Eve of Destruction (1991)

User Rating:

4.7/10   

Director:

Duncan Gibbins

Writers (WGA):

Duncan Gibbins (written by) &
Yale Udoff (written by)

Release Date:

18 January 1991 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Its creator made it in her own image. The military made it deadly. Now only one man can stop her.

Plot:

Eve is a robot, modelled on "her" creator. Eve's armoury includes a nuclear bomb, which for unexplained reasons is on-board during Eve's testing...

Plot Keywords:

Military | Chase | Road Rage | Train | Title Based On Song

Cast

Gregory Hines	...	Colonel Jim McQuade
Renée Soutendijk	...	Dr. Eve Simmons / Eve VIII
Michael Greene	...	General Curtis
Kurt Fuller	...	Bill Schneider
John M. Jackson	...	Peter Arnold
Loren Haynes	...	Steve the Robot
Nelson Mashita	...	Scientist / Waiter
Alan Haufrect	...	Dr. Heller
Maryedith Burrell	...	Dawn Perlin
Norman Merrill	...	First Scientist
Craig Oldfather	...	Young Man on Train
Greg Collins	...	Skaaren
Eddie Matthews	...	Bank Robber #1
Tom Morga	...	Bank Robber #2
Tim Russ	...	Carter
Mike Jolly	...	Stevenson
Ross Malinger	...	Timmy Arnold
Marga Chavez	...	Elvira
Sharon Sebastian	...	News Anchor
Daryk Christian	...	Lieutenant Griffin
Coleen Maloney	...	Bartender
David Hayward	...	Cal
Daniel O'Haco	...	Buddy #1
Eugene Robert Glazer	...	Buddy #2
Carl Ciarfalio	...	Trooper Sergeant
Tom Lupo	...	Trooper
George P. Wilbur	...	Trooper
Bill Gratton	...	Captain Ned Summers
Thomas Knickerbocker	...	Patrolman in Bar
Jeff McCarthy	...	Young Bill Simmons
Nancy Locke	...	Catherine Simmons
Bethany Richards	...	Young Eve
Larry Anderson	...	BMW Businessman
Jay Pickett	...	Man in Jeep
Jim Antonio	...	Bill Kleinow
Paul Tuerpe	...	First Cop
Richard Cummings Jr.	...	Lieutenant Frankel
Joe Kane	...	First Marine
Dakin Matthews	...	Singleton
Christopher Kriesa	...	Korman
Ronald William Lawrence	...	Granton
Randy Hall	...	Unit #1
Daniel W. Barringer	...	Unit #2
Derek Barton	...	Unit #3
John Moio	...	Man in Subway
Sue Burke	...	Woman in Subway
Richard Collier	...	Transient in Subway
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Kevin McCarthy	...	William Simmons (uncredited)

Directed by
Duncan Gibbins

Writing credits (WGA)
Duncan Gibbins		(written by) &
Yale Udoff		(written by)

Produced by
Robert W. Cort	....	executive producer
Rick Finkelstein	....	executive producer
Graham Henderson	....	co-executive producer
Melinda Jason	....	executive producer
David Madden	....	producer

Original Music by
Philippe Sarde

Cinematography by
Alan Hume

Film Editing by
Caroline Biggerstaff

Casting by
Marci Liroff

Production Design by
Peter Lamont

Costume Design by
Deborah Lynn Scott

Makeup Department
R. Christopher Biggs	....	special makeup effects artist
James Burnett	....	special makeup effects artist
Camille Calvet	....	special makeup effects artist
Michael R. Jones	....	makeup artist: publicity
Iván Pohárnok	....	special makeup effects artist
James Rohland	....	special makeup effects artist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
John Moio	....	second unit director

Art Department
Marienus Cetani Sr.	....	scenic gangboss
Doug Crawford	....	carpenter
David E. Harshbarger	....	property master
Lynn A. Johanson	....	scenic artist
Jeffrey Whitman	....	construction foreman: set

Sound Department
Brent Brewington	....	boom operator
Dessie Markovsky	....	sound designer
T.A. Moore Jr.	....	sound re-recording mixer
Troy Porter	....	adr mixer
Edward M. Steidele	....	foley artist
Jonathon 'Earl' Stein	....	sound mixer

Special Effects by
Steve Riley	....	special effects technician

Visual Effects by
Shelly Morrow	....	animation
Shelly Morrow	....	optical layout

Stunts
Kenny Alexander	....	stunts
Gary Baxley	....	stunts
Richard L. Blackwell	....	stunts
Jeff Cadiente	....	stunts
Keith Campbell	....	stunts
Michael Cassidy	....	stunts
Zane Cassidy	....	stunts
Everett Creach	....	stunts
Phil Culotta	....	stunts
J. Mark Donaldson	....	stunts
Richard L. Duran	....	stunts
Ousaun Elam	....	stunts
John Escobar	....	stunts
Debbie Evans	....	stunt double: Renée Soutendijk
Debbie Evans	....	stunts
Cliff Fleming	....	stunts
Cindy Folkerson	....	stunts
Armando Guerrero	....	stunts
Orwin C. Harvey	....	stunts
Larry Holt	....	stunts
Terry Jackson	....	stunts
Mike Johnson	....	stunts
Steven Lambert	....	stunts
William T. Lane	....	stunts
Lane Leavitt	....	stunts
Frank Lloyd	....	stunts
Dwayne McGee	....	stunts
John Moio	....	stunt coordinator
Wayne Montanio	....	stunts
Paula Marie Moody	....	stunts
Ross Reynolds	....	stunts
Mario Roberts	....	stunts
Chris Saunders	....	stunts (as Christopher Saunders)
John-Clay Scott	....	stunts
Jeff Smolek	....	stunts
Paul Stader	....	stunts
Jim Stephan	....	stunts
Neil Summers	....	stunts
Mike Tillman	....	stunts
Tim Trella	....	stunts
Tierre Turner	....	stunts
Chuck Waters	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Marsha Blackburn	....	still photographer
Ted Chu	....	assistant camera
Rudy M. Fenenga Jr.	....	first assistant camera: "b" camera
Ken Fisher	....	assistant camera
Alan Gitlin	....	key assistant camera
Dana Gonzales	....	Steadicam first assistant camera
Kurt E. Soderling	....	assistant camera
Rick Fee	....	first assistant camera (uncredited)

Other crew
Carlos Cave	....	stand-in
Bundy Chanock	....	set medic
Jessica Drake	....	dialect coach
Burton Sharp	....	adr group coordinator
Bryan J. Thompson	....	stand-in
Karen Weaver	....	stand-in

Production Companies

• Interscope Communications
• Nelson Entertainment

Distributors

• Orion Pictures Corporation (1991) (USA) (theatrical)
• Nelson Entertainment (1991) (USA) (VHS)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2003) (USA) (DVD)

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Iceland:16 | Australia:M | Germany:16 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Interscope Communications

Trivia:

'Richard Collier (I)’'s last film.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): Near the beginning of the film, we see the exterior of a gun shop. On the concrete wall outside, the shop advertises "Guns whollsale" (sic), not "wholesale".

Quotes:

Colonel Jim McQuade: Well this is quite some toy you have yourselves here gentlemen. I suppose you want me to put it back in its box.

Movie Connections:

References Frankenstein (1931)

Soundtrack:

ACAPULCO

Minor-league genre effort is not really worth recommending.

Failed sci-fi / action outing, a combination of "Frankenstein" and "The Terminator" about a lethal weapon designed to look like a sexy blonde who unfortunately goes on the rampage during an unsuccessful test run. The late Gregory Hines portrays an anti-terrorism expert called in to shut it down.

Dutch actress Renee Soutendijk does a highly creditable job as both the killer robot and her creator, and I'll be honest, for me she was the main reason to watch this movie, which provides no more than passable entertainment. Hines certainly isn't the kind of guy you'd expect to play the lead in this kind of film, and despite his efforts, I just didn't think that I could buy him in this role.

Overall, "Eve of Destruction" is very routine, very perfunctory. The final confrontation is admittedly better than the balance of the picture. There also seem to be some dubious gender politics contained in this script, but I thought that I would just comment on the movie in general. In general...watch if you want, but don't expect a lot.

Hines's character keeps complaining about the robot needing an "Off" button; the viewer has an easier way of ending the movie.

Movie buffs can at least watch for a cameo by Kevin McCarthy.

5/10