Deadly Hero
Encyclopedia
Deadly Hero is a 1976 thriller movie starring Don Murray
, Diahn Williams, James Earl Jones
, Lilia Skala
, Treat Williams
, and directed by Ivan Nagy
from a screenplay by George Wislocki and Don Petersen. Released in May 1976 with an R rating
from the Motion Picture Association of America
, the film was distributed by AVCO Embassy Pictures. This film is Treat Williams
' film debut. Deadly Hero opened to mixed, mostly negative reviews by critics and was seen as a commercial failure.
) is an 18-year veteran of the New York Police Department who finds himself demoted from detective back to patrol duty for his violent tendencies and trigger-happy behavior. Responding to a call on Manhattan's West Side
, he finds a young musician named Sally (Diahn Williams) has been harassed and brutally attacked by a mugger named Rabbit (James Earl Jones
). Rabbit has Sally at knifepoint in a hostage standoff but is persuaded to release her and surrender by Officer Lacy. Lacy kills the disarmed Rabbit anyway. A grateful Sally is convinced by Lacy to lie to detectives to make Lacy seem like a hero. She later changes her mind and tells the truth about the shooting. This drives Lacy to try to silence Sally with escalating threats and violence before his career is ruined and he's tried for murder.
The cast also includes performances by Josh Mostel
as "Victor", Rutanya Alda
as "Apple Mary", Charles Siebert
as "Baker", plus Beverly Johnson
, Chu Chu Malave, Danny DeVito
, and an uncredited Deborah Harry as a singer. Deadly Hero is Treat Williams' first motion picture appearance.
from a screenplay by George Wislocki and Don Petersen. The film was produced by Thomas J. McGrath and distributed by AVCO Embassy Pictures. The film's cinematographer was Andrzej Bartkowiak
, with editing by Susan Steinberg, music by Brad Fiedel and Tommy Mandel
, and art direction by Alan Herman. Deadly Hero was filmed entirely on location in New York City
. The 102-minute film was released as Rated R
(Restricted) from the Motion Picture Association of America
.
wrote in the Chicago Tribune
that the film is "a small triumph" but qualifying that praise by noting, "Of course, expecting nothing helps." A reviewer for the Cineman Syndicate felt that "moments of suspense" helped elevate the "thin script and moody photography". A.H. Weiler of The New York Times
described Deadly Hero as a "fairly derivative Manhattan melodrama" with the supporting cast "wasted in brief, broad portrayals". Los Angeles Times
reviewer Linda Gross called the film "gritty" and "intriguing" but ultimately found it "predictable and pessimistic". Modern critics have been kinder with VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever describing it as both "gripping" and "chilling" while rating the film three (out of a possible four) bones.
that the violent film "suffered sudden death at the box office."
in 1985 by Embassy Home Entertainment. The movie was released to the DVD
format on August 7, 2007, by Trinity Home Entertainment but is out of print.
Don Murray (actor)
Donald Patrick "Don" Murray is an American actor.-Early life and career:Murray was born in Hollywood, California on July 31, 1929, the only child of Dennis Aloisius, a Broadway dance director and stage manager and Ethel Murray, a former Ziegfeld performer...
, Diahn Williams, James Earl Jones
James Earl Jones
James Earl Jones is an American actor. He is well-known for his distinctive bass voice and for his portrayal of characters of substance, gravitas and leadership...
, Lilia Skala
Lilia Skala
-Early life:Skala was born Lilia Sofer in Vienna, Austria. Her mother, Katharina Skala, was Catholic, and her father, Julius Sofer, was Jewish and worked as a manufacturers representative for the Waldes Koh-i-noor Company. In the late 1930s, she was forced to flee her Nazi-occupied homeland with...
, Treat Williams
Treat Williams
Richard Treat Williams is a Screen Actors Guild Award–nominated American actor and children's book author who has appeared on film, stage and television...
, and directed by Ivan Nagy
Ivan Nagy (director)
Ivan Nagy is a Hungarian film and television director best known for directing films such as Bad Charleston Charlie, Skinner, and Deadly Hero...
from a screenplay by George Wislocki and Don Petersen. Released in May 1976 with an R rating
Rated R
Rated R may refer to:In film:* R rating, a rating of the Canadian Home Video Rating System* R rating, a rating of the Motion Picture Association of America film rating system...
from the Motion Picture Association of America
Motion Picture Association of America
The Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. , originally the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America , was founded in 1922 and is designed to advance the business interests of its members...
, the film was distributed by AVCO Embassy Pictures. This film is Treat Williams
Treat Williams
Richard Treat Williams is a Screen Actors Guild Award–nominated American actor and children's book author who has appeared on film, stage and television...
' film debut. Deadly Hero opened to mixed, mostly negative reviews by critics and was seen as a commercial failure.
Plot
Officer Lacy (played by Don MurrayDon Murray (actor)
Donald Patrick "Don" Murray is an American actor.-Early life and career:Murray was born in Hollywood, California on July 31, 1929, the only child of Dennis Aloisius, a Broadway dance director and stage manager and Ethel Murray, a former Ziegfeld performer...
) is an 18-year veteran of the New York Police Department who finds himself demoted from detective back to patrol duty for his violent tendencies and trigger-happy behavior. Responding to a call on Manhattan's West Side
West Side (Manhattan)
The West Side of Manhattan refers to the side of Manhattan Island which abuts the Hudson River and faces New Jersey. Fifth Avenue, Central Park, and lower Broadway separate it from the East Side. The major neighborhoods on the West Side are West Harlem, Morningside Heights, Manhattan Valley, Upper...
, he finds a young musician named Sally (Diahn Williams) has been harassed and brutally attacked by a mugger named Rabbit (James Earl Jones
James Earl Jones
James Earl Jones is an American actor. He is well-known for his distinctive bass voice and for his portrayal of characters of substance, gravitas and leadership...
). Rabbit has Sally at knifepoint in a hostage standoff but is persuaded to release her and surrender by Officer Lacy. Lacy kills the disarmed Rabbit anyway. A grateful Sally is convinced by Lacy to lie to detectives to make Lacy seem like a hero. She later changes her mind and tells the truth about the shooting. This drives Lacy to try to silence Sally with escalating threats and violence before his career is ruined and he's tried for murder.
Cast
- Don MurrayDon Murray (actor)Donald Patrick "Don" Murray is an American actor.-Early life and career:Murray was born in Hollywood, California on July 31, 1929, the only child of Dennis Aloisius, a Broadway dance director and stage manager and Ethel Murray, a former Ziegfeld performer...
... Lacy - Diahn Williams ... Sally
- James Earl JonesJames Earl JonesJames Earl Jones is an American actor. He is well-known for his distinctive bass voice and for his portrayal of characters of substance, gravitas and leadership...
... Rabbit - Lilia SkalaLilia Skala-Early life:Skala was born Lilia Sofer in Vienna, Austria. Her mother, Katharina Skala, was Catholic, and her father, Julius Sofer, was Jewish and worked as a manufacturers representative for the Waldes Koh-i-noor Company. In the late 1930s, she was forced to flee her Nazi-occupied homeland with...
... Mrs. Broderick - Conchata FerrellConchata FerrellConchata Galen Ferrell is an American actress. She is best known for playing Berta the housekeeper in the CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men, for which she received two Emmy Award nominations in 2005 and 2007.-Personal life:...
... Slugger Ann - George S. IrvingGeorge S. IrvingGeorge S. Irving is an American actor, known primarily for his character roles on Broadway. Born George Irving Shelasky in Springfield, Massachusetts, he made his debut in the original 1943 production of Oklahoma!, only to be drafted days later to serve in World War II...
... Reilly - Ron Weyand ... Captain Stark
- Treat WilliamsTreat WilliamsRichard Treat Williams is a Screen Actors Guild Award–nominated American actor and children's book author who has appeared on film, stage and television...
... Billings - Dick Anthony WilliamsDick Anthony WilliamsDick Anthony Williams is an American actor. Williams is known for his starring performances on Broadway in The Poison Tree, What the Wine-Sellers Buy and Black Picture Show. He is also remembered for playing the character of Pretty Tony in The Mack, which starred Max Julien and Richard Pryor...
... D. A. Winston
The cast also includes performances by Josh Mostel
Josh Mostel
Joshua "Josh" Mostel is an American actor who is best known for his roles in Jesus Christ Superstar and two Adam Sandler films .-Life and career:...
as "Victor", Rutanya Alda
Rutanya Alda
-Life:Rutanya Alda was born as Rutanya Alda Skrastiņa in Riga, Latvia, the daughter of Vera , a businesswoman, and Jānis Skrastiņš, a poet...
as "Apple Mary", Charles Siebert
Charles Siebert
Charles Siebert is an American actor and television director. As an actor he is best known for his role as Dr. Stanley Riverside II on Trapper John, M.D. which he portrayed from 1979-1986...
as "Baker", plus Beverly Johnson
Beverly Johnson
Beverly Johnson is an American model, actress, and businesswoman. She made history when she rose to fame as the first black model to appear on the cover of American Vogue in 1974...
, Chu Chu Malave, Danny DeVito
Danny DeVito
Daniel Michael DeVito, Jr. , better known as Danny DeVito, is an American actor, comedian, director and producer. He first gained prominence for his portrayal of Louie De Palma on the ABC and NBC television series Taxi , for which he won a Golden Globe and an Emmy.DeVito and his wife, Rhea Perlman,...
, and an uncredited Deborah Harry as a singer. Deadly Hero is Treat Williams' first motion picture appearance.
Production info
Deadly Hero was directed by Ivan NagyIvan Nagy (director)
Ivan Nagy is a Hungarian film and television director best known for directing films such as Bad Charleston Charlie, Skinner, and Deadly Hero...
from a screenplay by George Wislocki and Don Petersen. The film was produced by Thomas J. McGrath and distributed by AVCO Embassy Pictures. The film's cinematographer was Andrzej Bartkowiak
Andrzej Bartkowiak
Andrzej Bartkowiak, A.S.C. is a Polish cinematographer and director.In the early 1980s, Bartkowiak was cinematographer on three films that received Academy Award nominations for Best Picture: The Verdict, Terms of Endearment, and Prizzi's Honor.As cinematographer he has collaborated with several...
, with editing by Susan Steinberg, music by Brad Fiedel and Tommy Mandel
Tommy Mandel
Tommy Mandel is a keyboardist who is most famous for playing with Bryan Adams, from 1981 to 1998, starting with Bryan Adams's album You Want It You Got It.He also has played with Dire Straits and others....
, and art direction by Alan Herman. Deadly Hero was filmed entirely on location in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. The 102-minute film was released as Rated R
Rated R
Rated R may refer to:In film:* R rating, a rating of the Canadian Home Video Rating System* R rating, a rating of the Motion Picture Association of America film rating system...
(Restricted) from the Motion Picture Association of America
Motion Picture Association of America
The Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. , originally the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America , was founded in 1922 and is designed to advance the business interests of its members...
.
Critical reaction
Gene SiskelGene Siskel
Eugene Kal "Gene" Siskel was an American film critic and journalist for the Chicago Tribune. Along with colleague Roger Ebert, he hosted the popular review show Siskel & Ebert At the Movies from 1975 until his death....
wrote in the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
that the film is "a small triumph" but qualifying that praise by noting, "Of course, expecting nothing helps." A reviewer for the Cineman Syndicate felt that "moments of suspense" helped elevate the "thin script and moody photography". A.H. Weiler of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
described Deadly Hero as a "fairly derivative Manhattan melodrama" with the supporting cast "wasted in brief, broad portrayals". Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
reviewer Linda Gross called the film "gritty" and "intriguing" but ultimately found it "predictable and pessimistic". Modern critics have been kinder with VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever describing it as both "gripping" and "chilling" while rating the film three (out of a possible four) bones.
Popular reaction
A commercial failure, George Anderson wrote in the Pittsburgh Post-GazettePittsburgh Post-Gazette
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, also known simply as the "PG," is the largest daily newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.-Early history:...
that the violent film "suffered sudden death at the box office."
Home video
Deadly Hero was released on VHSVHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
in 1985 by Embassy Home Entertainment. The movie was released to the 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....
format on August 7, 2007, by Trinity Home Entertainment but is out of print.