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Judgment Night (film)
Encyclopedia
Judgment Night is a 1993 action
thriller film
directed by Stephen Hopkins
and starring Emilio Estévez
, Cuba Gooding Jr., Jeremy Piven
and Stephen Dorff
as a group of friends on the run from a group of drug dealers (led by Denis Leary
) after they witness a murder. The film was released on DVD on 20 January, 2004.
) leaves his wife and baby daughter at home for a night out with his friends to see a professional boxing match in Chicago
. Frank is joined by Mike Peterson (Cuba Gooding Jr.) and Ray Cochran (Jeremy Piven
), who shows up in a lavish RV
he is "testing out" for his "business". When another friend of the guys cancels Frank invites his brother John (Stephen Dorff
), and they all head to the city for the boxing match.
Stuck in a traffic jam en-route, John gets into a fight with another driver. Frustrated by the delay, Ray (nicknamed "Razor"), decides to save time by getting off the crowded expressway and searching for a shortcut through a poor residential
neighborhood. The four friends are alarmed when they hit
something. John, Mike, and Frank get out to investigate, and find a man named Teddy (Michael DeLorenzo
) lying in the street hurt, and they take him into the RV. Ray gathers up all the liquor and empty beer bottles and tosses them to erase any evidence that the guys had been drinking. Upon examining Teddy for injuries they find that he has been shot, and that he has a paper bag filled with money. Mike hears a police car, which the group sees drive through the intersection ahead a few seconds later. Frank jumps into the driver's seat and begins pursuing the squad car.
They are unable to catch up to the police, and their RV is suddenly side-swiped by a Cadillac. The impact forces them into a narrow alleyway, leaving the RV damaged, stuck between two brick walls and unable to start. Moments after the crash three unknown men shatter the back window and drag Teddy out of the RV. The leader of the gang, Fallon (Denis Leary
), arrives in the Cadillac that struck them. Still inside the RV the four friends watch the gang talking about their suspicions that Teddy had stolen money from Fallon. Fallon shoots and kills Teddy and reminds the rest of the gang that they have a policy to leave no witnesses. As the group of criminals approaches the RV, Mike breaks the windshield as Frank sets the RV on fire, and all four escape through the front window and run.
The film continues with the four friends hiding and trying to outrun the gang until they think they have gotten away. They head to a railyard and hide aboard an empty train. Fallon and his gang search the yard and trains for the guys. While hiding inside the car of an old train Frank and his friends are frightened by some homeless people who were aboard the train. One of the homeless men blackmails them by threatening to alert their pursuers to their location unless they pay them for their silence. Ray gives up his watch, Frank gives up his wallet, while John gives up his pocket change and Mike gives up his gold chain necklace. A mentally retarded member of the homeless men aboard the train, named Buck, shows interest in Mike's Purdue jacket, by repeating that he is a college graduate. When Mike refuses to give up his jacket the homeless man becomes angry and gets loud. Fallon and his gang are leaving the railyard when they hear the shouting coming from the railcar. As they open the car everyone aboard jumps off and starts running. Fallon shoots a guy wearing the Purdue jacket and it turned out to be Buck, the homeless guy who was wearing Mike's jacket. The homeless guy was also in possession of Frank's wallet. Fallon recovers the wallet and now knows who Frank is, his family, and where he lives. Frank and the guys continue to outrun Fallon and his gang until they eventually find an apartment building with an open door, and Frank and the guys all run inside. A kid on a swing outside sees them and tells his friends, who are then approached by Fallon and his gang, and Fallon pays one of them to find out from the kid which building Frank and his friends ran into. While inside the building, Frank and his friends begin knocking on the doors of the tenants trying to find help. They then hold up in the apartment of two women, mothers Clarissa and Rita, and call the police minutes before the gang catch up with them. Determined to get Frank and his friends, Fallon and his gang terrorize the building's tenants. Hearing them terrorize the tenants the enraged women demand that Frank and his friends leave. One of the women, Rita, suggests that they head to the roof of the building to escape Fallon. They flee to the rooftop and Mike, John, and Frank manage to cross over to the neighboring building's roof with the use of a ladder bridge. Because of Ray's fear of heights, he decides to knock the ladder off and stay behind to try negotiating with Fallon, convinced that Fallon will spare their lives if he buys him off. However, Fallon pushes Ray off the roof and he falls to his death.
Escaping into the sewers, Mike suggests that they fight back against their pursuers and Frank and John agree. Sykes (Peter Greene
), Fallon's best friend and right-hand man, catches up with them, and after a brief confrontation has his weapon wrestled away and he is shot and killed by Mike. Frank chooses not to risk their lives anymore, so they escape from the sewer and decide to keep running. Within the sewer, the remaining members of Fallon's gang find the body of Sykes. A comment made by one of the gang members annoys Fallon and he drowns him.
While hiding once more in an abandoned building, the three remaining friends see a bus and try to flag the driver down. The driver sees them but, thinking they are trouble, decides to drive off leaving them behind. Searching for help, the guys find a swap meet
and Mike breaks a window in the hopes it will trigger the alarm and bring the police. Shortly afterwards, they realize that Fallon has found them once more. The last remaining member of Fallon's gang is shot dead by Mike, but in the process Mike is shot in the stomach. John goes to help Mike but Fallon shoots him in the leg. Frank leads the wounded Mike and John to a bathroom closet where they hide. Frank gets to the security office and activates a silent alarm. Knowing that the three can run no longer, Frank draws out Fallon, leading him away from the wounded Mike and John. After a struggle between the two, Frank pushes Fallon off the stairs, causing him to fall to his death. Afterwards the police arrive, and Frank takes them to where his friends are. The movie ends with Mike and John being wheeled away by the medics, the police investigating the scene, and Frank's wallet being recovered by an officer, who then informs Frank that his wife is outside.
for the film titled Judgment Night: Music From The Motion Picture
was released the same year on September 14, 1993.
Action film
Action film is a film genre where one or more heroes is thrust into a series of challenges that require physical feats, extended fights and frenetic chases...
thriller film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
directed by Stephen Hopkins
Stephen Hopkins (director)
Stephen Hopkins is a Jamaican-born film director and producer. He is best-known for his continuation of the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise with A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child and the Predator franchise with Predator 2...
and starring Emilio Estévez
Emilio Estevez
Emilio Estevez is an American actor, film director, and writer. He started his career as an actor and is well-known for being a member of the acting Brat Pack of the 1980s, starring in The Breakfast Club and St. Elmo's Fire...
, Cuba Gooding Jr., Jeremy Piven
Jeremy Piven
Jeremy Samuel Piven is an American film producer and actor best known for his role as Ari Gold in the television series Entourage for which he has won three Emmy Awards as well as several other nominations for Best Supporting Actor....
and Stephen Dorff
Stephen Dorff
Stephen Dorff is an American actor, best known for portraying Stuart Sutcliffe in Backbeat, Johnny Marco in Somewhere, and for his roles in Blade and Cecil B. DeMented.-Early life:...
as a group of friends on the run from a group of drug dealers (led by Denis Leary
Denis Leary
Denis Colin Leary is an Irish-American actor, comedian, writer and director. Leary is known for his biting, fast paced comedic style and chain smoking...
) after they witness a murder. The film was released on DVD on 20 January, 2004.
Plot
Frank Wyatt (Emilio EstévezEmilio Estevez
Emilio Estevez is an American actor, film director, and writer. He started his career as an actor and is well-known for being a member of the acting Brat Pack of the 1980s, starring in The Breakfast Club and St. Elmo's Fire...
) leaves his wife and baby daughter at home for a night out with his friends to see a professional boxing match in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. Frank is joined by Mike Peterson (Cuba Gooding Jr.) and Ray Cochran (Jeremy Piven
Jeremy Piven
Jeremy Samuel Piven is an American film producer and actor best known for his role as Ari Gold in the television series Entourage for which he has won three Emmy Awards as well as several other nominations for Best Supporting Actor....
), who shows up in a lavish RV
Recreational vehicle
Recreational vehicle or RV is, in North America, the usual term for a Motor vehicle or trailer equipped with living space and amenities found in a home.-Features:...
he is "testing out" for his "business". When another friend of the guys cancels Frank invites his brother John (Stephen Dorff
Stephen Dorff
Stephen Dorff is an American actor, best known for portraying Stuart Sutcliffe in Backbeat, Johnny Marco in Somewhere, and for his roles in Blade and Cecil B. DeMented.-Early life:...
), and they all head to the city for the boxing match.
Stuck in a traffic jam en-route, John gets into a fight with another driver. Frustrated by the delay, Ray (nicknamed "Razor"), decides to save time by getting off the crowded expressway and searching for a shortcut through a poor residential
Residential area
A residential area is a land use in which housing predominates, as opposed to industrial and commercial areas.Housing may vary significantly between, and through, residential areas. These include single family housing, multi-family residential, or mobile homes. Zoning for residential use may permit...
neighborhood. The four friends are alarmed when they hit
Hit and run (vehicular)
Hit-and-run is the act of causing a traffic accident , and failing to stop and identify oneself afterwards...
something. John, Mike, and Frank get out to investigate, and find a man named Teddy (Michael DeLorenzo
Michael DeLorenzo
Michael DeLorenzo is an American actor, director and musician. He is best known for his portrayal of NYPD Detective Eddie Torres on the Fox Thursday night television series New York Undercover which was aired from 1994-1998....
) lying in the street hurt, and they take him into the RV. Ray gathers up all the liquor and empty beer bottles and tosses them to erase any evidence that the guys had been drinking. Upon examining Teddy for injuries they find that he has been shot, and that he has a paper bag filled with money. Mike hears a police car, which the group sees drive through the intersection ahead a few seconds later. Frank jumps into the driver's seat and begins pursuing the squad car.
They are unable to catch up to the police, and their RV is suddenly side-swiped by a Cadillac. The impact forces them into a narrow alleyway, leaving the RV damaged, stuck between two brick walls and unable to start. Moments after the crash three unknown men shatter the back window and drag Teddy out of the RV. The leader of the gang, Fallon (Denis Leary
Denis Leary
Denis Colin Leary is an Irish-American actor, comedian, writer and director. Leary is known for his biting, fast paced comedic style and chain smoking...
), arrives in the Cadillac that struck them. Still inside the RV the four friends watch the gang talking about their suspicions that Teddy had stolen money from Fallon. Fallon shoots and kills Teddy and reminds the rest of the gang that they have a policy to leave no witnesses. As the group of criminals approaches the RV, Mike breaks the windshield as Frank sets the RV on fire, and all four escape through the front window and run.
The film continues with the four friends hiding and trying to outrun the gang until they think they have gotten away. They head to a railyard and hide aboard an empty train. Fallon and his gang search the yard and trains for the guys. While hiding inside the car of an old train Frank and his friends are frightened by some homeless people who were aboard the train. One of the homeless men blackmails them by threatening to alert their pursuers to their location unless they pay them for their silence. Ray gives up his watch, Frank gives up his wallet, while John gives up his pocket change and Mike gives up his gold chain necklace. A mentally retarded member of the homeless men aboard the train, named Buck, shows interest in Mike's Purdue jacket, by repeating that he is a college graduate. When Mike refuses to give up his jacket the homeless man becomes angry and gets loud. Fallon and his gang are leaving the railyard when they hear the shouting coming from the railcar. As they open the car everyone aboard jumps off and starts running. Fallon shoots a guy wearing the Purdue jacket and it turned out to be Buck, the homeless guy who was wearing Mike's jacket. The homeless guy was also in possession of Frank's wallet. Fallon recovers the wallet and now knows who Frank is, his family, and where he lives. Frank and the guys continue to outrun Fallon and his gang until they eventually find an apartment building with an open door, and Frank and the guys all run inside. A kid on a swing outside sees them and tells his friends, who are then approached by Fallon and his gang, and Fallon pays one of them to find out from the kid which building Frank and his friends ran into. While inside the building, Frank and his friends begin knocking on the doors of the tenants trying to find help. They then hold up in the apartment of two women, mothers Clarissa and Rita, and call the police minutes before the gang catch up with them. Determined to get Frank and his friends, Fallon and his gang terrorize the building's tenants. Hearing them terrorize the tenants the enraged women demand that Frank and his friends leave. One of the women, Rita, suggests that they head to the roof of the building to escape Fallon. They flee to the rooftop and Mike, John, and Frank manage to cross over to the neighboring building's roof with the use of a ladder bridge. Because of Ray's fear of heights, he decides to knock the ladder off and stay behind to try negotiating with Fallon, convinced that Fallon will spare their lives if he buys him off. However, Fallon pushes Ray off the roof and he falls to his death.
Escaping into the sewers, Mike suggests that they fight back against their pursuers and Frank and John agree. Sykes (Peter Greene
Peter Greene
Peter Greene is an American character actor.A native of Montclair, New Jersey, Greene did not pursue a career in acting until his mid 20s...
), Fallon's best friend and right-hand man, catches up with them, and after a brief confrontation has his weapon wrestled away and he is shot and killed by Mike. Frank chooses not to risk their lives anymore, so they escape from the sewer and decide to keep running. Within the sewer, the remaining members of Fallon's gang find the body of Sykes. A comment made by one of the gang members annoys Fallon and he drowns him.
While hiding once more in an abandoned building, the three remaining friends see a bus and try to flag the driver down. The driver sees them but, thinking they are trouble, decides to drive off leaving them behind. Searching for help, the guys find a swap meet
Flea market
A flea market or swap meet is a type of bazaar where inexpensive or secondhand goods are sold or bartered. It may be indoors, such as in a warehouse or school gymnasium; or it may be outdoors, such as in a field or under a tent...
and Mike breaks a window in the hopes it will trigger the alarm and bring the police. Shortly afterwards, they realize that Fallon has found them once more. The last remaining member of Fallon's gang is shot dead by Mike, but in the process Mike is shot in the stomach. John goes to help Mike but Fallon shoots him in the leg. Frank leads the wounded Mike and John to a bathroom closet where they hide. Frank gets to the security office and activates a silent alarm. Knowing that the three can run no longer, Frank draws out Fallon, leading him away from the wounded Mike and John. After a struggle between the two, Frank pushes Fallon off the stairs, causing him to fall to his death. Afterwards the police arrive, and Frank takes them to where his friends are. The movie ends with Mike and John being wheeled away by the medics, the police investigating the scene, and Frank's wallet being recovered by an officer, who then informs Frank that his wife is outside.
Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Emilio Estévez Emilio Estevez Emilio Estevez is an American actor, film director, and writer. He started his career as an actor and is well-known for being a member of the acting Brat Pack of the 1980s, starring in The Breakfast Club and St. Elmo's Fire... |
Frank Wyatt |
| Cuba Gooding, Jr. Cuba Gooding, Jr. Cuba M. Gooding, Jr. is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his Academy Award-winning portrayal of Rod Tidwell in Cameron Crowe's 1996 film Jerry Maguire, and his critically acclaimed performance as Tré Styles in John Singleton's 1991 film Boyz n the Hood.-Early life:Gooding was born... |
Mike Peterson |
| Denis Leary Denis Leary Denis Colin Leary is an Irish-American actor, comedian, writer and director. Leary is known for his biting, fast paced comedic style and chain smoking... |
Fallon |
| Stephen Dorff Stephen Dorff Stephen Dorff is an American actor, best known for portraying Stuart Sutcliffe in Backbeat, Johnny Marco in Somewhere, and for his roles in Blade and Cecil B. DeMented.-Early life:... |
John Wyatt |
| Jeremy Piven Jeremy Piven Jeremy Samuel Piven is an American film producer and actor best known for his role as Ari Gold in the television series Entourage for which he has won three Emmy Awards as well as several other nominations for Best Supporting Actor.... |
Ray Cochran |
| Peter Greene Peter Greene Peter Greene is an American character actor.A native of Montclair, New Jersey, Greene did not pursue a career in acting until his mid 20s... |
Sykes |
| Everlast Everlast (musician) Erik Francis Schrody , better known by his stage name Everlast, is a Grammy Award-winning American rapper and songwriter, known for his solo hit "What It's Like" and as the front-man for rap group House of Pain. He is also part of the hip-hop supergroup La Coka Nostra, which consists of members of... |
Rhodes |
| Michael Wiseman | Travis |
| Michael DeLorenzo Michael DeLorenzo Michael DeLorenzo is an American actor, director and musician. He is best known for his portrayal of NYPD Detective Eddie Torres on the Fox Thursday night television series New York Undercover which was aired from 1994-1998.... |
Teddy |
Soundtrack
A soundtrackSoundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
for the film titled Judgment Night: Music From The Motion Picture
Judgment Night (soundtrack)
Judgment Night is the soundtrack to the film of the same name. It was released on September 14, 1993 through Epic Records and was produced by many of the album's performers. Every song on the soundtrack was a collaboration between hip-hop artists and rock / metal artists...
was released the same year on September 14, 1993.
Score album track listing
All tracks composed by Alan Silvestri- "Freeway Confrontation" – 2:07 - Played when the group engages in a fight on the highway.
- "New Passenger" – 4:33
- "Execution" – 5:22
- "Train Yard" – 2:13 - Played while the group was hiding in a train cab.
- "Some 'Splainin' to Do" – 5:17
- "Bat Woman" – 2:14 - Played when Frank saw a woman throwing trash.
- "Ladder Crossing" – 9:45 - Played when the group crosses the bridge ladder.
- "Ray's Deal" – 3:24 - Heard when Ray made a deal with the goons.
- "Ray Eats It" – 2:05 - Played when Ray fell off of the building.
- "Hello Ladies" – 1:30 - Played when the goons find them in the sewers.
- "Make a Stand" – 3:32 - Played when Mike and the group decide to make a stand against the goons.
- "Mike Shoots Sykes" – 5:20
- "All I Got Is You" – 4:40
- "Stalk & Talk" – 4:41
- "Final Fight" – 3:34
- "It's Over" – 1:04
- "Frank Takes the Wheel" – 4:02 (Unused) - Should be played when the group is chasing the police vehicle.
- "I Tried" – 2:36 (Unused) - Should be heard when John is sobbing and makes a confession to his brother, Frank.
- "Judgment Night Theme" – 3:09