is too busy solving crimes to marry his longtime fiancée, who decides to take action and get him to marry her and settle down. The film was released on November 22, 1939.

<i>Psychic Killer</i> 1975 film by Ray Danton

Psychic Killer is a 1975 American supernatural horror film directed by Ray Danton and written by Greydon Clark, Mikel Angel and Ray Danton. The film stars Paul Burke, Jim Hutton, Julie Adams, Nehemiah Persoff, Neville Brand and Aldo Ray. The film was released in December 1975, by AVCO Embassy Pictures. Originally released under the alternate title The Kirlian Force, it was changed to Psychic Killer to emphasize the more sensational horror scenes of the film.

<i>The Good House</i> (film) 2021 American film

The Good House is a 2021 American comedy-drama film directed by Maya Forbes and Wally Wolodarsky, who wrote the screenplay with Thomas Bezucha. It is based on the novel of the same name by Ann Leary.

References

  1. ↑ Aubrey Solomon, Twentieth Century Fox: A Corporate and Financial History, Scarecrow Press, 1989 p259
  2. ↑ YATES AND TESICH: 'BANKABLE' TEAM Taylor, Clarke. Los Angeles Times 25 May 1980: s43.
  3. ↑ Solomon p 235. Figures are rentals not gross.
  4. ↑ Silver, Alain; Ward, Elizabeth; eds. (1992). Film Noir: An Encyclopedic Reference to the American Style (3rd ed.). Woodstock, New York: The Overlook Press. ISBN   0-87951-479-5
  5. ↑ Lanken, Dane (1981-03-09). "'Eyewitness' well-flavored". The Montreal Gazette. Retrieved 2011-04-24.
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.