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Movie
Poster for The Ref

The Ref

1994 · 97 min

A sharp, fast-talking dark comedy where a hostage crisis becomes a hilarious and tense family therapy session.

Tagline
They might be his hostages but what they're doing to this guy is criminal.
Overview
A cat burglar is forced to take a bickering, dysfunctional family hostage on Christmas Eve.

Search YouTube for the trailer

Rent or buy in the UK
  • Amazon Video
  • YouTube
More options Data from JustWatch
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • satiricalstrength 3 of 3
  • darkstrength 2 of 3
  • cynicalstrength 2 of 3
  • warmstrength 2 of 3
Pacing
brisk, 3 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • family
  • betrayal
  • class
  • identity
  • redemption
Places
  • suburbs
  • single country house
Era
contemporary
Audience
adult
Form
  • single location
  • ensemble
Content intensity
  • Gore none
  • Language strong
  • Violence mild
  • Sex mild
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action4
Horror1
Humour8
Realism7
Romance3
Tension5
Darkness6
Complexity5
Emotional weight5

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Where to watch in the UK

Rent or buy
  • Amazon Video
  • YouTube

Streaming data from JustWatch.All options on TMDB

Details

Genres
comedy, crime, drama
Directed by
Ted Demme
Written by
Marie Weiss, Richard LaGravenese
Starring
Denis Leary, Judy Davis, Kevin Spacey, Robert J. Steinmiller Jr., Glynis Johns, Raymond J. Barry, Richard Bright, Christine Baranski
Music
Dave Stewart
Cinematography
Adam Kimmel
Runtime
97 min
Country
United States of America
Languages
English

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