PLOT SYNOPSIS

Lawrence Kasdan originally wrote his script for 'The Bodyguard' in the late 1960s as a vehicle for Steve McQueen; by the time it reached the screen, Kasdan's star was another movie hearthrob, Kevin Costner. When imperious musical superstar Whitney Houston begins receiving death threats, she is compelled to hire a bodyguard. Enter Costner, who immediately incurs the wrath of Houston and her entourage by imposing prison-like security measures. An ex-Secret Service agent, Costner still hasn't purged himself of his guilt feelings over his inability to protect President Reagan from would-be assassin John Hinckley (in the original concept, the agent had been guarding JFK in Dallas, but Costner was too young to make this credible; besides, he and Oliver Stone had been there before). Gradually, and inevitably, Costner and Houston fall in love. Though there are plot holes that one can drive trucks through, the film builds efficiently to a nailbiting climax at the Dorothy Chandler Pavillion, where Houston is slated to sing at the Oscar ceremony-and her stalker is primed to bag his target. Ralph Waite is effectively cast as Costner's father, while Robert Wuhl and Debbie Reynolds please the crowd in their cameo roles. At times silly in the extreme (at one point, Kevin Costner comes off as a capeless Superman!), The Bodyguard was nonetheless a huge box-office success, helped along in no small part by Whitney Houston's bestselling rendition of the old Dolly Parton hit "I Will Always Love You." — Hal Erickson

CAST

Kevin Costner .... Frank Farmer
Whitney Houston .... Rachel Marron
Gary Kemp .... Sy Spector
Bill Cobbs .... Bill Devaney
Ralph Waite .... Herb Farmer
Tomas Arana .... Greg Portman
Michele Lamar Richards .... Nicki Marron
Mike Starr .... Tony Scipelli
Christopher Birt .... Henry
DeVaughn Nixon .... Fletcher Marron

PRODUCTION TEAM

Mick Jackson - Director
Kevin Costner - Producer
Lawrence Kasdan - Producer
Jim Wilson - Producer
Lawrence Kasdan - Screenwriter
David Foster - Songs
Jud Friedman - Songs
Dolly Parton - Song ("I Will Always Love You")
Alan Silvestri - Composer (Music Score)
Alan Dennis Rich - Music
Andrew Dunn - Cinematography
Donn Cambern - Film Editing
Richard A. Harris - Film Editing
Elisabeth Leustig - Casting
Jeffrey Beecroft - Production Design
William Ladd Skinner - Art Decoration
Rodney M. Byrd - Special Effects
Maureen Crowe - Music Supervisor