Eureka (1983)

My Review

“Eureka” is a psychological drama film telling the story of a gold prospector who strikes it rich and runs into all kinds of trouble because of his wealthy status. Great performances by Gene Hackman as the lucky miner, Theresa Russell and Rutger Hauer as his daughter and son-in-law, as well as Joe Pesci, Mickey Rourke, Corin Redgrave, Jane Lapotaire, Ed Lauter, Helena Kallianiotes, James Faulkner (not the famous writer). It was filmed in Canada, Jamaica, England, and Florida, U. S. of A.

Director Nicolas Roeg (“Bad Timing” 1980) expertly handled the material, with an excellent screenplay by Paul Mayersberg, adapted from Marshall Houts’ 1976 book “Who Killed Sir Harry Oakes?” The film was originally filled with so much sex and violence that it received a X rating, so the studio went to work with editing and got it upgraded to an R. Nonetheless, “Eureka” was a huge bomb at the box office for Recorded Picture Company, JF Productions, Sunley Productions, and United Artists.