Tex represented the first film adaption of a novel by “teen angst” specialist S. E. Hinton. Matt Dillon stars as Tex McCormick, an Oklahoma farm boy who drifts into bad company and a dangerous lifestyle after his mother dies and his father deserts him. His older brother Mason (Jim Metzler) struggles to keep his sibling on the straight and narrow, but he too has a cross to bear: his crippling lack of self-worth.
Surprisingly, the film was produced by the Disney company, which heretofore had painted a more upbeat portrait of teen-age life. Dillon would go on to appear in two more Hinton adaptations, while Tex supporting player Emilio Estevez would show up in an additional three. S.E. Hinton herself appears in the small role of Mrs. Barnes, a schoolteacher.
Tex is a 1982 American drama film directed by Tim Hunter (his first film as a director) and written by Charles S. Haas, based on the novel of the same name by S. E. Hinton. Matt Dillon and Jim Metzler play brothers who struggle after their mother dies and their father walks out on them.
Tex (1982)
Directed by: Tim Hunter
Starring: Matt Dillon, Jim Metzler, Meg Tilly, Bill McKinney, Frances Lee McCain, Ben Johnson, Emilio Estevez, Pamela Ludwig
Screenplay by: Charles S. Haas
Production Design by: Jack T. Collis
Cinematography by: Ric Waite
Film Editing by: Howard E. Smith
Costume Design by: Dan Moore
Set Decoration by: Donald J. Remacle, Roger M. Shook
Art Direction by: John B. Mansbridge
Music by: Pino Donaggio
Distributed by: Buena Vista Distribution
Release Date: July 30, 1982
Visits: 127
