Themes: Rise and Fall Stories, Prospectors and Land Rights, Fathers and Daughters
Main Cast: Gene Hackman, Theresa Russell, Rutger Hauer, Jane Lapotaire, Ed Lauter
Release Year: 1981
Country: UK
Run Time: 130 minutes
Plot
A reclusive, unhappy gold magnate finds his isolated tropical paradise threatened by the intrusion of organized criminals in director Nicolas Roeg's convoluted, arty drama. Gene Hackman stars as Jack McCann, a one-time gold prospector who his parlayed the discovery of a rich deposit in the Canadian wilderness into an immense fortune. Instead of satisfaction, McCann's wealth leads to depression and paranoia, and he moves to a remote island and withdraws from the world. The bulk of the film centers on what has become of McCann some thirty years later, as he attempts to deal with a troubled daughter (Theresa Russell) and the attentions of the Mafia, who want to build a new casino on his tropical home. As the pressures increase, his efforts to protect his property and maintain his family become increasingly desperate, culminating in an extended public trial. Even stranger and more stylized than most of Roeg's work, the disjointed Eureka will seem incomprehensible and painfully pretentious to those with little patience for his indirect narratives and purposefully exaggerated approach. Devoted fans, however, will find further proof of the director's impressive visual sense, especially during the film's earlier sequences. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
John Beard - Art Director, Tim Van Rellim - Associate Producer, Marit Allen - Costume Designer, Nicolas Roeg - Director, Tony Lawson - Editor, Stanley Myers - Composer (Music Score), Christine Beveridge - Makeup, Leslie Dilley - Production Designer, Michael Seymour - Production Designer, Alex Thomson - Cinematographer, Ted Lloyd - Production Manager, Jeremy Thomas - Producer, Michael Seirton - Set Designer, John-Clay Scott - Stunts, Del Baker - Stunts, Paul Mayersberg - Screenwriter, Peter Childs - Assistant Art Director, Peter Childs - Draftsman, Marshall Houts - Book Author
Eureka (1983), directed by Nicolas Roeg, is the story of Klondike prospector, Jack McCann (Hackman) who strikes it rich, yet ends up fearing that his daughter Tracy (Theresa Russell) and his son-in-law (Rutger Hauer) are scheming to take his wealth and his soul; moreover, greedy investors (Joe Pesci and Mickey Rourke) are also hunting McCann's fortune.
Eureka is loosely based on the true murder of Sir Harry Oakes in the Bahamas in 1943 [1]. The film's title was used by musician Jim O'Rourke for his album Eureka.
