Miles from Home *** (1988, Richard Gere, Kevin Anderson, Penelope Ann Miller, Brian Dennehy) – Classic Movie Review 9151

Richard Gere and Kevin Anderson star as folk hero brothers Frank and Terry Roberts, who fight back illegally when their Iowa farm goes bankrupt, by robbing the banks foreclosing on farmers, in Gary Sinise’s 1988 action crime drama Miles from Home.

It is an always intriguing, out-of-the-ordinary drama, with centred performances from the stars, backed up by lively support from Brian Dennehy as Frank Roberts Sr, Jason Campbell, as Young Frank Austin Bamgarner as Young Terry, Penelope Ann Miller, Helen Hunt, John Malkovich, Laurie Metcalf, Judith Ivey, Francis Guinan, Dennis Blome and Terry Kinney, with Larry Poling as Nikita Khrushchev.

It is securely based on an intelligent screenplay by Chris Gerolmo who also wrote Mississippi Burning. The director and several cast members, including Malkovich, came from Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre.

Gere turned down the star roles in Die Hard and Lethal Weapon to make Miles from Home.

It is Sinise’s first film to compete at the Cannes Film Festival, followed by Of Mice and Men (1992), which also features Malkovich.

It is Laura San Giacomo’s first film.

Miles from Home is directed by Gary Sinise, runs 108 minutes, is made by Braveworld Productions and J&M Entertainment, is released by Cinecom Pictures (1988) (US) and 20th Century Fox (1989) (UK), is written by Chris Gerolmo, is shot by Elliot Davis, is produced by Frederick Zollo and Paul Kurta, is scored by Robert Folk and is designed by David Gropman.

Richard Gere won a Golden Globe for Chicago (2002), and was nominated for An Officer and a Gentleman (1982), Pretty Woman (1990) and Arbitrage (2012). He has no Oscar nominations. He turned 70 on August 31, 1949.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 9151

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