Fast Walking

Plot

Frank Miniver, aka Fast-Walking, is a corrupt but lovable Oregon state prison guard. Not the most obliging or honest of public servants, he smokes and peddles marijuana and compliments his meager salary by running prostitutes for Mexican laborers out of his cousin Evie's convenience store.

At work, he is in close contact with his other cousin Wasco, who is incarcerated. Wasco is involved in vice operations within the prison and outside of it. He peddles women, narcotics, and is looking to get into fraudulent banking operations. He bullies a competitor called Bullet into turning over his in-prison operations to Wasco.

An accomplice to Wasco on the outside is an attractive young woman called Moke. She carries on his bidding, which means even seducing Fast-Walking with sex. A black political prisoner named Galliot soon arrives at the prison and Wasco plots to have him killed in the racially tense environment. Fast-Walking arranges to have Galliot sprung from prison. Galliot offers him $50,000 and a secret key hidden in his belt buckle that is to a safety-deposit box.

Wasco eventually learns about Fast-Walking and Moke having an intense sexual relationship and becomes jealous. So he launches a scheme to have Moke kill Galliot, which she does with a high-powered rifle as he nearly gets away dressed as a prison guard. But, Fast-Walking soon teaches him that what goes around, comes around.

Cast

Production

The idea of the film came from producer & director James B. Harris, who read a book call "The Rap" by Ernest Brawley. Harris wrote the screenplay shortly after reading the book. In June 1980, Lorimar Productions sold the rights to the film & preparation's began. The location crew choose the vacant old Montana State Prison building in Deer Lodge, Montana. In the coming days, officials begin screening extras, & the arts foundation begin to restore the prison building, & to gain community & statewide support to restore the landmark building. Due to heavy rains & volcanic ash fallout due to the eruption of Mount St. Helens on May 18, outside work was delayed, including repairs & painting on the old cell house & the interior. James Woods had signed on to play the prison guard, Frank Miniver, nicknamed Fast-Walking, & was "ecstatic" after he found out the movie was going to be filmed in Montana. Tim McIntire, who plays Fast Walking's cousin-inmate, was young when his parents bought land near Kalispell & owned a ranch in the Yak Valley.

On a budget of $4 million, principal photography began on July 7, 1980 at the prison, while some filming was done in and around the town of Deer Lodge for several weeks. The crew then traveled to the Bus Depot in Butte, Montana to film several scenes for 2 days. Filming was then completed in August.

Released

Fast-Walking was released in New York City on October 8, 1982.