Thursday

Thursday

Year: 1998

Runtime: 87 mins

Language: English

Director: Skip Woods

ActionComedyCrimeThrillerDrama

When a former Los Angeles drug dealer escapes to Texas to start a quiet suburban life as a married architect, his past refuses to stay buried. His former crime partner shows up with a shipment of heroin, pulling him back into the criminal underworld and attracting a host of violent, unsavory characters into his new world.

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline & Setting – Thursday (1998)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Thursday (1998). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Late 1990s

The events unfold over a few days in contemporary times, with a modern urban-crime atmosphere. The timeline moves from Monday night through Thursday, giving a tight, high-stakes arc. The era’s vibe is one of gritty realism, corruption, and street-level violence.

Location

Los Angeles, Texas

The story oscillates between a gritty Los Angeles night and a sun-wbaked Texas residence, highlighting stark contrasts between city sprawl and isolated, heat-soaked locales. In LA, tension builds around a convenience-store confrontation and a web of criminal activity. The Texas setting provides a claustrophobic backdrop where the characters' past and present collide under relentless pressure.

🌆 Urban 🏜 Desert

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 18:36

Main Characters – Thursday (1998)

Meet the key characters of Thursday (1998), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Kasarov (Mickey Rourke)

Kasarov is a ruthless, corrupt cop who wields his authority like a weapon. He brazenly inserts himself into the case, driven by control and a taste for intimidation. His cold efficiency and willingness to kill mark him as a central antagonist who views people as collateral in his scheme for power.

💼 Powerful 👀 Corrupt

Nick (Aaron Eckhart)

Nick is a career-driven drug dealer with a knack for manipulation and self-preservation. His decisions often come from a place of greed, but he also shows a stubborn resolve to live by his own rules. His actions set off a chain of violence that spirals toward the film’s deadly climax.

💰 Greedy 🔄 Deceptive

Casey Wells (Thomas Jane)

Casey is a man trying to reform his life—married, hoping to adopt, and far from his LA past. He remains resourceful under pressure, using wit and improvisation to outmaneuver threats. Yet his past clings to him, forcing him to navigate danger with a stubborn, almost desperate resilience.

🧭 Resourceful 💚 Family-first

Dallas (Paulina Porizkova)

Dallas is a dangerous, calculating figure who leverages sexuality and fear to push her own agenda. She shows ruthless determination when money and power are at stake, and her willingness to commit violent acts marks her as a volatile force within the crisis.

🔥 Dangerous 💃 Manipulative

Ice (Glenn Plummer)

Ice is a merciless hitman who enforces the will of others through intimidation and force. His presence signals the brutal reach of organized crime and the inevitability of violence in the story’s shadowy dealings. He remains a threat even when temporarily restrained by his targets.

💀 Dangerous 🥷 Enforcer

Dr. Jarvis (Michael Jeter)

Dr. Jarvis is an adoption agent whose professional veneer masks a deeper curiosity about Casey’s past. He represents institutional scrutiny but remains largely unaware of the full consequences of the crimes spiraling around him. His questions highlight the tension between legitimacy and a troubled history.

🧭 Cautious 👀 Curious

Billy Hill (James Le Gros)

Billy Hill is an impulsive intruder who destabilizes the room with violence and bluster. His interruption during Dallas’s assault escalates the danger, and his subsequent confrontation with Casey reveals a volatile, unpredictable nature that fans the flames of conflict.

🪓 Violent 🧨 Impulsive

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 18:36

Major Themes – Thursday (1998)

Explore the central themes of Thursday (1998), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

💥 Crime & Survival

The narrative centers on a violent underworld where murder, drug dealing, and manipulation drive every character. Survival hinges on wit, nerve, and quick, often brutal decisions. Each escalation—between a convenient store confrontation, a hit, and a planned heroin auction—tightens the noose around those involved.

🕵️ Deception & Secrets

Many characters conceal their pasts and present intentions, masking true motives behind faces of civility or casual bravado. Casey hides his LA history while Dallas presses for money, revealing how easily trust dissolves in a world built on lies. The interview with Dr. Jarvis exposes the fragility of identities in flux.

⚖️ Corruption & Power

A core thread is the erosion of law and order, as corrupt police and criminal networks manipulate events to their advantage. Kasarov embodies a power-worship that weaponizes authority, coercing others and shaping outcomes. The collision of official and gang power generates a battlefield where money and control trump justice.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 18:36

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Explore Movie Threads

Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.

One day crime thrillers like Thursday

High-stakes criminal crises that unfold within a single, relentless day.If you enjoyed the breakneck pace and high-pressure stakes of Thursday, you'll find similar tension in these movies where a single day erupts into chaos. Explore more films where a ticking clock and a cascade of disastrous events create a tightly wound, relentless narrative experience.

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Narrative Summary

The narrative pattern follows a simple premise that rapidly escalates into an uncontrollable crisis, compressing a lifetime of conflict into a single day. The structure is linear and propulsive, with new threats and complications arriving in quick succession, forcing the protagonist into a desperate fight for survival with no time for reflection.

Why These Movies?

These movies are grouped by their shared use of a condensed timeline to create unbearable tension and a sense of imminent doom. The fast pacing, high intensity, and feeling of being trapped in an unstoppable chain of events create a uniquely stressful and exhilarating viewing experience.

Movies about escaping the past like Thursday

Characters hunted by the violent consequences of the life they left behind.Fans of Thursday's theme of a reformed criminal confronted by his past will appreciate these stories of redemption threatened by old ghosts. Discover other intense dramas and thrillers where characters are pulled back into the underworld they tried to leave, exploring themes of betrayal and survival.

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Narrative Summary

The narrative follows a character who has achieved a fragile stability, only to have it shattered by the return of a person or problem from their previous life. This forces them to use the skills they hoped to abandon, leading to a destructive conflict that tests their new identity and threatens everything they've built.

Why These Movies?

This thread connects movies through the powerful theme of a past that cannot be outrun. They share a dark tone, heavy emotional weight centered on trauma and betrayal, and a narrative structure where a peaceful present is invaded by a violent history, creating profound internal and external conflict.

Unlock the Full Story of Thursday

Don't stop at just watching — explore Thursday in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what Thursday is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

Thursday Summary

Read a complete plot summary of Thursday, including all key story points, character arcs, and turning points. This in-depth recap is ideal for understanding the narrative structure or reviewing what happened in the movie.

Thursday Summary

Thursday Timeline

Track the full timeline of Thursday with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.

Thursday Timeline

Thursday Spoiler-Free Summary

Get a quick, spoiler-free overview of Thursday that covers the main plot points and key details without revealing any major twists or spoilers. Perfect for those who want to know what to expect before diving in.

Thursday Spoiler-Free Summary

More About Thursday

Visit What's After the Movie to explore more about Thursday: box office results, cast and crew info, production details, post-credit scenes, and external links — all in one place for movie fans and researchers.

More About Thursday