White Boy Rick

"In 1980s Detroit, Ricky Wersche Jr. was a street hustler, FBI informant and drug kingpin—all before he turned 16."

2018 1h 51m EN

😐

6.4

MID

★6.4TMDB · 1,239

CrimeDrama

Synopsis

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The story of Richard Wershe Jr., a teenager who became an undercover informant for the police during the 1980s, and was ultimately arrested for drug trafficking and sentenced to life in prison.

“In 1980s Detroit, Ricky Wersche Jr. was a street hustler, FBI informant and drug kingpin—all before he turned 16.”

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Cast

Matthew McConaughey
Richard Wershe Sr.
Richie Merritt
Richard 'Ricky' Wershe Jr.
Jennifer Jason Leigh
Alex Snyder
Bel Powley
Dawn Wershe
RJ Cyler
Rudell Boo Curry
Rory Cochrane
Agent Byrd
Eddie Marsan
Art Derrick
Bruce Dern
Grandpa Roman Wershe

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Yann Demange
Writers: Noah Miller, Logan Miller, Andy Weiss
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

Earned back only 90% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 8 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Yann Demange, shot by Tat Radcliffe. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Max Richter. 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 Chris Wyatt 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

Matthew McConaughey and Richie Merritt and Jennifer Jason Leigh carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "In 1980s Detroit, Ricky Wersche Jr. was a street hustler, FBI informant and drug kingpin—all before he turned 16.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt4537896 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Yann Demange directs. Tat Radcliffe behind the camera. Max Richter scores. Chris Wyatt cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 90% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
2Released 8 years ago.
3Directed by Yann Demange, shot by Tat Radcliffe. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Max Richter. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Chris Wyatt shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Matthew McConaughey and Richie Merritt and Jennifer Jason Leigh carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "In 1980s Detroit, Ricky Wersche Jr. was a street hustler, FBI informant and drug kingpin—all before he turned 16.".
8IMDB entry: tt4537896 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Released under 31 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Tat Radcliffe
Original score: Max Richter
Editing: Chris Wyatt
Production design: Stefania Cella
Makeup / hair: Brian Badie
VFX supervisor: Pete Sussi
Sound: Aaron Glascock
Stunt coordinator: Ele Bardha
Runtime: 111 min · 1h 51m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $29,000,000
Box office: $25,957,482
Return: 90% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: White Boy Rick (2018)

Also by

Yann Demange

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Community reviews

What people are saying

flashman562018-09-18
There is an another more compelling story behind White Boy Rick - the tale of the FBI's manipulation of a young witness, grimy Detroit cops, a dishonest mayor and over the top sentences for non-violent crimes. Unfortunately, the motion picture concentrates more on the connections between a low-life single parent and his children, which is a significantly less captivating story. Much slower than anticipated. Solid performance by Richie Merritt Jr. however, and Matthew McConaughey fully embraced his character.
Gimly2019-02-03
★ 4/10
Forgettable. I guess I theoretically could feel sorry for the actual person this movie was based around? Maybe? But not for this character. Nothing about White Boy Rick grabbed me, least of all the utterly never-congenial Matthew McConaughey, who I seem unable to escape recently, desperate though I am to do so. Final rating:★★ - Definitely not for me, but I sort of get the appeal.

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