Main Cast: Luke Perry, Stephen Baldwin, James Rebhorn, Carrie Snodgress, Red Mitchell
Release Year: 1994
Country: US
Run Time: 104 minutes
Plot
Luke Perry stars in this biography of the late Lane Frost, a champion bull rider who in 1987 won a rodeo world championship at the tender age of 21. In Eight Seconds (the title refers to the minimum amount of time a rider must stay on a bull in competition), Lane Frost is a young man from Oklahoma who learns to ride, hoping to win the approval of his emotionally distant father. As Lane works his way up the rodeo circuit with his best friend Tuff Hedeman (Stephen Baldwin), he meets Kelly Kyle (Cynthia Geary), a pretty barrel-race rider with whom he falls in love. Lane and Kelly marry, but Lane stubbornly refuses any help from Kelly's wealthy parents, forcing the young couple to live a hand-to-mouth existence, and while Lane's dedication to rodeo and its fans earns him a devoted following, it also keeps him away from Kelly and threatens to sink their relationship. Lane's hard work pays off when he wins the 1987 world championship, but the danger of the sport catches up with him two years later, when he dies as a result of an accident during competition. Country star Vince Gill appears onscreen with his band; keep an eye peeled for a brief appearance by Renee Zellweger, two years before her breakthrough role in Jerry Maguire. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Ronnie Claire Edwards - Carolyn Kyle; Linden Ashby - Martin Hudson; Cynthia Geary - Kellie Frost; Cameron Finley - Young Lane; Coquina Dunn - Buckle Bunny; Gabriel Folse - Amarillo Cowboy; Jim Gough - Official Nacogdoches; Joe Stevens - Amarillo Cowboy; Karla Bonoff - The Vince Gill & Karla Bonoff Band; George Michael - Himself; Kenny Edwards - The Vince Gill & Karla Bonoff Band; Paul Alexander - TV Reporter; Lori Heuring - Bridesmaid; Renée Zellweger - Prescott Motel Buckle Bunny; Vince Gill - The Vince Gill & Karla Bonoff Band; Tonie Perensky - Buckle Bunny; Barney Welch - Fan
Credit
John Frick - Art Director, Deena Appel - Costume Designer, John G. Avildsen - Director, Bill Conti - Composer (Music Score), Ken Lamkin - Camera Operator, William J. Cassidy - Production Designer, Victor Hammer - Cinematographer, Danny DeVito - Producer, Tony Mark - Producer, Michael Shamberg - Producer, Dennis Dion - Special Effects, Larry Brothers - Screenwriter, Monte Merrick - Screenwriter, Tab Murphy - Screenwriter
8 Seconds (originally titled 8 Seconds to Glory) is a 1994biopic about American rodeo legend and world bull riding champion Lane Frost. The film details his life from his youth learning how to ride bulls, until his death in 1989. 8 Seconds was directed by John G. Avildsen and stars Luke Perry as Lane 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 learns the tricks of the bull riding trade at the hand of his father, Clyde Frost, an accomplished rodeo bronc rider himself. As Lane enters his teenage and early adult years he travels the western rodeo circuit with his best friends Tuff Hedeman and Cody Lambert. Lane 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 pressure from his family and Kellie. Lane's 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 Lane 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. The film cuts the series down to three rides, when in reality it was seven (Lane was able to get the best of Red Rock, going 4-3 in the series).
The film comes to a culmination 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 Lane 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 of the film shows Tuff Hedeman later that same year at the National Finals Rodeo riding for the world championship. After the 8 second bell sounded, Hedeman continues to ride and stays on an additional 8 seconds as a tribute to his fallen best friend.
