Rampage (film)
Encyclopedia
For the 1963 adventure film starring Robert Mitchum
, see Rampage
.
Rampage is a 1987
movie directed by William Friedkin
. It was filmed in Stockton
, California
in 1986 and received nationwide American release in 1992.
who commits a number of brutal mutilation-slayings in order to drink blood
as a result of paranoid
delusions.
Reece is soon captured. Most of the movie revolves around the trial and the prosecutor
's attempts to have Reece found sane
and given the death penalty. Defense
lawyers, meanwhile, argue that the defendant is not guilty by reason of insanity.
The prosecutor, Anthony Fraser (Michael Biehn
), was previously against capital punishment, but he seeks such a penalty in the face of Reece's brutal crimes after meeting one victim's grieving family.
In the end, Reece is found sane and given the death penalty, but Fraser's internal debate about capital punishment is rendered academic when Reece is found to be insane by a scanning of his brain for mental illness
. Shortly after this discovery, Reese is found dead in his cell, having overdosed himself on antipsychotics he had been stockpiling.
. The crimes that Reece commits are slightly different from Chase's, however; Reece kills three women, a man and a young boy, whereas Chase killed two men, two women (one of whom was pregnant), a young boy and a 22-month-old baby. Additionally, Reece escapes at one point - which Chase did not do - murdering two guards and later a priest
. However, Reece and Chase similarly had a history of mental illness and an obsession with drinking blood. Like Reece, Chase was also sentenced to death, but he was found dead in his prison cell, an apparent suicide
, before the sentence could be carried out.
and was released on CD by Virgin Records.
Robert Mitchum
Robert Charles Durman Mitchum was an American film actor, author, composer and singer and is #23 on the American Film Institute's list of the greatest male American screen legends of all time...
, see Rampage
Rampage (1963 film)
Rampage is a 1963 adventure film about big game hunters set in Malaysia and starring Robert Mitchum, Jack Hawkins, and Elsa Martinelli. The movie was directed by Phil Karlson from the novel by Alan Caillou and features a musical score by Elmer Bernstein....
.
Rampage is a 1987
1987 in film
-Events:*January 31 - The Cure for Insomnia premieres at The School of the Art Institute in Chicago, Illinois, to officially become the world's longest film according to Guinness World Records....
movie directed by William Friedkin
William Friedkin
William Friedkin is an American film director, producer and screenwriter best known for directing The French Connection in 1971 and The Exorcist in 1973; for the former, he won the Academy Award for Best Director...
. It was filmed in Stockton
Stockton, California
Stockton, California, the seat of San Joaquin County, is the fourth-largest city in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. With a population of 291,707 at the 2010 census, Stockton ranks as this state's 13th largest city...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in 1986 and received nationwide American release in 1992.
Synopsis
Charles Reece (Alex McArthur) is a serial killerSerial 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...
who commits a number of brutal mutilation-slayings in order to drink blood
Blood
Blood is a specialized bodily fluid in animals that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells....
as a result of paranoid
Paranoia
Paranoia [] is a thought process believed to be heavily influenced by anxiety or fear, often to the point of irrationality and delusion. Paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory beliefs, or beliefs of conspiracy concerning a perceived threat towards oneself...
delusions.
Reece is soon captured. Most of the movie revolves around the trial and the prosecutor
Prosecutor
The prosecutor is the chief legal representative of the prosecution in countries with either the common law adversarial system, or the civil law inquisitorial system...
's attempts to have Reece found sane
Sanity
Sanity refers to the soundness, rationality and healthiness of the human mind, as opposed to insanity. A person is sane if they are rational...
and given the death penalty. Defense
Defense (legal)
In civil proceedings and criminal prosecutions under the common law, a defendant may raise a defense in an attempt to avoid criminal or civil liability...
lawyers, meanwhile, argue that the defendant is not guilty by reason of insanity.
The prosecutor, Anthony Fraser (Michael Biehn
Michael Biehn
Michael Connell Biehn is an American actor. He is best known for his roles in James Cameron's science fiction action films The Terminator as Kyle Reese, Aliens as Cpl. Dwayne Hicks, and The Abyss as Lt. Coffey. He has also acted in such films as Tombstone, The Rock, and Planet Terror...
), was previously against capital punishment, but he seeks such a penalty in the face of Reece's brutal crimes after meeting one victim's grieving family.
In the end, Reece is found sane and given the death penalty, but Fraser's internal debate about capital punishment is rendered academic when Reece is found to be insane by a scanning of his brain for mental illness
Mental illness
A mental disorder or mental illness is a psychological or behavioral pattern generally associated with subjective distress or disability that occurs in an individual, and which is not a part of normal development or culture. Such a disorder may consist of a combination of affective, behavioural,...
. Shortly after this discovery, Reese is found dead in his cell, having overdosed himself on antipsychotics he had been stockpiling.
Influences
Charles Reece is loosely based on serial killer Richard ChaseRichard Chase
Richard Trenton Chase was a United States serial killer who killed six people in the span of a month in Sacramento, California...
. The crimes that Reece commits are slightly different from Chase's, however; Reece kills three women, a man and a young boy, whereas Chase killed two men, two women (one of whom was pregnant), a young boy and a 22-month-old baby. Additionally, Reece escapes at one point - which Chase did not do - murdering two guards and later a priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
. However, Reece and Chase similarly had a history of mental illness and an obsession with drinking blood. Like Reece, Chase was also sentenced to death, but he was found dead in his prison cell, an apparent suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
, before the sentence could be carried out.
Soundtrack
The film's score was composed by Ennio MorriconeEnnio Morricone
Ennio Morricone, Grand Officer OMRI, , is an Italian composer and conductor, who wrote music to more than 500 motion pictures and television series, in a career lasting over 50 years. His scores have been included in over 20 award-winning films as well as several symphonic and choral pieces...
and was released on CD by Virgin Records.