The Crossing Guard

Amazon.com

Sean Penn wrote and directed this character-driven drama about a divorced couple (Jack Nicholson and Anjelica Huston) whose relationship never recovered following the death of their daughter at the hands of a drunk driver (David Morse). When the latter's character, a deeply regretful and changed man, gets out of jail, Nicholson, as the vengeful dad, decides to go after him. As a director, Penn is not so good with fluid storytelling and camera clichés, but he is amazing as an actor's director. The onscreen reteaming of former real-life lovers Nicholson and Huston is more than just a voyeuristic exercise: Penn ingeniously uses the duo's palpable friction to bring an often horrifying reality to the pain of a dead relationship. --Tom Keogh

Description

Academy Award(R)-winner Jack Nicholson (1997 Best Actor, AS GOOD AS IT GETS) drives this suspenseful, critically acclaimed action thriller about one man's unquenchable thirst for revenge! For six agonizing years, Freddy Gale (Nicholson) has waited for John Booth (David Morse, THE NEGOTIATOR), the man jailed for a crime that destroyed Freddy's life. Now, Booth is out of prison and Freddy's giving him three days before he returns ... to even the score! Directed by Sean Penn and starring Academy Award(R)-winner Anjelica Huston (1985 Best Supporting Actress, PRIZZI'S HONOR) and sexy Robin Wright (MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE), THE CROSSING GUARD is an intense, emotionally charged thriller that delivers!

Customer Reviews:

About Redemption .......2007-08-11

I saw brilliant movie from Penn 'The pledge' which has some similiarities to this ...a man with obsessed goal. However this one turns out to be a movie of 2 guys who have to deal with their tribulations. Jack Nicholeson who looses his 7 yr old daughter and obsessed in killing the guy (David morse). David kills his daughter in an dunken driving accident and comes of prison but still plagued by Guilt. The plot turns out with an ending where two people give up their irrationality and accept themselves.
This movie potrays deep emotions traumatized souls (as all sean movies) in a symbolic way but however suffers with poor script. David is not suited for this role and doesn't play the emotions of guilt.The way he acts shows as if his personality doesn't have emotions at all. Forget guilt. The romance between David and Robert Penn is not developed properly. Surprising that the romance is not focussed in the movie when movie revolves around Jack who spends time with young girls without any drama involved.
Inspite of poor script, Jack gives great performance..as good as it gets on would think. Jack's ex-wife plays her role with ease. The audience can get the taste of melodrama of troubled souls finding peace at the end. All in all, it is average movie with simple plot.
This movie is no match for 'The pledge' which is chilling and brilliant thriller although theree are some similarities.

Grieving dad gets a little twisted........2005-09-12

The Crossing Guard DVD version great on screen, makes good use of entire screen...
This one is a little different, a little twisted..dark. A grieving dad loses sight of reality because of his grief...In the end it's his little girls killer who makes him face it..
The dad is the bad guy, the killer is the unfortunate good guy, but you'll connect with them both...Emotional, especially if you're a parent..Good watch..

Wow! I, For One, Was Surprised.......2005-07-29

Sean Penn (writing/directing duties and a bit more, but not acting) and Jack Nicholson team up for "The Crossing Guard" -- a surprisingly touching film that will stick with any viewer for quite some time. Here's the plot:

(The following contains some spoilers to the storyline, as it is a summarization of most of the film)

The Crossing Guard persists in it's somber mood almost entirely throughout. The story is a seemingly hopeless one. Freddy (Nicholson) plays a father who lost his daughter several years back, and as a result also lost his marriage. He's never even visited his daughter's grave. In short, his life is a wreck. Regardless, he refuses to let the past get a hold of him. He continues the lies and bitterness through the years, trying to push away the pain and live a normal life. Yet when he gets news of an inmate being released, things only get worse. You see, the inmate is John Booth -- the man who accidently killed Freddy's little girl by means of drunk driving. Freddy decides with practically no debate (hell, he's had years of anger to support the decision) that he is going to kill Booth. He tracks down the man (who isn't too far anyway) and after an awkward misfortune (I'll leave that near-humorous surprise for your own discovery) that prevents him from murdering Booth right away, he gives Booth three days to live. Then, after the three days are up, he's coming for him. John Booth is a bit confusing because he insists he won't call the police, and doesn't seem a bit shaken by the idea of this man killing him. He seems more sad and empty than anything. He, too, has lived a life of inner torment as a result of the accident -- although Freddy refuses to have any consideration to such things, only focusing on his blind anger. Now begins the majority of the movie: the three days in which one man awaits his death and another awaits a cold taste of revenge. This is what is so interesting about the film. We get to see the view from both ends. We follow both charaters in their mixed up and broken lives through what must be their last days. The viewer becomes almost as sad and confused as the characters. John Booth has always been (and still remains) torn apart by the accident with the little girl. He feels almost like he deserves it. He constantly struggles to find way to not only cope, but understand it all. Freddy remains ruthless and bitter about everything, only looking forward to what he feels he must do. Both men are faced with the assumptions of everyone else in their life that all is well. They know their upcoming destiny, but no one else does. These people oblivious to the madness unfolding right before them certainly seem small an unappreciative compared to the situation Freddy and John are faced with. Here, I feel Penn tried to stress how some of the "important" things in life are really quite insignificant. The world for both men is falling apart. As the day comes to do the deed, Freddy finds himself as an emotional wreck. He reunites with his ex-wife in a restaurant in need of a discusion after his conscience gets to him. She begins to see how the man who she thought had disapeared after the death of their daughter is still deep inside Freddy somewhere. But as fragile as the situation is, he snaps and storms out. Tonight is the night he must kill John Booth. But, on the way over, he is stopped for drunk driving. The officers want to take him in. Of course, this would be major damage to his plan, so he grabs his pistol and runs. After shaking the cops off his tail, he finally arrives at his destination: Booth's home. He is prepared to kill. But through yet another string of peculiar events, he -- with the assistance of the man he vowed to hate forever -- finds the higher reason for it all behind the tragedy. I'm not going to give this ending away, but I can assure you it is quite heart-warming and worth the wait.

The Crossing Guard is a web of pain and nihilism that life can sometimes pin on someone. And by the end, it all makes sense. Anger, apathy, love, hurt, recovery, heart-break and doing what is right are just a few examples of what this film has managed to squeeze into two hours. A truly remarkable piece. A must see for any fan of drama movies.

A great film that evokes powerful emotion with incredible acting.......2005-07-28

This film shows what a great script and amazing actors can pull off. Penn does an amazing job pulling everything together to project a general feeling of despair. Few films send such a powerful emotion.

David Morse, who I believe makes every movie his is in (Green Mile, Contact, Hearts in Atlantis) much better, puts in an amazing performance as someone whose guilt is unshakable.

Jack of course is a living legend, but this is a performance that really transcends the typical greatness we have come to expect. He really makes you feel a piece of the powerful grief he lives with, and somehow makes you laugh.

Angelica Houston is just about the only actress I have seen steal a scene from someone like Nicholson with such subtlety. One of my favorite scenes is Nicholson and Houston in the dinner. At the conclusion, you can almost feel the door slam on their relationship.

And Robin Wright Penn gives the best performance of her career. Obviously the man and wife relationship helped Penn know how to best play her strengths. The scene when Morse confesses his worst secrets to Wright is amazing. She has few lines, but really shows volumes in her reaction.

I recently watched The Woodsman and felt that Sedgwick also did an amazing job in the same type of scene, but yet went in a completely different direction.

This film is often compared to The Pledge, and rightfully so. In my opinion though, The Crossing Guard is by far a better film. The fact that Penn had to wait until Mystic River to get his Oscar credit is a shame. This movie was overlooked.

Magnificent and touching.......2005-07-07

I can't believe that someone turned this movie off after 40 minutes!! The end of the movie congeals the message and allows you to really feel a deep emotional experience. I was touched to tears and was very impressed with the amount of heart that Sean Penn was able to convey with this story. We can all relate on some level, because it is about touching the depth of human experience. I highly applaud the story line, and the magnificent acting of these amazingly talented actors and actresses. I would recommend this movie to anyone, and can't believe I hadn't heard about it before finding it in the video store.

Charlie Rose with Mort Zuckerman & Elie Wiesel; Sean Penn (November 7, 1995)

Average customer rating:

Charlie Rose with Mort Zuckerman & Elie Wiesel; Sean Penn (November 7, 1995)

Manufacturer: Charlie Rose
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Description

First, Mort Zuckerman, the editor-in-chief of US News & World Report, and author Elie Wiesel discuss the death and funeral of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.Topics include the circumstances of his death, the world leaders who were in attendance at the funeral, and what impact this event is likely to have on Israel and the world. Then, flilm director Sean Penn talks about his new film, The Crossing Guard. This is his second directoral effort and it co-stars Jack Nicholson and Anjelica Huston.

Average customer rating:

About Redemption
Grieving dad gets a little twisted.
Wow! I, For One, Was Surprised
A great film that evokes powerful emotion with incredible acting
Magnificent and touching

The Crossing Guard [Region 2]
Starring: Jack Nicholson , David Morse , Anjelica Huston , Robin Wright Penn , and Piper Laurie
Director: Sean Penn
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B0000634C6

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

About Redemption .......2007-08-11

Grieving dad gets a little twisted........2005-09-12

Wow! I, For One, Was Surprised.......2005-07-29

A great film that evokes powerful emotion with incredible acting.......2005-07-28

Magnificent and touching.......2005-07-07

Average customer rating:

Charlie Rose

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Description

First, Sean Penn, who has been called the greatest actor of his generation, is on to talk about his work as a director. His first directorial effort was The Indian Runner. Tonight, he talks to Charlie about a new project, The Crossing Guard, which stars Anjelica Houston and Jack Nicholson. Then, host of NBC's Late Night, Conan O'Brien. He talks to Charlie about finding his comedic voice and how he feels about his job two and a half years in.

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