The Osterman Weekend

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The Osterman Weekend

R,

1983,

1h 43m,

Mystery & Thriller

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Watchlist

Watchlist

47%

19 Reviews

Tomatometer

38%

2,500+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

47%

Tomatometer

19 Reviews

38%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

An outspoken television personality, John Tanner (Rutger Hauer) has an annual tradition of going away with three college buddies. However, when Tanner is informed that these friends -- Bernard Osterman (Craig T. Nelson), Richard Tremayne (Dennis Hopper) and Joseph Cardone (Chris Sarandon) -- are part of a Soviet spy network, it adds considerable conflict to their getaway, a tension heightened by an enigmatic spy named Lawrence Fassett (John Hurt), who has unclear motives.

Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

Oct 23, 2004

1/4

I don't demand that all movies make sense. I sometimes enjoy movies that make no sense whatsoever, if that's their intention. But a thriller is supposed to hold together in some sort of logical way, isn't it?

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Vincent Canby

New York Times

May 20, 2003

2/5

Some individual sequences -- including a car chase early in the film - have the lunatic humor that might have made the rest of the film bearable, though probably nothing would justify the film's final blood bath.

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David Wood

BBC.com

Jan 1, 2000

3/5

It rattles along well enough as a thriler of the political paranoia variety.

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

Jan 11, 2024

4/5

…a misunderstood classic; The Osterman Weekend has certainly got a remarkable array of talent on show, and a prescient surveillance/conspiracy theme…should be prime real estate for a modern update…

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Jason Shawhan

Nashville Scene

Sep 10, 2021

Sam Peckinpah crafted his final film from the peaks and valleys of a staggering cocaine habit and a career's worth of paranoia.

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Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

Sep 6, 2020

4/10

An absurdly slow pace and lazy character development make this an overwhelmingly long affair - one too plodding to be spiced up by Peckinpah's use of visual affronts.

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Poe W

Apr 7, 2018

For me, this is another case of seeing the movie in parts over the years and then finally deciding to see it in its entirety once and for all. The only positive thing i can say about this film adaptation of the late Robert Ludlum's novel of the same title is the terrific cast. The adaptation retains the basic story of Ludlum's novel, John Tanner is told by the CIA that one or all of the friends he invited to spend the weekend at his home may be Soviet spies, but that is pretty much it. The scenes of the weekend gathering are poorly written and frankly makes no sense. The late Sam Peckinpah, in his final film, seemed more interested to have excuses to have the female cast members appear naked on screen. There are holes in this story a locomotive can fit through. My advice is to just read Robert Ludlum's novel and not waste your time with this stupid and dull movie.

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Leia S

Aug 8, 2017

One of the very few films that is superior to the original novel in my opinion. The cast is quite strong, and the plot keeps you in suspense throughout. Lancaster is perfect in playing the CIA chief, as Hauer and Hurt also deliver strong performances.

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Abraham P

Feb 26, 2017

The cast are great - particularly John Hurt - but they can't cover up an average story.

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Sam Peckinpah

Director

Rutger Hauer

John Tanner

John Hurt

Lawrence Fassett

Craig T. Nelson

Bernard Osterman

Dennis Hopper

Richard Tremayne

Chris Sarandon

Joseph Cardone

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Synopsis

An outspoken television personality, John Tanner (Rutger Hauer) has an annual tradition of going away with three college buddies. However, when Tanner is informed that these friends -- Bernard Osterman (Craig T. Nelson), Richard Tremayne (Dennis Hopper) and Joseph Cardone (Chris Sarandon) -- are part of a Soviet spy network, it adds considerable conflict to their getaway, a tension heightened by an enigmatic spy named Lawrence Fassett (John Hurt), who has unclear motives.

Director: Sam Peckinpah
Producer: Peter S. Davis, William N. Panzer
Screenwriter: Alan Sharp
Production Co: Davis-Panzer Productions
Rating: R
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 2, 2017
Runtime: 1h 43m

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