Ishtar

"Telling the truth can be dangerous business."

1987 1h 47m EN

💀

4.6

SKIP

🥫

40%

ROTTEN

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

4.7

IMDB

★4.6TMDB · 172🥫40%Rotten Tomatoes●51Metacritic★4.7IMDB · 12,345

ComedyAdventure

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Two terrible lounge singers get booked to play a gig in a Moroccan hotel but somehow become pawns in an international power play between the CIA, the Emir of Ishtar, and the rebels trying to overthrow his regime.

“Telling the truth can be dangerous business.”

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Cast

Warren Beatty
Lyle Rogers
Dustin Hoffman
Chuck Clarke
Isabelle Adjani
Shirra Assel
Charles Grodin
Jim Harrison
Jack Weston
Marty Freed
Tess Harper
Willa
Carol Kane
Carol
Aharon Ipalé
Emir Yousef

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Elaine May
Writers: Elaine May
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

Mid-budget at $51M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 28% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

CAST

Did you know

202+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Elaine May, shot by Vittorio Storaro. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Richard P. Cirincione shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Warren Beatty and Dustin Hoffman and Isabelle Adjani carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Elaine May directs. Vittorio Storaro behind the camera. Dave Grusin scores. Richard P. Cirincione cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Mid-budget at $51M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.
2Earned back only 28% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
339 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
4202+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.
5Directed by Elaine May, shot by Vittorio Storaro. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Dave Grusin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Richard P. Cirincione shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Warren Beatty and Dustin Hoffman and Isabelle Adjani carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "Telling the truth can be dangerous business.".
10IMDB entry: tt0093278 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 13 themes, including "escape", "fbi", "morocco", "wilderness".