Tony Musante Movies
Though he appeared to be the archetypal tense, tightly wound street punk, Tony Musante was in fact a reasonably well-behaved kid while growing up in Connecticut. After attending Oberlin College, Musante worked as a schoolteacher before making his off-Broadway acting bow in 1960. Three years later, producer David Susskind chose Musante to play a switchblade-wielding juvenile delinquent in the hour-long TV drama Ride With Terror; this developed into the 1967 film The Incident, with Musante repeating his role and winning several festival awards as a result. Following a healthy leading-man career in Italian pictures and in such Hollywood productions as The Last Run (1971), Musante returned to TV to star as chameleonlike New Jersey cop Dave Toma in the 1973 series Toma. When he left the series over creative differences after a single season, the program was retooled as Baretta, with Robert Blake in the title role. Tony Musante went on to earn an Emmy nomination for his performance in the 1975 TV movie A Quality of Mercy, and that same year made his long-overdue Broadway debut in PS Your Cat is Dead. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Set against the backdrop of the bloody battle waged between New York City cops and the Russian mafia in the 1980s, director James Gray's period drama tells the tale of an emerging club manager whose family ties to law enforcement make him a target for the city's most dangerous criminals. Bobby Green (Joaquin Phoenix) manages one of Gotham's hottest clubs, but being in the club scene often means turning a blind eye to blatant criminal activities. Realizing that his career -- and perhaps his life -- could come to a sudden end if anyone discovers that his father, Bert (Robert Duvall), is the deputy chief of police and his brother, Joseph (Mark Wahlberg), is a rising star on the force, Bobby struggles to keep that sensitive information from everyone except his devoted girlfriend, Amada (Eva Mendes). Russian kingpin Vadim (Alex Veadov) is a ruthless criminal who is willing to permanently silence anyone who dares cross him -- regardless of whether the person is a stranger on the street or a lifelong member of the family. When the Russian mafia declares all-out war against the NYPD, conflicted Bobby is forced to choose between his life of luxury and the family that he has worked so fervently to separate himself from. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Wahlberg, (more)
- 2001
Oscar-winning director Sidney Lumet, who began his career during the "golden age" of live television, returned to his TV roots as creator, writer, and director of the gritty, one-hour drama series 100 Centre Street. The title refers to the address of New York's Criminal Court, presided over by such distinguished jurists as Judge Joe Rifkind (Alan Arkin and Judge Atallah Sims (LaTanya Richardson). Though diametrical opposites in terms of philosophy -- Rifkind tends towards lenient liberalism, while the by-the-book Sims is known far and wide as "Atallah the Hun" -- the two judges remain close friends. Many of the episodes deal with the ramifications of the judges' decisions: In the opener, for example, Rifkind had to wrestle with the fact that a defendant he set free immediately went out and committed a savage murder -- and the victim was the daughter of Rifkind's former law partner. Others in the cast are Joseph Lyle Taylor and Paula Devicq as Assistant DAs Bobby Esposito and Cynthia Bennington, Larry Pine as Cynthia's father Frank, Manny Perez as womanizing legal aide Ramon Rodriguez, Val Avery as Sal Gentile, and Armando Williams as Al Thompson. As realistic as possible within the strictures of basic cable, and doggedly refusing to take dramatic easy-outs or provide pat endings, 100 Centre Street is worthy of all the "hype" attending its January 15, 2001, debut on the A&E network. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Alan Arkin, La Tanya Richardson, (more)
In this drama, a young man joins the family business without knowing that he's entering a world of danger and deceit. Hot-headed Leo Handler (Mark Wahlberg) has had some scrapes with the law and served time for a crime he didn't commit. Hoping to get his life back on track, he takes a job in the New York subway yards, secured by his Uncle Frank (James Caan), who has a high-ranking position in the New York Transit Authority. The longer Leo works in the yards, the more he realizes that his uncle controls a corrupt underworld where graft, violent reprisals, and even death are just part of the job. Will Leo turn against his family in the name of justice, or will he keep quiet and ignore the danger and lawlessness that surround him? The Yards also features Charlize Theron, Joaquin Phoenix, Ellen Burstyn, and Faye Dunaway. It was director James Gray's first film after his acclaimed debut with Little Odessa. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Mark Wahlberg, Joaquin Phoenix, (more)
- 1998
Essentially a feature-length episode of NBC's long-running series Law & Order, this crime and courtroom drama marks the return of Chris Noth (Detective Mike Logan) to Manhattan's 27th precinct. For the past three years, Logan has been stuck on Staten Island, the result of an incident in which he lost his temper. Regretting his outburst, Logan yearns to return to his home station. A murdered hooker's body found floating in the harbor may provide the key to his return. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Chris Noth, Dabney Coleman, (more)
Seen mostly through the eyes of wheelchair-bound prisoner Augustus Hill (Harold Perrineau Jr.), who serves as narrator and "tour guide," the first season of Oz begins with the establishment of a "prison within a prison" on Cell Block 5 of Oswald Maximum Security Penitentiary -- aka "Oz." Under the watchful eyes of Warden Leo Glynn (Ernie Hudson), Tim McManus (Terry Kinney) serves as unit manager of Cell Block 5, which he rechristens the Emerald City. It is the hope of the idealistic McManus that by allowing the prisoners more freedom and privileges, and getting them used to a daily routine, they will become rehabilitated more quickly. Perhaps it goes without saying that McManus is in for a lot of disillusionment and disappointment during the eight episodes of season one. Newly interned at "Em City" are former lawyer Tobias Beecher (Lee Tergesen), nervously serving time for murder; famed Muslim leader Kareem Said (Eamonn Walker), who calmly informs Warden Glynn that he intends to become "top man" at Oz; pro basketball player Jackson Vayhue (Rick Fox); and cannibalistic serial killer Donald Groves (Sean Whitesell). Their assimilation into the prison population is uneventful until Governor James Devlin (Zeljko Ivanek), who has sailed into office on a platform diametrically proposed to Glynn's "coddling" of prisoners, orders the removal of such newly installed privileges as smoking and conjugal visits. Going one step farther, Devlin reinstates the death penalty, resulting in the immediate execution of one of the Em City "residents." Clearly, this does nothing to alleviate the tension between cons and guards -- nor, for that matter, between the various powerful factions within the population. In the course of events, an undercover narc is found hanged in his cell, another prisoner is set afire, the Oz staffers wrestle with the problem of what to do with elderly inmates, a turf war breaks out over a game of checkers, and Kareem Said suffers a heart attack. The season ends with a bloody and destructive riot -- with no indication as to who will survive to appear in season two. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ernie Hudson, Terry Kinney, (more)
- 1996
Country-western singer JoAnne Chadway (Molly Gross) is distraught when her mother Renee (Angie Dickinson)--and even more so since the disappearance occurred amidst bitter domestic strife with JoAnne's powerful attorney father Clay Chadway (Richard Crenna). When Clay inevitably becomes a suspect in Renee's possible murder, JoAnne embarks upon her own private investigation to ferret out the truth. What she discovers is horrifying--not so much because of what she now knows, but because of what she never knew before about her parents. "Inspired by actual events", the made-for-TV Deep Dark Secrets was first unveiled by CBS on April 15, 1997. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
An international co-production with dialogue in both Italian and English, this erotic thriller from writer Lucio Fulci and director Giuseppe Patroni-Griffi stars Tony Musante as Michael Parker, a successful American businessman living in Italy with his girlfriend. When she leaves on vacation, Michael is soon involved in a torrid, passionate affair with Marie (Laura Antonelli), a woman with whom he once enjoyed a one-night stand. This time, however, Marie is not about to let Michael off the romantic hook so easily, exacting horrific revenge on her lover. Further complicating Michael's love life is Jacqueline, Marie's nubile preteen daughter, whose attraction for Michael pits mother and daughter against each other in an incestuous love triangle. La Gabbia (1985), which translates as "Collector's Item," was also released in the United States as Dead Fright. Although similar to director Adrian Lyne's blockbuster hit Fatal Attraction (1985), which was released the same year, the rougher-hewn La Gabbia actually preceded Lyne's film. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi
- Starring:
- Tony Musante, Laura Antonelli, (more)
- 1985
A clandestine marriage between 2 police officers is kept from the department. ~ Rovi
- 1985
In this fast-paced actioner, mobsters fight each other as well as the law with no one clearly winning either way. Judge Falco (Franco Nero) has been sent to Palermo under heavy-duty security to investigate mob bosses. Older Mafiosos are in a deadly war for power with the up-and-coming younger men, and in the middle of all of this, Judge Falco is supposed to bring law and order. When a gang member in New York makes his way back to Palermo to confront some of the Dons about monies due him, his sidekick Vanni (Tony Musante) considers testifying before the Judge's tribunal -- if only to indict his own enemies. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Franco Nero, Tony Musante, (more)
- 1984
In this thriller, based on a novel by Caroline B. Crosney, an insane escaped convict evades cops by hijacking a car and holding the female driver and her baby hostage. He then takes off through rural South Carolina. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
Set on the streets of New York's Little Italy, this dramatic series of character studies chronicles the lives and relationships between a disparate pair of Italian American cousins. Both of them want to leave the poverty of ghetto life, but each takes a dramatically different route when one of them joins the mob and the other accidentally impregnates his girlfriend. When the young gangster gets into deep trouble, the other must reevaluate his goals and his true feelings about his family. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Eric Roberts, Mickey Rourke, (more)
- 1982
A syndicate gambling organization receives a new member in the form of a police detective in disguise. ~ Rovi
- 1980
High Ice is a made-for-television adventure thriller about an Army helicopter rescue team who has to race against time and the elements to save three mountain climbers who are stranded on a small, icy mountain ledge in Washington. Along the way, a lieutenant colonel and a forest ranger engage in a battle of wills, which only makes the rescue more difficult. High Ice has also been shown with the title Challenge of the High Ice. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi
- 1979
- R
Six recently divorced males gather 'round a restaurant table and talk about their past lives and their recently failed marriages while trying to piece their lives back together. This drama is somewhat interesting for presenting the topic of life after a divorce from a man's point of view. (And yes, Neil Sedaka sings the smash title song over the final credits - so don't change that dial!) Originally made for television, and broadcast on ABC in two parts - one on Wed., Sep. 5, 1979, and one on Friday, Sep. 7, 1979 -- this film was reissued on video about ten years later to capitalize on Billy Crystal's growing fame. When it arrived on home video, the picture received its first MPAA rating (R) and was edited down from its original running time of 150 minutes to 96 minutes. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1978
As is customary, Sally Struthers cries buckets in My Husband is Missing (one gets the feeling that she cries buckets at card tricks). Struthers plays the wife of an MIA who is permitted to visit North Vietnam in search of her husband. She meets Canadian journalist Tony Musante, who's anxious to get her story. Struthers and Musante team up to thrash through the jungle wilds of California--er, Southeast Asia--eventually falling in love. Purportedly a "relevant" TV movie, My Husband is Missing shamelessly exploits Vietnam as a mere melodramatic backdrop. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1978
Paolo (Tony Musante) has been reasonably happy for the past 10 years; he has a job at the university and has Sena (Ornella Muti) as a lover all these years. When she suddenly decides to leave the relationship, it comes as a shock to him, and he desperately wants to know the reason. After a series of reconciliations and separations, he finally finds out and briefly has another apparently blissful relationship with Silva (Monica Guerritore). ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ornella Muti, Tony Musante, (more)
- 1978
In this drama, a courageous queen saves her people from the evil prime minister who is trying to control them. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1977
While a CIA agent prepares to assist in the overthrow of an African nation, he discovers that his friend is interfering in the country's politics. ~ Rovi
- 1977
The made-for-TV Fatal Chase stars Lee Van Cleef as taciturn U.S. marshal Ike Scanlon. Designed as the pilot for a weekly series, the film finds Scanlon escorting a mob witness (Tony Musante) to a federal trial. Since the witness is a hit man, there are plenty of people both inside and outside the Mob who'd like to see him dead. Featured in the cast are Fatal Chase's producer/writer Edward Anhalt and director Jack Starrett. Originally telecast as Nowhere to Hide on January 5, 1977, Fatal Chase has also been released as Scanlon. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1976
In this drama, a group of doctors at a rural hospital confront an inefficient public health department. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1975
Tony Musante has the unenviable task of portraying the least appealing paraplegic hero in TV-movie history in Desperate Miles. Musante plays Joe Larkin, a disabled Vietnam vet who wants to prove to the world that neither he nor his incapacitated brethren are helpless. To do this, he takes to the highway in his wheelchair, bound and determined to complete a 130-mile journey. His progress is threatened by a mean-tempered truck driver (John Chandler), who tailgates Larkin's chair, honks his horn, and screams things like "You think you're someone special?" Unfortunately, Larkin is such a strident and obnoxious character that the audience may be inclined to sympathize with the driver. This is not a hindsight observation: many critics turned thumbs down on the well-intentioned Desperate Miles when it was first broadcast on March 5, 1975. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1975
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Stanley Kramer, a director known for his socially pointed films, tackles yet another political topic with Judgement: The Court Martial of Lt. William Calley. This docudrama follows the court-martial of the title character, the man held responsible for the My Lai massacre during the Vietnam War. The cast includes Harrison Ford, Richard Basehart, and Tony Musante. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi
