Main Cast: Jodie Foster, Tim Robbins, Todd Graff, John Turturro, Elizabeth Berridge
Release Year: 1987
Country: US/UK
Run Time: 92 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
Quirky comedy, intense drama, and warm nostalgia are all combined in this eccentric look at one night in 1964 amongst the residents of the Five Corners neighborhood of the Bronx. The bulk of the film concerns Linda (Jodie Foster), a young woman who finds herself stalked by a disturbed rapist fresh out of prison. Needing protection, she turns to her formerly tough ex-boyfriend, only to discover that a recent political awakening has transformed him into a pacifist. The tension of Linda's situation is leavened by the film's attention to its bizarre subplots, which include a stolen penguin, partying teenagers who encounter trouble with an elevator, and a pair of detectives investigating a series of mysterious bow-and-arrow attacks. The script by John Patrick Shanley, who won the 1987 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Moonstruck, manages to (for the most part) bring these seemingly unrelated stories together into a fairly logical conclusion. Even though numerous critics felt that Five Corners' mixture of widely disparate tones was not completely successful, the end result is a surprisingly charming and unique tribute to a time and a place. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
Review
Five Corners is a powerful, moody ensemble piece with an impressively heavyweight cast. Although the basic story of the film causes it to veer off from serious drama into melodrama, it manages to pack quite a punch, thanks to some tautly-written individual sequences, acutely observed characters and deft direction. John Patrick Shanley's screenplay is not always successful at mixing the quirkily amusing segments with those of a more disturbing or frightening bent, but the individual moments work so well that the viewer tends to overlook the lapses. Working from the script's strengths, Tony Bill's direction finds abundant humor as well as almost unbearable tension. His work on the elevator sequence is especially good, finding unexpected visual beauty in the image of the shafts while simultaneously creating apprehension at the danger involved in the "game" being played. His direction is also noteworthy in the penguin scene and the lengthy climactic chase. Jodie Foster gives a lovely, understated performance, quietly but eloquently conveying the character's desperation, frustration and determination, and contrasting effectively with John Turturro's disquieting psychopath. Tim Robbins displays a gentle strength and is especially good in his diner scene, while Kathleen Chalfont is memorable in a small role. Robbins would hit it big the next year with Bull Durham, at the same time that Foster would earn recognition (as an adult actress) with The Accused. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Rose Gregorio - Mrs. Sabantino; Gregory Rozakis - Mazola; John Seitz - Sullivan; Kathleen Chalfant - Mrs. Fitzgerald; Ray Aranha - Arthur; Bill Cobbs - Man in Coffee Shop; Cathryn de Prume - Brita; Pepe Douglas - Policeman; Pierre Epstein - George; Dann Florek - Policeman; Frances Foster - Waitress; Rodney Harvey - Castro; Michael R. Howard - Murray; Daniel Jenkins - Willie; Eriq La Salle - Samuel Kemp; Kit Le Fever - Esther; Michael Mantell; Jack McGee - Desk Sergeant; Mike Nussbaum; Anthony Powers - Cop; Keith Reddin - Neighborhood Person; Campbell Scott - Policeman; Marya Small - Woman in Deli; Mike Starr - Bartender; David Brisbin - Plainclothes Man; Carl Caportoto - Sal; Jerome Collamore - Old Man in Bar; Alex Kramarevsky - Policeman; Thomas Kudlek - Policeman; Robert Lempert - Neighborhood Person; Mike Lisenco - Policeman; Regis Mullavey - Policeman; Frank Patton - Policeman; Joel Segal - Policeman; Victor Slezak - Policeman; Jose Soto, Jr. - Boy in Pet Store; Richard Thomson - Cop; Jerry Hewitt - Mr. Glascow; Richard Thomsen - Policeman; James Ryan - Policeman
Credit
John Patrick Shanley - Associate Producer, Michael McDonnell - Associate Producer, Douglas Aibel - Casting, Tony Bill - Co-producer, Forrest Murray - Co-producer, Peggy Farrell - Costume Designer, Joel Segal - First Assistant Director, Tony Bill - Director, Andy Blumenthal - Editor, George Harrison - Executive Producer, Denis O'Brien - Executive Producer, James Newton Howard - Composer (Music Score), Bob Dylan - Songwriter, Cathy Glover - Songwriter, Paul McCartney - Songwriter, Robbie Robertson - Songwriter, Alan Spencer - Songwriter, Richard Thomas - Songwriter, Leslie Fuller - Makeup, Adrianne Lobel - Production Designer, Fred Murphy - Cinematographer, Linda Ekstrand - Set Designer, Bill Harrison - Special Effects, Bill Daly - Sound/Sound Designer, Gary Tacon - Stunts, Billy Anagnos - Stunts, Don Hewitt, Sr. - Stunts, Jery Hewitt - Stunts, John Patrick Shanley - Screenwriter, John Lennon - Featured Music
The action is set in The Bronx in 1964. It begins with the murder of a high-school teacher, who was shot in the back by an arrow (an incident which gives rise to a memorable line, "Someone murdered our teacher, so we have the day off. Want to go for a ride?").
A man offers to give two young ladies (who are apparently unconscious) to two teenage boys, even offering them cash to take the women off his hands. These ladies later wake in a strange apartment, lying naked under sheets. The next day, the boys tell the girls that their teacher was murdered, and that is why they were available to take the girls for the car ride.
Heinz has just been released from prison after serving a term for attempted rape, and has returned to his old neighborhood to resume his relationship with his demented mother and to "rekindle" his own demented version of a relationship with Linda, the near-rape victim. Harry had protected Linda in the near-rape, but since then he has adopted a policy of non-violent response to violence (caused by the murder of his policeman father and the non-violent protests against racism espoused by Dr. Martin Luther King). Harry has now become a Buddhist and a pacifist, and seeks to join Dr. King's movement, making protecting Linda again a difficult task. Heinz calls Linda, and tells her to meet him in a park at midnight. She reluctanly agrees, knowing that he may become dangerous if she doesn't comply. When arriving at the pool, she finds a board to use for protection and hides it. Heinz shows her a present he got for her: two penguins he stole from the Bronx zoo. She tells him that he has to return them because penguins need special food. Heinz becomes outraged, thinking that she was rejecting his gift, and kills one of the penguins.
The movie ends with Heinz taking an unconscious Linda to a rooftop, where police secure the building. A sharpshooter is in a position to kill him but doesn't because it would endanger Linda. Heinz is killed by a mysterious arrow to his back, just like the teacher at the beginning of the film.
Critics generally praised this movie's actors, many of whom went on to become A-list names, but were less generous with the script:
"Five Corners is so filled with inspired, memorable moments that it's tough to completely fault it when it inanely begins spiraling out of control towards the conclusion. After all, the entire picture is so beautifully messy from the outset that any hope for rational tie-ups is equally absurd . ."[3]
Behind the Scenes
Foster's character (Linda), was almost raped by Heinz before he went to jail. The next year Foster would play a rape victim in The Accused, for which she won an Academy award.
Linda is stalked by a dangerous madman who gave her a gift she did not want. Foster herself was stalked by would-be assassin John Hinckley Jr., who shot US President Ronald Reagan in an attempt to impress Foster.
The name "Five Corners" is taken from an intersection in the Van Nest neighborhood of The Bronx, where writer John Patrick Shanley grew up.[4]
