Synopsis
A San Quentin inmate, sentenced to life without parole, writes a play that catches the interest of a reporter.
Scores
Overall Score
26.0
Popularity Percentile (Year)
6.9%
Box Office Percentile (Year)
30.0%
Review Aggregate
62.0
Critic Consensus
Critic reception is mixed, with 67% of 3 logged reviews marked Fresh. Across reviews, critics repeatedly emphasize stylized, character-driven, emotional. Common reservations focus on execution consistency, even when reviewers praise standout elements.
stylizedcharacter-drivenemotionalvisually strikingthought-provokingrealistic
Cast
| Cast | Year | Reported Salary | Inflation Adjusted | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nick Nolte | 1987 | $675,000 | $1,863,000 | (est) |
| Ernie Hudson | 1987 | $415,000 | $1,147,000 | (est) |
| Lane Smith | 1987 | $313,000 | $864,000 | (est) |
| Mark Rolston | 1987 | $256,000 | $706,000 | (est) |
| William Forsythe | 1987 | $219,000 | $604,000 | (est) |
| Joe Mantegna | 1987 | $193,000 | $532,000 | (est) |
| J.J. Johnston | 1987 | $173,000 | $477,000 | (est) |
| Rita Taggart | 1987 | $157,000 | $435,000 | (est) |
Aggregated Reviews
Rotten Tomatoes critic score71.0
RT critic review count7
Rotten Tomatoes audience score53.0
RT audience rating count250
IMDb rating6.0
IMDb votes954
Box Office ?
| Category | Year | Reported | Inflation Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic | 1987 | $2,325,444 | $6,421,582 |
| International | 1987 | N/A | N/A |
| Worldwide | 1987 | $2,325,444 | $6,421,582 |
Earnings / Profitability
| Category | Year | Reported | Inflation Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenues | |||
| Theatrical Net Revenue | 1987 | $1,162,722 | $3,210,791 |
| Digital Rentals ? | 1987 | N/A | N/A |
| Digital Purchases ? | 1987 | N/A | N/A |
| Physical Rentals ? | 1987 | $5,923,000 | $16,356,031 |
| Physical Purchases ? | 1987 | $2,763,000 | $7,629,869 |
| TV & Streaming Revenue | 1987 | $930,178 | $2,568,633 |
| Total Revenues | 1987 | $10,778,900 | $29,765,324 |
| Expenses | |||
| Budget ? | 1987 | $12,000,000 | $33,137,323 |
| Print & Advertising (P&A) ? | 1987 | $1,508,000 (est) | $4,164,257 (est) |
| Participations | 1987 | $216,000 | $596,472 |
| Residuals ? | 1987 | $678,000 | $1,872,259 |
| Interest & Overhead | 1987 | $2,400,000 | $6,627,465 |
| Total Expenses | 1987 | $16,802,000 | $46,397,776 |
| Movie Net Profit or Loss | 1987 | $-6,023,100 | $-16,632,452 |
Similar Movies
| Poster | Movie | Year | Match | Overall | Est. Profit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | Coco | 2017 | Shared genres: 2 | 97.3 | $5,848,296 |
![]() | Sinners | 2025 | Shared genres: 2 | 96.7 | $62,425,911 |
![]() | La La Land | 2016 | Shared genres: 2 | 95.8 | $147,267,772 |
![]() | The Pianist | 2002 | Shared genres: 2 | 95.4 | $43,297,432 |
![]() | A Star Is Born | 2018 | Shared genres: 2 | 95.2 | $79,455,311 |




