Ronna Wallace Movies
Harvey Keitel plays John Harris, an American drug enforcement officer who is asked by London police to help them in cracking an organized drug ring. The syndicate is run by a ruthless young American who turns disaffected young Britons into hardened criminals. The gang has gunned down a well-known mobster and supplies cheap heroin to dance clubs all over London. Harris hooks up with British police officer Edward Foster (Iain Glen). They discover that the drug ring is just a small part of a huge international mob -- and that a young man whose own father has worked for the American-run mob all his life is the key to cracking the ring. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Harvey Keitel, Viggo Mortensen, (more)
An emotionally distraught cop is traumatized by memories of an abusive childhood in which he was forced to kill the uncle who was abusing him. Fired by his corrupt boss, he is recruited to infiltrate a ring of murderous, gun-running bikers, who would kill him in a second if they found out who he was -- which his friends begin to suspect was why he took the job in the first place. ~ Brian Gusse, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charlie Sheen, Linda Fiorentino, (more)
- 1992
- NC17
If police lieutenant Harvey Keitel's life could get any more sordid, he could probably sell tickets. The least of his vices is gambling, which has gotten him in Dutch with the mob. He abuses his body with drugs and his soul with hookers, and now he's turned to exploiting teenage girls for sex. Keitel is forced to reassess his life while investigating the rape of a nun. Director Abel Ferrara co-wrote the screenplay with Zoe Lund, who as Zoe Tamerlis starred in Ferrara's cult classic Ms. 45. A soundtrack tune by rapper Schoolly D, which was included in the initial release of Bad Lieutenant, featured a sample from Led Zeppelin which was used without permission; the song has since been excised from the soundtrack. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Harvey Keitel, Frankie Thorn, (more)
In the tradition of This Is Spinal Tap, producer/ director/ star Tim Robbins' Bob Roberts is a satire disguised as a documentary. Robbins plays the titular Roberts, a wealthy, well-connected young man running for a senatorial seat in Pennsylvania. On the surface, Roberts is an ingratiating glad-hander, a sincere believer in the restoration of such intangibles as national pride, family values, etc. But the longer Roberts is followed about by documentary filmmaker Brian Murray, the more we become aware that the candidate is a textbook case of cynicism and contempt. Only Giancarlo Esposito, a reporter for an underground newspaper, is willing to dig beneath Roberts' veneer--a habit that leads to the film's ironic conclusion. Several well-known actors make cameo appearances as TV commentators, notably Tim Robbins' longtime partner Susan Sarandon. Bob Roberts started out as a Tim Robbins-directed short subject for the TV series Saturday Night Live, then was expanded into a $4 million feature. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tim Robbins, Giancarlo Esposito, (more)
In 1992, Reservoir Dogs transformed Quentin Tarantino practically overnight from an obscure, unproduced screenwriter and part-time actor to the most influential new filmmaker of the 1990s. The story looks at what happens before and after (but not during) a botched jewelry store robbery organized by Joe Cabot (Lawrence Tierney). Mr. White (Harvey Keitel) is a career criminal who takes a liking to newcomer Mr. Orange (Tim Roth) and enjoys showing him the ropes. Mr. Pink (Steve Buscemi) is a weaselly loner obsessed with professionalism. Mr. Blonde (Michael Madsen) has just gotten out of jail after taking the rap on a job for Cabot; he's grateful for the work but isn't the same person he used to be. While Mr. Blonde goes nuts during the heist, the thieves are surprised by the sudden arrival of the police, and Mr. Pink is convinced one of their team is a cop. So who's the rat? What do they do about Mr. Blonde? And what do they do with Mr. Orange, who took a bullet in the gut and is slowly bleeding to death? Reservoir Dogs jumps back and forth between pre- and post-robbery events, occasionally putting the narrative on pause to let the characters discuss such topics as the relative importance of tipping, who starred in Get Christie Love!, and what to do when you enter a men's room full of cops carrying a briefcase full of marijuana. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, (more)
- 1991
- R
Part of a pointless string of sequels ostensibly based on the werewolf novels by Gary Brandner, this entry deserves credit for taking the creatively dead series in an interesting new direction. Set in the barren rural town of Canton Bluff, the story centers on the enigmatic figure of Ian (Brendan Hughes), a likeable but severely solitary drifter who takes a job making repairs to the local church. Eschewing human contact, Ian seems unnaturally leery of the impending full moon, a fear shared by a man named Harker (Bruce Payne), the owner of a sleazy traveling carnival. Aware that Ian is a genuine werewolf, Harker is able to blackmail the young man into working for his carnival, where he is put on display with other human oddities. To further complicate matters, Harker is revealed to have a monstrous secret of his own -- he's a vampire, who sees Ian's condition as a cover for preying on the blood of local folk. In a nod to Tod Browning's Freaks, Ian joins forces with the other carnival freaks to destroy their evil master. Director Hope Perello's taut, suspenseful debut makes clever references to classic horror films without lapsing into parody or imitation, and the production has a classy look and feel, helping to shrug off the unpleasant stigma normally associated with the otherwise mediocre Howling franchise. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brendan Hughes, Bruce Payne, (more)
- 1991
- R
In this horror film, malicious toymaker Joe Petto (Mickey Rooney) and his creepy son, Pino (Brian Bremer), terrorize the residents of a small town with the deadly toys they create. After her husband is killed by one of Petto's toys, Sarah (Jane Higginson) and her troubled son Derek (William Thorne) set out to stop the evil toymaker. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- 1991
- R
Here's a "backwards BIG" where, instead of turning younger, this leading man turns into an old man--overnight. Jonathan Silverman plays Seymour, who, shortly after a promising youth full of high-minded aspirations (he'd hoped to become an astronaut), finds himself working in a dead-end office job. And then he goes to sleep to awake the next day with an 80-year-old's body. He looks the same outside, but inwardly he's become and old man. It's not long before he loses his job and is doctor- shopping in a frustrating attempt at finding the medical reason for his premature decline. Somewhat introspective, this film explores our youth-dominated society and examines the perspective of the aged. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jonathan Silverman, Robert Prosky, (more)
In Cover-Up, an espionage thriller, someone attacks a U.S. military installation in Israel and steals a secret "package" destined for the CIA. Mike Anderson (Dolph Lundgren) is in the country to report on the incident, and he runs into old acquaintances: the military attache, and his old romantic interest Susan (Lisa Berkely). Meanwhile, Susan has become engaged to the attache. Lou (Louis Gossett Jr.), a military official, is trying to cover up some of the facts regarding the raid, and when Mike begins to get too close to the truth he becomes a target. Cover-up has all the ingredients of a top-flight action adventure, but it is ruined by the wooden performance of Lundgren in the central role and a convoluted, overly complicated plot. However, the film moves with great pace and energy and should please action fans. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dolph Lundgren, Louis Gossett, Jr., (more)
