Michael Biehn Movies
As a child, Michael Biehn moved from his Alabama hometown to Nebraska and finally Arizona, where he graduated high school. He went to college and later moved to Los Angeles to begin a film career, making his professional stage debut after two years of intensive training. In 1978, Biehn was cast as Mark Johnson, the hard-veneered but vulnerable ward of psychiatrist Robert Reed in the TV series Operation: Runaway. For the next few years, malevolence was Biehn's onscreen strong suit, first as the psycho title character in 1981's The Fan, then as the neofascist military-school upperclassman in The Lords of Discipline (1982). After switching gears with the sympathetic role of futuristic android-hunter Kyle Reese in James Cameron's The Terminator, Biehn became a member of Cameron's informal stock company, playing colorful leading roles in Aliens (1986) and The Abyss (1989). He worked steadily throughout the '90s, dividing his time between television and various unspectacular films. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1978
The story begins as an astronomer notices that a blazing comet is headed straight for Phoenix Arizona. Unfortunately, no one believes him. They will eventually, but only after most of Phoenix has been reduced to cinders. Emmies went to the special effects (among the best ever seen on TV in those days before computer-generated special fx) and sound recording. The all-star cast includes Richard Crenna, Elizabeth Ashley, David Dukes, Joanna Miles, Lloyd Bochner, Merlin Olsen and Andrew Duggan, all of them superbly cast and none merely doing the usual celebrity walk-through. Originally telecast in a three-hour slot, Fire in the Sky debuted November 26, 1978. This film should not be confused with the 1993 alien-abduction film of the same name. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1992
Two rich boys decide to try their hands at manual labor and so get summer jobs working on a Texas offshore oil rig in this taut thriller. They look forward to it until they encounter a mean-spirited boss who resents them because of their wealth. He mercilessly picks upon them and they wonder if they will survive until helpful Bo Landry shows up. Bo seems to be such a good person and the boys are glad to have him on their side. Unfortunately, things are not what they seem and soon their lives are really in danger. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 2002
Michael Biehn starred in this gloriously derivative syndicated TV series as Judson Cross, a world-famous "professional finder" whose past discoveries included the Lost Dutchman Mine and Amelia Earhart's abandoned plane. Using the high-tech yacht "Vast Explorer" as his headquarters, Cross (who never left home without an Indiana Jones-style floppy hat) hired himself out for any and all adventures and expeditions, generally to locate what no one else could find, and often running up against unsavory types with full complements of weapons and hulking henchmen. Cross' business partners included a brace of "young renegades," Mackenzie Previn (Karen Cliche) and Gabriel Patterson (Jesse Nilsson), both of whom encountered a great deal of difficulty remaining fully clothed. Filmed on location in the Florida Keys and North Carolina, Adventure Inc. was syndicated by Tribune Entertainment beginning the week of September 30, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Biehn, Karen Cliche, (more)
Big-budget special effects, swiftly paced action, and a distinct feminist subtext from writer/director James Cameron turned what should have been a by-the-numbers sci-fi sequel into both a blockbuster and a seven-time Oscar nominee. Sigourney Weaver returns as Ellen Ripley, the last surviving crew member of a corporate spaceship destroyed after an attack by a vicious, virtually unbeatable alien life form. Adrift in space for half a century, Ripley grapples with depression until she's informed by her company's representative, Carter Burke (Paul Reiser) that the planet where her crew discovered the alien has since been settled by colonists. Contact with the colony has suddenly been lost, and a detachment of colonial marines is being sent to investigate. Invited along as an advisor, Ripley predicts disaster, and sure enough, the aliens have infested the colony, leaving a sole survivor, the young girl Newt (Carrie Henn). With the soldiers picked off one by one, a final all-female showdown brews between the alien queen and Ripley, who's become a surrogate mother to Newt. Several future stars made early career appearances in Aliens (1986), including Lance Henriksen, Bill Paxton, and Reiser. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sigourney Weaver, Carrie Henn, (more)
- 1997
A tough old American cop finds himself teamed with a young Korean policeman and assigned to take on both the Yakuza and the Mafia. Filled with plenty of cross-cultural stereotypes, this low-budget actioner begins as Tony (action-genre veteran Michael Biehn) inadvertently blows his cover during a mob investigation and his enemy Rocco escapes. Tony's mistake results in a transfer to the homicide department, and he is given visiting officer Kim for a partner. Kim came to the U.S. to investigate a Yakuza-related murder. At first neither detective cares much for the other, and for a time it looks as if their differences will prevent them from working effectively together. A bloody territorial war between the Mafia and their Japanese counterparts forces them to put aside their differences and work together for justice. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorena Gale, Michael Biehn, (more)
- 1999
- Add Arnold Schwarzenegger: Hollywood Hero to QueueAdd Arnold Schwarzenegger: Hollywood Hero to top of Queue
Arnold Schwarzenegger receives star treatment in this look back at his early bodybuilding days in Austria and his eventual marriage to Kennedy family member Maria Shriver. The program also reviewsSchwarzenegger's earliest attempts to break into show business and his eventual starring roles in films like The Terminator, Total Recall, and True Lies. During interviews, stars like Jim Belushi and James Coburn express their respect and admiration for the man. ~ Elizabeth Smith, All Movie Guide
Michael Biehn and Annabella Sciorra star in this drama about how the lives of a group of people in Dallas, TX -- doctors, firefighters, astronomers, and their families -- are affected when it is discovered that a huge asteroid is heading for the earth, with Dallas as the target. First aired as a miniseries for television. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 1995
In this period thriller set near the turn of the century, Jan Thoreau (Gabriel Arcand) is a Canadian trapper who lives with his wife Marie (Alexandra Vandernoot) in a small community in the wilderness not far from Hudson Bay. Blake (Michael Biehn) is a disturbed drifter who has murdered a man and has found a way to frame Jan for his crime. Jan is out tending to his traps when an Indian friend with psychic talents tells him Marie is in grave danger. Jan hurries back, but he has no idea just how serious matters are until he arrives home -- Jan is wanted by the law for a crime he didn't commit, while Blake is hiding out in his home, and has taken Marie hostage. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Biehn, Gabriel Arcand, (more)
In the direct-to-video thriller Borderline, Gina Gershon stars as Dr. Lila Coletti, a psychiatrist who treats insane criminals in prison. Following a bitter divorce, her wealthy ex-husband Paul (Nick Boraine) gains custody of their two children. Then one day, the ex-husband and his new girlfriend end up brutally raped and murdered. Lila becomes the main suspect in a police investigation led by Macy Kobacek (Michael Biehn), whom she's also romantically involved with. Lila is convinced the murder was committed by Ed Baikman (Sean Patrick Flanery), her obsessive former patient who was recently moved out of prison to a halfway house. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gina Gershon
Roy Scheider) stars as the president of the United States in this tense drama. The briefcase containing the remote launching system that allows the chief executive to fire nuclear weapons from anywhere in the world is stolen by terrorists, and it's up to the Secret Service to get it back. Chain of Command also stars Maria Conchita Alonso, Michael Biehn, and Patrick Muldoon. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Biehn, Roy Scheider, (more)
- 2000
- R
A serial killer with a difference is on the prowl in a small Virginia town in this darkly comic horror story. Brent Marken (Michael Biehn) is the sheriff of the city of Cherry Falls, a quiet community that suddenly has a big-city problem to contend with when Marken discovers a murderer is on the loose. The killer is targeting teenage girls who attend the local high school -- and his victims are all virgins. This causes no small amount of anxiety for Brent's teenage daughter Jody (Brittany Murphy), who is not as ready for intimacy as her boyfriend Kenny (Gabriel Mann). Brent has personal problems of his own to deal with; his relationship with his wife Marge (Candy Clark) has hit an impasse, and he shares a dark secret with Tom Sisler (Joe Inscoe), the principal of the high school. Cherry Falls marked the American directorial debut for Australian filmmaker Geoffrey Wright; the cast also includes Jay Mohr, Caroline Perreyclear, and Rick Forrester. Cherry Falls enjoyed its first theatrical engagements in the United Kingdom, several months after it was first slated to open in the United States, thanks in part to the difficulty the producers had with the MPAA in securing an R rating for the picture. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Biehn, Brittany Murphy, (more)
- 1983
Filmed in Hong Kong, the made-for-TV China Rose stars George C. Scott as an American businessman. Scott arrives in Canton, China, trying to find out what has happened to his rebellious son, who was swept up in China's "cultural revolution". Ali MacGraw plays a freewheeling guide who falls in love with Scott while helping him locate his son. Together, Scott and MacGraw uncover what was described in the original ads as a "shocking secret". The long-in-tooth stars are not ideally suited to their roles in China Rose, but that's only one of the many problems plaguing this murky melodrama. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Frequent Star Trek actor and director Jonathan Frakes gets behind the camera again for this teen-sci-fi/action-drama in the Back to the Future (1985) mold. Jesse Bradford stars as Zak Gibbs, a teenager who discovers the latest invention to spring from the mind of his scientist father (Robin Thomas) and a research team that includes his dad's eccentric colleague Dr. Earl Dopler (French Stewart). It seems that they have developed a wristwatch that manipulates "hypertime," speeding up the passage of regular time 25 times for the wearer and those near him, making it appear that the rest of the world has become essentially "frozen" in time. Zak is delighted with the ability that he initially treats as the ultimate gag and superpower, until the National Security Agency begins pursuing both him and the device, intending to confiscate it for nefarious political purposes. Clockwatchers (2002) co-stars Michael Biehn, Paula Garces, and Julia Sweeney. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jesse Bradford
When Fenton (Keenan Wynn), the preeminent citizen of Granger speaks, the town listens. The town's high-school boys' basketball team has had a losing season, and he wants the coach fired. What's more, he wants to select his replacement. After a computer search, he discovers that the Olympic track star Randy Rawlings has just the right qualifications. When Randy arrives, he discovers that this star athlete is a woman (Cathy Lee Crosby). However, she insists on her right to try and coach the boys, and she not only succeeds at that, but inspires the boys in other ways as well. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cathy Lee Crosby, Michael Biehn, (more)
- 1996
- R
In this tense police thriller, a routine investigation into a gambling operation becomes personal for a policewoman and her partner when the latter's pregnant wife is brutally murdered and he is accused of the crime. His partner's further investigation leads her to the dangerous conclusion that the killing is somehow connected to the gambling and even worse, to corruption in her own precinct. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marg Helgenberger, Michael Biehn, (more)
- 1995
- R
In this actioner, a petty crook attempts to deliver a computer disk to his boss. Unfortunately, the information upon that disk is of particular interest to corrupt G-men and the ruthless members of a drug cartel. Finding himself in the midst of this deadly struggle, the crook receives help from a plucky lady detective. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Biehn, Matt Craven, (more)
- 1997
- R
In this exciting action-adventure a crack team of military commandos infiltrate North Korea and then set about the dangerous task of trying to destroy a nuclear power plant to curtail the country's plans to build nuclear weapons. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Biehn, Adrian Paul, (more)
This lushly photographed, contemporary film noir tries to substitute looks and unconvincing, contrived plot twists for substance, capturing the look of a film noir but lacking the depth and characterization needed to make the film work. After his father, Mike is killed, Joe Donan (Michael Biehn) finds evidence that his Uncle Lou (James Coburn) in a dual role as Mike and Lou, might have stolen money from his father. Joe hooks up with Lou and his drug-taking lackey, Eddie (Nicolas Cage). Joe also falls for Eddie's beautiful, but devious girlfriend Diane (Sarah Trigger). Joe kills Eddie and gains Lou's confidence, joining him in a diamond swindle. As the unnecessarily complicated plot concludes, Joe learns the shocking truth that he himself has been the victim of a scam. Michael Biehn while a good-looking and competent actor, fails to find the depth necessary to bring his outwardly sophisticated but surprisingly naive character to life. Sarah Trigger is too shallow to make a convincing noir femme-fatale, and her obvious deviousness would fool only the most gullible. Nicolas Cage, in a totally over-the-top performance also fails to give his character any believability or depth. Director Christopher Coppola takes a potentially interesting premise and muddles it with too many plot twists and unconvincing performances. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Biehn, Nicolas Cage, (more)
- 1985
Originally shown in two parts, this four-hour TV movie stars Michael Biehn as the outwardly "perfect" doctor husband of Madolyn Smith. But Biehn is actually a psychopath, who is carefully plotting the murder of his wife. As the horrible truth slowly dawns upon Madolyn, she must find some way to prevent her murder--and to alert disbelieving authorities of her husband's duplicity. Based on a true story, Deadly Intentions first took shape as a book by William Randolph Stevens. The two-part format permitted the film's narrative to build up suspense in the first half, then concentrate on detection and courtroom proceedings in the second. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Biehn, Madolyn Smith, (more)
- 1994
The direct-to-video Deep Red combines science fiction with domestic melodrama. Lindsay Haun plays Gracie, a youngster whose bloodstream is infected by a strange, extraterrestrial element. Known as "Deep Red," this element increases Gracie's protein count, rendering her invulnerable and possibly immortal. Ruthless researcher Thomas Newmeyer (John DeLancie) plans to exploit the girl for his own purposes, even if he has to drain every ounce of blood from her body. Hero Joy Keys (Michael Biehn), an honest scientist, tries to stop Newmeyer's skullduggery -- and in the process, Keys patches up his tattered relationship with his estranged wife. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Biehn, Joanna Pacula, (more)
Sammo Hung, Michael Biehn, Maggie Q, and Shawn Yue star in this action-packed thriller concerning a disappeared crime lord and the elite team of Interpol agents who set out to recapture him at all costs. A notorious Triad crime boss has disappeared just as his case was about to go before the judge, and now he could be anywhere. Now, on the bustling streets of Hong Kong, a highly skilled team of Interpol agents wage all out war against the underworld in an apocalyptic bid to capture the heavily armed foe and ensure that justice is properly served. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 1998
John Landis directed this comedy suspense-thriller about a woman plotting to murder her ex-husband for insurance money. When Susan (Nastassja Kinski) and insurance salesman Sam (Billy Zane) decide to kill her ex, Paul (Adrian Paul), Sam contacts Bill (Michael Biehn) and Steve (Rob Schneider) to do the deed, while Susan recruits her hairdresser, Betty (Lara Flynn Boyle), to set up the victim. Bill and Steve shoot three times at close range but miss. Betty distracts doctors, while biker Bob (Dan Aykroyd) goes into the intensive care room to smother Paul. When Sam's former wife Penny (Lisa Edelstein) learns what's going down, she demands sex plus money. Appearing in cameos are several film directors (Stuart Gordon, Randall Kleiser and Adam Rifkin). Shown at the 1998 AFI Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
"Grease," said the poster and the Barry Gibb song, "is the word." Transferring its setting from Chicago to sunny California, and adding a dash of disco to the ersatz '50s score, producer Allan Carr and director Randal Kleiser turned this long-running Jim Jacobs - Warren Casey Broadway smash into the biggest blockbuster of 1978. 1950s teens Danny (John Travolta) and Australian transfer Sandy (Olivia Newton-John) spend their "Summer Nights" falling in love, but once fall comes, it's back to Rydell High and its cliques. As one of the bad boy T-Birds, Danny has to act cool for best pal Kenickie (Jeff Conaway) and their leather-clad mates Sonny (Michael Tucci) and Doody (Barry Pearl, in the role Travolta played on stage). Despite befriending Frenchy (Didi Conn), one of the rebel Pink Ladies, virginal Sandy is "too pure to be Pink," as the Ladies' leader Rizzo (Stockard Channing) acidly observes. Declaring their devotion in such ballads as "Hopelessly Devoted to You" and "Sandy," Sandy and Danny split, reconcile, and split again amidst a pep rally, dances, drive-ins, and a drag race, before deciding "You're the One That I Want" at the climactic carnival. With Travolta white-hot from Saturday Night Fever (1977), Grease soundtrack singles climbed the charts and summer movie crowds poured in. With the presence of Joan Blondell, Eve Arden, Sid Caesar, Edd "Kookie" Byrnes and Frankie Avalon appealing to grown-up memories, Grease became the highest grossing film of 1978, the highest grossing movie musical ever, and the third most popular film of the new blockbuster '70s after Star Wars (1977) and Jaws (1975). Its sequel, Grease 2, did not exactly set the world on fire in 1982. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, (more)
- 2007
- R
Kill Bill director Quentin Tarantino and Sin City director Robert Rodriguez join forces to offer a cinematic tribute to the blood-soaked exploitation epics of yesteryear with this hyper-violent coupling of two full-length features punctuated by a collection of outrageous trailers. The first segment, directed by Rodriguez and entitled Planet Terror, details the violent struggle between a ravenous army of zombie-like humanoids who have taken control of the planet and the remaining survivors who refuse to go down without a fight. Freddy Rodriguez, Naveen Andrews, and Rose McGowan headline a cast that also includes Marley Shelton, Michael Biehn, Josh Brolin, Bruce Willis, and Tom Savini. In Death Proof -- director Tarantino's take on such peddle-to-the-metal shockers as White Line Fever -- Kurt Russell stars as an engine-revving psychopath who prefers to take out his beautiful victims at 200 mph. With a list of potential roadkill candidates that includes Rose McGowan, Jordan Ladd, Rosario Dawson, and Vanessa Ferlito, Death Proof takes viewers on an adrenaline-infused drive that's as sexy as it is shocking. Its tantalizing title borrowed from the term frequently used to describe the seedy, 1970s-era inner-city movie theaters that screened excessive, low-budget independent films containing copious amounts of violence and nudity as a means of offering counter-programming to the decidedly more restrained big-budget studio films, Grindhouse takes its love for these unabashedly sleazy efforts one step further by offering a jaw-dropping collection of fake exploitation trailers from such directors as Rob Zombie, Eli Roth, and Edgar Wright. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rose McGowan, Freddy Rodriguez, (more)
A pair of naïve young girls learn that even the most insignificant actions can have lasting consequences in this music-driven take on teen culture starring Anne Hathaway and Bijou Phillips and directed by two-time Oscar-winning filmmaker Barbara Kopple. Influenced by the hip-hop thug lifestyle and seeking to explore life outside of their insulated, culturally homogenized suburb, pretty young teenagers Allison (Hathaway) and Emily (Phillips) set their sights on East L.A. to experience the "gangsta" lifestyle firsthand. By the time the pair meet some true-life Latino gang-bangers and realize just how far out of their element they really are, it may already be too late to turn back. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
