Kalifornia (1993)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Dominic Sena

Writers (WGA):

Stephen Levy (story) &
Tim Metcalfe (story) ...

Release Date:

3 September 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

A state of fear and terror

Plot:

A journalist duo go on a tour of serial killer murder sites with two companions, unaware that one of them is a serial killer himself.

Plot Keywords:

Serial Killer | Murder | White Trash | Sex | Abusive Boyfriend

Awards:

3 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Brad Pitt	...	Early Grayce
Kathy Larson	...	Teenage Girl (as Catherine Larson)
David Milford	...	Driver
David Duchovny	...	Brian Kessler
John Zarchen	...	Peter
David Rose	...	Eric
Michelle Forbes	...	Carrie Laughlin
Tommy Chappelle	...	Old Man
Juliette Lewis	...	Adele Corners
Judson Vaughn	...	Parole Officer
James Michael McDougal	...	John Diebold (as J. Michael McDougal)
Patricia Sill	...	Carol
Brett Rice	...	Police Officer
Marisa Raper	...	Little Girl
Bill Crabb	...	Middle Aged Farmer (as Bill Crabbe)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence, and for sexuality and language.

Runtime:

117 min | USA:118 min (unrated version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Singapore:M18 | Canada:R (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | New Zealand:R18 | Australia:MA | Finland:K-18 | France:-12 | Germany:18 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:18 (video premiere) | South Korea:18 (cut) | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:NC-17 (original rating) | USA:R | Argentina:16

Filming Locations:

Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, California, USA

Company:

PolyGram Filmed Entertainment

Trivia:

'Michelle Forbes'' photographer character is a reference to the controversial photographer Andres Serrano, specifically his series 'History of Sex' and 'The Klan' (from the early 1990s).

Goofs:

Factual errors: When Brian and Carrie visit the murder scene, Carrie's Nikon clearly has a motor drive, and we hear the sound of it advancing the film, but we also see her manually advancing the film.

Quotes:

[about Chinese food]
Early Grayce: Smells like butt!

Movie Connections:

Featured in Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003)

Soundtrack:

Deep

a dark and disturbing psychological thriller.

it's amazing that so many people that i know haven't seen this little gem. everybody i have turned on to it have come back with the same reaction: WHAT A GREAT MOVIE!!

i've never much cared for Brad Pitt (though his turns in 12 monkeys and Fight Club show improvement) but his performance in this film as a psycho is unnerving, dark and right on target.

everyone else in the film gives excellent performances and the movie's slow and deliberate pacing greatly enhance the proceedings. the sense of dread for the characters keeps increasing as they come to realize what has been really happening.

the only thing that keeps this from a 10 in my book, is that compared to what came before it, the ending is a bit too long and overblown. but that's the only flaw i could find in this cult classic.

if you check this film out, try to get the letterboxed unrated director's cut for the best viewing option.

rating:9