''The Defiant Ones'' is a 1986 American

made-for-television A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definit ...

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

David Lowell Rich David Lowell Rich (August 31, 1920 – October 21, 2001) was an American film director and producer. He directed nearly 100 films and TV episodes between 1950 and 1987. He was born in New York City. He began directing on a regular basis in 1 ...

starring

Robert Urich Robert Michael Urich (December 19, 1946 – April 16, 2002) was an American film, television, and stage actor, and television producer. Over the course of his 30-year career, he starred in a record 15 television series. Urich began his ca ...

and

Carl Weathers Carl Weathers (born January 14, 1948) is an American actor and former professional football player. He is known for his roles as boxer Apollo Creed in the first four ''Rocky'' films (1976–85), George Dillon in ''Predator'' (1987), Action Jac ...

. It is a remake of the 1958 film of the same name.

Synopsis

Cullen Monroe and Johnny "Joker" Johnson are prisoners who hate each other and get into a fistfight, causing them to be transported to a different jailhouse by car. During transport they come to blows again, causing an accident. They escape the car but remain chained to each other while the sheriff hunts them.

Cast

as Johnny "Joker" Johnson *

as Cullen Monroe *

Ed Lauter Edward Matthew Lauter Jr. ( ; October 30, 1938 – October 16, 2013) was an American actor and stand-up comedian. He appeared in more than 200 films and TV series episodes in a career that spanned over 40 years. Early life Lauter was born and ...

as Sheriff Leroy Doyle *

Barry Corbin Leonard Barrie Corbin (born October 16, 1940) is an American actor. He is best known for his starring role as Maurice Minnifield on the television series ''Northern Exposure'' (1990–1995), which earned him two consecutive Primetime Emmy Award ...

as Floyd Carpenter *

Laurie O'Brien Laurie O'Brien (born February 16, 1951) is an American actress who started her career in Los Angeles in 1982 with her role in ''Timerider: The Adventure of Lyle Swann''. She is best known for voicing Baby Piggy on the 1980s Saturday morning cart ...

as Pauline *

Thalmus Rasulala Thalmus Rasulala (born Jack Crowder; November 15, 1939October 9, 1991) was an American actor with a long career in theater, television, and films. Noted for starring roles in blaxploitation films, he was also an original cast member of ABC's soap ...

as Fred *

William Sanderson William Sanderson (born January 10, 1944) is an American retired actor. He played J. F. Sebastian in the feature film ''Blade Runner'' (1982), and had regular roles on several television series such as Larry on ''Newhart'' (1982–1990), E. B. ...

as Mason *

Ritch Brinkley Ritch Brinkley (March 18, 1944 – November 5, 2015) was an American character actor who appeared in over 50 films and television programs in a career that spanned three decades. He is best known for playing William in ''Beauty and the Beast'' ...

as Lonny *

Ebbe Roe Smith Ebbe Roe Smith (born June 25, 1949) is an American actor and screenwriter, who wrote the film ''Falling Down''. As an actor, Smith has appeared in such films and television series as '' Outrageous Fortune'', '' The Big Easy'', ''Fatal Beauty'' a ...

as Deputy Miller *

Wil Wheaton Richard William Wheaton III (born July 29, 1972) is an American actor. He portrayed Wesley Crusher on the television series ''Star Trek: The Next Generation'', Gordie Lachance in the film ''Stand by Me (film), Stand by Me'', Joey Trotta in '' ...

as Clyde * Charles Bartlett as Jeffcoat * Richard Fullerton as First Guard * Bob Harris as Driver

Production and broadcast

The film is a remake of ''

The Defiant Ones ''The Defiant Ones'' is a 1958 American Adventure film, adventure Drama film, drama film which tells the story of two escaped prisoners, one white and one black, who are shackled together and who must co-operate in order to survive. It stars Ton ...

'', the 1958 film that inspired Carl Weathers to become an actor. It premiered on

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

at 9:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 5, 1986.

Reception

In comparing the film to the original version, Walter Goodman of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' wrote that "1986 is not 1958" and joked that the remake is "nothing if not moving. The two keep moving from the opening credits to the close." He further opined that the film contained "enough running music to score the New York Marathon."

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Defiant Ones 1986 Film 1986 television films 1986 films 1986 crime drama films ABC network original films American crime drama films Crime television films American drama television films Films directed by David Lowell Rich Films scored by Steve Dorff American buddy drama films American chase films Films about criminals Films about race and ethnicity Television remakes of films 1980s buddy drama films 1980s English-language films 1980s American films