8 Seconds

8 Seconds
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	John G. Avildsen
Produced by	Clyde LeVin Danny DeVito Tony Mark Jeffery Swab
Written by	Monte Merrick
Starring	Luke Perry Stephen Baldwin
Music by	Bill Conti
Cinematography	Victor Hammer
Editing by	J. Douglas Seelig
Studio	Jersey Films
Distributed by	New Line Cinema
Release date(s)	February 25, 1994 (1994-02-25)
Running time	105 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$7 million
Box office	$19,623,396[1]

8 Seconds (originally titled 8 Seconds to Glory) is a 1994 biographical film about American rodeo legend and world bull riding champion Lane Frost. It details his life from his youth learning how to ride bulls, until his death in 1989. It was directed by John G. Avildsen and stars Luke Perry as Frost, Stephen Baldwin as real life rodeo legend Tuff Hedeman, and Red Mitchell as cowboy poet Cody Lambert. The title refers to the length of time a bull rider is required to stay on for a ride to be scored.

Plot

Young Lane Frost (Cameron Finley) learns the tricks of the bull riding trade at the hand of his father, Clyde (James Rebhorn), an accomplished rodeo bronco rider himself. As he enters his teenage and early adult years (Luke Perry) he travels the western rodeo circuit with his best friends Tuff Hedeman (Stephen Baldwin) and Cody Lambert (Red Mitchell). He meets and falls in love with a young barrel racer, Kellie Kyle, and eventually they marry in 1984.

As Lane's legend and fame increase, so does the amount of pressure he puts on himself, to be what everyone wants him to be, and he wants to show that he is a good as they say he is. His ascent to the world championship is marred by a cheating incident, questions about his wife's devotion and a near broken neck. The film also follows him through the true life series between himself and Red Rock, a bull that no cowboy had ever been able to stay on for 8 seconds. It cuts the series down to three rides, when in reality it was seven (Lane was able to get the best of him, going 4-3 in the series). It culminates at the 1989 Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo; Lane is the second-to-last rider that day, riding on the bull known as "Takin' Care Of Business". As he dismounts after his 8 second ride the bull turns back and hits him in the side with his horn, breaking some ribs and severing a main artery. As a result of excessive internal bleeding, he dies on the arena floor before he can be transported to the hospital.

The final scene shows Hedeman later that same year at the National Finals Rodeo riding for the world championship. After the 8 second bell sounds, he continues to ride and stays on an additional 8 seconds as a tribute to his fallen best friend.

Cast

• Luke Perry (Cameron Finley, young) as Lane Frost
• Stephen Baldwin as Tuff Hedeman
• Red Mitchell as Cody Lambert
• Cynthia Geary as Kellie Frost
• James Rebhorn as Clyde Frost
• Carrie Snodgress as Elsie Frost
• Renée Zellweger as Buckle Bunny
• George Michael as Himself
• Brooks & Dunn as Themselves

Reception

The movie gained a mixed reception.^[2]8 Seconds currently holds a 33% 'Rotten' rating on Rotten Tomatoes.^[3]

Soundtrack

References

External links

• Official Lane Frost website
• 8 Seconds at the Internet Movie Database
• 8 Seconds at Box Office Mojo
• 8 Seconds at Rotten Tomatoes