At Close Range

At Close Range (1986)

Timing: 1:51 (111 min)

6.888/10
250

6.714/10
1449

6.9/10
20000

All about film

Video 1

Photo 4

Actors and characters

Release date

1986-04-18

Country

United States

Production

Hemdale Film Corporation, Cinema '85

Genre

Crime, Drama, Thriller

Budget

$6 500 000

Revenue

$2 347 000

Website

Director

James Foley

Actors

Sean Penn, Christopher Walken, Mary Stuart Masterson, Chris Penn, Millie Perkins, Eileen Ryan, Tracey Walter, David Strathairn, J.C. Quinn, Candy Clark
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

Producer

Don Guest, Elliott Lewitt, Derek Gibson, John Daly

Operator

Juan Ruiz Anchía

Composer

Patrick Leonard

Artist

Chuck Roseberry

Audition

Risa Bramon Garcia, Billy Hopkins, Darilyn Stringer

Editing

Howard E. Smith
All team (93)

• Before filming, Christopher Walken always checked each gun for his own peace of mind. During the shooting of the scene where Sean Penn’s character points a weapon at his face, the director hadn’t even said “Action!” when Penn burst out of the frame shouting, “Give me another gun!” He received it, then returned to Walken and played out the scene to the end. That take, with a genuinely frightened Walken, made it into the film.
• The plot is based on a description of the crimes committed by Bruce Johnston Sr., the leader of one of the most terrifying gangs in Pennsylvania’s history.
• Eileen Ryan, who played the grandmother, is the mother of Sean Penn and Chris Penn, who played her grandsons. In one scene, Chris Penn accidentally misspoken and called the grandmother 'Mom'.
• The role of Brad Whitewood Sr., played by Christopher Walken, was initially offered to Robert De Niro. He declined, finding the character too bleak.
• Sean Penn and Chris Penn, playing brothers here, are brothers in real life.
• In the scenes filmed in a Tennessee town square, a statue of a soldier is visible in the middle of the town square. In reality, this is a monument to a Confederate Army soldier, but since the plot takes place in Pennsylvania, the statue's appearance had to be altered slightly.
• Before filming, Christopher Walken would invariably check every gun for his own peace of mind. During the filming of the scene where Sean Penn’s character points a weapon at his face, even before the director said “Action!”, Penn flew out of the frame shouting, “Give me a different gun!” He received it, then returned to Walken and finished the scene. This take, with a genuinely frightened Walken, made it into the film.