The Osterman Weekend (film)
Encyclopedia
The Osterman Weekend is a 1983
suspense
thriller film directed by Sam Peckinpah
, based on the novel of the same name
by Robert Ludlum
. The film stars Rutger Hauer, John Hurt
, Burt Lancaster
, Dennis Hopper
, Meg Foster
and Craig T. Nelson
. It was Peckinpah's final film before his death in 1984.
Fassett is called into the director's office and says that he wants to turn some of Omega's agents to the side of the West, and he has the perfect opportunity in John Tanner (Hauer), a controversial television journalist, highly critical of government abuses of power. Fassett explains that Tanner's closest friends are Omega agents. He believes Tanner could turn the Soviet spies into defecting. For proof, he offers videotaped evidence of Tanner's friends discussing financial matters with a Russian man, whom Fassett identifies as KGB. Tanner had met his friends years ago in college, and they have all gone on to successful careers. The spies are Bernard Osterman, a television producer, and two others: Richard Tremayne, a plastic surgeon, and stock trader Joseph Cardone. Tanner agrees, but only on the condition that the CIA appear as a guest on his show. Danforth agrees to this condition.
Tanner has a troubled marriage with his wife Ali (Foster) that is not helped when Tanner asks her to avoid the upcoming Osterman weekend and to take their son. He does not want to involve them in the events but cannot tell her why he wants her to stay away. While Ali is driving to the airport, her truck is ambushed, and she and the child are kidnapped. In the meantime, Tanner's home has been wired with closed circuit video so Fassett can gather more evidence.
The three spies arrive for the weekend, each having recently encountered difficulties engineered by the CIA in order to unsettle them and make them receptive to 'turning.' Tensions flare up and on the second night Fassett puts a video-feed on Tanner's living room television, showing video evidence of the spy ring to the traitors. Having reached the breaking point, Ali and Virginia end up in a brief scuffle and everyone goes to their rooms. John's son discovers the decapitated head of the family dog in the refrigerator, but this turns out to be a fake head. John has had enough and orders everyone out of his house and then confronts Fassett and presents an ultimatum: arrest the suspects. Fassett orders a guard to kill the broadcaster.
Meanwhile, Cardone and Tremayne have taken their wives and escaped in the Tanner's RV. Tanner confronts Osterman and tries to attack him but Osterman easily overpowers the television reporter and demands to know what is going on. Tanner tells him that he knows that Osterman and his friends are Soviet agents, which Osterman dismisses as being ridiculous. He states that they have been illegally stashing money away in Swiss bank accounts to avoid taxation, saying that "It ain't legal, but it sure as hell isn't traitorous."
Then Fassett reappears on the television by closed circuit, admitting the truth: his friends are nothing more than tax evaders. Nevertheless, Fassett kills the Tremaynes and Cardones by detonating an explosive device on the RV by remote control and then orders his soldiers into the house to kill Osterman and Tanner. Using the televisions in the house and the video cameras, Fassett taunts Tanner during the attack on the house, having learned that Danforth authorized his wife's murder. Fassett tells John he will give his family back to him if he will expose Danforth on air.
After an interval, we see Danforth preparing for his remote interview with Tanner. Danforth is at his office and will speak into a camera and microphone crewed by the TV station. Tanner introduces Fassett on the air, and Danforth explodes into a rage when he discovers he has been tricked. Fassett, who is also being filmed remotely, exposes Danforth as a murderer. Fassett's remote location is obviously secret, but it is clear someone is coming for him. It is revealed that Tanner himself has pre-recorded his questions for both men and has used the video feed to locate Fassett, whom he shoots and kills.
were celebrating the wrapping of a film when they ran into Larry Jones. Jones, also a producer, revealed that he owned the film rights to Robert Ludlum's
1972 novel The Osterman Weekend
, but was giving up on turning it into a feature film since he had not been able to develop a satisfactory screenplay. Davis and Panzer immediately offered to purchase the rights, as they felt this could be the project that elevated them out of the B-movie
features that they had been financing up to that point. Jones and a partner agreed, and Davis and Panzer began pre-production.
The first order of business was to adapt Ludlum's complex story, and for this they hired Ian Masters
. Davis claims that Masters heavily followed conspiracy theories and closely paid attention to the CIA's activities throughout the world. After Masters developed the script's groundwork, Alan Sharp
was hired to work on characters and dialogue.
With the screenplay completed they went looking for a director, and an offhand comment led them to Sam Peckinpah
, the controversial and troubled man who had helmed The Wild Bunch
(1969) and Straw Dogs (1971). Suffering from a damaged reputation due to alcohol and drug addictions noted most recently on the set of his 1978 film Convoy, Peckinpah had been given the opportunity to do second unit work on Don Siegel's
Jinxed!
in 1981. The competence and professionalism he displayed made it at least possible for him to be considered as director of The Osterman Weekend.
Peckinpah's reputation was such that many studios did not want to work with him because of his antagonistic relationship with producers. Additionally, the director's health was in poor shape. Davis and Panzer were undaunted, as they felt that having Peckinpah's name attached to their film would lend it an air of respectability. However, due to the director's damaged reputation, the producers were forced to seek financing from independent sources.
According to the commentators on the film's special edition DVD, Peckinpah hated Ludlum's novel and he did not like the screenplay either. Peckinpah requested and was given permission to work on the script himself, but after submitting his first few pages the producers forbade him from any more rewrites.
In Marshall Fine's book Bloody Sam, screenwriter Sharp said that he himself did not like the screenplay he had written, and that he found it incredible that Davis and Panzer used his draft as the shooting script. Fine also wrote that Ludlum had stated to his friend Jason Robards
that he would provide a free rewrite; if this is true the producers never accepted his offer. But in spite of his distaste for the project, Peckinpah immediately accepted the job as he was desperate to re-establish himself within the film community.
Multiple actors in Hollywood auditioned for the film, intrigued by the chance of working with the legendary director. Many of those who signed on, including John Hurt, Burt Lancaster and Dennis Hopper, did so for less than their usual salaries for an opportunity to work with Peckinpah. Rutger Hauer, fresh from the success of Blade Runner
, was chosen by the producers for the lead role. For the film's primary location, the Tanner household, the filmmakers chose Robert Taylor's
former residence in the Mandeville Canyon section of Los Angeles
, the "Robert Taylor Ranch
."
Peckinpah managed to keep up with the 54-day shooting schedule and within a budget of just under $7 million, but his relationship with the producers soon soured and became combative. On the other hand, the cast greatly respected him and stated that Peckinpah put everything he could into directing the picture in spite of his physical exhaustion and health problems.
By the time shooting wrapped in January 1983, Peckinpah and the producers were hardly speaking. Peckinpah delivered the film on time and on budget, submitting his director's cut to the producers.
This version was screened once on May 25, 1983. Test audiences reacted unfavorably and many walked out of the theater during the first few minutes. Peckinpah opened with a distorted image of Fassett and his wife making love, and the way he had edited the scene made it difficult for the audience to discern what was going on.
Panzer and Davis were hoping that Peckinpah would go back and re-edit the film himself, as they did not desire to antagonize him any further, but the director refused to make changes. Peckinpah had also filmed several satirical scenes, subtly ridiculing the product. As a result, the producers felt they had no choice and effectively fired Peckinpah and re-edited the film themselves.
The producers changed the opening sequence and deleted other scenes they deemed unnecessary. Peckinpah proclaimed that producers had once again sabotaged his film, a complaint he made after filming Major Dundee
(1965) and Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (1973). He was less vocal this time, mindful that studios and producers were keeping an eye on his behavior.
Anchor Bay Entertainment
has included the director's cut of the film on its DVD release, but it's sourced from the only known copy in existence: a low-quality, full-screen videotape.
The film was not a blockbuster
, though it grossed $6 million domestically and did extremely well in Europe
and on the new home-video market. Theatrical distribution was handled by 20th Century Fox
, and Thorn EMI
picked up video rights; a laserdisc edition was published by Image Entertainment
. It is currently available on DVD from Anchor Bay Entertainment
.
wrote, "I sometimes enjoy movies that make no sense whatsoever, if that's their intention. But a thriller is supposed to hold together in some sort of logical way, isn't it?'" The Chicago Readers Dave Kehr
has stated, "The structure is a mess...which ultimately makes it too difficult to tell whether its oddly compelling qualities are the result of a coherent artistic strategy or the cynical carelessness of a director sidelined." It currently holds a 43% approval rating on RottenTomatoes.com, marking it as "rotten."
1983 in film
-Events:*February 11 - The Rolling Stones concert film Let's Spend the Night Together opens in New York*May 25 - Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, the final film in the original Star Wars trilogy, is released. Like the previous films, it goes on to become the top grossing picture of...
suspense
Suspense
Suspense is a feeling of uncertainty and anxiety about the outcome of certain actions, most often referring to an audience's perceptions in a dramatic work. Suspense is not exclusive to fiction, though. Suspense may operate in any situation where there is a lead-up to a big event or dramatic...
thriller film directed by Sam Peckinpah
Sam Peckinpah
David Samuel "Sam" Peckinpah was an American filmmaker and screenwriter who achieved prominence following the release of the Western epic The Wild Bunch...
, based on the novel of the same name
The Osterman Weekend
The Osterman Weekend is a thriller novel by Robert Ludlum. First published in 1972, it was the author's second book.-Plot introduction:John Tanner, the host of an investigative news show, is convinced by a CIA agent that the friends he has invited to a weekend in the country are engaged in a...
by Robert Ludlum
Robert Ludlum
Robert Ludlum was an American author of 23 thriller novels. The number of his books in print is estimated between 290–500 million copies. They have been published in 33 languages and 40 countries. Ludlum also published books under the pseudonyms Jonathan Ryder and Michael Shepherd.-Life and...
. The film stars Rutger Hauer, John Hurt
John Hurt
John Vincent Hurt, CBE is an English actor, known for his leading roles as John Merrick in The Elephant Man, Winston Smith in Nineteen Eighty-Four, Mr. Braddock in The Hit, Stephen Ward in Scandal, Quentin Crisp in The Naked Civil Servant and An Englishman in New York...
, Burt Lancaster
Burt Lancaster
Burton Stephen "Burt" Lancaster was an American film actor noted for his athletic physique and distinctive smile...
, Dennis Hopper
Dennis Hopper
Dennis Lee Hopper was an American actor, filmmaker and artist. As a young man, Hopper became interested in acting and eventually became a student of the Actors' Studio. He made his first television appearance in 1954 and appeared in two films featuring James Dean, Rebel Without a Cause and Giant...
, Meg Foster
Meg Foster
Megan "Meg" Foster is an American actress best known for her roles in the TV miniseries version of The Scarlet Letter, Ticket to Heaven, The Osterman Weekend, and They Live .-Life and career:...
and Craig T. Nelson
Craig T. Nelson
Craig Theodore Nelson is an American actor. He is probably best known for his Emmy-winning roles as Hayden Fox on the TV series Coach, and as Steve Freeling in the 1982 film Poltergeist. He also starred in The Incredibles in 2004 as Mr...
. It was Peckinpah's final film before his death in 1984.
Plot
The film begins with CIA director Maxwell Danforth (Lancaster) watching a filmed recording of agent Laurence Fassett (Hurt) and his wife making love. When Fassett goes into the bathroom to take a shower two assassins enter the bedroom and kill his wife by holding her down and spraying poison into her nostrils. It is hinted that the woman was an innocent bystander sacrificed by Danforth as collateral damage. Fassett, unaware of his employer's involvement, goes almost insane with grief and rage and begins to hunt down the assassins, eventually uncovering a Soviet spy network known as Omega.Fassett is called into the director's office and says that he wants to turn some of Omega's agents to the side of the West, and he has the perfect opportunity in John Tanner (Hauer), a controversial television journalist, highly critical of government abuses of power. Fassett explains that Tanner's closest friends are Omega agents. He believes Tanner could turn the Soviet spies into defecting. For proof, he offers videotaped evidence of Tanner's friends discussing financial matters with a Russian man, whom Fassett identifies as KGB. Tanner had met his friends years ago in college, and they have all gone on to successful careers. The spies are Bernard Osterman, a television producer, and two others: Richard Tremayne, a plastic surgeon, and stock trader Joseph Cardone. Tanner agrees, but only on the condition that the CIA appear as a guest on his show. Danforth agrees to this condition.
Tanner has a troubled marriage with his wife Ali (Foster) that is not helped when Tanner asks her to avoid the upcoming Osterman weekend and to take their son. He does not want to involve them in the events but cannot tell her why he wants her to stay away. While Ali is driving to the airport, her truck is ambushed, and she and the child are kidnapped. In the meantime, Tanner's home has been wired with closed circuit video so Fassett can gather more evidence.
The three spies arrive for the weekend, each having recently encountered difficulties engineered by the CIA in order to unsettle them and make them receptive to 'turning.' Tensions flare up and on the second night Fassett puts a video-feed on Tanner's living room television, showing video evidence of the spy ring to the traitors. Having reached the breaking point, Ali and Virginia end up in a brief scuffle and everyone goes to their rooms. John's son discovers the decapitated head of the family dog in the refrigerator, but this turns out to be a fake head. John has had enough and orders everyone out of his house and then confronts Fassett and presents an ultimatum: arrest the suspects. Fassett orders a guard to kill the broadcaster.
Meanwhile, Cardone and Tremayne have taken their wives and escaped in the Tanner's RV. Tanner confronts Osterman and tries to attack him but Osterman easily overpowers the television reporter and demands to know what is going on. Tanner tells him that he knows that Osterman and his friends are Soviet agents, which Osterman dismisses as being ridiculous. He states that they have been illegally stashing money away in Swiss bank accounts to avoid taxation, saying that "It ain't legal, but it sure as hell isn't traitorous."
Then Fassett reappears on the television by closed circuit, admitting the truth: his friends are nothing more than tax evaders. Nevertheless, Fassett kills the Tremaynes and Cardones by detonating an explosive device on the RV by remote control and then orders his soldiers into the house to kill Osterman and Tanner. Using the televisions in the house and the video cameras, Fassett taunts Tanner during the attack on the house, having learned that Danforth authorized his wife's murder. Fassett tells John he will give his family back to him if he will expose Danforth on air.
After an interval, we see Danforth preparing for his remote interview with Tanner. Danforth is at his office and will speak into a camera and microphone crewed by the TV station. Tanner introduces Fassett on the air, and Danforth explodes into a rage when he discovers he has been tricked. Fassett, who is also being filmed remotely, exposes Danforth as a murderer. Fassett's remote location is obviously secret, but it is clear someone is coming for him. It is revealed that Tanner himself has pre-recorded his questions for both men and has used the video feed to locate Fassett, whom he shoots and kills.
Production
As related in the documentary Alpha to Omega: Exposing The Osterman Weekend, producers Peter S. Davis and William N. PanzerWilliam N. Panzer
William Norton Panzer , also referred to as Bill Panzer, was an American television and film producer best known as one half of Davis-Panzer Inc, the production company behind the Highlander franchise....
were celebrating the wrapping of a film when they ran into Larry Jones. Jones, also a producer, revealed that he owned the film rights to Robert Ludlum's
Robert Ludlum
Robert Ludlum was an American author of 23 thriller novels. The number of his books in print is estimated between 290–500 million copies. They have been published in 33 languages and 40 countries. Ludlum also published books under the pseudonyms Jonathan Ryder and Michael Shepherd.-Life and...
1972 novel The Osterman Weekend
The Osterman Weekend
The Osterman Weekend is a thriller novel by Robert Ludlum. First published in 1972, it was the author's second book.-Plot introduction:John Tanner, the host of an investigative news show, is convinced by a CIA agent that the friends he has invited to a weekend in the country are engaged in a...
, but was giving up on turning it into a feature film since he had not been able to develop a satisfactory screenplay. Davis and Panzer immediately offered to purchase the rights, as they felt this could be the project that elevated them out of the B-movie
B-movie
A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....
features that they had been financing up to that point. Jones and a partner agreed, and Davis and Panzer began pre-production.
The first order of business was to adapt Ludlum's complex story, and for this they hired Ian Masters
Ian Masters (broadcaster)
Ian Masters is a British television broadcaster, commentator, author, screenwriter and documentary filmmaker.Masters worked for the BBC for more than 25 years with the BBC, firstly presenting news and current affairs programmes...
. Davis claims that Masters heavily followed conspiracy theories and closely paid attention to the CIA's activities throughout the world. After Masters developed the script's groundwork, Alan Sharp
Alan Sharp
Alan Sharp a novelist and screenwriter. He published two novels in the 1960s, and since then has written the screenplays for about twenty films, mostly produced in the United States....
was hired to work on characters and dialogue.
With the screenplay completed they went looking for a director, and an offhand comment led them to Sam Peckinpah
Sam Peckinpah
David Samuel "Sam" Peckinpah was an American filmmaker and screenwriter who achieved prominence following the release of the Western epic The Wild Bunch...
, the controversial and troubled man who had helmed The Wild Bunch
The Wild Bunch
The Wild Bunch is a 1969 American Western film directed by Sam Peckinpah about an aging outlaw gang on the Texas-Mexico border, trying to exist in the changing "modern" world of 1913...
(1969) and Straw Dogs (1971). Suffering from a damaged reputation due to alcohol and drug addictions noted most recently on the set of his 1978 film Convoy, Peckinpah had been given the opportunity to do second unit work on Don Siegel's
Don Siegel
Donald Siegel was an influential American film director and producer. His name variously appeared in the credits of his films as both Don Siegel and Donald Siegel.-Early life:...
Jinxed!
Jinxed!
Jinxed! is a 1982 comedy-drama film starring Bette Midler, Rip Torn and Ken Wahl. Directed by Don Siegel, the veteran filmmaker would suffer a heart attack during the troubled production...
in 1981. The competence and professionalism he displayed made it at least possible for him to be considered as director of The Osterman Weekend.
Peckinpah's reputation was such that many studios did not want to work with him because of his antagonistic relationship with producers. Additionally, the director's health was in poor shape. Davis and Panzer were undaunted, as they felt that having Peckinpah's name attached to their film would lend it an air of respectability. However, due to the director's damaged reputation, the producers were forced to seek financing from independent sources.
According to the commentators on the film's special edition DVD, Peckinpah hated Ludlum's novel and he did not like the screenplay either. Peckinpah requested and was given permission to work on the script himself, but after submitting his first few pages the producers forbade him from any more rewrites.
In Marshall Fine's book Bloody Sam, screenwriter Sharp said that he himself did not like the screenplay he had written, and that he found it incredible that Davis and Panzer used his draft as the shooting script. Fine also wrote that Ludlum had stated to his friend Jason Robards
Jason Robards
Jason Nelson Robards, Jr. was an American actor on stage, and in film and television, and a winner of the Tony Award , two Academy Awards and the Emmy Award...
that he would provide a free rewrite; if this is true the producers never accepted his offer. But in spite of his distaste for the project, Peckinpah immediately accepted the job as he was desperate to re-establish himself within the film community.
Multiple actors in Hollywood auditioned for the film, intrigued by the chance of working with the legendary director. Many of those who signed on, including John Hurt, Burt Lancaster and Dennis Hopper, did so for less than their usual salaries for an opportunity to work with Peckinpah. Rutger Hauer, fresh from the success of Blade Runner
Blade Runner
Blade Runner is a 1982 American science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, and Sean Young. The screenplay, written by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples, is loosely based on the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K...
, was chosen by the producers for the lead role. For the film's primary location, the Tanner household, the filmmakers chose Robert Taylor's
Robert Taylor (actor)
Robert Taylor was an American film and television actor.-Early life:Born Spangler Arlington Brugh in Filley, Nebraska, he was the son of Ruth Adaline and Spangler Andrew Brugh, who was a farmer turned doctor...
former residence in the Mandeville Canyon section of Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, the "Robert Taylor Ranch
Robert Taylor Ranch
The Robert Taylor Ranch is a ranch located on Mandeville Canyon Road, in Brentwood, Los Angeles, California. It is owned by Ken Roberts, former owner of the KROQ-FM radio station....
."
Peckinpah managed to keep up with the 54-day shooting schedule and within a budget of just under $7 million, but his relationship with the producers soon soured and became combative. On the other hand, the cast greatly respected him and stated that Peckinpah put everything he could into directing the picture in spite of his physical exhaustion and health problems.
By the time shooting wrapped in January 1983, Peckinpah and the producers were hardly speaking. Peckinpah delivered the film on time and on budget, submitting his director's cut to the producers.
This version was screened once on May 25, 1983. Test audiences reacted unfavorably and many walked out of the theater during the first few minutes. Peckinpah opened with a distorted image of Fassett and his wife making love, and the way he had edited the scene made it difficult for the audience to discern what was going on.
Panzer and Davis were hoping that Peckinpah would go back and re-edit the film himself, as they did not desire to antagonize him any further, but the director refused to make changes. Peckinpah had also filmed several satirical scenes, subtly ridiculing the product. As a result, the producers felt they had no choice and effectively fired Peckinpah and re-edited the film themselves.
The producers changed the opening sequence and deleted other scenes they deemed unnecessary. Peckinpah proclaimed that producers had once again sabotaged his film, a complaint he made after filming Major Dundee
Major Dundee
Major Dundee is a 1965 Western film written by Harry Julian Fink and directed by Sam Peckinpah. It starred Charlton Heston and Richard Harris as officers from opposing sides in the American Civil War who band together to hunt down a band of Apaches....
(1965) and Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (1973). He was less vocal this time, mindful that studios and producers were keeping an eye on his behavior.
Anchor Bay Entertainment
Anchor Bay Entertainment
Anchor Bay Entertainment is a U.S. based home entertainment and production company and is a division of Starz Media, which is a unit of Starz, LLC. It was previously owned by IDT Entertainment until 2006 when IDT was purchased by Starz Media. Anchor Bay markets and sells feature films, series,...
has included the director's cut of the film on its DVD release, but it's sourced from the only known copy in existence: a low-quality, full-screen videotape.
The film was not a blockbuster
Blockbuster (entertainment)
Blockbuster, as applied to film or theatre, denotes a very popular or successful production. The entertainment industry use was originally theatrical slang referring to a particularly successful play but is now used primarily by the film industry...
, though it grossed $6 million domestically and did extremely well in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and on the new home-video market. Theatrical distribution was handled by 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
, and Thorn EMI
Thorn EMI
Thorn EMI was a major British company involved in consumer electronics, music, defence and retail. Created in October 1979 when Thorn Electrical Industries merged with EMI, it was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index but it demerged again in...
picked up video rights; a laserdisc edition was published by Image Entertainment
Image Entertainment
Image Entertainment, Inc. is an independent licensee, producer and distributor of home entertainment programming and film & television productions in North America, with approximately 3,000 exclusive DVD titles and approximately 250 exclusive CD titles in domestic release, and approximately 450...
. It is currently available on DVD from Anchor Bay Entertainment
Anchor Bay Entertainment
Anchor Bay Entertainment is a U.S. based home entertainment and production company and is a division of Starz Media, which is a unit of Starz, LLC. It was previously owned by IDT Entertainment until 2006 when IDT was purchased by Starz Media. Anchor Bay markets and sells feature films, series,...
.
Reception
Critics reacted very unfavorably towards the film, one of the common complaints being that the story was full of plot holes. Roger EbertRoger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
wrote, "I sometimes enjoy movies that make no sense whatsoever, if that's their intention. But a thriller is supposed to hold together in some sort of logical way, isn't it?'" The Chicago Readers Dave Kehr
Dave Kehr
Dave Kehr is an American film critic. A critic at the Chicago Reader and the Chicago Tribune for many years, he writes a weekly column for The New York Times on DVD releases, in addition to contributing occasional pieces on individual films or filmmakers.-Early life and education:Dave Kehr did...
has stated, "The structure is a mess...which ultimately makes it too difficult to tell whether its oddly compelling qualities are the result of a coherent artistic strategy or the cynical carelessness of a director sidelined." It currently holds a 43% approval rating on RottenTomatoes.com, marking it as "rotten."
Main cast
- Rutger Hauer as John Tanner
- John HurtJohn HurtJohn Vincent Hurt, CBE is an English actor, known for his leading roles as John Merrick in The Elephant Man, Winston Smith in Nineteen Eighty-Four, Mr. Braddock in The Hit, Stephen Ward in Scandal, Quentin Crisp in The Naked Civil Servant and An Englishman in New York...
as Lawrence Fassett - Dennis HopperDennis HopperDennis Lee Hopper was an American actor, filmmaker and artist. As a young man, Hopper became interested in acting and eventually became a student of the Actors' Studio. He made his first television appearance in 1954 and appeared in two films featuring James Dean, Rebel Without a Cause and Giant...
as Richard Tremayne - Craig T. NelsonCraig T. NelsonCraig Theodore Nelson is an American actor. He is probably best known for his Emmy-winning roles as Hayden Fox on the TV series Coach, and as Steve Freeling in the 1982 film Poltergeist. He also starred in The Incredibles in 2004 as Mr...
as Bernie Osterman - Meg FosterMeg FosterMegan "Meg" Foster is an American actress best known for her roles in the TV miniseries version of The Scarlet Letter, Ticket to Heaven, The Osterman Weekend, and They Live .-Life and career:...
as Ali Tanner - Chris SarandonChris SarandonChris Sarandon is an American actor who was married to actress Susan Sarandon between 1968 and 1979. He is best known for playing Prince Humperdinck in the film The Princess Bride, the vampire Jerry Dandridge in Fright Night and Detective Mike Norris in the first entry of the Child's Play series,...
as Joseph Cardone - Helen ShaverHelen ShaverHelen Shaver is a Canadian actress and film and television director.-Early life:Shaver was born and raised in St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada, a small city located near London, Ontario, with five sisters...
as Virginia Tremayne - Cassie YatesCassie YatesCassie Yates , born in Macon, Georgia, United States, is an American actress best known for her performances on television.Her most high-profile role was probably in Dynasty as Sarah Curtis...
as Betty Cardone - Burt LancasterBurt LancasterBurton Stephen "Burt" Lancaster was an American film actor noted for his athletic physique and distinctive smile...
as Maxwell Danforth
Alpha to Omega: Exposing The Osterman Weekend
Alpha to Omega: Exposing The Osterman Weekend is a 2004 documentary about the making of The Osterman Weekend. It was included as a special feature on Anchor Bay Entertainment's 2004 DVD release of the film. Featuring interviews with many members of the cast and crew, it examines not only the process of bringing Ludlum's novel to the screen, but also provides a portrait of Peckinpah's approach to the filmmaking process, and of his frame of mind and physical health following years of substance abuse. It was directed by Jonathan Gaines, who co-wrote with Michael Thau; Thau also served as the editor.Interviewees
- William N. PanzerWilliam N. PanzerWilliam Norton Panzer , also referred to as Bill Panzer, was an American television and film producer best known as one half of Davis-Panzer Inc, the production company behind the Highlander franchise....
- Peter S. Davis
- Rutger Hauer
- John HurtJohn HurtJohn Vincent Hurt, CBE is an English actor, known for his leading roles as John Merrick in The Elephant Man, Winston Smith in Nineteen Eighty-Four, Mr. Braddock in The Hit, Stephen Ward in Scandal, Quentin Crisp in The Naked Civil Servant and An Englishman in New York...
- Chris SarandonChris SarandonChris Sarandon is an American actor who was married to actress Susan Sarandon between 1968 and 1979. He is best known for playing Prince Humperdinck in the film The Princess Bride, the vampire Jerry Dandridge in Fright Night and Detective Mike Norris in the first entry of the Child's Play series,...
- Craig T. NelsonCraig T. NelsonCraig Theodore Nelson is an American actor. He is probably best known for his Emmy-winning roles as Hayden Fox on the TV series Coach, and as Steve Freeling in the 1982 film Poltergeist. He also starred in The Incredibles in 2004 as Mr...
- Cassie YatesCassie YatesCassie Yates , born in Macon, Georgia, United States, is an American actress best known for her performances on television.Her most high-profile role was probably in Dynasty as Sarah Curtis...
- Nick Redman
- Meg FosterMeg FosterMegan "Meg" Foster is an American actress best known for her roles in the TV miniseries version of The Scarlet Letter, Ticket to Heaven, The Osterman Weekend, and They Live .-Life and career:...
- Martin BaumMartin BaumMartin Baum was an American businessman and politician.The son of German immigrants Jacob Baum and Magdalena Elizabeth Kershner, Baum fought with General Anthony Wayne at the Battle of Fallen Timbers.After settling in Cincinnati, Baum became active in civic affairs, and was elected mayor in 1807...
- Helen ShaverHelen ShaverHelen Shaver is a Canadian actress and film and television director.-Early life:Shaver was born and raised in St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada, a small city located near London, Ontario, with five sisters...
- Edward Abroms
- Lalo SchifrinLalo SchifrinLalo Schifrin is an Argentine composer, pianist and conductor. He is best known for his film and TV scores, such as the "Theme from Mission: Impossible". He has received four Grammy Awards and six Oscar nominations...