Customer Reviews

Thursday (1998) [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.0 Import - Australia ]

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

This film only played in two theaters. (One in NYC, one in LA). It only grossed a few thousand dollars. (I read this in EW)

When it played at the Toronto Film Festival in 1998, Roger Ebert wrote about how racist and absurd this movie was and much he hated it when he saw it, so most distributors stayed away from it. He also claimed that it was a cheap knock off of Tarantino, and done poorly. You can read the Toronto Film Festival review where he trashes the movie on his website.

It finally came out on DVD in 2002, by Polygram/USA films. A week after it came out, Polygram/USA Films went bankrupt, and no more than 1000 copies of the DVD were made. This wasnt the only film that got hurt by Polygram's bankruptcy. The Last Days of Disco, Topsy Turvy, No Looking Back are also Polygram/USA DVD's that are super rare and impossible to find because of this. The only film that got lucky from the Polygram bankruptcy was The Big Lebowski, and thats because the Coen Brothers own american distribution rights to all their films.

The DVD imports are quite a bit easier to get a hold of. If you want to watch this movie this is the best way to go. The movie is still in English and the subs can easily be turned off.

SYNOPSIS

-"Taking a page from the Tarantino school of filmmaking, Thursday starts with a bang -- on Monday -- and shows no mercy until the final scene. The moral of the story is that you can't escape your past. That said, Thursday centres on Casey Wells, an architect leading the good life in suburban Houston, whose past catches up with him when his old buddy Nick comes to town.

Nick (Aaron Eckhart) brings with him a cast of creeps including Paulina Porizkova as the hyper-sexual Dallas, and James Le Gros as homicide specialist Billy Hill (folks call him "HillBilly"). If you caught Eckhart's performance as lead sleazeball in In the Company of Men, he will not seem cast off-type here. In Casey's words, he and Nick took separate paths when he left Los Angeles, and Nick never got his act together. Dialogue and a few flashbacks tell the story of Casey's sordid past: two years in L.A., which he has kept secret from his wife. Aside from the opening scene and the flashbacks, Thursday takes place on Thursday, with title screens to help guide the viewer through the day,

Porizkova seems to be enjoying every moment on screen and why not? Every actor loves to play a villain, and she shines as Dallas. Other fine performances are given by Le Gros, who is believably psychotic, and Jane, who delves into Casey's dark side without abandoning his conscience. Good editing is also evident in Thursday, as much of the gore is left to the viewer's imagination.

The unrated version has five minutes of extra footage too extreme for the R-rated release. Both versions give you plenty of violence, drugs and a smattering of sex. Obviously, Thursday is not family viewing, but if you liked Pulp Fiction and True Romance, this fast-paced ensemble film should also entertain you."

This has quickly become one of my all time favorite movies. Thomas Jane is marvelous as Casey, a former drug dealer who has moved from L.A to Houston, become an architect, gotten married, and bought a cute little house in the 'burbs. He likes being an upstanding citizen whose greatest danger in life is getting caught in his automatic lawn water sprinkler system. Things are so good, in fact, that Casey and his wife are trying to adopt a baby. All is bliss--until Thursday--when who should show up on his doorstep but his old drug-running buddy Nick (Aaron Eckhart) and leaves behind a mysterious locked metal suitcase. Strange people start showing up at Casey's house, including the nosy psychologist from the state adoption board who has come to conduct a psychological evaluation on Casey's fitness for prospective parenthood. Definitely some elements of "Pulp Fiction" here, but still fresh and funny. Even Mickey Rourke shows up--what else can you say? Just this: The humor is black, but the heart of this movie is pure gold.

I have been looking for this movie for 6 years and I finally found it here. At first I was a little concerned because it was an import, but the concern was not justified. The movie is DVD quality and is english. I received it 5 days after I bought it and it is just as I remember it. Dont spend >$100 and buy it used, just get this one! Thanks Amazon, you now have a customer for life.

Thomas Jane and Aaron Eckhart star in this story of a drug runner gone good. Casey Wells has a home in the 'burbs, a sucessful wife and a past far behind him but when his ex L.A. pal Nick,(Eckhart)shows up for a reunion a normal Thursday goes bad. His ex partner wants to take Wells back into to the drug life and Wells starts to learn that the past always catches up with you. Great pick for thriller lovers. Lots of action and a creative story line. This is one of those movies that gets better each time you watch it. Eckhart fans(In The Company Of Men, Your Friends and Neighbors)will get a kick out of his smooth portrail of an in-too-deep drug dealer and Thomas Jane(Face/Off,Deep Blue Sea)is great as a formerdrug dealer with a past to run from,this guy has talent. Special appearance by Mickey Roarke is a cool twist and a great ending that's sure to make you realize that in life there are always options.

A violent underground gangster flick with a hint of black comedy thrown in for good measure, Thursday is all about what happens when your shady past catches up with you when you don't necessarily want it to. Yes - it's violent, and irreverent, but the movie is saved from sadistic mediocrity by its clever story, and the obvious magnetism of its two-hunky main stars Thomas Jane and Aaron Eckhart. Both are deliciously nasty as drug dealers and scam artists whom you don't particularly like, but at the same time can't help but love.

It has been three and a half years since Casey Wells (Thomas Jane) moved from Los Angeles to the suburbs of Houston and gave up his life vicious drug dealing. Now he's a respectable architect living a bourgeois life with his conservative and attractive wife Christine (Paula Marshall). Christine has no idea about Casey's troubled past, she's more concerned about her high flying career, and even thinks that Casey is too straight and boring. Little does she know!

One Thursday morning, while his wife is away at work, his old partner in crime, the unreformed Nick (Aaron Eckhart), turns up on his doorstep. There's obviously still unsaid camaraderie between the two guys, so Casey lets Nick stay for a few days and lends him his station wagon to run a few errands. Casey, now the quintessence of suburban respectability, admonishes Nick when he throws a bottle top into the sink, and Nick has a go at Casey for being so straight and boring. Things don't stay boring for long though when Casey opens Nick's briefcase only to find it stashed full of heroin. In a fit of panic, Casey flushes it all down the sink, but it's all to late because the forces of the criminal underworld are, once again, marshalling around him.

Throughout the day Casey gets visits from a variety of creepy villains who are after the heroin and also the two million dollars in cash that Nick purportedly has hidden somewhere. He gets stoned, tied up, raped, and assaulted by Nick's gangster associates that include a half crazed hillbilly, Billy Hill (James LeGros), a red latex mini-skirted, sex-crazed whore Dallas (Paulina Porizkova), and bizarre crooked cop (Mickey Rourke) who threatens to kill Casey unless he turns over the stolen money. Casey must race against time to outwit the criminals and tidy all the mess (and blood) up before his wife gets home from her conference.

Obviously the film isn't for the faint of heart, but it's worth watching for an early Thomas Jane performance that is quite magnetic, charismatic, and almost quirky. As Casey, Jane does a great job of trying to keep his cool together while almost being shot at, and tortured. One of the funniest scenes is when an inspector from the adoption agency comes to interview him, as both Casey and Christine are thinking of becoming parents. Casey must try and hide a gun while trying to fend of the crazed advances of Dallas, who is intent on telling the inspector about his real past. Thursday has a slick, cool, underground feel to it, and although the script and direction is at times a little wonky, I think that fans of Jane and Eckhart will enjoy Thursday immensely and ultimately find the film quite a rewarding experience. Mike Leonard April 05.

This movie is a underground classic! Yeah... It's a sick movie,but the script for this baby was very well written!. The actors in 'THURSDAY' are not heavyweighs in a sense of being major stars,but they are heavyweights when it comes to pure acting talent.Prior to this movie, I never heard of Thomas Jane,but after seeing him in this flick,I have to say that I'm very impressed! Aaron Eckhart also did a spectacular job as one of the no-good characters (check out the convenient store seen, It's funny,yet it's quite disturbing.)And who can forget the imfamous Mickey Rourke.He did a awesome job as well. Trust me..This is not your ordinary drug-dealer film, you'll find it quite different from the rest.Great plot twists also! Undeniably one of the best sleeper movies since 'USUAL SUSPECTS'(which was also great!) Treat yourself tonight/today to it. Great movie collectors item!

although not quite as polished or produced as say "pulp fiction" this independent gem from skip woods really delivers,the at one time hardened casey has changed his ways and location from feared LA drug dealer to yuppie houston architect until a visit from an old partner in crime completly in every way immaginable dirupts his quiet "thursday" complete with requesite violence and sinister plot twists its hard to turn away even for a few seconds, this one will not diappoint. if possible i recomend the unrated directors cut.

This movie on my top 3 list. They need the credit were credit is due. Buy it and your going to watch it over and over.

O.K. so the movie has a lot of violence, and it's extremely graphic. But, there is some great subtle humor and some fantastic lines...for instance, "...I cut on her for 16 hours. Now that's a personal record...but I keep hoping."--Billy Hill. There's no question about it, it's a sick movie, but good acting, a ton of action, and a little humor make Thursday an enormous hit! Will join the ranks of other cult classics.

I first saw this movie at a friends house. When he said we're watching Thursday I thought he meant Friday (with Ice Cube and Chris Tucker). This movie was very suprising to me. It is one of the best movies I've seen in a long time.

Aaron Eckhart (Nick) and Thomas Jane (Casey) do an outstanding job in showing just how bad one day can get. i highly recommend this movie to anyone who like comedies with a twist.