Boiling Point (1993 film)
Boiling Point is a 1993 American action thriller film written and directed by James B. Harris and starring Wesley Snipes, Dennis Hopper, Lolita Davidovich, and Viggo Mortensen.[1]
| Boiling Point | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | James B. Harris |
| Produced by | Leonardo De La Fuente Marc Frydman |
| Written by | James B. Harris |
| Based on | Money Men by Gerald Petievich |
| Starring | |
| Music by | John D'Andrea Buddy Feyne Cory Lerios |
| Cinematography | King Baggot |
| Edited by | Jerry Brady |
Production company | StudioCanal Hexagon Films |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release date |
|
Running time | 92 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $10 million |
| Box office | $10 million (US) |
The film was released in the United States on April 16, 1993. It was James B. Harris' last film. It is based on the novel Money Men by former U.S. Secret Service agent Gerald Petievich, who co-wrote the screenplay.[1]
Plot
This film opens with Treasury Agent Jimmy Mercer (Wesley Snipes) and his partner Brady (Dan Hedaya) doing some undercover work, when Mercer's fellow Agent is shot and killed by a new man, Ronnie (Viggo Mortensen) that criminal Rudolph "Red" Diamond (Dennis Hopper) pulled out of jail. Now on a snap of anger and thoughts of revenge, Mercer wants to find the killer and take him down before he gets transferred to Newark. Although a cop and close colleague claims over dinner that Mercer must do it "by the book," Mercer replies that "when I'm done with this motherfucker, I'm gonna put him in a box..... by the book."
A background theme is the closing of a big band dance emporium called the Palace. Lonely, Red takes hooker Vicky (Lolita Davidovich) there for dancing. Lolita is also involved romantically with Mercer, who is estranged from his ex-wife.
Red continues to try to build a relationship with his old girlfriend, waitress Mona, (Valerie Perrine). Typically, he has manipulated and betrayed her in the past.
Red is under increasing pressure to repay mob debts to boss Tony Dio (Tony Lo Bianco). He manipulates Ronnie into a crime spree culminating in the murder of the boss and ransacking his apartment. He tells Ronnie to meet him at the palace at 9 PM to split up the money. He asks Mona to meet him there as well. Mercer is building his case against Red and arrives at the murder scene seconds too late. Red is soon arrested and a net is laid for Ronnie at the club
At the club Red again manipulates Ronnie in an attempt to escape, yelling gun as he ducks. Ronnie is shot by Mercer in the exchange and Red almost escapes. As Red is taken away in the police car Mona arrives, seeing him pass by. In the last scene Jimmy asks Vicky to leave with him.
The epilogue reports that they actually did move to Newark.
Cast
- Wesley Snipes as Agent Jimmy Mercer
- Dennis Hopper as Rudolph 'Red' Diamond
- Lolita Davidovich as Vikki Dunbar
- Viggo Mortensen as Ronnie
- Seymour Cassel as Virgil Leach
- Jonathan Banks as Max Waxman
- Christine Elise as Carol
- Tony Lo Bianco as Tony Dio
- Valerie Perrine as Mona
- James Tolkan as Senior Agent Levitt
- Paul Gleason as Michael, The Transaction Man
- Lorraine Evanoff as Connie
- Stephanie E. Williams as Sally Mercer
- Tobin Bell as Roth
- Bobby Hosea as Steve
- Dan Hedaya as Agent Brady
- Al Guarino as Agent Russo
- James Pickens Jr. as Prison Guard
- Jophery Brown as Edmund, Bar Backup Man
- Rick Dean as Bartender
Reception
Critical response
The film earned mixed reviews from critics. It currently holds an 18% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 11 reviews. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "C-" on an A+ to F scale.[2]
References
- Maslin, Janet (April 17, 1993). "Review/Film; A Cop, a Crook, Shootouts, You Know". The New York Times.
- "CinemaScore". cinemascore.com.