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Gleaming the Cube

Play trailer Poster for Gleaming the Cube PG-13 1989 1h 45m Action Play Trailer Watchlist
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29% Tomatometer 7 Reviews 68% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
A California skateboarder (Christian Slater) solves and avenges the death of his adopted Vietnamese brother.

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Gleaming the Cube

Critics Reviews

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Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com 08/09/2005
2/5
Caffeinated Clint Film Threat 06/11/2005
A Cool blast from the past that encompasses as many sensational skating sequences as it does cinematic suspense Go to Full Review
Alex Sandell Juicy Cerebellum 05/09/2005
1/5
Sucked then, sucks now. Go to Full Review
Robin Clifford Reeling Reviews 03/09/2004
3/5
Brian J. Arthurs Beach Reporter (Southern California) 12/06/2002
2/5
Philip Martin Arkansas Democrat-Gazette 07/29/2002
2/5
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Audience Reviews

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Trinidad E @charleysREELreview 3h Fun movie with a lot of heart. Christian Slater is amazing and the actions scenes are entertaining as heck. The brotherhood of skating culture is done well here too. Great movie. The Vietnamese history and culture part of the story is foundational rather than an afterthought which I would say was rare for that period. Great Asian actors and near-realistic depictions of complex relationships for immigrants in the USA. See more mark g @Mark_Alan_G. Jan 11 Some people just don't understand 1980s movies. This is one of the greats of 1980s. The skateboarding, the extensive footage of Orange County, the rebellious nature of the film, perfection. Not to mention all of the skating legends that had extra roles or stunt roles in the film. Suspension of disbelief, like 90% of 80s films, please. See more Stoner J @Stoner 03/06/2025 Come on naysayers, at some point can’t you just admit that this is a thrilling skate drama. Was good then and is still good See more Maia C @RT34738870 01/03/2025 This movie was really good I don't understand how it only got 29% it's an amazing movie I absolutely loved it I I literally don't even know what to say but I absolutely loved it you should definitely watch it See more Gregory K @RT95968831 08/21/2024 Deserves better than the critics' score. When this came out it had a huge marketing push on MTV but it wasn't enough to turn it into a hit. Later on the movie became a staple of Showtime and Cinemax TV networks' mid-afternoon slots. That's where I and most of my generation first encountered it. At it's heart it's a classic urban crime drama, the skateboarding is inserted as gimmick to give the movie some youthful edge. The antagonists are surprisingly sympathetic and seem to be stuck in the same mess as Slater's hero. Not a great movie for 1989 but by the low standards of screenwriting in 2024 this movie feels like Shakespeare today. See more Torin F @nonlinearize 12/27/2023 More plotted than you might expect, GLEAMING THE CUBE combines solid skateboarding action with a sort of David and Goliath story. The thriller takes a few strange turns, but also tries for some California cultural complexity along the way, and is bolstered by the many things that make 80's movies so memorable, even if this one isn't exactly a "classic." Plus Christian Slater really is pretty cool. See more Read all reviews
Gleaming the Cube

My Rating

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Movie Info

Synopsis A California skateboarder (Christian Slater) solves and avenges the death of his adopted Vietnamese brother.
Director
Graeme Clifford
Producer
Lawrence Turman, David Foster, Bruce McNall
Screenwriter
Michael Tolkin
Distributor
20th Century Fox
Production Co
Gladden Entertainment, David Foster Productions
Rating
PG-13
Genre
Action
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jan 13, 1989, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 16, 2018
Box Office (Gross USA)
$2.5M
Runtime
1h 45m
Sound Mix
Surround