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List Price: $9.99 | | Label: Miramax
Salesrank: 24978
Released: November 16, 1999 |
| Our Price: $4.60 |
| Used Price: $1.93 |
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MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
Academy Award(R)-winner Jack Nicholson (1997 Best Actor, AS GOOD AS IT GETS) drives this suspenseful, critically acclaimed action thriller about one man's unquenchable thirst for revenge! For six agonizing years, Freddy Gale (Nicholson) has waited for John Booth (David Morse, THE NEGOTIATOR), the man jailed for a crime that destroyed Freddy's life. Now, Booth is out of prison and Freddy's giving him three days before he returns ... to even the score! Directed by Sean Penn and starring Academy Award(R)-winner Anjelica Huston (1985 Best Supporting Actress, PRIZZI'S HONOR) and sexy Robin Wright (MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE), THE CROSSING GUARD is an intense, emotionally charged thriller that delivers!
Description of The Crossing Guard:
Sean Penn wrote and directed this character-driven drama about a divorced couple (Jack Nicholson and Anjelica Huston) whose relationship never recovered following the death of their daughter at the hands of a drunk driver (David Morse). When the latter's character, a deeply regretful and changed man, gets out of jail, Nicholson, as the vengeful dad, decides to go after him. As a director, Penn is not so good with fluid storytelling and camera clichés, but he is amazing as an actor's director. The onscreen reteaming of former real-life lovers Nicholson and Huston is more than just a voyeuristic exercise: Penn ingeniously uses the duo's palpable friction to bring an often horrifying reality to the pain of a dead relationship. --Tom Keogh
The Crossing Guard Reviews:
A Haunting Tale Of Forgiveness 
2009-05-19 - This is a strange movie. That's what I thought when I first saw this a decade ago. It was one of those films I thought about a couple of days later and couldn't get out of my head for a short while. When I saw it again a few years ago I almost had the same reaction.
What's different about this film is the message: forgiveness. That's really what it's about and it's done in a touching way even though most of the characters in here are anything but nice people.
If you can enjoy a good character-development story and not get too dismayed by a depressing scene or two this movie will reward you with some intangibles that are hard to describe unless you've seen this.
Jack Nicholson, David Morse, Angelica Huston and Robin Wright make for an interesting foursome, I'll say that.
If you don't like this movie, I would understand that, too. It's not an easy film to like. It will either haunt you or put you to sleep. It haunted me.
cheap, fast, perfect 
2009-01-07 - Product was extremely cheap, in great condition (new) and arrived swiftly during the Holiday season.
Jack and Anjelica together again 
2008-04-16 - Nicholson and Huston were a big Hollywood couple for well over a decade in the late seventies/ early eighties into the nineties. The relationship ended when Jack fathered a child with someone else. This knowledge enhances their performances in an otherwise average film. When these two confront each other it feels raw. It feels more like they are frustrated with each other as people rather than as actors playing a part. I didn't think anything in this film, directed by Sean Penn, was as impressive as their brilliant performances. Freddy Gale (Nicholson) is a bitter drunk who never recovered from the death of his daughter at the hands of a drunk driver named Booth (a buff David Morse). Freddy's emotional spiral proved too much for his wife (Huston) who divorced him and moved on with her life. Freddy practically lives in a run down strip club where he spends his nights and dates the dancers. The only pleasure he gets out of life is torturing his ex wife by bringing up their dead daughter. When he learns of Booth's release from prison, Freddy plots the murder of the man who ruined his life. Freddy lets everyone know of his intentions, including Booth. He pays him a drunken visit and gives him three nights to set things right before he comes back to murder him. The remarkable thing is that Booth is accepting of this. His life was forever ruined by this tragedy too. In his last days Booth romances an artist named JoJo (Robin Wright Penn) and tries to tell her and his parents about the daily guilt he has been living with. Wright Penn is beautiful but after watching her embarrass herself by dancing to Salt N' Pepa you question if she was only cast because her husband wanted her in his movie. My biggest problem with this film is Freddy's hypocrisy. His daughter was killed by a drunk driver yet he is constantly driving home drunk from the strip club. In the film's last act, when he tries to execute his revenge, he is drunk driving and endangers the life of a small child his daughter's age. It's a decent, heavy film that deals with sensitive issues and has brilliant acting from a good cast. A promising effort from Penn.
About Redemption
2007-08-11 - I saw brilliant movie from Penn 'The pledge' which has some similiarities to this ...a man with obsessed goal. However this one turns out to be a movie of 2 guys who have to deal with their tribulations. Jack Nicholeson who looses his 7 yr old daughter and obsessed in killing the guy (David morse). David kills his daughter in an dunken driving accident and comes of prison but still plagued by Guilt. The plot turns out with an ending where two people give up their irrationality and accept themselves.
This movie potrays deep emotions traumatized souls (as all sean movies) in a symbolic way but however suffers with poor script. David is not suited for this role and doesn't play the emotions of guilt.The way he acts shows as if his personality doesn't have emotions at all. Forget guilt. The romance between David and Robert Penn is not developed properly. Surprising that the romance is not focussed in the movie when movie revolves around Jack who spends time with young girls without any drama involved.
Inspite of poor script, Jack gives great performance..as good as it gets on would think. Jack's ex-wife plays her role with ease. The audience can get the taste of melodrama of troubled souls finding peace at the end. All in all, it is average movie with simple plot.
This movie is no match for 'The pledge' which is chilling and brilliant thriller although theree are some similarities.
Grieving dad gets a little twisted.
2005-09-12 - The Crossing Guard DVD version great on screen, makes good use of entire screen...
This one is a little different, a little twisted..dark. A grieving dad loses sight of reality because of his grief...In the end it's his little girls killer who makes him face it..
The dad is the bad guy, the killer is the unfortunate good guy, but you'll connect with them both...Emotional, especially if you're a parent..Good watch..
