The Sunchaser (1996)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

Michael Cimino

Writer (WGA):

Charles Leavitt (written by)

Release Date:

25 October 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

It began as a kidnapping. It became a journey of hope.

Plot:

Michael Reynolds is a rich oncologist who has a $175,000 sports car, a multi-million dollar home, and a new boost in his career...

Plot Keywords:

Navajo | Euthanasia | Desert | Terminal Illness | Beautiful Woman

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Woody Harrelson	...	Dr. Michael Reynolds
Jon Seda	...	Brandon 'Blue' Monroe
Anne Bancroft	...	Dr. Renata Baumbauer
Alexandra Tydings	...	Victoria Reynolds
Matt Mulhern	...	Dr. Chip Byrnes
Talisa Soto	...	Navajo Woman
Richard Bauer	...	Dr. Bradford
Victor Aaron	...	Webster Skyhorse
Lawrence Pressman	...	Agent in Charge Collier
Michael O'Neill	...	Agent Moreland
Harry Carey Jr.	...	Cashier
Carmen Dell'Orefice	...	Arabella
Brooke Ashley	...	Calantha Reynolds
Andrea Roth	...	Head Nurse
Bob Minor	...	Deputy Lynch

MPAA:

Rated R for strong language and some violence.

Runtime:

122 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Iceland:12 | South Korea:15 | Spain:13 | UK:15 | USA:R | Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

Jerome, Arizona, USA

Company:

Appledown Films Inc.

Quotes:

Dr. Michael Reynolds: You have a television.
Navajo woman: No. I get Good Morning America through smoke signals.

Movie Connections:

References The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Soundtrack:

Teddy Bear's Picnic

On the road

Michael Cimino's "The Sunchaser", as was shown the other night on a cable station, looked faded. Working on a screen play by Charles Leavitt, Mr. Cimino doesn't add anything new to this genre.

If you haven't seen the movie, please stop reading now.

The choice of Woody Harrelson to play Dr. Michael Reynolds, seems to have been the wrong decision. Mr. Harrelson, a good actor, otherwise, appears out of his league and sometimes out of character. Dr. Reynolds is, at the beginning of the film, a man more interested in going to higher and better places, rather than treating some of the patients he's assigned to see. He has all the accoutrements that go with his position as a rising oncologist, including his brand new red Porsche, the status symbol of Angelinos.

When he is made to go along with the sick prisoner Blue, he gets a taste of what the ghetto is like. He has no choice but to go along for a ride with this disturbed young man. Blue is a Navajo by birth, but he's been away from his roots in a while.

Along the way to the Navajo sacred mountain, this odd couple experience quite a lot. Dr. Reynolds doesn't warm up to Blue at all. When a kind soul, Dr. Baumbauer, gives the pair a lift, Reynolds voices his prejudices loudly. After all, he's a man that has been trained professionally, therefore, he doesn't have time for these New Age charlatans who think the same way as Blue. The ending is predictable.

Woody Harrelson is miscast in the movie. Jon Seda, as the fugitive Blue, gives an uneven performance. The only one that fares better is Anne Bancroft, in her small role of a wise doctor Reynolds and Blue meet on the road.

Just out of curiosity, I watched the credits to see if the production company would have clarified that "No Porsche was damaged during the filming process".....