''Martin's Day'' is a 1985 American

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. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by Alan Gibson. It stars

Richard Harris Richard St John Francis Harris (1 October 1930 – 25 October 2002) was an Irish actor and singer. Having studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, he rose to prominence as an icon of the British New Wave. He received numerous a ...

, Justin Henry, Lindsay Wagner,

Karen Black Karen Blanche Black (née Ziegler; July 1, 1939 – August 8, 2013) was an American actress, screenwriter, singer, and songwriter. She rose to prominence for her work in various studio and independent films in the 1970s, frequently portr ...

and

James Coburn James Harrison Coburn III (August 31, 1928 – November 18, 2002) was an American film and television actor who was featured in more than 70 films, largely action roles, and made 100 television appearances during a 45-year career.AllmoviBi ...

Synopsis

The film follows an escaped convict named Martin who kidnaps a boy, also named Martin, while trying to flee via plane. While on the run the two Martins discover that they have many things in common other than just their name and begin to bond.

Cast

as Martin Steckert * Lindsay Wagner as Dr. Mennen *

as Lt. Lardner * Justin Henry as Martin *

as Karen * John Ireland as Brewer *

Saul Rubinek Saul Hersh Rubinek (born July 2, 1948) is a Canadian actor, director, producer, and playwright. He is widely known for his television roles, notably Artie Nielsen on '' Warehouse 13,'' Donny Douglas on '' Frasier'', Lon Cohen on '' A Nero Wolf ...

as Hitchhiker * R.H. Thompson as Paul Mennen

Production

Filming for ''Martin's Day'' took place in Ontario, Canada during the autumn of 1984, and began shortly after Richard Harris completed an eight-city tour of the musical ''

Camelot Camelot is a legendary castle and Royal court, court associated with King Arthur. Absent in the early Arthurian material, Camelot first appeared in 12th-century French romances and, since the Lancelot-Grail cycle, eventually came to be described ...

''. The film's script was written by Chris Bryant and Allan Scott.

Release

Initially intended to release in November 1984, ''Martin's Day'' premiered in the United States on February 22, 1985.

Reception

Critical reception was mixed. ''

The Kansas City Star ''The Kansas City Star'' is a newspaper based in Kansas City, Missouri. Published since 1880, the paper is the recipient of eight Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Star'' is most notable for its influence on the career of President Harry S. Truman and a ...

'''s Robert C. Trussell expressed disappointment in the film, criticizing the lack of acting chemistry between Henry and Harris. A reviewer for the ''

Austin American-Statesman The ''Austin American-Statesman'' is the major daily newspaper for Austin, the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is owned by Hearst Communications. The distribution of the following ''The New York Times'', ''The Washington Post'', '' ...

'' viewed it as a contender for the year's worst film and noted that the filming was done so quickly after Harris's ''Camelot'' tour that his hair still bore traces of the orange hair dye used for his performance as

King Arthur According to legends, King Arthur (; ; ; ) was a king of Great Britain, Britain. He is a folk hero and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In Wales, Welsh sources, Arthur is portrayed as a le ...

. David Pickering of the ''

Corpus Christi Times The ''Corpus Christi Caller-Times'' is the newspaper of record for Corpus Christi, Texas. History There has been a newspaper in Corpus Christi for almost as long as there has been a town. In 1883, the ''Caller'' was started in a frame building ...

'' was more favorable, praising Harris's acting. Martha Steimel of the '' Wichita Falls Times'' was similarly favorable citing Henry's acting as a highlight.

References

External links

''Martin's Day'' tribute/fan website
* * 1985 films Films about child abduction in the United States Films directed by Alan Gibson Films about hostage taking Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films American drama road movies 1980s drama road movies United Artists films 1985 drama films 1980s English-language films 1980s American films Films scored by Wilfred Josephs English-language crime drama films {{1980s-US-film-stub