D.O.A. (1988): Cast, Box Office & Plot
D.O.A. is a 1988 mystery thriller directed by Annabel Jankel and Rocky Morton, starring Dennis Quaid as Dexter Cornell, Meg Ryan and Daniel Stern. It runs 1 hour 36 minutes and earned $12.7 million worldwide.
- Released
- Runtime
- 1h 36m (96 min)
- Directors
- Annabel Jankel and Rocky Morton
- Original language
-
English - Studio
- Touchstone Pictures
- After the credits
- No No extra scene
What Is D.O.A. About?
The premise of D.O.A. without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
After being poisoned, English professor Dexter Cornell discovers he has only 24 hours before he dies. Determined to uncover who poisoned him and why, he races against time as a series of murders erupts among people in his circle. With the reluctant aid of his student Sydney Fuller, he pursues the killer before he becomes dead on arrival.
D.O.A. Themes & Keywords
· 50 tags- poison
- english professor
- dead on arrival
- alcoholic
- neo noir
- race against time
- f rated
- blonde woman
- dead woman on the floor
- woman wears lingerie
- police station
- reference to bill cosby
+38 more Show fewer
- quoting shakespeare
- reference to victor hugo
- christmas decoration
- fall from height
- suicide by jumping off a building
- divorce papers
- opening sequence in black and white
- sodium amytal
- taxi
- u matic videotape
- female director
- female filmmaker
- title directed by female
- student
- killer
- wife
- professor
- murder
- in medias res
- pistol
- half siblings
- brother sister incest
- accidental incest
- incest
- abandoned by mother
- bigamy
- tar pit
- woman bludgeoned to death
- bludgeoned to death
- woman shot in the forehead
- dead woman with eyes open
- radium chloride
- stolen manuscript
- plagiarism
- superglue
- super glue
- pun
- lingerie
D.O.A. Cast & Characters
Dennis Quaid leads the cast as Dexter Cornell, with Meg Ryan as Sydney Fuller and Daniel Stern as Hal Petersham. Directed by Annabel Jankel and Rocky Morton; 21 actors are credited in all.
- Co-director Annabel Jankel
- Co-director Rocky Morton
-
Dennis Quaid as Dexter Cornell -
Meg Ryan as Sydney Fuller -
Daniel Stern as Hal Petersham -
Robert Knepper as Nicholas Lang
Also Starring in D.O.A.
· 17 more- Jane Kaczmarek Gail Cornell
- Karen Radcliffe Jane Corey
- Charlotte Rampling Mrs. Fitzwaring
- Lee Gideon Mr. Fitzwaring
- Robin Johnson Cookie Fitzwaring
- Christopher Neame Bernard
- Brion James Detective Ulmer
- John Hawkes Sloane
- Marco Perella Cab Driver
- Jack Kehoe Detective Brockton
- Jay Patterson Graham Corey
- Brent Anderson Metcalf
- Elizabeth Arlen Elaine Wells
- Gabriel Folse Frat Jock
- William Forward Chief Resident
- Michael Stephen Costello College President
Show all 21 cast members Show fewer cast members
- Joy Swan Survey Girl
More from Annabel Jankel and Rocky Morton
More films directed by Annabel Jankel and Rocky Morton, best-rated first: Tell It to the Bees, Super Mario Bros., Skellig and Max Headroom: 20 Minutes into the Future.
D.O.A. Plot Summary
What happens in D.O.A. from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 13 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 4-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
Dexter Cornell Dennis Quaid is a college professor who has settled into a safe, tenure‑driven routine, and the story opens with him staggering into a police station to recount what feels like his own murder. Over the next hours, he unfolds a tangled past thirty‑six hours, peeling back the layers of a life that once promised much more than tidy routine.
Full summary
The whole story of D.O.A., scene by scene
D.O.A. Box Office
D.O.A. grossed $12.7 million worldwide.
Worldwide gross
$12.7M
- US & Canada
- $12.7M
How Well Do You Know D.O.A.?
10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 10
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
- Question 10: not answered
Who plays the poisoned professor Dexter Cornell?
Cars in D.O.A.
22 cars on screen, including the 1986 Lincoln Continental and the 1979 BMW 320i E21.
-
1986 Lincoln Continental Important role -
1979 BMW 320i E21 Minor role -
1968 Buick Electra 225 Minor role -
1983 Cadillac Sedan DeVille Stretched Limousine Minor role
D.O.A. Also Known As
23 alternative titles, including “Mort à l'arrivée” and “D. O. A.”.
- Also known as
-
- Mort à l'arrivée
- D. O. A.
- Jagad av döden
- Мёртв по прибытии
- Κυνηγώντας τον Δολοφόνο μου
- D.O.A./死へのカウントダウン
- Dead on Arrival
- D.O.A. - Bei Ankunft Mord
- D.O.A. - Cadavere in arrivo
- Ölüme Bir Gün Kala
- Muerto al llegar
- Мертв по прибытии
+11 more Show fewer
- Zmarły w chwili przybycia
- Morto ao Chegar
- 死亡旋涡
- 죽음의 카운트다운
- Holtan érkezett
- Mort en arribar
- Død ved ankomsten
- D.O.A. - Død ved ankomst
- La Muerte Está al Llegar
- K.J.S. - kuollut jo saapuessaan
- Мертвий після прибуття
Seen D.O.A.?
Movies Like D.O.A.
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including D.O.A., D-Tox and Color Me Dead.
D.O.A. FAQ: Cast, Box Office & Runtime
Runtime, release date, director, cast, box office and post-credit scenes of D.O.A., each answered in a sentence.
How long is D.O.A.?
D.O.A. runs 1 hour 36 minutes (96 minutes).
When was D.O.A. released?
D.O.A. was released on March 18, 1988.
Who directed D.O.A.?
D.O.A. was directed by Annabel Jankel and Rocky Morton.
More films by Annabel Jankel Who is in the cast of D.O.A.?
D.O.A. stars Dennis Quaid as Dexter Cornell, Meg Ryan as Sydney Fuller and Daniel Stern as Hal Petersham, among 21 credited actors.
How much did D.O.A. make at the box office?
D.O.A. grossed $12.7 million worldwide.
Does D.O.A. have a post-credit scene?
No. D.O.A. has no extra scene during or after the credits.
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