The Formula 1980
5.6 / 10
The Formula
While investigating the death of a friend and fellow cop, Los Angeles police officer Barney Caine stumbles across evidence that Nazis created a synthetic alternative to gasoline during World War II. This revelation has the potential to end the established global oil industry, making the formula a very valuable and dangerous piece of information. Eventually, Caine must contend with oil tycoon Adam Steiffel, who clearly has his own agenda regarding the formula.
While investigating the death of a friend and fellow cop, Los Angeles police officer Barney Caine stumbles across evidence that Nazis created a synthetic alternative to gasoline during World War II. This revelation has the potential to end the established global oil industry, making the formula a very valuable and dangerous piece of information. Eventually, Caine must contend with oil tycoon Adam Steiffel, who clearly has his own agenda regarding the formula.
Videos & Photos
All 2 Videos & 17 Photos
cast
Full Cast & Crew
... Barney Caine
... Adam Steiffel
... Lisa
... Dr. Abraham Esau
... Arthur Clements
... Kay Neeley
User reviews
See All 1 Reviews18 Jul 2021 by Wuchak
_**Odd, talky, convoluted, but worthwhile**_ Released in 1980, "The Formula" is a star-studded crime/thriller about a Los Angeles detective (George C. Scott) who investigates the murder of his friend, a retired cop, which leads to Germany and a Nazi formula for synthetic fuel that big oil naturally wants to suppress at all costs. Marlon Brando plays a shady oil tycoon but only appears for roughly 17 minutes of the almost 2-hour runtime. The film is top-of-the-line as far as cast, location, cinematography and score go. It starts off like a Dirty Harry flick substituting Scott for Eastwood with his Asian sidekick, but the plot's complicated and there's not enough action for Dirty Harry fans. The rest of the film seems like an episode of Columbo mixed with Scott's "Hardcore" (1979) where he goes undercover in Southern California investigating his daughter's disappearance. The highlights include the WW2 & Nazi elements, acting giants Scott and Brando, the lovely Marthe Keller, the rest of the cast, the great locations (California, Germany and Switzerland) and the emphasis on dialogue above thrills, which may be a detriment to some. Regarding the Nazi elements, there's a brief strip club scene in Europe where Nazi imagery is used as a backdrop for the dancers, fittingly showing how yesterday's unspeakable horrors are forgotten by the next generation and utilized for entertainment or recreation. Brando has proved time and again that he has a knack for playing weird, quirky characters ("The Missouri Breaks", "Apocalypse Now", "The Godfather" and "The Island of Dr. Moreau") and he does this here with his portrayal of an oil executive based on Armand Hammer of Occidental Petroleum, but with so-so results. Still, you've gotta give him credit for trying and Brando is always entertaining. The main problem here is the convoluted plot. There are so many names it's hard to keep up. So I recommend using the subtitles as it helps you keep track. Another issue is how the fate of certain people is redundant and therefore becomes predictable (I'd say more, but I don't want to spoil anything). So "The Formula" is a mixed bag, but its strengths outweigh it's weaknesses. It's worthwhile if you're a fan of the stars and if you're in the mood for a thought-provoking, globetrotting crime/drama/thriller that's heavy on talk and light on thrills. GRADE: B-
Directors:
Release Date:
Dec 19, 1980 (Germany,United States)
Run Time:
1hr 57`
MMPA Rating:
R
Original Language:
English
Production Countries:
Germany,United States
Status:
Released
Plot Keywords:
Related Movies To
The Formula
_**Odd, talky, convoluted, but worthwhile**_ Released in 1980, "The Formula" is a star-studded crime/thriller about a Los Angeles detective (George C. Scott) who investigates the murder of his friend, a retired cop, which leads to Germany and a Nazi formula for synthetic fuel that big oil naturally wants to suppress at all costs. Marlon Brando plays a shady oil tycoon but only appears for roughly 17 minutes of the almost 2-hour runtime. The film is top-of-the-line as far as cast, location, cinematography and score go. It starts off like a Dirty Harry flick substituting Scott for Eastwood with his Asian sidekick, but the plot's complicated and there's not enough action for Dirty Harry fans. The rest of the film seems like an episode of Columbo mixed with Scott's "Hardcore" (1979) where he goes undercover in Southern California investigating his daughter's disappearance. The highlights include the WW2 & Nazi elements, acting giants Scott and Brando, the lovely Marthe Keller, the rest of the cast, the great locations (California, Germany and Switzerland) and the emphasis on dialogue above thrills, which may be a detriment to some. Regarding the Nazi elements, there's a brief strip club scene in Europe where Nazi imagery is used as a backdrop for the dancers, fittingly showing how yesterday's unspeakable horrors are forgotten by the next generation and utilized for entertainment or recreation. Brando has proved time and again that he has a knack for playing weird, quirky characters ("The Missouri Breaks", "Apocalypse Now", "The Godfather" and "The Island of Dr. Moreau") and he does this here with his portrayal of an oil executive based on Armand Hammer of Occidental Petroleum, but with so-so results. Still, you've gotta give him credit for trying and Brando is always entertaining. The main problem here is the convoluted plot. There are so many names it's hard to keep up. So I recommend using the subtitles as it helps you keep track. Another issue is how the fate of certain people is redundant and therefore becomes predictable (I'd say more, but I don't want to spoil anything). So "The Formula" is a mixed bag, but its strengths outweigh it's weaknesses. It's worthwhile if you're a fan of the stars and if you're in the mood for a thought-provoking, globetrotting crime/drama/thriller that's heavy on talk and light on thrills. GRADE: B-
Cast & Crew of
The Formula
Directors & Credit Writers
... Director
Cast
... Barney Caine
... Adam Steiffel
... Lisa
... Dr. Abraham Esau
... Arthur Clements
... Kay Neeley
... General Helmut Kladen / Frank Tedesco
... Hans Lehman
... Major Tom Neeley
... Tony
... Geologist #1
... Assassin
... Schellenberg
... Gestapo Captain
... Franz Tauber
... Sgt. Yosuta
... Nolan
... Obermann
... Siebold
... Chauffeur
Produced By
Videos & Photos of
The Formula
Videos ( 2)
The Formula - Trailer
YouTube
The Formula 1980 TV trailer
YouTube
Photos ( 17 )
Related Movies To
The Formula
Kraven the Hunter (2024)
0 /10
Kraven Kravinoff's complex relationship with his ruthless gangster father, Nikolai, starts him down a path of vengeance with brutal consequences, motivating him to become not only the greatest hunter in the world, but also one of its most feared.
Run Time: 2hr 7` . MMPA: R . Release: 11 Dec 2024
Director: Martina Vazzoler , Andrea Trigo , Dani Watson
Producer: Palak Patel , Tinna Aðalbjörnsdóttir , Avi Arad
Stars: Aaron Taylor-Johnson , Russell Crowe , Ariana DeBose , Fred Hechinger , Alessandro Nivola , Christopher Abbott
Moana 2 (2024)
0 /10
After receiving an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors, Moana journeys alongside Maui and a new crew to the far seas of Oceania and into dangerous, long-lost waters for an adventure unlike anything she's ever faced.
Run Time: 1hr 40` . MMPA: PG . Release: 21 Nov 2024
Director: Jason Hand , Dana Ledoux Miller , David G. Derrick Jr.
Producer: Christina Chen , Jennifer Lee , Dwayne Johnson
Stars: Auli'i Cravalho , Dwayne Johnson , Alan Tudyk , Temuera Morrison , Rachel House , Nicole Scherzinger
Werewolves (2024)
0 /10
A year after a supermoon’s light activated a dormant gene, transforming humans into bloodthirsty werewolves and causing nearly a billion deaths, the nightmare resurfaces as the supermoon rises again. Two scientists attempt to stop the mutation but fail and must now struggle to reach one of their family homes.
Run Time: 1hr 34` . MMPA: R . Release: 04 Dec 2024
Director: Steven C. Miller
Producer: Craig Chapman , Sevier Crespo , Luis R. Estrella-Rivera
Stars: Frank Grillo , Katrina Law , Ilfenesh Hadera , Sam Daly , James Kyson , Lou Diamond Phillips
Dirty Angels (2024)
0 /10
During the United States' 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan, a group of female soldiers posing as medical relief are sent back in to rescue a group of kidnapped teenagers caught between ISIS and the Taliban.
Run Time: 1hr 44` . MMPA: R . Release: 11 Dec 2024
Director: Margarita Aneva , Jamie Marshall , Teodora Petrova
Producer: Lonnie Ramati , Moshe Diamant , Victor Hadida
Stars: Eva Green , Ruby Rose , Maria Bakalova , Christopher Backus , Reza Brojerdi , Jojo T. Gibbs
Elevation (2024)
0 /10
A single father and two women venture from the safety of their homes to face monstrous creatures to save the life of a young boy.
Run Time: 1hr 31` . MMPA: R . Release: 07 Nov 2024
Director: George Nolfi
Producer: Jarin Rossiter , Bradley Fuller , Mitchell Zhang
Stars: Anthony Mackie , Morena Baccarin , Maddie Hasson , Danny Boyd Jr. , Rachel Nicks , Shauna Earp
Aftermath (2024)
0 /10
A returning war veteran, stricken with PTSD, gets trapped with his teenage sister on Boston's Tobin Memorial Bridge when a heavily armed group of ex-military revolutionaries take everyone hostage.
Run Time: 1hr 35` . MMPA: R . Release: 27 Sep 2024
Director: Patrick Lussier
Producer: Brian Pitt , Timothy C. Sullivan , Jonathan Deckter
Stars: Mason Gooding , Dylan Sprouse , Dichen Lachman , Megan Stott , Kevin Chapman , Will Lyman
Heretic (2024)
0 /10
Two young missionaries are forced to prove their faith when they knock on the wrong door and are greeted by a diabolical Mr. Reed, becoming ensnared in his deadly game of cat-and-mouse.
Run Time: 1hr 51` . MMPA: R . Release: 31 Oct 2024
Director: Bryan Woods , Richard Cowan , Scott Beck
Producer: Tiffany Mak , Julia Glausi , Charley Medigovich
Stars: Chloe East , Hugh Grant , Sophie Thatcher , Steven Seagal , Elle McKinnon , Topher Grace
Carry-On (2024)
0 /10
An airport security officer races to outsmart a mysterious traveler forcing him to let a dangerous item slip onto a Christmas Eve flight.
Run Time: 2hr . MMPA: PG-13 . Release: 05 Dec 2024
Director: Dave Macomber , Riley Flanagan , Josh Stephenson
Producer: Lindsey Brady , Laura Hickerson , Brian Williams
Stars: Taron Egerton , Jason Bateman , Sofia Carson , Dean Norris , Danielle Deadwyler , Theo Rossi
Absolution (2024)
0 /10
An aging ex-boxer gangster working as muscle for a Boston crime boss receives an upsetting diagnosis. Despite a faltering memory, he attempts to rectify the sins of his past and reconnect with his estranged children. He is determined to leave a positive legacy for his grandson, but the criminal underworld isn’t done with him and won’t loosen their grip willingly.
Run Time: 1hr 52` . MMPA: R . Release: 31 Oct 2024
Director: Colin Flaherty , Frankie Ferrari , Daniel Lugo
Producer: Mark Kimsey , Enoch-Jude Danquah , Warren T. Goz
Stars: Liam Neeson , Ron Perlman , Daniel Diemer , Yolonda Ross , Frankie Shaw , Omar Moustafa Ghonim
Smile 2 (2024)
0 /10
About to embark on a new world tour, global pop sensation Skye Riley begins experiencing increasingly terrifying and inexplicable events. Overwhelmed by the escalating horrors and the pressures of fame, Skye is forced to face her dark past to regain control of her life before it spirals out of control.
Run Time: 2hr 7` . MMPA: R . Release: 16 Oct 2024
Director: George Lambert , Ivan J. Fonseca , Andrew Hudson
Producer: Lexi Carlson , Robert Salerno , Colin Hamingson
Stars: Naomi Scott , Kyle Gallner , Lukas Gage , Steven Seagal , Rosemarie DeWitt , Dylan Gelula
The Thicket (2024)
0 /10
An innocent young man, Jack, goes on an epic quest to rescue his sister Lula after she has been kidnapped by the violent killer Cut Throat Bill and her gang. To save her, Jack enlists the help of a crafty bounty hunter named Reginald Jones, a grave-digging alcoholic son of an ex-slave, and a street-smart prostitute. The gang tracks Cut Throat Bill into the deadly no-man’s land known as The Big Thicket — a place where blood and chaos reign.
Run Time: 1hr 48` . MMPA: R . Release: 05 Sep 2024
Director: Phil Chipera , Casey Chipera , Elliott Lester
Producer: John Kerr , Gianni Nunnari , Chad Oakes
Stars: Peter Dinklage , Juliette Lewis , Esme Creed-Miles , Levon Thurman-Hawke , Leslie Grace , Gbenga Akinnagbe
Remnant (2024)
0 /10
Grace is a young woman whose life has been turned upside down by tragedy. When she returns home to the family farm to rebuild her shattered life, her world begins to unravel as a series of strange events haunt her, pushing Grace to the edge of madness. A mysterious figure lurks in the shadows and a ghostly woman appears in the darkness of night. Is Grace imagining these apparitions, or are they a warning of a nightmare still to come?
Run Time: 1hr 52` . MMPA: . Release: 30 Jun 2024
Director: Mike Horan
Producer:
Stars: Nicole Pritchard , Shaun Robert Foley , Tsu Shan Chambers , Remi Webster , Megan Bell , Martin Ashley Jones