Witness
A grieving Amish mother and her young son become key witnesses in a high-stakes murder case when an undercover cop is killed in Philadelphia, forcing a seasoned detective to pursue a corrupt narcotics officer before the truth is buried.
“A big city cop. A small country boy. They have nothing in common... but a murder.”
Synopsis
A detective, tasked with protecting an Amish boy—the sole witness to a brutal murder—and his mother, is forced to take refuge within their community when his own life comes under threat.
Credits
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How many hands made this film
The scale of the collaboration
A crew of 149+ credited
Why a floor?
This is a minimum, not a total. We only count the credits we’ve captured so far, and coverage is uneven — a blockbuster might show a few hundred names while another of the same size shows a couple dozen. The real crews all ran into the thousands. The number here only grows as full credits are enriched — so we frame it as a floor, never a headcount.
Craft leads on file
Edited by Thom NobleShot by John SealeScored by Maurice JarreDesigned by Stan JolleySound by Don Digirolamo Nm0226564Stunts by Gary Epper
Box Office
1985 · Box office
💰 Box-office hit — grossed 9.7× its budget
Why 2.5×?
Cinemas keep roughly half of every ticket sold, and a wide release’s marketing often costs about as much again as the film — so a movie needs to gross around 2.5× its production budget just to break even theatrically. It’s a rule of thumb, not the studio’s ledger (home video and streaming come later).
Worldwide gross
$116.1M
US & Canada: $68.7M — 59% of worldwide · International: $47.4M (41%)
Opening weekend: $4.5M — 7% of its US run. It had legs — it kept earning long after opening weekend.
Opening week (7-day): $6.3M — 9% of its US & Canada run.
Peak 876 theaters
Full synopsis
Also known as
- Der einzige Zeugede
- Witness - Il testimoneit
- (Bulgarian)Свидетел
Release dates around the world4 countries · showhide
- United StatesFeb 7, 1985
- BrazilApr 15, 1985
- ArgentinaApr 25, 1985
- AustriaMay 1, 1985
Production & Distribution
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Cast & Crew
149 unique people credited
Top billed cast
Supporting cast
45Viggo Mortensen
as Moses Hochleitner
John Garson
as Bishop Tchantz
Beverly May
as Mrs. Yoder
Ed Crowley
as Sheriff
Timothy Carhart
as Zenovich
Sylvia Kauders
as Tourist Lady
Marian Swan
as Mrs. Schaeffer
Maria Bradley
as Schaeffer's Daughter
Rozwill Young
as T-Bone
Paul S Nuss
as Amish
Emily Tracy
as Amish
Fred Steinharter
as Amish
John D King
as Amish
Paul Goss
as Amish
Annemarie Vallerio
as Amish
Bruce E Camburn
as Amish
William Francis
as Town Man
Tom Kennedy
as Ticket Seller
Ardyth Kaiser
as Couple in Garage
Thomas Quinn
as Couple in Garage
Eugene Dooley
as Detective
Victoria Scott
as Detective
Richard Chaves
as Detective
Tim Moyer
as Detective
Nino Del Buono
as Detective
James Frank Clark
as Detective
Joseph Kelly
as Detective
Norman Carter
as Detective
Craig Clement
as Detective
Robert Earl Jones
as Custodian
Michael Levering
as Hoodlum
Cara Giallanza
as Hoodlum
Anthony Dean Rubes
as Hoodlum
Bernie Styles
as Counterman
Blossom Terry
as Mother in Station
Jennifer Mancuso
as Little Girl
Ollie Boston
as Train Commuter
John Francis Deyoe
as Amish Farmer Extra in Barn Raising Scene
Paul Dinh Mccrillis
as Perp #2
E J Dougherty
as Teen at Train Station
Nancy Kirk
as Crying Amish Woman at Funeral
Nancy Jane Marron Asti
as Amish Mother
Skip Rose
as Stan (the Commissoner's Driver)
Laverne Shank
as Young Amish Man
Ruth Leon Weiman
as Woman in Philadelphia
Directors
1Writers
4Producers
4Other crew
87Jay Cannistraci
additional makeup artist (uncredited)
John D King
advisor: Amish
Michael Amundsen
apprentice editor
John Anderson Nm0026936
as John Anderson
Joan E Chapman
assistant editor
Michael Kohan
assistant property master (uncredited)
Michel Mention
assistant: Maurice Jarre / musician: keyboards (uncredited)
Gloria Slate
assistant: Messrs. Feldman and Bombyk
Eyal Geva
assistant: Mr. Weir
Dan Lerner
camera operator
Charlie Clifton
cameraman: second unit (as Chuck Clifton)
Ilene Starger
casting associate
Parents Guide
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