''Homeboy'' is a

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

, directed by

Michael Seresin Michael Stephen Seresin, ONZM BSC, (born 17 July 1942) is a New Zealand cinematographer and film director. In addition to his work in film, Seresin is a winemaker, having founded Seresin Estate in the Marlborough wine region in 1992. He is the ...

. It was written by and stars

Mickey Rourke Philip Andre "Mickey" Rourke Jr. (; born September 16, 1952) is an American actor and former boxer who has appeared primarily as a leading man in drama, action, and thriller films. During the star of the 1980s, Rourke played supporting roles i ...

in the role of self-destructive

cowboy A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the '' vaquer ...

boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: * Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing *Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

Johnny Walker.

Christopher Walken Christopher Walken (born Ronald Walken; March 31, 1943) is an American actor. Prolific in film, television and on stage, Walken is the recipient of numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Awar ...

also stars as Walker's slightly corrupt promoter who encourages him to fight whilst hiding from him the fact that one more punch in the wrong place would kill him. The film was briefly released in some theatres in 1988 by TriStar through their distribution deal with Carolco, but was more widely seen on home video shortly after. Lionsgate reissued it on DVD on September 1, 2009. Shout Factory released the film on Blu-ray in 2020.

Plot

Johnny Walker (

) is a down-and-out

with

brain damage Neurotrauma, brain damage or brain injury (BI) is the destruction or degeneration of brain cells. Brain injuries occur due to a wide range of internal and external factors. In general, brain damage refers to significant, undiscriminating t ...

who has recently moved into a sea-side resort. He falls in love with Ruby (

Debra Feuer Debra Lee Feuer is an American former actress. She starred in the films ''Moment by Moment'', ''The Hollywood Knights'', '' To Live and Die in L.A.'', '' MacGruder and Loud'', '' Il burbero'', and '' Homeboy''; the latter in which she starred with ...

), a carnival owner with whom he shares much in common. He also befriends Wesley Pendergrass (

), a corrupt promoter. Wesley and Johnny form a strong friendship, and it's clear that Johnny comes to idolize Wesley who wants to use Johnny as muscle in a robbery and asks for his help. Johnny has to choose between the love of Ruby or the friendship of Wesley.

Cast

as Johnny Walker *

as Wesley Pendergass *

as Ruby * Thomas Quinn as Lou * Kevin Conway as Grazziano *

Antony Alda Antony Alda (born Antonio Joseph D'Abruzzo; December 9, 1956 – July 3, 2009), sometimes called Tony, was an American actor who grew up in a popular acting family. The son of Robert Alda, he was born in France. His early studies were in Rome and ...

as Ray *

Jon Polito Jon Raymond Polito (December 29, 1950 – September 1, 2016) was an American character actor. In a film and television career spanning 35 years, he amassed over 220 credits. Notable television roles included Detective Steve Crosetti in the fi ...

as Moe Fingers *Bill Slayton as Bill *David Albert Taylor as Cannonball *Joseph Ragno as Cotten's Trainer *Matthew Lewis as Cotten *

Willy DeVille Willy DeVille (born William Paul Borsey Jr.; August 25, 1950 – August 6, 2009) was an American singer and songwriter. During his thirty-five-year career, first with his band Mink DeVille (1974–1986) and later on his own, DeVille created orig ...

as Moe's Bodyguard *

Rubén Blades Rubén Blades Bellido de Luna (born July 16, 1948), known professionally as Rubén Blades (, but in Panama and within the family), is a Panamanian musician, singer, composer, actor, activist, and politician, performing musically most often in th ...

as Doctor *Sam Gray as Barber *Dondre Whitfield as Billy Harrison *

Stephen Baldwin Stephen Andrew Baldwin (born May 12, 1966) is an American actor, producer and director. He has appeared in the films ''Born on the Fourth of July'' (1989), ''Posse'' (1993), ''8 Seconds'' (1994), ''Threesome'' (1994), ''The Usual Suspects'' (19 ...

as Luna Park Drunk *

Michael Buffer Michael Buffer (born November 2, 1944) is an American ring announcer (or " MC") for boxing, professional wrestling, and National Football League matches. He is known for his trademarked catchphrase: "Let's get ready to rumble!" Early life Bu ...

as Ring Announcer

Production

Exterior shots in

Asbury Park Asbury Park () is a beachfront city located on the Jersey Shore in Monmouth County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 15,188

include the

boardwalk A boardwalk (alternatively board walk, boarded path, or promenade) is an elevated footpath, walkway, or causeway built with wooden planks that enables pedestrians to cross wet, fragile, or marshy land. They are also in effect a low type of bridge ...

, the beach, Paramount Theatre, Cookman Avenue. Shots in Belmar include Alfred's Ice Cream Cafe and Pied Piper Ice Cream. Interior shots in Asbury Park include the Convention Hall and Belmar Barber Shop in Belmar. The Tillie mural and the Palace Amusements building can be seen in the background, a staple of

and its culture. During the boxing scenes, the Convention Hall is used as the venue. This is the first of two times Rourke used the famed venue in films. The second was for 2008's ''

The Wrestler The Wrestler may refer to: * ''The Wrestler'' (1974 film), an American film directed by James A. Westman * ''The Wrestler'' (2008 film), an American film directed by Darren Aronofsky * "The Wrestler" (song), a song from the 2008 film written and ...

''.

told

Film Comment ''Film Comment'' is the official publication of Film at Lincoln Center. It features reviews and analysis of mainstream, art-house, and avant-garde filmmaking from around the world. Founded in 1962 and originally released as a quarterly, ''Film Co ...

in August, 1992:

Soundtrack

:''See Homeboy – Original Score Performed by Eric Clapton''.

In popular culture

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

's first memoir, ''Chronicles Volume One'', he writes of a trip to the movies during the recording of the album ''

Oh Mercy ''Oh Mercy'' is the 26th album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on September 12, 1989, by Columbia Records. Produced by Daniel Lanois, it was hailed by critics as a triumph for Dylan, after a string of poorly reviewed albums. ' ...

''. He writes of Mickey Rourke: :He could break your heart with a look. The movie traveled to the moon every time he came onto the screen. Nobody could hold a candle to him. He was just there, didn't have to say hello or goodbye. Dylan would later work with Rourke on his film ''

Masked and Anonymous ''Masked and Anonymous'' is a 2003 drama film directed by Larry Charles. The film was written by Larry Charles and Bob Dylan, the latter under the pseudonym "Sergei Petrov". It stars Dylan alongside a star-heavy cast, including John Goodman, Jeff ...

'' in 2001.

References

Film Comment, July/August 1992, "Out There on a Visit," Gavin Smith interview with Christopher Walken

External links

* * *{{Amg movie, 22948, Homeboy
Who Needs an Oscar Anyway? Mickey Rourke's 'Homeboy'
at

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

. 1988 films 1980s sports drama films American boxing films American crime drama films 1988 drama films Films produced by Elliott Kastner 1980s English-language films 1980s American films