The Making of POINT BLANK (1967)

Point Blank, released in 1967, is widely considered to be one of the best and most influential movies of the 1960s. Filmmakers such as Steven Soderbergh (The Limey) and Quentin Tarantino (Once Upon A Time In Hollywood) have cited aspects of this movie. This includes its unorthodox editing and use of bold colors as having a large impact on their style.

“(Point Blank) is a film that I’ve stolen from so many times.” 

-Steven Soderbergh

The movie is based on Donald E. Westlake’s (written under the name “Richard Stark”) 1963 novel The Hunter. The story is about a thief who is betrayed by both his wife and partner and works his way through a crime syndicate to get his money back. The film Payback (1999) was also based on this novel.

In 1966, Irwin Winkler had just completed the production of his first motion picture, Double Trouble (1967), starring Elvis Presley. His associate, Judd Bernard, approached Winkler with the script for Point Blank. The pair were eager to cast Lee Marvin (The Big Red One) as the lead and begin production.

However, they had a problem. Marvin was in London working on The Dirty Dozen (1967). The pair were also unfamiliar with the city, and how to track Marvin down. Winkler sent the script to his friend John Boorman (Excalibur) and tasked him with finding Marvin and getting him interested in the project.

Boorman reached Marvin and they discussed the project at length. Both Boorman and Marvin thought the script was terrible, but they agreed that the story, and the main character of “Walker,” were fantastic.

“When Mel Gibson did a remake of this picture, the script that he shot very much resembled the script that Lee Marvin threw out of the window. I can only imagine a very young Mel Gibson was walking along and picked it out of the gutter.”

– John Boorman

Lee Marvin used his significant clout in Hollywood and was able to secure multiple meetings with the head of the studio, the producers, as well as with his agent, and John Boorman.

“(Marvin) said, ‘I have script approval?’ They said ‘yes’. ‘And I have approval of principal cast?’. ‘Yes’. He said, ‘I defer all those approvals to John.’ And he walked out. So on my very first film in Hollywood, I had final cut and I made use of it”.

– John Boorman

The budget for Point Blank was set at $2 million and with Marvin cast as lead, the other roles needed to be filled. MGM wanted Stella Stevens (The Poseidon Adventure) for the role of “Chris,” Walker’s sister-in-law, and love interest. However, Boorman and Marvin insisted upon Angie Dickenson (Dressed To Kill), who was ultimately cast.

Newcomers John Vernon (National Lampoon’s Animal House) and Sharon Acker (Lucky Jim) were cast as Walker’s business partner, “Mal Reese,” and his wife “Lynn Walker,” respectively. Carrol O’Connor (All In The Family) was cast as “Brewster,” head of the crime syndicate that Walker wants his money back from.

Marvin and Boorman were adamant about keeping the non-linear structure of the novel intact. They also wanted to make sure that the script, and later the editing, would reflect the spirit of Westlake’s novel.

Prior to filming, there were several days of rehearsals at Marvin’s home. Several scenes were acted out in an improvisational manner during this process. This would later be incorporated into the final shooting script.

“Lee never made suggestions. He would just show you”.

– John Boorman

The art direction was done in an intentional manner to gradually become more vibrant as the film goes on. In it, there are a lot of grays used throughout the early scenes which eventually transition to greens and yellows later in the movie.

In fact, yellow paint was used on things like a telescope near the Santa Monica shoreline, as well as on columns in a parking garage. This was in order to emphasize the use of color throughout these scenes.

“It’s an effect that the audience would never be able to articulate but that they absolutely feel.”

-Steven Soderbergh

The production of Point Blank was filmed entirely on location in Los Angeles and San Francisco. It was also the first film to be shot inside the infamous Alcatraz prison, which had closed three years earlier, in 1963.

Other notable filming locations included 7655 Curson Terrace, a home that had been rented by The Beatles earlier that year because of its sprawling views of Los Angeles, as well as its state-of-the-art design. The Huntley Hotel, located at 1111 2nd Street in Santa Monica, which had just opened weeks before filming began, was also used.

While filming at Alcatraz, there was a mishap with a blank round. It was supposed to be fired at Marvin by Vernon, but instead injured the hand of Acker, who was in close proximity. This was kept in the film and really stands out. Acker’s pain adds an interesting and confusing dynamic to the scene.

 “(Sharon Acker) suffered far more pain than Lee Marvin.”

– John Boorman

Acker wasn’t the only one to suffer pain during the filming of Point Blank. Marvin didn’t think Vernon was tough enough during their fight scene. So, Marvin went out of his way to hit Vernon as hard as possible in the stomach. Vernon cried in protest that he was an actor, not a fighter. Still, Vernon was noticeably angrier and tougher in subsequent takes.

During a scene where Dickenson hits Marvin multiple times, it is apparent that she is really hitting him as hard as she can. This probably wasn’t much of a stretch for her. This is because she never forgave Marvin for dangling her out a window while filming The Killers (1964).

“I put her (Angie Dickenson) in the first miniskirt to hit America. They were already, you know, on the Kings Road in London, but she wore the first one seen in America…. (She) was very unhappy with me about forcing her to change her hair color. I had this maniacal idea that I wanted her hair to be the same color as her dress, and we went through three dyeing jobs to get there. The hairdresser at MGM said, “I can’t go any further, her hair’s starting to break off.”

– John Boorman

When the movie was completed and shown to MGM executives, they were unhappy with the final product. Further, they hated the editing. Supervising editor, Margaret Booth, told Boorman as the execs filed out:

“You touch one frame of this film over my dead body!”

Upon its initial release in 1967, Point Blank performed moderately at the box office. Making $9 million, the critical response was mixed, however. Eventually, its reputation grew as the years passed, and the film is now considered a classic.

1967 wound up being the apex of Marvin’s career as The Dirty Dozen was released the same year. It wound up being the highest-grossing film of that year. Marvin and Boorman would team up again in Hell in the Pacific (1968). However, after that, they would never work together again. The actor and director remained close friends for the rest of Marvin’s life.

When Lee Marvin died in 1987, his widow told Boorman that he could take anything that she wanted that belonged to him. Boorman chose the shoes that Marvin wore during the filming of the airport scene in Point Blank.

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