Gleaming the Cube

"All he cared about was gleaming the cube...until the night they killed his brother."

1989 1h 46m EN

😐

6.0

MID

★6.0TMDB · 147

CrimeThrillerAction

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

An Orange County teenager's carefree life of ditching class and skateboarding abandoned pools comes to a screeching halt when someone close to him dies. The cops rule the death a suicide, but the bereaved skater believes he was murdered. It's up to him to solve the case, with a skateboard.

“All he cared about was gleaming the cube...until the night they killed his brother.”

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Cast

Christian Slater
Brian Kelly
Steven Bauer
Al Lucero
Richard Herd
Ed Lawndale
Ed Lauter
Mr. Kelly
Le Tuan
Colonel Trac
Peter Kwong
Bobby Nguyen
Charles Cyphers
Harvey McGill
Micole Mercurio
Mrs. Kelly

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Graeme Clifford
Writers: Michael Tolkin
Languages: English, Portuguese, Vietnamese
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

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: English, Portuguese, Vietnamese.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Graeme Clifford, shot by Reed Smoot. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Christian Slater and Steven Bauer and Richard Herd carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "All he cared about was gleaming the cube...until the night they killed his brother.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Graeme Clifford directs. Reed Smoot behind the camera. Jay Ferguson scores. John Wright cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, Portuguese, Vietnamese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 28% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
237 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Dialogue crosses 3 languages: English, Portuguese, Vietnamese.
4Directed by Graeme Clifford, shot by Reed Smoot. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Jay Ferguson. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor John Wright shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Christian Slater and Steven Bauer and Richard Herd carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "All he cared about was gleaming the cube...until the night they killed his brother.".
9IMDB entry: tt0097438 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Reed Smoot
Original score: Jay Ferguson
Editing: John Wright
Production design: John Muto
Makeup / hair: Annie D'Angelo
Sound: Michael J. Kohut
Stunt coordinator: Buddy Joe Hooker
Runtime: 106 min · 1h 46m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $10,000,000
Box office: $2,777,280
Return: 28% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Gleaming the Cube (1989)

Also by

Graeme Clifford

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Community reviews

What people are saying

GenerationofSwine2023-01-12
★ 10/10
Yeah, it's not the best movie. It could actually be a lot better... but it is entertaining as all.... heck? Even if you aren't hip to the whole skater thing, this is a seriously fun movie to watch in the cheap 80s action/adventure kind of way. It has a compelling enough police drama vide, even if most of the action is centered around skateboarding... which is also fun to watch. I honestly think a lot of the distaste comes from the fact that it is capitalizing on what was, in the 80s, seen as a passing fad. But the story is still solid for what it is. It has a good message about family ties. It has actual character growth. The story is something that Hollywood has forgotten to do lately, make a compelling narrative. But this somehow manages to accomplish that and still, you know, exploit the skater phenomenon that was sweeping the nation at the time.

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