The Onion Field (1979)

Director:

Harold Becker

Writers:

Joseph Wambaugh (book)
Joseph Wambaugh (screenplay)

Release Date:

8 July 1980 (Norway)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

What Happened In The Onion Field Is True. But The Real Crime Is What Happened After.

Plot:

Greg Powell is a disturbed ex-con who recruits Jimmy Smith (aka Jimmy Youngblood), a petty thief, as his partner in crime...

Plot Keywords:

Trial | Thief | Lake | Cheating On Boyfriend | Oral Sex

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 1 win

Cast

John Savage	...	Det. Karl Francis Hettinger
James Woods	...	Gregory Ulas Powell
Franklyn Seales	...	Jimmy Lee 'Youngblood' Smith
Ted Danson	...	Det. Ian James Campbell
Ronny Cox	...	Det. Sgt. Pierce R. Brooks
David Huffman	...	Dist. Atty. Phil Halpin
Christopher Lloyd	...	Jailhouse lawyer
Dianne Hull	...	Helen Hettinger
Priscilla Pointer	...	Chrissie Campbell
Beege Barkette	...	Greg's woman (as Beege Barkett)
Richard Herd	...	Beat Cop
Le Tari	...	Emmanuel McFadden
Richard Venture	...	Det. Glenn Bates
Lee Weaver	...	Billy
Pat Corley	...	Jimmy's Lawyer #2

Runtime:

122 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Australia:M | Canada:18A | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Norway:16 (1980) | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Boskovich Farms, Valencia, California, USA

Company:

Black Marble Productions

Trivia:

Franklyn Seales' screaming during the murder was unscripted and improvised.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): When Karl Hettinger is talking into the patrol car microphone, the microphone is turned around and he is actually talking into the back of it.

Quotes:

[repeated line]
Jimmy Smith: Jumpin' Jesus!

Movie Connections:

References Lolita (1962)

Great movie....

Great true life movie of two L.A. police officers whose lives were changed forever in on onion field on the outskirts of Bakersfield, CA. As always, I will not set here and go over the entire movie. I will say that James Woods did an excellent job portraying Powell, and of course, Ted Danson was his usual best as officer Ian Campbell. This story grips you right from the minute that the two officers are taken hostage. I can only imagine the terror that Campbell and Hettinger went through on the ride from L.A. to Bakersfield. The scene in the onion field and what transpired after the murder of officer Campbell, with Hettinger fleeing the maniac Powell through the fields at night, is breath taking. It is just so sad that in reality, all this really happened, and a good man lost his life at the hands of a crazed-ass lunatic.