The Crossing Guard

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The Crossing Guard

R

1995

1h 54m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

76%

Tomatometer

29 Reviews

52%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

For six excruciating years, Freddy Gale (Jack Nicholson) has fantasized about taking bloody revenge on John Booth (David Morse), the drunk driver responsible for the traffic accident that killed his daughter. On the last day of Booth's prison sentence, a grief-stricken Gale informs his ex-wife, Mary (Anjelica Huston), of his intentions, then follows Booth to a mobile home in the suburbs. There, with hands shaking, Gale draws his gun -- and steps into a dark and uncertain future.

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Mike Clark

USA Today

Jan 1, 2000

3/4

though Penn doesn't always seem to know where he's going, his movie doesn't altogether miss its destination.

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

Jan 1, 2000

2.5/4

What is good about this film is very good, but there are too many side trips, in both the plot and the emotions, for the film to draw us in fully.

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Grant Watson

Fiction Machine

Sep 23, 2024

6/10

Technically and structurally the film has a fair amount of problems, but as a venue for talented actors to express remarkable characters the film is second to none.

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Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Jan 9, 2009

B-

The movie is dramatically shapeless and pretentious too, but as director, Sean Penn gets powerful performances from his central trio: Nicholson, Anjelica Huston, and David Morse.

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Steve Crum

Video-Reviewmaster.com

Mar 22, 2008

3/5

So-so character study directed by Sean Penn, featuring Jack Nicholson, Robin Wright.

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David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

Nov 11, 2007

3/4

...a slow-paced yet mostly engrossing drama...

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Jeffrey P

@vanillavoodoo1 Sep 20, 2025

A misguided slowburn revenge plot where I really didn’t agree with the motives. Other than that, not much happens outside of strippers, some solid acting, more strippers, and an ending that was a lot worse than expected.

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mark g

@Mark_Alan_G. Jul 2, 2025

I thought The Pledge and Indian Runner were pretty good films directed by Penn, but this was a misfire that just never goes. The talent is assessed, sadly, the script wasn't.

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KB B

@Okbullard May 16, 2024

It was pretty good but the ending was amazing. It's worth the watch.

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Jelisije J

@jjosifovic May 3, 2024

A very realistic look at a father coming to terms with his daughter killer is sent free from jail and you get a film where the killer and they father grieve and are hopeless in their own individual lives.

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Ravenswood R

@RT16435246 Mar 26, 2024

This movie was so bad I stopped watching it. Extra half star in case at some point it got better, but there were no signs of that happening. Conventional canned drama, over-acting, bad music score, very dated run of the mill 90s era production. You feel like you know exactly where it's going, and you do not want to go there.

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Ari V

@RT59419633 Sep 17, 2023

I liked it as a teen. E.g. The vacuum cleaner bit, it's insistence on not amking anyone look superhuman, Now I see that it aims at a type of effortless, poetic, earnest, kind, sweet genius, but stays closer to pretentious artsy silliness much of the time. Some of its partial successes however, are strong enough to've likely helped inspire more memorable works like Heat and Punch Drunk Love.

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Sean Penn

Director

Jack Nicholson

Freddy Gale

David Morse

John Booth

Anjelica Huston

Mary

Robin Wright

Jojo

Piper Laurie

Helen Booth

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Synopsis

For six excruciating years, Freddy Gale (Jack Nicholson) has fantasized about taking bloody revenge on John Booth (David Morse), the drunk driver responsible for the traffic accident that killed his daughter. On the last day of Booth's prison sentence, a grief-stricken Gale informs his ex-wife, Mary (Anjelica Huston), of his intentions, then follows Booth to a mobile home in the suburbs. There, with hands shaking, Gale draws his gun -- and steps into a dark and uncertain future.

Director: Sean Penn
Producer: Sean Penn
Screenwriter: Sean Penn
Distributor: Miramax Films
Production Co: Miramax Films
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 15, 1995, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 8, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $771.7K
Runtime: 1h 54m
Sound Mix: Surround, Stereo

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