Split Image *** (1982, Michael O’Keefe, Karen Allen, Peter Fonda, James Woods, Elizabeth Ashley, Brian Dennehy, Ronnie Scribner, Michael Sacks) – Classic Movie Review 11,972

Producer-director Ted Kotcheff’s thought-provoking 1982 drama film Split Image stars Michael O’Keefe, Karen Allen, Peter Fonda, James Woods, Elizabeth Ashley, Brian Dennehy, Ronnie Scribner, and Michael Sacks.

Michael O’Keefe plays middle-class, all-American college athlete Danny Stetson, who falls for the compelling Rebecca (Karen Allen) and is brainwashed into entering a youth-oriented religious cult led by the charismatic Neil Kirklander (Peter Fonda), who programmes him to believe his new life has the true meaning.

There is first-rate acting from O’Keefe, Dennehy as his father Kevin Stetson, and James Woods as Charles Pratt, the deprogrammer Danny’s parents Diana (Elizabeth Ashley) and Kevin hire to snatch the boy from the clutches of the group and bring him home.

The yarn becomes savage and melodramatic but the film never loses its grip.

It cost $8 million and earned only $263,635 at the US box office.

Split Image is directed by Ted Kotcheff, runs 111 minutes, is made by PolyGram Pictures, is released by Orion Pictures, is written by Scott Spencer, Robert Kaufman and Robert Mark Kamen, is shot by Robert Jessup, is produced by Ted Kotcheff and scored by Bill Conti.

© Derek Winnert 2022 Classic Movie Review 11,972

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