Lights! Action! And the Plot Is . . . Murder

“Gleaming the Cube” is an action-thriller being filmed in Orange County by Turman-Foster Productions, to be distributed by 20th Century-Fox next year. Directed by Graeme Clifford, whose other films include “Francis,” it is the story of an Orange County boy and the murder of his adopted brother, a Vietnamese refugee who has uncovered a scandalous misappropriation of humanitarian funds for Vietnam.

Actor Christian Slater, playing the surviving brother, sets out to unravel the mystery of his adopted brother’s killing with the help of friends who are master skateboard riders, exploring the Little Saigon community of Westminster and falling in love with a young Vietnamese girl.

The adopted brother is played by an unknown Taiwanese actor. Scores of extras have been drawn from the Vietnamese community in Orange County, according to production publicist Vic Heutschy. He said settings that Orange County viewers will probably recognize on film are the park at the foot of the Balboa Pier in Newport Beach--where a major scene re-creates a Vietnamese celebration--and orange groves in Irvine.

“It’s kind of pro-Vietnamese,” Heutschy said. “You know, the people who fought and fled, the boat people and all that. It’s the kind of story that’s maybe been in documentaries, but it hasn’t been used like this before.

“It is a picture with great entertainment factors. It’s for adults and for teen-agers who will identify with the skateboarders.”