Deadly Skies
Encyclopedia
Deadly Skies is a 2005 joint American/Canadian sci-fi television film starring Antonio Sabato, Jr.
, Rae Dawn Chong
, Dominic Zamprogna
, Michael Boisvert
, Rob LaBelle
and Michael Moriarty
. The plot concerns the effort of two astronomers and two military men to stop the threat of a giant asteroid
on a collision course with Earth. The film is notable for being released in multiple versions for the United States and international markets. Deadly Skies is the American title; the American release includes a romantic relationship between Sabato's and Boisvert's characters. The censored
international DVD
version, titled Force of Impact, excises several minutes of footage which establish that relationship and includes additional footage establishing a romantic relationship between Sabato's and Chong's characters. This version was also released under the title Ultimate Limit (UK) (DVD title) and Force of Impact (Canada: English title) (censored version).
. Joining with Donovan's active-duty lover, Mark (Boisvert), the four hatch a plan to infiltrate an Air Force base that houses a massive laser
weapon to destroy the asteroid. Despite resistance from Dutton and Air Force troops, the group is able to commandeer the weapon and use it to deflect the asteroid just enough so that it misses the planet.
Scenes removed from the censored version include a sex scene between Donovan and Mark, a line in which Donovan tells Madison why he was discharged and a second intimate scene between Donovan and Mark. Additionally, a short scene establishing a romantic interest between Donovan and Madison was added to the end of the censored version.
Antonio Sabàto, Jr.
Antonio Sabàto, Jr. is an American actor and model. Born in Italy and raised in the U.S., Sabàto first became known as a Calvin Klein model and for his role on the soap opera General Hospital. He continued appearing in films and television series throughout the 1990s and 2000s.-Early life:Sabàto...
, Rae Dawn Chong
Rae Dawn Chong
Rae Dawn Chong is a Canadian-American actress.-Life and career:Chong was born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, the daughter of Maxine Sneed and Tommy Chong. She and her sister Robbi were raised by her grandmother, Tommy Chong's mother. Chong's father is of Chinese and Scottish-Irish ancestry and her...
, Dominic Zamprogna
Dominic Zamprogna
Dominic Zamprogna is a Canadian actor. He is perhaps best known for his roles on television series Edgemont and General Hospital.-Early life:...
, Michael Boisvert
Michael Boisvert
Michael "Monkey" Boisvert, born in Timmins, Ontario in 1973, is a Canadian actor and choreographer.Boisvert studied business at university, but left, before graduating, to become a model. He later turned to acting, moving to New York and then California to pursue work opportunities...
, Rob LaBelle
Rob LaBelle
Rob LaBelle is an American film and television actor.-Early life and education:He was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota.-Career:LaBelle has made appearances, many as a character actor, in dozens of film and television roles, most in the science-fiction genre, and is probably best known for his role as...
and Michael Moriarty
Michael Moriarty
Michael Moriarty is an American-Canadian actor of stage and screen, and a jazz musician. He played Benjamin Stone for four seasons on the TV series Law & Order.-Early life:...
. The plot concerns the effort of two astronomers and two military men to stop the threat of a giant asteroid
Asteroid
Asteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones...
on a collision course with Earth. The film is notable for being released in multiple versions for the United States and international markets. Deadly Skies is the American title; the American release includes a romantic relationship between Sabato's and Boisvert's characters. The censored
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
international DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
version, titled Force of Impact, excises several minutes of footage which establish that relationship and includes additional footage establishing a romantic relationship between Sabato's and Chong's characters. This version was also released under the title Ultimate Limit (UK) (DVD title) and Force of Impact (Canada: English title) (censored version).
Plot
Madison (Chong) and her assistant Hockstetter (Zamprogna) are astronomers who track near-Earth objects in space. They are not taken seriously by the scientific community. When they locate and track a massive asteroid on a collision course for Earth, Madison takes her findings to government scientist Covington (LaBelle). Initially he pays her some attention but, under pressure from Air Force General Dutton (Moriarty), dismisses her. In desperation she takes her research to Donovan (Sabato), a former Air Force officer who was discharged under Don't ask, don't tellDon't ask, don't tell
"Don't ask, don't tell" was the official United States policy on homosexuals serving in the military from December 21, 1993 to September 20, 2011. The policy prohibited military personnel from discriminating against or harassing closeted homosexual or bisexual service members or applicants, while...
. Joining with Donovan's active-duty lover, Mark (Boisvert), the four hatch a plan to infiltrate an Air Force base that houses a massive laser
Laser
A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of photons. The term "laser" originated as an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation...
weapon to destroy the asteroid. Despite resistance from Dutton and Air Force troops, the group is able to commandeer the weapon and use it to deflect the asteroid just enough so that it misses the planet.
Scenes removed from the censored version include a sex scene between Donovan and Mark, a line in which Donovan tells Madison why he was discharged and a second intimate scene between Donovan and Mark. Additionally, a short scene establishing a romantic interest between Donovan and Madison was added to the end of the censored version.
Cast
- Antonio Sabato Jr. as Richard Donovan
- Rae Dawn ChongRae Dawn ChongRae Dawn Chong is a Canadian-American actress.-Life and career:Chong was born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, the daughter of Maxine Sneed and Tommy Chong. She and her sister Robbi were raised by her grandmother, Tommy Chong's mother. Chong's father is of Chinese and Scottish-Irish ancestry and her...
as Madison Taylor - Michael BoisvertMichael BoisvertMichael "Monkey" Boisvert, born in Timmins, Ontario in 1973, is a Canadian actor and choreographer.Boisvert studied business at university, but left, before graduating, to become a model. He later turned to acting, moving to New York and then California to pursue work opportunities...
as Mark - Dominic ZamprognaDominic ZamprognaDominic Zamprogna is a Canadian actor. He is perhaps best known for his roles on television series Edgemont and General Hospital.-Early life:...
as Hockstetter - Michael MoriartyMichael MoriartyMichael Moriarty is an American-Canadian actor of stage and screen, and a jazz musician. He played Benjamin Stone for four seasons on the TV series Law & Order.-Early life:...
as Gneral Dutton - Rob LaBelleRob LaBelleRob LaBelle is an American film and television actor.-Early life and education:He was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota.-Career:LaBelle has made appearances, many as a character actor, in dozens of film and television roles, most in the science-fiction genre, and is probably best known for his role as...
as Dr. Michael Covington - Hrothgar Mathews as Press Secretary
- Doron Bell as Guard Stevens
- Kirby MorrowKirby MorrowKirby Morrow is a Canadian actor. He currently resides in Vancouver, British Columbia.- Filmography :2011 Mortal Kombat: Legacy King Jerrod– Kitana & Mileena: Part 1 … King Jerrod...
as Corporal Carmichael - Sean Whale as Relief Bus Driver
- Terri Anne Welyki as Swim Beauty #1
- Holly Eglington as Swim Beauty #2
- Jerry Cowan as Old Frenchman
- Louis ChirilloLouis ChirilloLouis Chirillo is an American-Canadian actor and voice actor.He was born in Seattle, Washington. He is famous for voicing Keefe in Zoids: Fuzors. He has also voiced Shaman in Pucca...
as Outgoing Bus Driver - Chris Kalhoon as Patrolman