Rites of Passage (film)
Encyclopedia
Rites of Passage is a 1999 thriller film written and directed by Victor Salva
. It stars Dean Stockwell
, James Remar
, and Jason Behr
.
) and Red (Jaimz Woolvett
) — approach a group of campers. The elder of the pair shoots and kills the campers with single rapidfire shots to the head.
D.J. Farraday (Robert Glen Keith) discovers that his father, Del (Stockwell), has been having an affair. D.J. asks Del to meet him at the family's cabin by the lake, where D.J. intends to confront him about his adultery. When the two arrive at the summer house, they find the younger son, Campbell "Cam" Farraday (Behr), already there. Eventually it is revealed that Del had found Cam and his boyfriend, Billy, embracing there at the cabin. Del brutally beat Billy, and father and son have not spoken since. Cam seems determined to leave the confrontational situation. While D.J. is trying to convince Cam to stay and attempt a reconciliation, Cam reveals to him that Billy is dead, and the clear implication is that Cam blames his father for the loss.
A short while later, the two escaped convicts show up at the cabin and ask to use the phone, claiming that their car has broken down. Red, who is introduced as Frank's adult son, makes a point of taking up the hospitality offered, using that excuse to remain in the house (over Frank's objection.) As the evening progresses Frank seems to be forcing Del into a challenge. Tensions are high, as Frank makes his play for Alpha of the house. At one point, D.J. (Del Junior) goes so far as to suggest that "we all just whip 'em out and get this over with."
The police show up looking for the two escaped convicts, and things get tense very quickly. It soon becomes clear that Cam knew the convicts and has had some sort of entanglement with them. From there, the twists and turns begin to thicken, and the onionskin layers of this tale are revealed. The family must reconcile and put aside their issues with each other to deal with the menacing force of Frank.
. Salva based much of the dialogue between Del, D.J. and Cam on tense conversations he and his own father had while Salva was growing up. The production took 18 days to film. Co-star Jason Behr received the script only two weeks before shooting began.
Two versions of the film have been released. A director's cut
of the film with commentary by Salva and Behr was released by Bell Canyon Entertainment on May 2, 2000. This version of the film features several deleted scenes which further explain the relationships between the major characters. A theatrical release version was released by Wolfe Video on August 30, 2000. This edition contains no commentaries.
Victor Salva
Victor Ronald Salva is an American film director, mostly of horror movies. His body of work includes the films Powder and Jeepers Creepers.-Early life and career:...
. It stars Dean Stockwell
Dean Stockwell
Dean Stockwell is an American actor of film and television, with a career spanning over 65 years. As a child actor under contract to MGM he first came to the public's attention in films such as Anchors Aweigh and The Green Years; as a young adult he played a lead role in the 1957 Broadway and...
, James Remar
James Remar
James Remar is an American actor and voice artist. He has appeared in movies, video games, and TV shows. He is perhaps best known as Richard, the on-off tycoon boyfriend of Kim Cattrall's character in Sex and the City, as Ajax in The Warriors, as the homicidal maniac Albert Ganz in the 1982...
, and Jason Behr
Jason Behr
Jason Nathaniel Behr is an American film and television actor. He first starred in the American television series Roswell, for which he was twice nominated for a Saturn Award, followed by roles in the films The Shipping News and the American remake of the Japanese horror film The Grudge...
.
Plot
The film begins with two recently escaped convicts — Frank (James RemarJames Remar
James Remar is an American actor and voice artist. He has appeared in movies, video games, and TV shows. He is perhaps best known as Richard, the on-off tycoon boyfriend of Kim Cattrall's character in Sex and the City, as Ajax in The Warriors, as the homicidal maniac Albert Ganz in the 1982...
) and Red (Jaimz Woolvett
Jaimz Woolvett
Jaimz Woolvett is a Canadian actor. He was born on April 14, 1967 in Hamilton, Ontario in Canada. Woolvett's highest-profile role was The Schofield Kid, a near-sighted, aspiring gun-fighter in Clint Eastwood's Academy Award-winning Western Unforgiven . He has a younger brother, Gordon Michael...
) — approach a group of campers. The elder of the pair shoots and kills the campers with single rapidfire shots to the head.
D.J. Farraday (Robert Glen Keith) discovers that his father, Del (Stockwell), has been having an affair. D.J. asks Del to meet him at the family's cabin by the lake, where D.J. intends to confront him about his adultery. When the two arrive at the summer house, they find the younger son, Campbell "Cam" Farraday (Behr), already there. Eventually it is revealed that Del had found Cam and his boyfriend, Billy, embracing there at the cabin. Del brutally beat Billy, and father and son have not spoken since. Cam seems determined to leave the confrontational situation. While D.J. is trying to convince Cam to stay and attempt a reconciliation, Cam reveals to him that Billy is dead, and the clear implication is that Cam blames his father for the loss.
A short while later, the two escaped convicts show up at the cabin and ask to use the phone, claiming that their car has broken down. Red, who is introduced as Frank's adult son, makes a point of taking up the hospitality offered, using that excuse to remain in the house (over Frank's objection.) As the evening progresses Frank seems to be forcing Del into a challenge. Tensions are high, as Frank makes his play for Alpha of the house. At one point, D.J. (Del Junior) goes so far as to suggest that "we all just whip 'em out and get this over with."
The police show up looking for the two escaped convicts, and things get tense very quickly. It soon becomes clear that Cam knew the convicts and has had some sort of entanglement with them. From there, the twists and turns begin to thicken, and the onionskin layers of this tale are revealed. The family must reconcile and put aside their issues with each other to deal with the menacing force of Frank.
Production and releases
This was the first film from Salva since the controversy surrounding his film, PowderPowder (film)
Powder is a 1995 film directed by Victor Salva, about a boy, nicknamed "Powder", with incredible intellect, telepathy, and paranormal powers. It stars Sean Patrick Flanery in the title role, with Jeff Goldblum, Mary Steenburgen, Bradford Tatum, Lance Henriksen, and Brandon Smith in supporting roles...
. Salva based much of the dialogue between Del, D.J. and Cam on tense conversations he and his own father had while Salva was growing up. The production took 18 days to film. Co-star Jason Behr received the script only two weeks before shooting began.
Two versions of the film have been released. A director's cut
Director's cut
A director's cut is a specially edited version of a film, and less often TV series, music video, commercials, comic book or video games, that is supposed to represent the director's own approved edit...
of the film with commentary by Salva and Behr was released by Bell Canyon Entertainment on May 2, 2000. This version of the film features several deleted scenes which further explain the relationships between the major characters. A theatrical release version was released by Wolfe Video on August 30, 2000. This edition contains no commentaries.