Rewatchables Reference

• The last phone call where Leary screams at Frank, followed by the rooftop chase and Malkovich putting Clint's gun in his mouth (improvised).
• The opening boat scene with Tobin Bell.
• Clint getting ice cream with Lily at the Lincoln Memorial.

• 1990s Castle Rock / DC as a movie setting.
• Malkovich's disguises and the Kennedy assassination shrine collage.
• The footage of young Clint mixed into 'JFK'-era footage.

• The last shot of the movie at the DC monuments.
• Leary talking about 'God and Country' and walking into the shadow of his apartment with a beam of light at the top of his head.

• Dylan McDermott as Al – easily the weak link; fearful, can't problem-solve, energy is totally wrong.
• Bill held it against McDermott as an actor for a long time afterward.

• The Ennio Morricone opening score (Bill thinks it's cheesy; Chris disagrees).
• Answering machine messages as plot devices.
• Clint's chauvinist flirting with Lily.

Rene Russo is more entertaining than Julia Roberts as a 90s actress – nine movies in a row that are all incredibly entertaining.

• Dustin Hoffman was originally supposed to play Frank, with Michael Apted directing.
• DeNiro was offered the Leary role but was doing 'A Bronx Tale'; Ed Harris and Willem Dafoe also considered.
• Glenn Close and Sharon Stone turned down the Lily role.

Malkovich in his final phone call meltdown – 'I don't even remember who I was before they sunk their claws into me'.

• The wheelchair gun expert ('Professor Finley from 90210').
• Clyde Kusatsu – 313 IMDB credits, traces Leary's calls.
• Steve Hytner ('Kenny Banya' from Seinfeld).

• The suspicious bank clerk from Minneapolis who catches Malkovich lying about his high school.
• Fred Thompson and Tobin Bell in small but memorable roles.

• The President (Jim Curley): Robert Ridgely or Philip Baker Hall would have been better.
• Modern recast: Denzel Washington as Frank, Jake Gyllenhaal or Russell Crowe as Mitch.

• Budget $40 million, made $187 million – 7th biggest movie of 1993.
• Air Force One set built from scratch for $250,000; digital effects cost $4 million.
• First movie where the Secret Service offered full cooperation.
• Original trailer was so bad they had to redo it.

• Western Bonaventure Hotel – 'no question'.
• Era of adult thrillers: somewhere in the 92-94 range.
• Malkovich: probably not, Being John Malkovich is likely his apex.

• A cynical, old, alcoholic agent requests presidential detail and they just say 'sure thing' with no fitness test.
• Leary can scramble phone calls with 'a little briefcase with a couple wires' and the government can do nothing.
• Leary should have just killed Clint in the elevator – why the victory lap?

Prestige TV prequel: Frank in the White House with 'JFK' and Jackie.

Sam Jackson as the Dylan McDermott character – too cocky instead of fearful, gives actual push-back to Clint.

Absolute Power (another Clint Eastwood Washington DC thriller).

• The wooden gun (Malkovich's homemade assassination weapon).
• Mitch's opera glasses.

• Maybe don't give somebody a second chance when the president's life is involved.
• If you're going to kill the president, maybe don't call the Secret Service four times beforehand.

John Malkovich – unanimous agreement.

Craig Horlbeck.