Welcome to the immersive world of “R.P.G”! This short film takes you on a thrilling journey into the realm of role-playing games, where fantasy and reality collide in unexpected ways.
Plot Summary: In “R.P.G.,” a group of friends gathers for a night of tabletop role-playing, delving into a fantasy world filled with adventure, magic, and danger. As the game progresses, the lines between reality and imagination blur, leading to unexpected twists and turns. With each dice roll and narrative choice, the players must confront their own inner demons and face the consequences of their actions in both the game and the real world.
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Key Information:
- Release Year: 1986
- Director: Charlie Sheen
- Cast: Johnny Depp, Clint Howard, Dolly Fox
- Runtime: 8m
Here’s a little bit about Charlie Sheen’s self-produced movies, RPG and RPG II, which starred a very young Johnny Depp and Clint Howard (actor and younger brother of Ron Howard).
The first of these two films was apparently so bad, it even got booed during Charlie’s 2011 “Violent Torpedo of Truth Tour.”
The Hollywood Reporter wrote, “When loud booing cut the film short, Sheen said, “‘OK, so RPG’s a bomb. Whatever. Tonight is an experiment.’”
No one doubts that Charlie Sheen is a box-office success. When it comes to showing his directorial clout, however, the star of Platoon and Wall Street sticks to what he knows best: home movies.
Charlie has written and directed over 200 Super-8 films in his 22 years, with pals like Sean and Chris Penn, Rob and Chad Lowe, and older brother Emilio Estevez in the lead roles.
RPG II is a sequel to one of Charlie’s earlier efforts (only it’s on 35mm). Clint Howard (you know, the kid from Gentle Ben who has bit parts in all his brother Ron’s movies) and Johnny Depp star in roles they created for RPG in which they blow up a Fotomat when their pictures aren’t ready on time.
- “R.P.G.” featured one of Johnny Depp’s early film roles, showcasing his talent and versatility as an actor.
A Review of R.P.G. From IMDB:
A highly unusual experience but very cool
The “Platoon” friendship between Charlie Sheen and Johnny Depp was strong enough to be repeated in another movie, the unusual short film “R. P. G.” where Sheen took directing duties and writing while Depp was the star. A very unusual story, practically purposeless yet it’s quite harmless, amusing and with some bits of originality.
I’m not 100% sure of what this was all about but all I know is that involves two low-life characters, a talkative guy played by Clint Howard and the wannabe star played by Depp. The latter is on a desperate mode trying to get his resume photos so he can get acting gigs. All he gets is hearing the former guy bitching about everything and when they arrive at the photo-joint to get the pictures something doesn’t go as planned, his pictures disappeared. A maddening and revolted Depp plans his revenge against the place and that involves the film title. That’s pretty much the experience here and nothing more.
The bits of dialogue are all strangely conceived, nothing so memorable or so funny, but when the main story kicks in then the movie becomes quite interesting. The finale is the thing we remember the best, it’s very cool and spectacular. Considering that emerging people in Hollywood were the ones behind this it’s quite an accomplishment, and they prove that low-budget projects does not mean poor quality. There’s something special here even though it doesn’t have much of a purpose and it leaves a certain openness in the air (probably answered in the 1988 sequel, R.P.G. 2, of which I haven’t seen it). It’s okay for then beginner stars. 7/10.
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