Point Blank

Point Blank (1967)

Timing: 1:32 (92 min)

7.032/10
364

6.993/10
2098

7.2/10
26000

All about film

Video 3

Photo 22

Actors and characters

Release date

1967-08-30

Country

United States

Production

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Winkler Films

Genre

Crime, Thriller

Budget

$3 000 000

Revenue

$3 200 000

Website

Director

John Boorman

Actors

Lee Marvin, Angie Dickinson, Keenan Wynn, Carroll O'Connor, Lloyd Bochner, Michael Strong, John Vernon, Sharon Acker, James B. Sikking, Sandra Warner
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

Producer

Irwin Winkler, Robert Chartoff, Judd Bernard

Operator

Philip H. Lathrop

Composer

Johnny Mandel

Artist

Audition

Editing

Henry Berman
All team (30)

• This is the first film to be shot at Alcatraz since the infamous prison on the island closed in 1963.
• Once, director John Boorman was invited to a meeting with Robert O'Brien (1907-1997), the president of MGM, during which O'Brien began to express his wishes for the film, and his phone rang during the meeting. It was David Lean (1908-1991) with some questions about his upcoming film, 'Ryan's Daughter' (1970). After talking to him, O'Brien forgot everything he had intended to say to Boorman and quickly ushered him out of the office. Boorman later told Lean how he had saved him in this way.
• When James Sikking came to audition for the role of the killer, John Burman turned him down, stating that he looked too kind for the part. For the following week, whenever Burman looked out the window, he invariably caught sight of Sikking, who was simply standing nearby and staring menacingly at him. Burman lasted a week before going outside and telling Sikking that the role was his.
• The film's plot structure was fragmented, which was quite unusual for the time. The lead actor, Lee Marvin (1924-1987), even requested a meeting with the studio bosses to confirm that they had no objections to the script, the chosen actors, etc., and he received that confirmation. However, once the film was shot, the studio executives watched the director's cut and immediately began hinting at the need for reshoots and some changes. Regardless, the film was released exactly as John Burman had envisioned it.
• After filming the scene of Carroll O'Connor's character's death, the filmmakers, while reviewing the footage, noticed that he was making sounds completely inappropriate for the seriousness of the moment, which could elicit laughter from the audience. The actor had already left and was halfway from San Francisco to Los Angeles. The filmmakers called the police to have his car stopped and to relay to O'Connor that he needed to return to the set. The actor's car was stopped, and the message was delivered. He was furious but returned to the set.
• Once, director John Burman was invited to a meeting with MGM president Robert O’Brien (1907-1997), during which the latter began to express his wishes for the film. During the meeting, O’Brien’s phone rang. It was David Lean (1908-1991) with questions about his upcoming film, "Ryan's Daughter" (1970). After talking to him, O’Brien forgot everything he intended to say to Burman and quickly ushered him out of the office. Burman later told Lean how he had saved him in this way.
• When James Sikking came to audition for the role of the killer, John Burman turned him down, saying he looked too kind for the part. Over the following week, whenever Burman looked out the window, he invariably caught sight of Sikking, who was simply standing nearby and glaring at him menacingly. Burman lasted a week before going outside and telling Sikking that the role was his.
• After filming the death scene of the character played by Carroll O’Connor, the filmmakers, while reviewing the day’s footage, noticed that he was making sounds in the scene that were completely inappropriate for the seriousness of the moment and could make the audience laugh. The actor had already left and was halfway from San Francisco to Los Angeles. The filmmakers called the police to have his car stopped and to relay to O’Connor that he needed to return to the set. His car was stopped, and the message was delivered. He was furious, but he returned to the set.