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Rampage - Presskit Page 4 |
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"RAMPAGE" In "Rampage," a courtroom drama examining the tensions between psychiatry and the law, Michael Biehn portrays Anthony Fraser, a young District Attorney who has to seek the death penalty for a killer, even as it goes against his deepest personal beliefs. In essence, it's a role quite familiar to him, though the circumstances in this case are certainly a bit perplexing. Both Biehn's father and brother are lawyers. In preparation for "Rampage," the actor talked with his father, who gave him his strong opinion on psychiatry in the courtroom. "There's a big issue in the script about psychiatrists in court and what roles they play," he says. "For instance, when I first got this part, I had always been for the death penalty. Then, when I started examining the script, I began to rationalize the situation because my character starts off not wanting the death penalty, which was so completely against the way I felt. Now, I really don't know which point of view is more apropos." The strength of Biehn's performance in "Rampage" is his single-minded determination to do what he feels is right and just, a trait that can also best describe the roles he's played in two feature film appearances, the smash hits "Aliens" and "The Terminator." What separates "Rampage" from these features, however, is that for the first time Biehn gets to play an intellectual. "It's definitely a thinking type of movie," he says. "If nothing else, the audience may have second thoughts about the feelings they've had about the death penalty and psychiatry in court. I know I have." Biehn was born in Anniston, Alabama, and raised in Lincoln, Nebraska, where he started performing at an early age in community theatre. He attended the University of Arizona on a drama scholarship and later made the move to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. There, he began to study with acting teacher Vincent Chase, whom he describes as the "major force" behind his career. His first major role was opposite Lauren Bacall and James Garner in "The Fan," in which he played the title character. Then followed "The Lords of Discipline" and two films with Academy Award winning Czechoslovakian director Petr Wiegl: "The Martyrdom of St. Sebastian," a religious biography, and the surrealistic fantasy "The Night of Lead." Recent film appearances include "K2" with Matt Craven, "The Seventh Sign" with Demi Moore and "Navy SEALS" with Charlie Sheen. On television, he was initially seen as a racist police officer who felt he was a law unto himself in a three-part "Hill Street Blues" guest appearance. He also starred in the top rated miniseries "Deadly Intentions" and in PBS's "In a Shallow Grave." He recently wrapped production on an HBO Showcase project "Strapped," directed by Forest Whitaker, which explores the illegal gun trade. "RAMPAGE" As Charles Reece, Alex McArthur portrays the accused serial killer in "Rampage." McArthur never sees his character as a bad guy, but instead, feels compassion for him. "Reece understands with clarity where he's coming from and what he has to do. Against all odds, Reece will do anything to get his job done doing the best he can. It's as though he is on a mission." McArthur also was attracted to "Rampage" because of William Friedkin. "He's obviously shot the film 30 times in his head. He knows exactly what he wants and gets it," he says. McArthur grew up in Telford, Pennsylvania. After a brief time as a carpenter in San Jose and studying acting at De Anza Junior College, he moved to New York City. There, he studied acting for five years at HB Studios. He then moved to Los Angeles and appeared in Peter Bogdanovich's "They All Laughed," "Fort Apache, The Bronx," "Can't Stop the Music" and Walter Hill's "Streets of Fire." His first starring role came in a CBS television movie "With Intent to Kill," in which he played an insane teenager. While McArthur is perhaps best known for his role as western hero Quell McCall in NBC's "Desperado" movies, the actor grabbed critical attention with the role of Walter in "Desert Hearts." In a review, The Los Angeles Times stated, "McArthur as Audra Lindley's kind, level-headed teenage son is one of those shining demonstrations of how much can be done with a tiny role." His role in "Desert Hearts" also caught the eye of Madonna and led to the part which, up to now, has given him the most exposure. McArthur portrayed the mechanic-lover who gets Madonna pregnant in her "Papa Don't Preach" video, which hit number two on the MTV video charts. "Making that video was like making a mini-movie because it told a story and had a major feature film director directing it," he explains. The actor has two new projects slated for NBC this year. "RAMPAGE" Deborah Van Valkenburgh stars as Kate fraser, the district attorney's wife, who, after losing her daughter to pneumonia, loses her husband to his obsession with the case. Van Valkenburgh began her professional acting career as a tribe member in the 1977 Broadway revival of "Hair" in which she occasionally played the role of Sheila. This performance led to her film debut as the female lead, Mercy, in Walter Hill's "The Warriors." After her four year stint as Jackie Rush on television's popular comedy series "Too Close for Comfort" Van Valkenburgh worked with Hill again in "Streets of fire." She also completed "A Bunny's Tale," and "Going for the Gold," following her time on "Too Close for Comfort." She recently completed "Phantom of the Ritz" and "Erik." Van Valkenburgh has also been a guest star on CBS' new series "Picket Fences," and has appeared on "Civil Wars" and "Bodies of Evidence" as well. Van Valkenburgh performed the lead role in the stage production of "Roller Derby: The Musical" and completed a six month run as Pudie Cupp in the Old Globe Theatre's successful production of "Pump Boys and Dinettes." "RAMPAGE" Nicholas Campbell stars as Albert Morse, the public defender for Charles Reece. Challenged by the District Attorney, Morse presents a case based on psychiatric evidence to attempt to prove Reece's innocence by reason of insanity. Trained at the prestigious Royal Academy of London, Campbell's first exposure to American audiences was as a military aide to Gregory Peck's character in "The Omen." Numerous British television appearances were followed by a role in "The Eagle Has Landed" and as the young soldier in Sir Richard Attenborough's "A Bridge Too Far." Declining an offer to tour with "The Glass Menagerie," Campbell was chosen to co-star with and be directed by Sir Laurence Olivier in the Granada Television Production of "Come Back, Little Sheba." "RAMPAGE" From her portrayal of Kathryn Palmer in David Lynch's "Twin Peaks" to her roles in such memorable films as "The Big Easy," "Ambition," "Drugstore Cowboy" and "An Officer and a Gentleman," Grace Zabriskie is known for her wide range of dramatic roles. As Charles Reece's mother, Naomi, Zabriskie must confront the difficult fact that her son, is a serial killer. Zabriskie's numerous television credits include "Moonlighting," "Falcon Crest," "Empty Nest," and "Hill Street Blues." "RAMPAGE" JOHN HARKINS John Harkins portrays Dr. Keddie, a psychiatrist who diagnoses Charles Reece as being legally insane, thus testifying against the death penalty. On film, Harkins has been seen in "Birdy," "Amityville 111" and "Absence of Malice." His television credits include such movies of the week as "Return of the Man From U.N.C.L.E.," "Fear on Trail," "The Sam Shepard Murder Case" and the miniseries "The Winds of War" and "Dream West." "RAMPAGE" Art La Fleur plays detective Mel Sanderson, District Attorney Anthony Fraser's investigating partner. Sanderson puts together the pieces of evidence to pin the murders on a serial killer. La Fleur has previously appeared in the films "Mr. Baseball", "Oscar," "Air America" and "Field of Dreams." On television he appeared in "Live From Death Row," "The Penalty Phase" and the Movies of the Week "The Fifth Missle" and "Sometimes I Wonder." "RAMPAGE" Writer /Director William Friedkin brings his Oscar-winning touch to the screen once again with "Rampage," an intense examination of psychiatry and its effect upon our criminal justice system. For "The French Connection" in 1972, Friedkin was honored with both the Academy and Directors Guild of America Awards for Best Director. Named Best Picture by the Academy as well, "The French Connection" is frequently cited by critics throughout the world as among the ten best American films of all time. As is evident in "The French Connection" and now with his twelfth motion picture, "Rampage," Friedkin has a fascination with police and criminal lore. This interest dates back to childhood of listening to real life tales of his uncle, famed Chicago police officer Harry Lang. Diverting a bit away from the police theme after "The French Connection," his next accomplishment, "The Exorcist," was similarly acclaimed. Together, these two films received seventeen Academy Award nominations and seven Oscars, and brought the filmmaker Golden Globe Awards for Best Director in 1972 and 1974 from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Also in 1974, he was named Motion Picture Director of the Year by the National Association of Theatre Owners. He began his career at age 16 in the mailroom of WGN-TV in his native Chicago, and within two years, Friedkin was directing live television. His early television experience spanned almost a decade and more than 2,000 programs, including his first film: "The People Vs. Crump," a 16mm documentary about a man who spent eight years on death row in Cook County Jail. Although the film was never aired by WGN-TV, Friedkin wound up heading the station's documentary unit. Eventually, the one-hour film won the Golden Gate Award at the San Francisco Film Festival in 1962, at which time Friedkin came to the attention of producer David Wolper. Friedkin made three documentaries for Wolper, which aired on the ABC Television Network: "The Thin Blue Line," about law enforcement in the United States; "Mayhem on a Sunday Afternoon," concerning professional football; and "The Bold Men," a look at contemporary scientific adventures. He continued working in television until 1966 and directed the last Alfred Hitchcock hour with John Gavin. Producer Steve Broidy offered the filmmaker his first motion picture assignment -- "Good Time," starring Sonny and Cher, which became a sleeper hit in 1967. Friedkin went on to direct "The Night They Raided Minsky's," "The Birthday Party" and "The Boys in the Band" before bringing Gene Hackman to the screen as Popeye Doyle in "The French Connection." Following "The Exorcist" in 1973, Friedkin directed "Sorcerer," "The Brink's Job," "Cruising," "Deal of the Century," "To Live and Die in L.A," "The Guardian," "Rampage" and "The Tracker." Friedkin has served as president of the Director's Guild and on the board of directors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In what little free time he has, he maintains his equilibrium by travelling and "just hanging out," as he puts it. He maintains friends on both sides of the law, visits the trading floor on Wall Street and tags along with cops on the beat. "RAMPAGE" David Salven, a veteran of over 30 years in the motion picture business, served a producer and unit production manager on "Rampage." Salven recently was associate producer and unit production manager on "SpaceCamp" and executive producer of the critically acclaimed drama "Twice in a Lifetime," directed by Bud Yorkin and starring Gene Hackman, Ellen Burstyn and Ann Margaret. The Los Angeles native got his start in the film industry as a production assistant in 1952. Working his way up the ranks, he was named executive in charge of production of Francis Coppola's monumental Vietnam War saga "Apocalypse Now." More recently, he served in the same capacity for "All of Me." Salven's credits also include "The Exorcist," Richard Donner's poignant "Inside Moves," "Deal of the Century," "C.A.T. Squad" and "Man, Woman and Child." "RAMPAGE" Ennio Morricone provides the score for "Rampage." The internationally renowned composer has written more than 100 motion picture scores, including "The Mission," "The Untouchables," "Days of Heaven" and most recently, "Bugsy." He received an Academy Award nomination for each of these efforts and also won a British Academy Award for "The Untouchables" and a Golden Globe A ward for "The Mission." Morricone's reputation as a composer of film scores was secured by the music he wrote for five Sergio Leone westerns: "A Fistful of Dollars," for which he won the Italian Film Critics Silver Ribbon Award in 1964; "For a Few Dollars More;" "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly;" "Once Upon A Time in the West" and "Duck You Suckers." His screen credits also include "Hamlet," "Casualties of War," "Cinema Paradiso," "La Cage Aux Folles" and "City of Joy." "RAMPAGE" Former Sacramento District Attorney turned writer William P. Wood penned "Rampage" from several real life cases. The filmed account resembles the Richard Trenton Chase case or the so-called "vampire killer" of Sacramento. He was convicted of killing several people in the late '70s and committed suicide while on Death Row. "RAMPAGE" was the first novel from the author who has since published six books. The book is also the first to be translated onto the big screen with his well received "Court of Honor" waiting for film treatment as well. Most of the author's books were inspired by his on the job experiences as the Deputy District Attorney in Sacramento County for five years. This proved to be fertile ground for story ideas and situations that you just could'nt make up. The author is currently working on a nonfiction book based on the Sacramento murders of landlady Dorothea Montalvo Puente. Wood prosecuted her in 1982 for other charges and later learned of evidence implying her after sentencing. She presently faces nine counts of first degree murder and Wood will likely testify at her trial. In addition to "Rampage" and "Court of Honor," his other books are "Gangland," "Fugitive City" and "Stay of Execution." "RAMPAGE" Robert D. Yeoman, the Director of Photography, returns to work for William Friedkin after their collaboration on "To Live and Die in L.A." Before providing additional photography for that film, Yeoman photographed several documentaries and commercials including the Emmy Award winning "Little Wars." Yeoman says of working with Friedkin, "It's very, very challenging. There are few directors who know exactly what they want, but he does. He pushes himself and everyone else to get the most out of them. You're always on the edge and giving everything you can to it." "RAMPAGE" Film editor Jere Huggins has edited several films and television programs, including William Friedkin's "To Live and Die in L.A.," "Deal of the Century," and the television film "C.A.T. Squad." |
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