Patty Hearst (1988)

50% of critics liked it
(8 reviews)
44% of users liked it
(684 ratings)

A newspaper heiress is kidnapped, brainwashed, and forced to join a group of terrorist bank robbers in this docudrama, based on the saga of Patricia Hearst. In 1974, Hearst (Natasha Richardson), the granddaughter of publishing tycoon William Randolph Hearst, was a student at the University of… More A newspaper heiress is kidnapped, brainwashed, and forced to join a group of terrorist bank robbers in this docudrama, based on the saga of Patricia Hearst. In 1974, Hearst (Natasha Richardson), the granddaughter of publishing tycoon William Randolph Hearst, was a student at the University of California. On February 4, members of the Symbionese Liberation Army, a radical political group, broke into the Berkeley home she shared with her boyfriend and kidnapped her. Hearst then allegedly spent 57 days locked in a closet as she was indoctrinated into the group's revolutionary beliefs by their charismatic leader, Cinque (Ving Rhames). Eventually, Hearst joined (or at least pretended to join) the SLA, adopted the name Tania and participated in a number of high-profile bank robberies. After several SLA members died in a police fire storm, Hearst and fellow members Bill and Emily Harris (William Forsythe and Frances Fisher) went on the lam and were later arrested. Although she claimed her participation in the group was a ruse carried out to protect herself from further rape, torture, and mind control, Hearst eventually served several years in prison after her 1976 conviction for bank robbery. Based on the novel Every Secret Thing, Hearst's own account of the events, Paul Schrader's film tells the story from the heiress' own viewpoint, with little in the way of conflicting evidence. After President Carter ordered her release from prison in 1979, Hearst went on to act in several films, including Cecil B. Demented, a John Waters spoof whose plot bears some resemblance to her own life story. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi

Play Trailer

Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 48 min.
Directed By: Paul Schrader
Written By: Nicholas Kazan
Genres: Drama

In Theaters: Sep 23, 1988 Wide
Studio: Media Home Entertainment

Critic Reviews

Dan Lybarger, Lawrence Journal-World
Schrader's low-key approach to the tabloid story is refreshing. Richarson is magnificent.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Anthony L

Paul Schrader is well known for his writing talents but is often overlooked as a director which is a shame as this film is brilliant, it?s got a great balance of harsh realism and nightmarish existentialism. The cast are all on top form too. An interesting and thought provoking slice… More
Paul Schrader is well known for his writing talents but is often overlooked as a director which is a shame as this film is brilliant, it?s got a great balance of harsh realism and nightmarish existentialism. The cast are all on top form too. An interesting and thought provoking slice of American History. I love the soundtrack too!
Dean M

Strange true story of the kidanpping of an American Princess as I believe what happened to her.

Cast

            Natasha Richardson as Patricia Hearst

            William Forsythe as Toko

            Ving Rhames as Cinque

            Frances Fisher as Yolanda

            Jodi Long as Wendy Yoshimura

            Olivia Barash as Fahizah

            Dana Delany as Celina

            Marek Johnson as Zoya

            Kitty Swink as Gobi

            Pete Kowanko as Cujo

            Tom O'Rourke as Jim Browning

            Scott Kraft as Steven Weed

            Ermal Williamson as Randolph A. Hearst

            John Achorn as Al Johnson

            Jeff Allin as Assistant D.A.

            Erich Anderson as 1st Male

            Bradford Bancroft as 3rd Male

            James Bershad as 2nd Male

            Byron Clark as Psychiatrist #2

            Robert Dickman as Doctor

            Gerald Gordon as F. Lee Bailey

            Hawthorne James as Tall Muslim

            Marta Kober as 2nd Female

            Thomas Wagner as Juror Wright

            Jeff Imada as Neighbor

            John Petievich as Policeman

            Ron Boyd as FBI Man #2

            Anne Marie Gillis as Juror Wentz

            Mayah McCoy as Girl #3

            Jeanne McGuire as Booking Officer

            Nora Meerbaum as Psychiatrist #3

            Moss Porter as FBI Man #1

            Jack Slater as Psychiatrist #1

            Pam Rack
            
            Carey Fox as Hippie

            Steven Anderson as Psychiatrist #5

            Marc Siegler as Charles Gould

            Maurice Hill as Judge Carter
See full cast