# Havoc (2005 film)
**Havoc** is a 2005 American crime drama directed by Barbara Kopple, in which two affluent suburban teenage girls become entangled with the Latino gang culture of East Los Angeles[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0285175/). It stars [Anne Hathaway](https://www.edgepedia.org/anne-hathaway), Bijou Phillips, and Freddy Rodríguez, with a screenplay by Oscar winner [Stephen Gaghan](https://www.edgepedia.org/stephen-gaghan) from a story by Gaghan and Jessica Kaplan[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0285175/). Made on a budget of $9,000,000, the film went straight to DVD in the United States and earned $371,000 in international theatrical release[2](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0285175/) • [3](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2005/12/02/havoc-talks-the-talk-but-has-little-to-say/df003803-f657-45e0-97dc-0f590f9e8601/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director | Barbara Kopple, two-time Academy Award winner for the documentaries *Harlan County, U.S.A.* and *American Dream*[3](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2005/12/02/havoc-talks-the-talk-but-has-little-to-say/df003803-f657-45e0-97dc-0f590f9e8601/) |
| Writers | Stephen Gaghan (story and screenplay) and Jessica Kaplan (story)[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0285175/fullcredits/) |
| Lead cast | Anne Hathaway as Allison Lang, Bijou Phillips as Emily, Freddy Rodríguez as Hector[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0285175/fullcredits/) |
| Release | Straight to DVD from New Line Home Entertainment in R-rated and unrated versions; earliest theatrical release October 13, 2005 (Russia/CIS)[3](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2005/12/02/havoc-talks-the-talk-but-has-little-to-say/df003803-f657-45e0-97dc-0f590f9e8601/) • [2](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0285175/) |
| Budget and gross | $9,000,000 budget; $371,000 worldwide gross, all from international territories[2](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0285175/) |
| Running time and rating | 1 hr 25 min; MPAA R; crime drama[2](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0285175/) |
| Reception | Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer 45% from 11 reviews; IMDb rating 5.4/10 from about 22,000 votes[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/havoc) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0285175/) |
## Spoilers
### Plot and premise
The film follows Allison Lang (Anne Hathaway) and Emily ([Bijou Phillips](https://www.edgepedia.org/bijou-phillips)), wealthy teenagers from Pacific Palisades who are bored with their sheltered lives and fascinated by gangsta fashion and music[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/havoc) • [6](https://moviesanywhere.com/movie/havoc). Allison belongs to a pseudo-gang of rich hip-hop wannabes called the PLC and dates Toby ([Mike Vogel](https://www.edgepedia.org/mike-vogel)), a spoiled rich kid who imagines he knows what being tough is like[7](https://www.awn.com/blog/havoc-2005-12).
After meeting the inner-city dealer Hector (Freddy Rodríguez) during a drug deal gone wrong, the girls begin spending time with an entirely different crowd, and Hector's violent lifestyle and dangerous connections begin to threaten them[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/havoc) • [7](https://www.awn.com/blog/havoc-2005-12). Allison's family life is troubled in parallel: her father Stuart ([Michael Biehn](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-biehn)) is always working, and her mother Joanna ([Laura San Giacomo](https://www.edgepedia.org/laura-san-giacomo)) moves in and out of rehab for drugs and suicide attempts[7](https://www.awn.com/blog/havoc-2005-12).
The supporting cast includes [Shiri Appleby](https://www.edgepedia.org/shiri-appleby) as Amanda, Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Sam, Matt O'Leary as Eric, a teenage filmmaker who interviews the girls, and [Channing Tatum](https://www.edgepedia.org/channing-tatum)[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0285175/fullcredits/).
## Production
Filming ran from September 30 to November 7, 2003[8](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0285175/locations/?item=lc0137883). Recorded locations include [Palisades Charter High School](https://www.edgepedia.org/palisades-charter-high-school) in Pacific Palisades, which served as the main school, the [Santa Monica Pier](https://www.edgepedia.org/santa-monica-pier) parking lot, Altadena, Brentwood, and Hollywood[8](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0285175/locations/?item=lc0137883).
The crew included composer [Cliff Martinez](https://www.edgepedia.org/cliff-martinez), cinematographer Kramer Morgenthau, and editors Nancy Baker and Gerald B. Greenberg[9](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0285175/credits/). Producers listed by Movies Anywhere include Stewart Hall, John Morrissey, Jack F. Murphy, Andy Grosch, Sammy Lee, Jonas McCord, and Andreas Schmid[6](https://moviesanywhere.com/movie/havoc).
## Jessica Kaplan and the film's dedication
The film's original script was written by Jessica Kaplan when she was 16 years old; Kaplan died in a plane crash two years before the film's release, at the age of 24[3](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2005/12/02/havoc-talks-the-talk-but-has-little-to-say/df003803-f657-45e0-97dc-0f590f9e8601/). The finished film is dedicated to her[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0285175/). Kaplan receives a story credit alongside Stephen Gaghan, who wrote the screenplay[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0285175/fullcredits/).
## Release and box office
Despite credits that a Washington Post reviewer called unusual for a straight-to-DVD title, the film was released directly to home video by New Line Home Entertainment in both an R-rated and an unrated version[3](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2005/12/02/havoc-talks-the-talk-but-has-little-to-say/df003803-f657-45e0-97dc-0f590f9e8601/). Its earliest theatrical release came on October 13, 2005 in Russia/CIS, where it grossed $159,821[2](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0285175/). Other international releases followed over two years, including the [United Arab Emirates](https://www.edgepedia.org/united-arab-emirates) (May 3, 2006), the United Kingdom (October 27, 2006), Italy (August 3, 2007, grossing $144,291), and Peru (October 18, 2007)[2](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0285175/). The film recorded no domestic theatrical gross, and its worldwide total of $371,000 fell far short of its $9,000,000 budget[2](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0285175/).
## Reception
Critical response was mixed. On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds a 45% Tomatometer from 11 reviews, with an audience Popcornmeter score of 36% from more than 10,000 ratings[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/havoc). IMDb users give it 5.4 out of 10 from about 22,000 votes[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0285175/).
Reviewers divided over whether the film's premise was handled with substance or exploitation. Peter Bradshaw of *The Guardian* gave it 2 out of 5, writing that director Barbara Kopple strays into territory occupied by [James Toback](https://www.edgepedia.org/james-toback) and [Catherine Hardwicke](https://www.edgepedia.org/catherine-hardwicke)[10](https://www.theguardian.com/film/movie/115278/havoc). Maitland McDonagh of TV Guide called it a slight cautionary tale about slumming rich kids despite its high-powered credits[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/havoc). Matthew Turner of ViewLondon compared it to Catherine Hardwicke's *Thirteen*, "only with money," and praised Anne Hathaway's full-on performance[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/havoc). Jennie Kermode of Eye for Film, reviewing it at 3.5 out of 5, called it a modest, tightly controlled film that gives Hathaway a role she can really get her teeth into[11](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/havoc-film-review-by-jennie-kermode). Rick DeMott of Animation World Network gave it two and a half stars, finding smart, provocative ideas weighed down by a screenplay whose characters lacked believability, while praising the performances of Hathaway, Phillips, Rodríguez, and [Joseph Gordon-Levitt](https://www.edgepedia.org/joseph-gordon-levitt)[7](https://www.awn.com/blog/havoc-2005-12).
## References
1. [Havoc (2005), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0285175/)
2. [Havoc (2005), Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0285175/)
3. [Michael O'Sullivan, "'Havoc' Talks the Talk But Has Little to Say," The Washington Post, December 1, 2005](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2005/12/02/havoc-talks-the-talk-but-has-little-to-say/df003803-f657-45e0-97dc-0f590f9e8601/)
4. [Havoc (2005) Full cast & crew, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0285175/fullcredits/)
5. [Havoc, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/havoc)
6. [Havoc | Full Movie, Movies Anywhere](https://moviesanywhere.com/movie/havoc)
7. [Rick DeMott, "HAVOC (2005) (**1/2)," Animation World Network, March 15, 2006](https://www.awn.com/blog/havoc-2005-12)
8. [Havoc (2005) Filming & production, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0285175/locations/?item=lc0137883)
9. [Havoc (2005) Credits, Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0285175/credits/)
10. [Havoc, Film review by Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/film/movie/115278/havoc)
11. [Havoc (2005) Movie Review by Jennie Kermode, Eye for Film](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/havoc-film-review-by-jennie-kermode)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Crime, thriller, and mystery films (individual works) › 2005–2009 films › Released 2005 to 2007*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license