Christopher Rubin Movies
- 1995
When a prostitute is murdered, detectives Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) and Curtis (Benjamin Bratt) question deli owner McCracken (Brian Smiar), who has a history of harassing hookers. Another likely suspect is plastic surgeon Dr. Mark Danforth (Jonathan Walker), who may have been a client of the dead woman. At the end of the day, it is Assistant D.A. Kincaid (Jill Hennessy), rather than her more experienced associate McCoy (Sam Waterston), who must decide whether the right person has been accused of the crime. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1995
This time the murder victim is a board member of an exclusive private prep school. The detectives and the D.A.'s office pursue the possibility that the murderer is transit worker Bill Harrigan (Bruce Kirkpatrick), whose son Colin (Graham Sack) was expelled from school. Or can it be that Colin himself is the killer -- or, perhaps, another student, Stewart Barclay (Matthew Thomas Carey)? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1994
Theodore Bikel guest stars as millionaire Sol Bregman, a longtime friend of District Attorney Adam Schiff (Steven Hill). When his son is snatched by kidnappers, Bregman refuses to cooperate with the police. The reasons for Bregman's behavior go far beyond mere concern for his son's well-being. This is one of the few Law & Order episodes in which stalwart series regular Steven Hill is allowed to carry the ball dramatically. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1993
A wealthy older woman is found murdered in her apartment. By the time the police and the D.A.'s office catch up with the likeliest suspect -- the woman's much-younger lover, Steven Gregg (Richard Cox) -- he is fully prepared to accept a plea bargain. But the case proves to be far from cut-and-dried when further investigation reveals that Gregg was lying about the last time he saw the victim alive. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Cinematographer Ernest R. Dickerson directed and co-wrote this crime drama about a group of friends who get involved in a robbery. Bishop (Tupac Shakur), Q (Omar Epps), Raheem (Khalil Kain), and Steel (Jermaine Hopkins) are four Harlem friends who spend their days skipping school, getting in fights, and casually shoplifting. The only member of the group who has plans for the future is Q, who dreams of becoming a deejay. But one day Bishop happens to see James Cagney in White Heat and the film inspires him to buy a gun. His plan is to rob a corner store and split the money. Everyone goes along with the plan except for Q, who is competing that night in a deejay contest. At the club, Q is a rousing success, but he spies the stern faces of his friends through the cheering crowd and realizes that he has to go along with the robbery, which goes completely wrong. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Omar Epps, Tupac Shakur, (more)
- 1992
A Jewish jeweler is murdered and his body is burned. Early evidence suggests that the killing may have been motivated by the anti-Semitism of four black youths. But the detectives and the DA's office uncover proof that the murder was committed for an entirely different, but equally odious, motivation -- and that the murderer was not entirely unknown to the victim. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Writer-director Spike Lee's epic portrayal of the life and times of the slain civil rights leader Malcolm X begins with the cross-cut imagery of the police beating of black motorist Rodney King juxtaposed with an American flag burning into the shape of the letter X. When the film's narrative begins moments later, it jumps back to World War II-era Boston, where Malcolm Little (Denzel Washington) is making his living as a hustler. The son of a Baptist preacher who was murdered by the Ku Klux Klan, Little was raised by foster parents after his mother was deemed clinically insane; as an adult, he turned to a life of crime, which leads to his imprisonment on burglary charges. In jail, Little receives epiphany in the form of an introduction to Islam; he is especially taken with the lessons of Elijah Mohammed, who comes to him in a vision. Adopting the name 'Malcolm X' as a rejection of the 'Little' surname (given his family by white slave owners), he meets the real Elijah Mohammed (Al Freeman, Jr.) upon exiting prison, and begins work as a spokesman for the Nation of Islam. Marriage to a Muslim nurse named Betty Shabazz (Angela Bassett) follows, after which X spearheads a well-attended march on a Harlem hospital housing a Muslim recovering from an episode of police brutality. The march's success helps elevate X to the position of Islam's national spokesperson. There is dissension in the ranks, however, and soon X is targeted for assassination by other Nation leaders; even Elijah Mohammed fears Malcolm's growing influence. After getting wind of the murder plot, X leaves the Nation of Islam, embarking on a pilgrimage to Mecca that proves revelatory; renouncing his separatist beliefs, his oratories begin embracing all races and cultures. During a 1965 speech, Malcolm X is shot and killed, reportedly by Nation of Islam members. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Denzel Washington, Spike Lee, (more)
In this film version of E. L. Doctorow's Billy Bathgate, Loren Dean plays the title character, a street-smart kid who inveigles his way into the confidence of 1930s gangster Dutch Schultz (Dustin Hoffman). Billy is ordered to look after Schultz' new moll, Drew Preston (Nicole Kidman), while Dutch fends off tax evasion charges and such up-and-coming rivals as Lucky Luciano (Stanley Tucci). Even though they know they're playing with dynamite, Billy and Drew fall in love. In attempting to escape Schultz' wrath, Billy succeeds only in putting himself in the thick of a gun battle between his boss and Luciano. When "Charley Lucky" emerges triumphant, Billy is forced once again to rely on his wits to escape being sent to the bottom of the briny in a cement overcoat. Bruce Willis shows up in an extended cameo as Dutch Schultz' former business associate. Billy Bathgate was adapted for the screen by British playwright Tom Stoppard. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dustin Hoffman, Nicole Kidman, (more)
- 1990
A victim of AIDS is murdered, and detectives Greevey (George Dzundza) and Logan (Chris Noth) collar a suspect who may have been responsible for a string of killings in the gay community. The suspect claims that he is an "angel of mercy," putting AIDS sufferers out of their misery. Reluctantly, assistant D.A.'s Stone (Michael Moriarty) and Robinette (Richard Brooks) take the case to court, operating upon the theory that the killer was nothing more than a homicidal homophobe. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
"Fatal attraction" has become a household term for love turned to murderous obsession, thanks to the success of Adrian Lyne's 1987 movie. Dan (Michael Douglas) is a family man whose one-night affair with Alex (Glenn Close) turns into a nightmare when she insists on continuing the relationship, claiming to be carrying his baby. Alex systematically terrorizes Dan, even temporarily kidnapping his daughter, in her attempts to win back his affection. Douglas' besieged family man guiltily tries to preserve his marriage and family from the consequences of his own indiscretion. Close's performance as the love-struck psycho-siren remains her signature role: She conveys the buried feminist message of the film in her challenge to Dan to take responsibility for his sexual behavior. Though many critics acknowlegded the film's striking similarities to Clint Eastwood's 1971 film Play Misty for Me, Fatal Attraction spawned numerous other movies about middle-class families besieged by a lone psychotic intent on infiltrating and destroying the fabric of the family unit, including The Stepfather (1987), Pacific Heights (1990), The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992), and Fear (1996). ~ Laura Abraham, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Douglas, Glenn Close, (more)
