Powder

"An extraordinary encounter with another human being."

1995 1h 52m EN

👍

7.1

SOLID

🥫

50%

ROTTEN

⭐

6.6

IMDB

★7.1TMDB · 764🥫50%Rotten Tomatoes★6.6IMDB · 34,038

DramaFantasy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Harassed by classmates who won't accept his shocking appearance, a shy young man known as "Powder" struggles to fit in. But the cruel taunts stop when Powder displays a mysterious power that allows him to do incredible things. This phenomenon changes the lives of all those around him in ways they never could have imagined.

“An extraordinary encounter with another human being.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

Amazon Prime VideoSubscription

Amazon Prime Video with AdsSubscription

Amazon VideoRent

Apple TV StoreRent

Google Play MoviesRent

Google Play MoviesBuy

YouTubeBuy

Fandango At HomeBuy

Cast

Mary Steenburgen
Jessie Caldwell
Sean Patrick Flanery
Jeremy 'Powder' Reed
Lance Henriksen
Sheriff Doug Barnum
Jeff Goldblum
Donald Ripley
Brandon Smith
Deputy Harley Duncan
Bradford Tatum
John Box
Susan Tyrrell
Maxine
Missy Crider
Lindsey Kelloway

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Victor Salva
Writers: Victor Salva
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 3.3× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

31 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Victor Salva, shot by Jerzy Zieliński. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Original score by Jerry Goldsmith. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Dennis M. Hill shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Mary Steenburgen and Sean Patrick Flanery and Lance Henriksen carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "An extraordinary encounter with another human being.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0114168 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Victor Salva directs. Jerzy Zieliński behind the camera. Jerry Goldsmith scores. Dennis M. Hill cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 3.3× over at the box office.
231 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Directed by Victor Salva, shot by Jerzy Zieliński. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Jerry Goldsmith. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Dennis M. Hill shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Mary Steenburgen and Sean Patrick Flanery and Lance Henriksen carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "An extraordinary encounter with another human being.".
8IMDB entry: tt0114168 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 12 themes, including "teenage boy", "held at gunpoint", "teacher student relationship", "albino".
10Released under 13 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Jerzy Zieliński
Original score: Jerry Goldsmith
Editing: Dennis M. Hill
Production design: Waldemar Kalinowski
Costume design: Betsy Cox
Runtime: 112 min · 1h 52m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $9,500,000
Box office: $30,900,000
Return: 325% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Powder (1995)
Rotten Tomatoes: 50% 🥫 Rotten
IMDB rating: 6.6/10 · 34,038 votes
MPAA: PG-13

Awards

1 win & 1 nomination total

Also by

Victor Salva

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2018-08-26
★ 8/10
"Can't imagine there's meanness; can't imagine one lie" "Powder" was the first of two films that came out in 1995-1996 dealing with a gifted individual who is super-smart and has paranormal powers; the second was "Phenomenon" with John Travolta. "Powder" is the superior. While "Phenomenon" is good, "Powder" reaches for greatness and, in some ways, achieves it, even while it’s marred by a few dubious moments. Sean Patrick Flanery plays a hairless albino teen in East Texas, nicknamed Powder, who's discovered living in a basement after his grandfather's sudden death. As a ward of the state, he is placed in a boy's school where his uniqueness stirs up trouble. For a film like this to work you have to buy into the character, and this is one of the movie's strengths. Flanery reveals his acting expertise in his convincing portrayal of the shy, gifted teen. Flannery's Powder stands strong with the greatest misfits in cinema, like Nimoy's Spock and Hank's Forrest Gump. Actually, the acting is good across the board: Lance Henriksen as the hardened-but-open sheriff, Mary Steenburgen as a psychologist who grows to really care for Powder in a motherly way, Jeff Goldblum as a fervent science teacher who's astonished, Bradford Tatum as Powder's main enemy at school, Brandon Smith as a redneck deputy who instinctively hates him, but actually fears him, and the beautiful redhead Missy Crider, Powder's fellow student and potential love interest. Roger Ebert dissed the film for a number of reasons, one being Powder's enemy's don't learn from him. On the contrary, one enemy makes a 180 after being enlightened, but ultimately reverts back to his former base mentality. This happens all the time in real life. On another occasion Powder does something miraculous and you can clearly see the change on his enemy's face, the realization & acceptance. Whether this will prove to be a lasting change or temporary, isn’t revealed. Ebert also complained that Powder's electrical tricks upstage his emotional insights. Really? I think it's the reverse. While the electrical tricks are there to maintain the attention of those with ADHD, it's the film's potent insights that stay with the viewer. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the electrical tricks, but they're way too overdone to be realistic. At the same time, I understand why the writer/director (Victor Salva) included them: this is a MOVIE, not real life; it's meant to transfer ideas AND entertain, and it does both pretty effectively. Ebert also griped that the ending is unsatisfying the more you think about it. Actually, the ending makes a powerful statement and is reminiscent of the spectacular translations of Elijah and Enoch in the Bible. Let's just say Powder was too good, too spiritual, for the simpleminded and mundane. I'm not saying the film doesn't have flaws or eye-rolling moments, but they can be overlooked in view of the big picture and the film's successes. As for the paranormal phenomena featured in the story, like psychokinesis, telepathy, extraordinary empathy and what the Bible calls "the word of knowledge,” although some of these are exaggerated in the film I have a secret: They're real. ========================= The film was shot in SE Texas and runs 111 minutes. GRADE: A-

Production companies