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Catalog/Comedy/Tough Guys Don't Dance
Tough Guys Don't Dance poster
C
Average
MASTER SCORE 44.5 / 100
1987·Comedy / Crime / Drama·1h 50m

TOUGH GUYS DON'T DANCE

“A love story haunted by murder.”

Tim Madden awakens one morning to discover a fresh tattoo on his arm, his car covered in blood, his girlfriend in bed with the town sheriff, and a woman's severed head in his weed stash. Sensing a setup and in desperate need to clear his name, he begins an investigation that soon begins to expose a web of corruption in the small coastal community of Provincetown.

Above the Line
Norman Mailer·DirectorNorman Mailer·WriterNorman Mailer·NovelJohn Bailey·Director of PhotographyAngelo Badalamenti·Original Music ComposerDebra McDermott·Editor
Cast
Ryan O'Neal·Tim MaddenIsabella Rossellini·Madeleine RegencyDebra Stipe·Patty LareineWings Hauser·Capt. Alvin Luther RegencyJohn Bedford Lloyd·Wardley Meeks IIILawrence Tierney·Dougy MaddenPenn Jillette·Big StoopFrances Fisher·Jessica PondJohn Snyder·SpiderStephan Morrow·Stoodie
Full Crew
(27 credits)
Directing· 2
Norman Mailer·DirectorNancy Musser·Script Supervisor
Writing· 2
Norman Mailer·WriterNorman Mailer·Novel
Camera· 3
John Bailey·Director of PhotographyDaniel Ducovny·Additional PhotographyMike Moyer·Lighting Camera
Editing· 1
Debra McDermott·Editor
Sound & Music· 1
Angelo Badalamenti·Original Music Composer
Art & Design· 6
Armin Ganz·Production DesignMichael Kaplan·Costume DesignGretchen Rau·Set DecorationJim Hill·Construction CoordinatorMonique Montgomery·Assistant Costume DesignerDon Le Page·Makeup Artist
Production· 6
Francis Ford Coppola·Executive ProducerYoram Globus·ProducerMenahem Golan·ProducerTom Luddy·Executive ProducerRobert MacDonald·CastingBonnie Timmermann·Casting
Other Departments· 6
Rob Bloch·StuntsRobert Towne·Additional WritingJerry D. Williams·Special Effects CoordinatorHollywood Di Russo·HairstylistDon Pike·Stunt CoordinatorDiane Peterson·Stunts
By the Numbers
44.5
OF 100
Master Score
5.0
OF 10
IMDb
—
CRITICS
Rotten Tomatoes
$858K
ROI -83%
Worldwide Gross
0
Oscar Wins
Where to Watch

THE AVAILABILITY MAP

The canonical record of where this film lives across the streaming map.

Provider Index In Progress

Streaming, rental, and purchase availability for this title is being ingested from the TMDB watch-providers feed and will appear here once the next catalog refresh runs. Until then, the canonical source links below remain the fastest route.

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Poster DNA

THE VISUAL DECONSTRUCTION

A bespoke vision agent's reading of the design language behind Tough Guys Don't Dance's key art.

Dominant Palette
3 colors
#0A0A0A
#3D1C0A
#006699
Mood
Mysterious, Romantic, Dramatic
Composition
Layered
Era
1980s
Visual Style
Photographic

“The movie poster features a close-up of a man and a woman's faces in profile, appearing to be very close or kissing, against a dark background. Below them, a sm”

romancemysterythriller
Key Elements
Boat
Atmosphere
Dark
Color Mood
Mixed
Setting
Ocean
Design Score
7/10
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THE NEIGHBORHOOD

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THREE WAYS DEEPER

Auteur
AUT
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Every catalog entry where Norman Mailer is credited as director.

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GEN
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Era
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