| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Movie Name | Cisco Pike (1972) |
| Director | Bill L. Norton |
| Writer | Bill L. Norton |
| Lead Cast | Kris Kristofferson, Karen Black, Gene Hackman |
| Supporting Cast | Harry Dean Stanton, Antonio Fargas, Joy Bang, Roscoe Lee Browne, Severn Darden |
| Genre | Crime, Drama |
| Release Date | January 1972 (USA) |
| Duration | 94 minutes |
| Language | English |
| Budget | Not publicly disclosed |
| Box Office | Low box-office performance (cult classic over time) |
| IMDb Rating | 6.4/10 |
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A true ’70s picture, the film has all the necessary, thoughtful, and thoughtfully bleak elements that make movies like Night Moves, The Conversation, and Five Easy Pieces so alienated and iconic. Because of that, it is, again, a wonder why it’s remained largely unseen, except by a cluster of cultists who had the pleasure of watching it restored to its big screen glory last year (and this film is beautiful writ large).
In his screen debut, Kris Kristofferson stars as the titular Cisco Pike, an ex-musical star who has fallen out of fame because the harsher music of the 1970’s has tarnished his 1960’s teen idol hood. Living with his sweet but frequently disappointed girlfriend (played by the wonderful Karen Black), Cisco’s been peddling pot to make a living. He’s set to leave the trade, but when a corrupt, weird police sergeant (Gene Hackman could it be any more perfectly cast so far?) blackmails him into peddling an almost literal boatload of stolen weed, Cisco’s forced to sell the stuff in a weekend. Not so easy, except he’s got charm and connections and is, for the most part, unafraid. But the journey begins to feel exhausting, almost Sisyphean. What if he doesn’t sell the dope? And, more importantly, where is his life going anyway?
Adding to his load of big life questions, his ex bandmate friend (Harry Dean Stanton again with the perfect casting!) shows up in a tragic reunion. The friend is a drug addict a wash up who’s simultaneously hopeless and lost in the past. He’s merely kidding himself when he believes he can recapture the fame of his youth. But he does help Cisco move some product and adds to the films jangly, charming, and depressing mood. Pike is a journey through the lives of various characters, including a rich, pregnant party-girl (played by a hilariously dry Viva).
Spiked with terrific music by Kristofferson from “The Silver Tongued Devil and I” album (you’ll never forget his song “The Pilgrim,” the same song Cybill Shepherd quotes to De Niro’s Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver) naturalistic, powerful performances (everyone is remarkable, particularly Hackman’s surprisingly poignant “bad guy”), and a deep depiction of creeping cynicism, Cisco Pike should be a true discovery for those who’ve never seen it.
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