Clay Pigeons
Encyclopedia
Clay Pigeons is a 1998 German/American crime
-comedy film
written by Matt Healy
and directed by David Dobkin
. It stars Joaquin Phoenix
as Clay Bidwell, Vince Vaughn
as Lester Long, and Janeane Garofalo
as Agent Shelby.
) is a young man in a small town who witnesses his friend, Earl (Gregory Sporleder
), kill himself because of the ongoing affair that Clay was having with the man's wife, Amanda (Georgina Cates
). Feeling guilty, Clay now resists the widow when she presses him to continue with their affair as if nothing has happened.
Clay's problems worsen when he inadvertently befriends a serial killer
named Lester Long (Vince Vaughn
), who murders the nagging widow in an attempt to "help" his "fishing buddy." Clay is horrified, but does not go to the police for fear of his role in his friend's suicide coming to light. But that doesn't matter for the police, as well as for a savvy female FBI agent (Janeane Garofalo
) and her partner (Phil Morris), who see Clay as their prime suspect. Yet Clay doesn't tell them of his "friend," who has confessed his crimes to him.
and Tony Scott
's production company, Scott Free. Dobkin recounted, in an interview with Eye Weekly, "This all started with a damn good script and that's where I wanted to keep the emphasis. So we went over it again and again before we ever sent it out to anybody, trying to make sure the basics were as perfectly tooled as possible: a cast of characters whose motivations stay firmly rooted in reality, even though their actions may seem a little... over the top."
Phoenix remembers, "When I first read the script, I thought, 'Wow, this could be really tough -- in the wrong hands, it could just become preposterous.' But then I met David, and we really hit it off. I immediately knew he had what took to help us make these people come alive."
The film's inspiration came from, according to Dobkin, the Coen brothers
: "Creatively, my inspiration was the Coen Brothers' Fargo
, which took a classic, rather shallow situation and turned it into something new. I mean, nobody in Fargo 'has a character arc,' nobody really 'learns anything,' in Hollywood terms. But you always have the sense that these people have rich, full interior lives, a true philosophical depth, even if they live in a little town, even if they talk differently from you and I."
Vaughn has described his character in an interview with Moviecrazed:
In a People Online interview, Dobkin said this about the characters, "I wanted everyone to be different than what they appear to be — the FBI agent who smokes pot, the small town sheriff who seems slow but is the one who figures [the murders] out in the end."
Crime film
Crime films are films which focus on the lives of criminals. The stylistic approach to a crime film varies from realistic portrayals of real-life criminal figures, to the far-fetched evil doings of imaginary arch-villains. Criminal acts are almost always glorified in these movies.- Plays and films...
-comedy film
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
written by Matt Healy
Matt Healy
Matt Healy is a Scottish actor, who grew up in Oldham, Lancashire. He is best-known for his role as Matthew King in the television soap series Emmerdale.-Background:...
and directed by David Dobkin
David Dobkin (director)
David Dobkin is an American film director, producer and former screenwriter best known for directing Clay Pigeons, Shanghai Knights, Wedding Crashers, Fred Claus and The Change-Up.-Early life and education:...
. It stars Joaquin Phoenix
Joaquin Phoenix
Joaquin Rafael Phoenix , formerly credited as Leaf Phoenix, is an American film actor. He was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and his family returned to the continental United States four years later...
as Clay Bidwell, Vince Vaughn
Vince Vaughn
Vincent Anthony "Vince" Vaughn is an American film actor, screenwriter, producer and comedian. He began acting in the late 1980s, appearing in minor television roles before attaining wider recognition with the 1996 movie Swingers...
as Lester Long, and Janeane Garofalo
Janeane Garofalo
Janeane Garofalo is an American stand-up comedian, actress, political activist and writer. She is the former co-host on the now defunct Air America Radio's The Majority Report. Garofalo continues to circulate regularly within New York City's local comedy and performance art scene.-Early...
as Agent Shelby.
Plot
Clay Bidwell (Joaquin PhoenixJoaquin Phoenix
Joaquin Rafael Phoenix , formerly credited as Leaf Phoenix, is an American film actor. He was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and his family returned to the continental United States four years later...
) is a young man in a small town who witnesses his friend, Earl (Gregory Sporleder
Gregory Sporleder
Gregory Sporleder is an American actor notable for playing military men in films such as The Rock, Black Hawk Down and Renaissance Man, as well as Calvin Norris in the HBO series True Blood- Personal Life :...
), kill himself because of the ongoing affair that Clay was having with the man's wife, Amanda (Georgina Cates
Georgina Cates
Georgina Cates is an English actress of film and television.-Biography:Born Clare Woodgate in Colchester, Essex, she attended Colchester County High School for Girls and broke into television acting when she was only sixteen years old, playing the role of the original Jenny Porter on the BBC's...
). Feeling guilty, Clay now resists the widow when she presses him to continue with their affair as if nothing has happened.
Clay's problems worsen when he inadvertently befriends a serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
named Lester Long (Vince Vaughn
Vince Vaughn
Vincent Anthony "Vince" Vaughn is an American film actor, screenwriter, producer and comedian. He began acting in the late 1980s, appearing in minor television roles before attaining wider recognition with the 1996 movie Swingers...
), who murders the nagging widow in an attempt to "help" his "fishing buddy." Clay is horrified, but does not go to the police for fear of his role in his friend's suicide coming to light. But that doesn't matter for the police, as well as for a savvy female FBI agent (Janeane Garofalo
Janeane Garofalo
Janeane Garofalo is an American stand-up comedian, actress, political activist and writer. She is the former co-host on the now defunct Air America Radio's The Majority Report. Garofalo continues to circulate regularly within New York City's local comedy and performance art scene.-Early...
) and her partner (Phil Morris), who see Clay as their prime suspect. Yet Clay doesn't tell them of his "friend," who has confessed his crimes to him.
Cast
- Joaquin PhoenixJoaquin PhoenixJoaquin Rafael Phoenix , formerly credited as Leaf Phoenix, is an American film actor. He was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and his family returned to the continental United States four years later...
as Clay Bidwell - Vince VaughnVince VaughnVincent Anthony "Vince" Vaughn is an American film actor, screenwriter, producer and comedian. He began acting in the late 1980s, appearing in minor television roles before attaining wider recognition with the 1996 movie Swingers...
as Lester Long - Janeane GarofaloJaneane GarofaloJaneane Garofalo is an American stand-up comedian, actress, political activist and writer. She is the former co-host on the now defunct Air America Radio's The Majority Report. Garofalo continues to circulate regularly within New York City's local comedy and performance art scene.-Early...
as Agent Dale Shelby - Georgina CatesGeorgina CatesGeorgina Cates is an English actress of film and television.-Biography:Born Clare Woodgate in Colchester, Essex, she attended Colchester County High School for Girls and broke into television acting when she was only sixteen years old, playing the role of the original Jenny Porter on the BBC's...
as Amanda - Gregory SporlederGregory SporlederGregory Sporleder is an American actor notable for playing military men in films such as The Rock, Black Hawk Down and Renaissance Man, as well as Calvin Norris in the HBO series True Blood- Personal Life :...
as Earl - Phil Morris as Agent Reynard
- Vince VielufVince VielufVincent Ernest "Vince" Vieluf is an American actor. He is best known for his roles in Rat Race and the short-lived UPN sitcom Love, Inc....
as Deputy Barney - Nikki Arlyn as Gloria Collins
- Joseph D. ReitmanJoseph D. ReitmanJoseph D. Reitman is an American actor, film producer, film director, and writer.-Early life and career:Joe Reitman grew up in Brookline, Massachusetts and majored in theatre at Pitzer College in Claremont, California...
as Glen
Production
Clay Pigeons was developed under director/producers RidleyRidley Scott
Sir Ridley Scott is an English film director and producer. His most famous films include The Duellists , Alien , Blade Runner , Legend , Thelma & Louise , G. I...
and Tony Scott
Tony Scott
Anthony D. L. "Tony" Scott is an English film director. His films include Top Gun, Beverly Hills Cop II, The Last Boy Scout, True Romance, Crimson Tide, Enemy of the State, Spy Game, Man on Fire, Déjà Vu, The Taking of Pelham 123, and Unstoppable...
's production company, Scott Free. Dobkin recounted, in an interview with Eye Weekly, "This all started with a damn good script and that's where I wanted to keep the emphasis. So we went over it again and again before we ever sent it out to anybody, trying to make sure the basics were as perfectly tooled as possible: a cast of characters whose motivations stay firmly rooted in reality, even though their actions may seem a little... over the top."
Phoenix remembers, "When I first read the script, I thought, 'Wow, this could be really tough -- in the wrong hands, it could just become preposterous.' But then I met David, and we really hit it off. I immediately knew he had what took to help us make these people come alive."
The film's inspiration came from, according to Dobkin, the Coen brothers
Coen Brothers
Joel David Coen and Ethan Jesse Coen known together professionally as the Coen brothers, are American filmmakers...
: "Creatively, my inspiration was the Coen Brothers' Fargo
Fargo (film)
Fargo is a 1996 American dark comedy-crime film produced, directed and written by brothers Joel and Ethan Coen. It stars Frances McDormand as a pregnant police chief who investigates a series of homicides, William H...
, which took a classic, rather shallow situation and turned it into something new. I mean, nobody in Fargo 'has a character arc,' nobody really 'learns anything,' in Hollywood terms. But you always have the sense that these people have rich, full interior lives, a true philosophical depth, even if they live in a little town, even if they talk differently from you and I."
Vaughn has described his character in an interview with Moviecrazed:
In a People Online interview, Dobkin said this about the characters, "I wanted everyone to be different than what they appear to be — the FBI agent who smokes pot, the small town sheriff who seems slow but is the one who figures [the murders] out in the end."
Filming locations
- Brigham City, Utah, USA
- Logan, Utah, USA
- Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
- Lancaster, California, USA