''Witness Protection'' is a 1999 American

crime drama Crime film is a film belonging to the crime fiction genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and fiction. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine with many other genres, such as Drama (film and television), dr ...

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a Terrestr ...

directed by Richard Pearce and starring

Tom Sizemore Thomas Edward Sizemore Jr. (; November 29, 1961 – March 3, 2023) was an American actor. Born in Detroit, he started his career with supporting appearances in '' Born on the Fourth of July'' (1989), '' Lock Up'' (1989), and '' Blue Steel'' (19 ...

Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio (born November 17, 1958) is an American actress and singer. She made her Broadway debut in the 1980 revival of ''West Side Story'', and went on to appear in the 1983 film '' Scarface'' as Al Pacino's character's si ...

Forest Whitaker Forest Steven Whitaker (born July 15, 1961) is an American actor, filmmaker, and activist. His accolades include an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a British Academy Film Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards and the Best Actor Award at the ...

Shawn Hatosy Shawn Wayne Hatosy (born December 29, 1975) is an American film and television actor and director. He is best known for his roles in the films ''In & Out (film), In & Out'' (1997), ''The Faculty'' (1998), ''Outside Providence (film), Outside Pro ...

, and Skye McCole Bartusiak. The

teleplay A teleplay is a screenplay or script used in the production of a scripted television program or series. In general usage, the term is most commonly seen in reference to a standalone production, such as a television film, a television play, or a ...

by Daniel Therriault is based on a 1996 ''

New York Times Magazine ''The New York Times Magazine'' is an American Sunday magazine included with the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times''. It features articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted many notable contributors. The magazin ...

'' article entitled "The Invisible Family" by Robert Sabbag. It was broadcast by

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

on December 11, 1999.

Plot synopsis

South Boston South Boston (colloquially known as Southie) is a densely populated neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, located south and east of the Fort Point Channel and abutting Dorchester Bay (Boston Harbor), Dorchester Bay. It has under ...

career criminal Bobby "Bats" Batton, facing execution by his partner in crime, Theo Cruise, a Charlestown mobster, whom the

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

wants behind bars for a double murder, is offered a deal by the feds:

immunity Immunity may refer to: Medicine * Immunity (medical), resistance of an organism to infection or disease * ''Immunity'' (journal), a scientific journal published by Cell Press Biology * Immune system Engineering * Radiofrequence immunity ...

from prosecution for several serious crimes in exchange for

testimony Testimony is a solemn attestation as to the truth of a matter. Etymology The words "testimony" and "testify" both derive from the Latin word ''testis'', referring to the notion of a disinterested third-party witness. Law In the law, testimon ...

against Cruise, after which he and his family will join the Federal Witness Protection Program. Batton accepts the offer, and he, his wife Cindy, his

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...

-bound son Sean, and young daughter Suzie spend five days with

U.S. Marshal The United States Marshals Service (USMS) is a federal law enforcement agency in the United States. The Marshals Service serves as the enforcement and security arm of the U.S. federal judiciary. It is an agency of the U.S. Department of Jus ...

Steve Beck, who coaches them in their new identities in preparation for their relocation to

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

. Trying to cope without money, friends, relatives, pets, possessions, or any semblance of a past existence proves to be more difficult than any of them anticipated. When the family slowly begins to disintegrate under the weight of recriminations and frustration, Bobby wonders if his freedom is worth the sacrifices his loved ones have been forced to make.

Principal cast

as Bobby "Bats" Batton *

as Cindy Batton *

as U.S. Marshal Steve Beck *

as Sean Batton * Skye McCole Bartusiak as Suzie Batton * William Sadler as U.S. Attorney Sharp * Jim Metzler as U.S. Marshal Jim Cutler *

Daniel Zacapa Daniel Zacapa (born July 19, 1951) is a Honduran-American movie actor. Zacapa played the role of Detective Taylor in the 1995 David Fincher film '' Seven''. He has worked steadily since, amassing a number of television credits and a role in '' U ...

as U.S. Marshal David Ramirez *

Greg Pitts Greg Eugene Pitts (born January 21, 1970) is an American actor best known for his role as Drew in the film ''Office Space''. Career He has taken roles in films and television series, including ''Grey's Anatomy'' and ''Sons & Daughters (U.S. TV s ...

as U.S. Marshal Duffy * Randy Thompson as U.S. Marshal #1 * Byron Minns as U.S. Marshal #2 * Harrison Young as Mr. O'Connor, Cindy's father *

Joanna Merlin Joanna Merlin (born JoAnn Delores Ratner; July 15, 1931 – October 15, 2023) was an American actress and casting director who worked with Stephen Sondheim and starred in the original Broadway production of ''Fiddler on the Roof''. She wrote tw ...

as Mrs. O'Connor, Cindy's mother *

Leon Russom Leon Russom is an American actor who appeared in numerous television series, particularly soap operas. He portrayed Admiral Toddman (in the '' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' episode " The Die is Cast") and the Starfleet Commander-in-Chief in '' Sta ...

as Reedy * Greg Lipari as Hit Man *

Richard Portnow Richard Portnow (born January 26, 1947) is an American actor known for such films and television series as '' Good Morning, Vietnam'', ''Barton Fink'', '' Kindergarten Cop'', '' Man of the House'', '' Sister Act'', '' Seven'', '' Ghost Dog: The W ...

as Nikos "The Greek" Stephanos (uncredited)

Production

The film was inspired by Robert Sabbag's article "The Invisible Family", the cover story of the February 11, 1996 issue of ''

The New York Times Magazine ''The New York Times Magazine'' is an American Sunday magazine included with the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times''. It features articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted many notable contributors. The magazi ...

''. According to Sabbag, "I realized that this was going to be a movie when 11 producers called me the day after it was published." Filming took place in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. The Witness Security Safe Site and Orientation Center, the real-life secret facility in the

Washington, D.C., area The Washington metropolitan area, also referred to as the National Capital Region, Greater Washington, or locally as the DMV (short for Washington, D.C., District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia), is the metropolitan area comprising Washing ...

used by the Witness Protection Program, was re-created on a

sound stage A sound stage (also written soundstage) is a large, soundproof structure, building or room with large doors and high ceilings, used for the production of theatrical film-making and television productions, usually located on a secured movie or te ...

Raleigh Studios Raleigh Studios is a studio facility located in Hollywood, Los Angeles and has been under the ownership of Raleigh Enterprises since 1979. The location has been active since 1915. Before Raleigh, the studio was run by the Famous Players Film Comp ...

Critical reception

Caren Weiner Campbell of ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...

'' rated the

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...

release a B and added, "With its moody ''

Sopranos A soprano () is a type of classical singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to A5 in choral music, or to ...

'' vibe, this modest made-for-cable drama begins gracefully but bogs down a bit during the family's orientation, during which Whitaker, as the feds' liaison, gives a performance so subdued he almost seems to be sleepwalking."

Nominations

Golden Globe Award for Best Miniseries or Television Film The Golden Globe Award for Best Limited or Anthology Series or Television Film is one of the annual Golden Globe Awards given to the best miniseries or made-for-television film. Winners and nominees 1970s Best Television Film 1980s Best Minise ...

Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film The Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film or Best Actor – Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television is a Golden Globe Award presented annually by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA). It is given ...

(Tom Sizemore) *

Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...

for Outstanding Cinematography for a Miniseries, Movie, or Dramatic Special

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Witness Protection (Film) 1999 films 1999 crime drama films 1990s American films 1990s English-language films American crime drama films American drama television films American crime television films Films about families Films about organized crime in the United States Films about witness protection Films based on newspaper and magazine articles Films directed by Richard Pearce Films scored by Cliff Eidelman Films set in Boston Films set in Seattle Films shot in Los Angeles HBO Films films Films about the United States Marshals Service English-language crime drama films