Crossroads (1986 film)

Crossroads
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Walter Hill
Written by	John Fusco
Produced by	Mark Carliner
Starring	Ralph Macchio Joe Seneca Jami Gertz Steve Vai Tim Russ
Cinematography	John Bailey
Edited by	Freeman A. Davies
Music by	Ry Cooder
Color process	Technicolor
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release date	March 14, 1986 (1986-03-14)
Running time	99 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$5,839,000 (US)[1]

Crossroads is a 1986 American musical drama film inspired by the legend of blues musician Robert Johnson. Starring Ralph Macchio, Joe Seneca and Jami Gertz, the film was written by John Fusco and directed by Walter Hill and features an original score by Ry Cooder featuring classical guitar by William Kanengiser and harmonica by Sonny Terry. Steve Vai appears in the film as the devil's virtuosic guitar player in the climactic guitar duel.

Fusco was a traveling blues musician prior to attending New York University Tisch School of the Arts, where he wrote Crossroads as an assignment in a master class led by the screenwriting giants Waldo Salt and Ring Lardner Jr. The student screenplay won first place in the national FOCUS Awards (Films of College and University Students) and was sold to Columbia Pictures while Fusco was still a student.