Sterling Macer Movies
- 2001
Esai Morales becomes a regular in the role of Brooklyn homicide detective Lt. Tony Rodriguez. Setting up shop at the 15th precinct, Rodriguez imperiously takes over the investigation of the murder of an ex-cop's daughter. But after two of his own detectives screw up, Rodriguez relaxes a bit and allows the 15th's own Sorenson (Rick Schroder) and Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) to clean up the case. Elsewhere, Andy breaks up with Cynthia (Juliana Donald) and again considers getting back together with his ex-wife Katie (Debra Monk), if only for the sake of his son Theo (Austin Majors). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 2001
The scene is the small Missouri town of Silver Shade in the mid-'60s. Despite deeply ingrained prejudice, black lawyer Daniel Webster Stewart (Louis Gossett Jr.) has managed to achieve success, and is now on the verge of winning an important political race. Things take a startling turn when Stewart's friend Curtis Gallegher (Sterling Macer) is accused of killing the wife of Daniel's white political opponent, Horton Roundtree (Robert Urich). Fearing accusations of "conflict of interest," Stewart at first refuses to defend Curtis in court, but a hitherto unrevealed secret in the past of his own wife Olivia (Lonette McKee) forces him to change his mind. Meanwhile, someone in town is determined to prevent Daniel from taking up Curtis' defense -- and that someone is clearly willing to stop at nothing. A sequel to the 1997 TV movie To Dance With Olivia, which also starred Louis Gossett Jr. and Lonette McKee, For Love of Olivia was telecast by CBS on March 18, 2001. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
A man trying to run away from trouble finds it follows him in unexpected ways in this action-packed vehicle for comic actors Eddie Griffin and Orlando Jones. Daryl Chase (Jones) is a successful investment banker who handles international accounts for a major New York firm. Chase discovers to his surprise that one of his biggest clients, a company from Mexico, is actually a front for a cartel of drug smugglers; Chase realizes too late that he's been framed for money laundering, and is now wanted by the FBI. Chase is soon approached by a CIA agent, who thinks Chase's relationship with the Mexican drug kingpins might prove useful, but when his local contact disappears, Chase has to make his way to Mexico in order to save his skin and hopefully clear his name. Needing a new identity to get out of town and across the border, Chase obtains a stolen passport -- and soon learns the man whose name he's using is in even deeper trouble with the law than himself. With nowhere else to turn, Chase asks streetwise hustler Freddie Tiffany (Griffin) to help him get out of town; Chase will pretend to be Freddie, while Tiffany will pose as a businessman like Chase. However, Chase finds out Tiffany isn't the man he thought he was, and that his sticky situation is even more perilous and fraught with secrets than he imagined. Double Take was inspired by the 1957 drama Across The Bridge, which was in turn based on a novel by Graham Greene; the supporting cast includes Edward Herrmann, Gary Grubbs, Garcelle Beauvais, and Daniel Roebuck. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Orlando Jones, Eddie Griffin, (more)
Shown on the Fox network, this made-for-TV biopic stars David Ramsey as legendary boxer Muhammad Ali, whose story is told largely in flashbacks. Beginning with Ali's childhood, when he was known as Cassius Clay, Ali: An American Hero traces the boxer's career, love life, and eventual devotion to Islam. Joe Morton appears as Malcolm X, and the cast also features the talents of Vondie Curtis Hall and Clarence Williams III, the latter as Ali's father Marcellus Clay. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, Rovi
- Starring:
- David Ramsey, Clarence Williams III, (more)
- 1998
Lt. Fancy (James McDaniel) has another run-in with Officer Szymanski (Christopher Stanley), the white cop who hassled Fancy over a broken taillight a few seasons back. Now, Szymanski is being investigated for his shooting of a black undercover officer. This incident rekindles old and unresolved racial issues between Fancy and Andy Sipowicz (Dennis Franz), culminating in a physical confrontation. Elsewhere, Andy agrees to continue aiding Sylvia (Sharon Lawrence) in her efforts to clear the name of the late Suarez, while the squad tries to help absentee PAA Dolores Mayo (Lola Glaudini), who has turned to shoplifting. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
The brief but eventful life of actor and martial arts trailblazer Bruce Lee is portrayed in this drama, based on a biography written by his widow Linda Lee Caldwell. Lee is introduced to the study of martial arts as a child living in Hong Kong by his father (Ric Young); the father dreamed that a demonic armored dragon would take his son from him, and wanted young Bruce to be able to protect himself. Bruce continues his training as he grows to adulthood, and after the cocky teenaged Lee (Jason Scott Lee, no relation to Bruce) seriously injures a prominent British citizen while fighting a gang of troublemakers at a dance, he's sent to San Francisco. While working as a dishwasher, Bruce begins to study philosophy, and in time develops a personal martial arts discipline, Jeet Kune-Do, which blends Kung Fu fighting techniques with lessons gained from his philosophical research. Bruce decides to open a martial arts academy on the advice of his fiancée Linda (Lauren Holly); Linda and Bruce encounter resistance as a mixed-race couple, especially from Linda's mother Vivian (Michael Learned), and Bruce earns the enmity of traditional Chinese martial arts experts for his new style. But after a strong showing in several public tournaments, Bruce's fighting skill and charisma attracts the attention of TV producer Bill Krieger (Robert Wagner). Bruce is cast as Kato, the karate-trained sidekick on the series The Green Hornet, and while the show is short-lived in America, it's a huge success in Asia, leading to a series of films based around Bruce's remarkable fighting skills. Sadly, shortly before the release of the film that would make him a major screen star in the United States, Enter The Dragon, a mysterious brain disorder sends Lee into a coma that soon kills him. In a tragedy with eerie timing, Bruce Lee's real-life son Brandon Lee died shortly before this film was released, the result of an accidental shooting while completing the picture The Crow. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jason Scott Lee, Lauren Holly, (more)
