Clay Pigeons (1998)

Director:

David Dobkin

Writer (WGA):

Matthew L. Healy (written by)

Release Date:

25 September 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Thriller | Drama

Tagline:

Lester Long never forgets a friend

Plot:

Clay (as in the title) is a young man in a small town who witnesses his friend kill himself because...

Plot Keywords:

Female Nudity | Barmaid | Video | Woman Shot | Dying During Sex

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Joaquin Phoenix	...	Clay Bidwell
Gregory Sporleder	...	Earl
Georgina Cates	...	Amanda
Scott Wilson	...	Sheriff Mooney
Vince Vieluf	...	Deputy Barney
Wayne Brennan	...	Minister
Joseph D. Reitman	...	Glen
Vince Vaughn	...	Lester Long
Nikki Arlyn	...	Gloria
Jeff Olson	...	Mark
Monica Moench	...	Kimberly
Kevin Rahm	...	Bystander at Amanda's
Jesse Bennett	...	Dr. Jaffe
Phil Morris	...	Agent Reynard
Janeane Garofalo	...	Agent Shelby

Also Known As:

Clay Pigeons - Lebende Ziele (Germany) (TV title)
In Too Deep (USA) (working title)
Lebende Ziele (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong scenes of sexuality, language and violence.

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

Germany | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color | Black and White (one scene)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:16 | USA:R (certificate #35859) | Australia:MA | Germany:12 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 (DVD rating)

Filming Locations:

Brigham City, Utah, USA

Company:

IMF Internationale Medien und Film GmbH & Co. Produktions KG

Trivia:

FBI Agent Dale Shelby and her partner, Agent Renard, have names that may be loosely derived from "The X Files" (1993) characters Dana Scully and Fox Mulder. "Renard" is French for "fox."

Goofs:

Continuity: The patch's on Sheriff Mooney's and his deputy's uniforms read "Mercer County Sheriff's Dept". But when Mooney is driving a sheriff's dept SUV, the decal on the door reads "Davis County Sheriff".

Quotes:

Lester Long: Some people just need-NEED-killing.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Making of 'The Break-Up' (2006) (V)

Soundtrack:

Teach Me About Love

Edgy psychological thriller with great script, comedic touch and strong sound track.

A story of double-double-cross and serial killing in Montana. From the first shot the film engages and won't let go. Joaquin Phoenix, Janeane Garofalo and Vince Vaughn take us on a trip that's simultaneously entertaining and harrowing.

Great music by John Lurie (aka Lounge Lizard, Down by Law, etc.), and featuring oldies that carry the merciless momentum of the film. Ridley Scott co-produced.Cinematography is evocative of My Own Private Idaho (it was filmed in Utah).

Director David Dobkin has his own strong signature, particularly his deft pulling together of the characters and the light comedy, but there were also elements of Jarmusch and Van Sant. Fine cast and an excellent film.