John Slattery Movies
With his extremely tall, imposing figure and gray-white hair, character actor John Slattery specialized in utterly convincing portrayals of stoic businessmen, office workers, politicians, and other suits, whenever a film called for one. This typecasting rendered Slattery laudably versatile and prolific; his credits include such multi-genre blockbusters as City Hall (1996), Bad Company (2002), Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights (2004, in the Jerry Orbach role of the disapproving father), and Flags of Our Fathers (2006). On television, Slattery memorably appeared in guest roles on such popular series as Sex and the City (as a politician wooing Carrie), Will & Grace (as Will's older brother), and Law & Order. He found work as a regular on shows like K Street and Jack & Bobby, and appeared in recurring roles on Ed (as a high-school principal) and Desperate Housewives, for which he again played a politician, this time wooing and marrying Gabrielle (Eva Longoria). In 2007, Slattery delivered a memorable evocation of an early-'60s slickster boss on the AMC network's ad-agency drama Mad Men. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide- 1998
The question of journalistic ethics is brought into play when the wife of a prominent New Yorker is murdered. The victim's husband blames the killing on a gossip columnist working for a widely circulated checkout-stand tabloid. In pursuing the case in tandem, the detectives and the lawyers again find themselves in the position of setting a precedent that may have long-range repercussions. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
- PG
A production of Hallmark Hall of Fame that originally aired on the Showtime Cable Network, this family drama tells the moving tale of a 19 year-old boy's attempts to reconnect with his estranged family. The story is set in Texas, 1910. The boy is Horace Robedaux. His real father died when he was 12; shortly thereafter his mother married a railroad worker, a man who accepted Horace's younger sister Lily Dale but booted the boy from his home. For the past seven years, Horace has deeply resented his stepfather and this complicates the reunion. The costume designer for Lily Dale, Jean-Pierre Dorléac received an Emmy nomination. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tim Guinee, Stockard Channing, (more)
Three A-list screenwriters -- (Nicholas Pileggi, Bo Goldman, and Paul Schrader) -- contributed to the script of this idealistic political drama. John Pappas (Al Pacino) is the popular, ethical Mayor of New York; Kevin Calhoun (John Cusack) is his even more idealistic and principled deputy. When a detective and mobster kill each other and an innocent six-year-old black child in a shootout, questions arise about what the cop was doing meeting with the gangster in the first place. The Mayor and his staff handle the situation ably, but Calhoun digs deeper and finds troubling evidence that even his seemingly incorruptible boss has not escaped the shadier aspects of political life. The Mafia boss (Tony Franciosa) whose nephew was the dead gangster, along with a Brooklyn political boss (Danny Aiello) with his own agenda, come into the story, becoming part of a series of larger links, secret relationships, and bonds of "honor" between men who, on the surface, would have no reason to be in business with each other. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Al Pacino, John Cusack, (more)
Top-notch action sequences and exciting stunt work highlight this fast-moving thriller. John Kruger (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is a top agent in the U.S. Marshalls' Witness Protection Program; it's his job to "erase" the pasts of Federal witnesses under his watch and deal with anyone who tries to hurt them. Kruger's latest assignment is to protect Lee Cullen (Vanessa Williams), who while working for a major weapons manufacturing firm discovered evidence that the company was selling new, high-tech weapons to intentional terrorists groups with the cooperation of a faction of enemy agents within the United States government. However, when Kruger discovers that the Witness Protection Program has a rat in the house -- and that rat is his boss, U.S. Marshall Robert Deguerin (James Caan) -- Kruger has to guard his own life while trying to protect Lee's. The supporting cast is highlighted by James Coburn, Robert Pastorelli, and James Cromwell. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Arnold Schwarzenegger, James Caan, (more)
This sly comedy drama follows the weekly ritual of three single men who gather at a local steak house to brag, and maybe lie, about their latest romantic adventures. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lara Flynn Boyle, John Slattery, (more)
Barry Levinson directed this crime drama based on a controversial bestseller. Jason Patrick stars as Lorenzo, a New York reporter more commonly called "Shakes," a nickname courtesy of his three childhood pals from Hell's Kitchen -- Michael (Brad Pitt), John (Ron Eldard), and Tommy (Billy Crudup). As kids, all four were sent to reform school after accidentally killing someone during a cruel prank. There, the boys were raped and beaten by several guards, including Sean Nokes (Kevin Bacon), a fact that they've kept secret into adulthood. Michael is now a rising star in the district attorney's office, while John and Tommy are founders of the Irish gang the Westies. When Nokes walks into John and Tommy's hangout, they kill him in cold blood and go on trial, defended by a drug-addicted lawyer (Dustin Hoffman). Michael and Shakes conspire with childhood friend Carol (Minnie Driver) and local priest Father Bobby (Robert DeNiro) to free their friends and get even with the surviving guards. Based on a true story chronicled by Lorenzo Carcaterra in his novel of the same name, Sleepers stirred controversy when the veracity of the book was challenged by reporters who could find no documentation of the events described. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kevin Bacon, Robert De Niro, (more)
- 1991
The weekly, 60-minute TV adventure series Under Cover starred Anthony John Denison and Linda Purl as husband-and-wife secret agents Dylan and Kate Del'Amico. Employed by the National Intelligence Agency (read: CIA), Dylan and Kate were sent out on their various missions by head man Stuart Merriman (Josef Sommer). In this two-hour pilot episode, first telecast January 7, 1991, Dylan is tipped off to an assassination scheme in the former USSR. This means that, once more, the Del'Amicos must leave behind their "cover" as normal suburbanites to make the world safe for...whatever. Under Cover ran until February 16, 1991. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anthony John Denison, Linda Purl, (more)
- 1988
This tape collection consists of selected episode from the Fox Network TV series The Dirty Dozen. Per the title, the series was inspired by the popular 1967 theatrical film of the same name. During World War II, a group of GI prisoners with nothing to lose are taken from their "home" in Marston Military Prison. Ordered to whip this wild bunch into a crack special-forces unit, Lt. Danko (Ben Murphy) must instill discipline without completely diluting the prisoners' killer instincts. Instead of the rapists and perverts of the original film, each of the twelve misfits is blessed with highly developed individual skills: one is a master of disguise, another a strategist, still another a demolition expert (What price Mission: Impossible?) Inexpensively filmed in Yugoslavia, TV's The Dirty Dozen was originally broadcast April 30 to July 30, 1988. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
