Enemy Mine (1985)

Director:

Wolfgang Petersen

Writers:

Barry Longyear (story)
Edward Khmara (screenplay)

Release Date:

20 December 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Sci-Fi | Drama

Tagline:

Enemies because they were taught to be. Survivors because they had to be.

Plot:

A soldier from Earth crashlands on an alien world after sustaining battle damage. Eventually he encounters another survivor...

Plot Keywords:

Planet | Alien | Friendship | Stranded | Reptilian

Awards:

2 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Dennis Quaid	...	Willis Davidge
Louis Gossett Jr.	...	Jeriba 'Jerry' Shigan
Brion James	...	Stubbs
Richard Marcus	...	Arnold
Carolyn McCormick	...	Morse
Bumper Robinson	...	Zammis
Jim Mapp	...	Old Drac
Lance Kerwin	...	Joey Wooster
Scott Kraft	...	Jonathan
Lou Michaels	...	Wilson
Andy Geer	...	Bates
Henry Stolow	...	Cates
Herb Andress	...	Hopper
Danmar	...	Wise Guy
Mandy Hausenberger	...	1st Medic

Also Known As:

Enemy Mine - Geliebter Feind (Austria) (West Germany) [de]
Düsmanim (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Enemigo mío (Spain) [es]
Enemy (France) [fr]
Fiender (Sweden) [sv]
Il mio nemico (Italy) [it]
Inimigo Meu (Brazil) [pt]
Kedves ellenségem (Hungary) [hu]
Mój ukochany wróg (Poland) [pl]
Muj nepritel (Czech Republic) (TV title) [cs]
O ehthros mou (Greece) [el]
Os Inimigos (Portugal) [pt]
Vihollisen armoilla (Finland) [fi]

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:14 (original rating) | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Portugal:M/12 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-12 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:PG-13 | West Germany:16 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Bavaria Filmstudios, Geiselgasteig, Grünwald, Bavaria, Germany

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

The outside scenes (all the volcanic/lava landscapes and the green lake) were shot in Lanzarote (one of the Canary Islands near Spain), at the Montañas del Fuego National Park. The rest was filmed at the Bavaria Film Studios, Munich Germany. A few of the sets are still part of their studio tour.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When the Drax is sitting by the camp fire reading from his book, we see the open book for a few seconds. The page on the right is the same page as the left just upside down.

Quotes:

Jerry: It is not longer my life that matters. I am not fat, I am not lazy. Davidge... I await a new life.
Davidge: A new life? From where?
[Jerry uncovers his abdomen]
Davidge: Oh, my God... Oh, my God, are you telling me you're pregnant?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Jack Black/Neil Young (#31.9)" (2005)

A sci-fi gem -- one of the Great Unknowns of the genre

Simply a masterpiece, and due primarily to the masterful FX on Lou Gossett and his inspired, magnificent performance. Most sci-fi fans have never heard of this one, but I've found very few who have seen it who weren't impressed.

This film is a perfect example of how totally bankrupt the film awards (every one of them) really are. Gossett should have walked away with Best Actor on this one, hands down, yet I doubt this film garnered even a single nomination.