The Package (1989 film)
| The Package | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Andrew Davis |
| Produced by |
Beverly J. Camhe Tobie Haggerty |
| Written by | John Bishop |
| Starring | |
| Music by | James Newton Howard |
| Cinematography | Frank Tidy |
| Edited by |
Billy Weber Don Zimmerman |
| Distributed by | Orion Pictures |
Release dates |
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Running time | 108 min |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $18 million |
| Box office | $10,647,219 |
The Package is a 1989 political thriller film directed by Andrew Davis and starring Gene Hackman, Joanna Cassidy and Tommy Lee Jones. Set during the Cold War, the film portrays an assassination conspiracy within both the U.S. and Soviet militaries. The Americans and Soviets are about to sign a disarmament treaty to completely eliminate nuclear weapons, but elements within each country's military are vehemently opposed to such a plan and determined to stop it at all costs. Roger Ebert awarded the film three stars out of four, calling it "smarter than most thrillers".[1]
Plot
Gene Hackman stars as Johnny Gallagher, a Special Forces Master Sergeant in the United States Army who is assigned to escort a prisoner, an Army deserter named Thomas Boyette (Tommy Lee Jones), from West Berlin back to the United States. When Boyette escapes, Gallagher pursues him and discovers that Boyette is actually a professional assassin hired to kill the leader of the Soviet Union (clearly resembling Mikhail Gorbachev) after a meeting in Chicago with the President of the United States. Gallagher is joined by his ex-wife Eileen (Joanna Cassidy), a lieutenant colonel in the Judge Advocate General Corps of the U.S. Army, and Chicago police Lt. Milan Delich (Dennis Franz).
Cast
- Gene Hackman as U.S. Army Master Sergeant Johnny Gallagher
- Joanna Cassidy as U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Eileen Gallagher
- Tommy Lee Jones as Thomas Boyette
- John Heard as U.S. Army Colonel Glen Whitacre
- Dennis Franz as Chicago Police Lieutenant Milan Delich
- Pam Grier as U.S. Army 1st Lieutenant Ruth Butler
- Reni Santoni as Chicago Police lieutenant
- Ron Dean as Karl Richards
- Ike Pappas as himself
- Carlos Sanz as Johnny's Field Soldier
- Cody Glenn as Johnny's Field Soldier
- Harry Lennix as Johnny's Field Soldier
- Chelcie Ross as General Hopkins
- Nathan Davis as Soviet Press Secretary
Production notes
Although the story takes place in Germany, Washington, D.C., Arlington, Virginia, and Chicago, the film was shot entirely in Chicago and at the Soviet War Memorial (Tiergarten).
Reception
The Package holds a 64% "fresh" rating on rotten tomatoes based on 14 reviews.[2]
Home video
The film was first released on VHS by Orion Home Video in 1989. It was re-released by MGM Home Entertainment in 1999, released under the MGM Movie Time series. The film was finally released on DVD on January 18, 2000.
References
- ↑ Roger Ebert (August 25, 1989). "The Package". rogerebert.com.
- ↑ http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/package/?search=the%20package
External links
- The Package at the Internet Movie Database
- The Package at Rotten Tomatoes
- The Package at Box Office Mojo
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