''Rites of Passage'' is a 1999

thriller film Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre ...

written and directed by

Victor Salva Victor Ronald Salva (born March 29, 1958) is an American filmmaker. He has primarily worked in the horror genre, most notably as the writer-director of the commercially successful '' Jeepers Creepers'' (2001) and its sequels ''Jeepers Creepers 2'' ...

and starring

Dean Stockwell Robert Dean Stockwell (March 5, 1936 – November 7, 2021) was an American actor with a career spanning seven decades. As a child actor under contract to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, he first came to the public's attention in films including ''Anchors A ...

James Remar William James Remar (born December 31, 1953) is an American actor. He has played numerous roles over a 40 year career, most notably Ajax in '' The Warriors'' (1979), Albert Ganz in ''48 Hrs.'' (1982), Dutch Schultz in '' The Cotton Club'' (1984 ...

, and

Jason Behr Jason Behr (born December 30, 1973) is an American film and television actor. He first starred in the American television series '' Roswell'', for which he was twice nominated for a Saturn Award, followed by roles in the films '' The Shipping ...

Plot

The film begins with two recently escaped convicts – Frank (

) and "Red" (

Jaimz Woolvett James "Jaimz" Woolvett (born April 14, 1967) is a Canadian actor. Woolvett's highest-profile role was the Schofield Kid, a near-sighted aspiring gun-fighter in Clint Eastwood's Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, a ...

) – approaching a group of campers. Frank, the elder of the pair, shoots and kills the campers. D.J. Farraday (Robert Glen Keith) discovers that his father, Del (

), has been having an affair. D.J. asks Del to meet him at the family's cabin by the

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

, where D.J. intends to confront him about his adultery. When the two arrive at the summer house, they find Del's younger son, Campbell "Cam" Farraday (

), already there. Eventually it is revealed that Del had found Cam and his boyfriend, Billy, embracing there at the cabin. Del brutally beat Billy, and father and son have not spoken since. While D.J. is trying to convince Cam to stay and attempt a

reconciliation Reconciliation or reconcile may refer to: Accounting * Reconciliation (accounting) Arts, entertainment, and media Sculpture * ''Reconciliation'' (Josefina de Vasconcellos sculpture), a sculpture by Josefina de Vasconcellos in Coventry Cathedra ...

, Cam reveals to him that Billy is dead, and the clear implication is that Cam blames his father for the loss. A short while later, the two escaped convicts show up at the cabin and ask to use the phone, claiming that their car has broken down. Red, who is introduced as Frank's adult son, makes a point of taking up the hospitality offered, using that excuse to remain in the house (over Frank's objection). As the evening progresses Frank seems to be forcing Del into a challenge. Tensions are high, as Frank makes his play for Alpha of the house. At one point, D.J. goes so far as to suggest that "we all just whip 'em out and get this over with." The police show up looking for the two escaped convicts, and things get tense very quickly. It soon becomes clear that Cam knew the convicts and has had some sort of entanglement with them. The family must reconcile and put aside their issues with each other to deal with the menacing force of Frank. Tragedy ensues in the film's final few moments, good vanquishes evil, and father and sons are reconciled.

Cast

as Campbell "Cam" Farraday **Andreas Michael Lamelas as Young Campbell "Cam" Farraday * Robert Glen Keith as D.J. Farraday **Kenny Cloutier as Young D.J. Farraday *

as Del Farraday *

as Frank Dabbo *

as "Red" Tenney * Marianna Elliott as Trooper MacIntosh * Rondell Sheridan as Trooper Dixon * Nancy Sawyer as Jaimie Cutter * Joseph Kell as Gary Desoto *

Thomas G. Waites Thomas G. Waites (born January 8, 1955) is an American actor and acting instructor born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Waites runs an acting studio in New York City which is named for him. He has been a member of the Actors Studio since 1984 ...

as John Willio Farraday * Andrew Cooper as Billy * Brenda James as Ginny Farley (scenes deleted) * John Heff as Auditor (uncredited)

Production and releases

''Rites of Passage'' was the first film from Salva since the controversy surrounding his film, ''

Powder A powder is a dry, bulk solid composed of many very fine particles that may flow freely when shaken or tilted. Powders are a special sub-class of granular materials, although the terms ''powder'' and '' granular'' are sometimes used to distin ...

'' (1995), which was the target of boycotts due to

Disney's The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

hiring of Salva to direct the film after his conviction for molesting a 12-year-old

child actor The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting on stage or in movies or television. An adult who began their acting career as a child may also be called a child actor, or a "former child actor". Closely associated t ...

during the production of his previous film, '' Clownhouse'', in 1988. Salva based much of the dialogue between Del, D.J. and Cam on tense conversations he and his own father had while Salva was growing up. Two versions of the film have been released. A director's cut of the film with commentary by Salva and Behr was released by Bell Canyon Entertainment on May 2, 2000. This version of the film features several deleted scenes which further explain the relationships between the major characters. A theatrical release version was released by Wolfe Video on August 30, 2000. This edition contains no commentaries.

References

*Harvey, Dennis. "'Rites of Passage' (review)." ''Variety.'' June 28, 1999.

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rites of Passage 1999 films 1999 drama films 1999 LGBT-related films 1990s psychological thriller films American LGBT-related films American thriller drama films American psychological drama films American psychological thriller films Films directed by Victor Salva 1990s English-language films 1990s American films