X
  • 1995
  • R
  • Miramax
  • 1 h 51 m
  • 1995
  • R
  • Miramax
  • 1 h 51 m

Summary The Crossing Guard is a suspenseful action thriller about one man's unquenchable thirst for revenge. For six agonizing years, Freddy Gale(Nicholson) has waited for John Booth(Morse), the man jailed for a crime that destroyed Freddy's life. Now, Booth is out of prison and Freddy is giving him three days before he returns to even the score...

Directed By: Sean Penn

Written By: Sean Penn

  • 1995
  • R
  • Miramax
  • 1 h 51 m
  • 1995
  • R
  • Miramax
  • 1 h 51 m

The Crossing Guard

Metascore Mixed or Average Based on 18 Critic Reviews
46
User Score Generally Favorable Based on 16 User Ratings
6.6
My Score
Hover and click to give a rating Saved

Where to Watch

Summary The Crossing Guard is a suspenseful action thriller about one man's unquenchable thirst for revenge. For six agonizing years, Freddy Gale(Nicholson) has waited for John Booth(Morse), the man jailed for a crime that destroyed Freddy's life. Now, Booth is out of prison and Freddy is giving him three days before he returns to even the score...

Directed By: Sean Penn

Written By: Sean Penn

Where to Watch

Top Cast

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View All Cast & Crew

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
Mixed or Average Based on 18 Critic Reviews
46
44% Positive
8 Reviews
33% Mixed
6 Reviews
22% Negative
4 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Mixed or Average Based on 18 Critic Reviews
46
44% Positive
8 Reviews
33% Mixed
6 Reviews
22% Negative
4 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
80
The current of bereavement never flags even when the dramatic flood becomes stagnant. In every scene, Penn seems to know precisely where the nugget of feeling is hidden, and he doesn't let up until its uncovered.
By Hal Hinson FULL REVIEW
75
Some scenes ramble and go on too long, dialogue occasionally turns awkward and adolescent, and the film threatens to collapse from its own unchecked anger.
By Edward Guthmann FULL REVIEW
63
The problem with The Crossing Guard is not the premise or core theme, but the manner in which director Sean Penn breathes life into the story. This film is horribly unfocused.
By James Berardinelli FULL REVIEW
50
But ultimately all that melancholy stifles the characters.
FULL REVIEW
40
Much of the film plays awkwardly, its tone veering undecidedly between volatile drama and contemplative psychological study.
By David Rooney FULL REVIEW
38
The result is a curious mix - a picture that simultaneously seems meanderingly loose, affording the cast plenty of performing space, and suffocatingly tight, choking off the audience from any interpretive engagement.
By Rick Groen FULL REVIEW
10
Penn's film is very slow, sententious, ill-judged about the tensions he wants in long scenes. [18 Dec 1995, Pg.28]
By Stanley Kauffmann FULL REVIEW

User Reviews

 View All
User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 16 User Ratings
6.6
56% Positive
9 Ratings
38% Mixed
6 Ratings
6% Negative
1 Rating

User Reviews

 View All
User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 16 User Ratings
6.6
56% Positive
9 Ratings
38% Mixed
6 Ratings
6% Negative
1 Rating

There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.

Details

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Production Company Miramax
Release Date Nov 16, 1995
Duration 1 h 51 m
Rating R
Genres
Tagline Some lives cross, others collide.
Website http://www.miramax.com/movie/the-crossing-guard
View All Details

Awards

Golden Globes, USA
• 1 Nomination
Screen Actors Guild Awards
• 1 Nomination
Venice Film Festival
• 1 Nomination

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