Damian Chapa Movies
Steely, intense actor Damian Chapa built a formidable career tackling tough-guy roles, usually thugs and heavies, in such action outings as Under Siege (1992), Street Fighter (1994), U.S. Seals 2 (1999), and Hell's Gate (2001). Chapa took his initial bow as a writer/director/actor with 2002's offbeat, all-star religious drama Man of Faith -- a biopic of real-life celebrity preacher Leroy Jenkins (Chapa). Yet the filmmaker soon unveiled his greatest flair for scripting, helming, and occasionally producing ambitious action-flavored opuses, not entirely dissimilar from the material in which he had originally cultivated his reputation as an actor-for-hire. His El Padrino: The Latin Godfather (2004) cross-sectioned the world of the Latin mafia with the help of an all-star cast, while a follow-up, I.R.A.: King of Nothing (2006), did the same for the Irish Republican Army. Chapa next helmed the direct-to-video Mexican American (2007), in which he played a washed up prize fighter who dons a formidable arsenal of weaponry to rescue his daughter from a cracked religious cult. In the same year's Fuego (which Chapa again scripted and directed), the multihyphenate played a Mexican ex-con appointed to bring home an ambassador's daughter who has fallen prey to a psychotically violent terrorist cell. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
Screen legend David Carradine turns in one of his final screen performances in this low-budget, crime drama helmed by Mexican-American actor-director Damian Chapa. Chapa stars as honest but financially strapped cop Angel Alvarez, who makes some quick money -- but loses his soul -- when he goes to work for a local gangster, Fernando (Javier Rivas). Carradine co-stars as Angel's detective colleague, who tries to set his friend back on the path of straight and narrow. ~ Sandra Bencic, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Damian Chapa, David Carradine, (more)
Taylor Hackford directed this urgent melodrama about the realities of street crime, gangs, and prison life among the Chicanos of East Los Angeles. Miklo (Damian Chapa), Paco (Benjamin Bratt) and Cruz (Jesse Borrego) are three friends who are living in the East Los Angeles of 1972 as it is torn apart by violence. When the gang violence hits the three friends, they are affected by their participation in the bitter violence in different ways. Cruz, an artist, becomes crippled, and he sinks deeply into drug addiction. Paco, an accessory to murder, joins the military to avoid jail time, leading to a spot on the LAPD. Miklo, the kid with the gun, is sent to jail, where he slowly rises up in the ranks of La Onda, the San Quentin Latino gang. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Damian Chapa, Jesse Borrego, (more)
The thriller Chicano Blood tells the tale of a young man who has extricated himself from his days as a member in a street gang. Although he thought he was through with the part of his life, he finds himself pulled back in after his wife is killed and he seeks vengeance upon those responsible. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Damian Chapa
Reeling from the news of his sister's suicide, Beau McCammon returns home to his family after a long absence. His father, who has just barely won another term as senator, doesn't take things well when Beau approaches him with the sinking suspicion that the suicide may have actually been a murder. Determined to solve the mystery, Beau uncovers a plethora of family secrets, deception, and implications of unspeakable political wrongdoings. Cypress Edge was directed by Serg Rodnunsky, and stars Damian Chapa, Rod Steiger, Ashley Laurence, Brad Dourif, and Charles Napier.
~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
Supernatural traditions collide in this low-budget horror film from Mexican-American actor-director Damian Chapa. Chapa stars as Native American David Thunder, who summons up his ancestral spirituality to battle evil spirits when he finds out that his pregnant wife, Julieta (Natasha Blasik), comes from an aristocratic family of devil-worshippers and has nefarious purposes for him and their unborn child. ~ Sandra Bencic, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Damian Chapa, Natasha Blasick, (more)
- 2004
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Kilo was born into a life of crime. By the time he was an adult, he was a full-time dealer, and when he meets Sabeva, the daughter of a Colombian drug kingpin, he reaches the upper levels of drug trafficking. It is a dangerous business, however, and eventually Kilo ends up in prison. Still running his operation from inside of a cell, he is eventually offered a shady deal: his sentence will be suspended if he will murder a convicted child-killer. Now Kilo stands at a crossroads, unsure which actions will clear his conscience, end his sentence, or end his life. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide
- 1999
- R
A real estate developer (Eric Roberts) sells out his partner/buddy in order to clear the path for the construction of a major hotel. The wife of his buddy, who was a former lover of his, discovers the body of her husband (with the body of a woman he was having an affair with) and becomes aware his scheme. The big boss in charge of the whole project (Angus McFadyen) assigns two goons to get rid of the wife, but she manages to escape their bumbling chase and get her revenge. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Daniela Elle, Brad Garrett, (more)
- 1994
Sex and death are the main themes running through this thriller. Matt Dickson is a former hockey player turned L.A. cop. Since his wife left him he has become a hard-drinking carouser. Dickson is on the trail of Welton, a psychotic boxer, using the names of famous fighters for his aliases has left a grisly trail of dead women found in cheap motels throughout the city. He is assisted by Catherine Briggs, a journalist, who helps him see the connection between these murders and similar ones in the past. But Catherine is not only there to help Dickson. She is also there because of a recent one-nighter Dickson had with her sister. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Madsen, Lisa Bonet, (more)
Written and directed by filmmaker Daphna D. Edwards, this erotic thriller stars Damian Chapa as Jason a reporter who finds himself tangled in a web of intrigue involving sex and murder. After a local judge is found dead, Jason begins investigating the homicide. Meanwhile, he also starts an affair with a photographer. Before long, Jason believes his life is in danger. But who could want him dead? Footsteps also stars Karina Lombard and Maria Conchita Alonso. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Damian Chapa, Karina Lombard, (more)
An ex-convict and former spy embarks on a dangerous mission to rescue an ambassador's daughter from the clutches of the dangerous ETA terrorist group in this thriller starring Damian Chapa and David Carradine. Julio has just escaped from a Mexican prison, and he's making his way through the jungles of Chiapas when he encounters notorious secret agent Lobo (Carradine). Lobo has a crisis, and Julio is the only man capable of solving it. ETA terrorists have abducted the daughter of a prominent ambassador, and Lobo is willing to supply Julio with everything he needs to bring the girl home safe. Should Julio succeed, his criminal record will be wiped clean. But before Julio embarks on his dangerous mission, Lobo will change his name to Fuego - a fitting moniker since he's about to set the Spanish underworld ablaze. When Fuego is double-crossed just before completing his mission, the inferno he creates will burn anyone who's bold enough to cross his path. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Damian Chapa, David Carradine, (more)
A beautiful-but-loony tunes insane asylum inmate thinks she's the reincarnated soul mate of a deranged 19th century serial killer who happens to live in modern times in the guise of her psychiatrist -- how handy. Agnes Thatcher (Patsy Kensit) uses her extraordinary sensuality -- not to mention her ruthless bloodthirstiness -- to break free in a bloody spree to find Dr. Campbell (Patrick Muldoon) when the doctor leaves for a quiet seaside vacation with his wife (Amy Locane) and young daughter. ~ Buzz McClain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Patsy Kensit, Patrick Muldoon, (more)
A mafia triggerman turns on the family and is placed into protective custody, via the FBI Witness Protection Program. He begins to realize, however, that his new guardians are just as deadly as his foes. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eric Roberts
A charismatic, modern-era healer must reconcile his relationship with his creator after his life and ministry are threatened in this religious-themed drama starring Brad Dourif, Robert Wagner, and Faye Dunaway, and based on the real life exploits of self-professed holy man Leroy Jenkins. Leroy Jenkins (Damian Chapa) has been touched by "The Spirit," and his mission in life is to pass on the good word to a population enraptured by sin and decadence. As Jenkins' empire rapidly evolves into the largest ministry in America, his burgeoning friendship with actress Mae West (Dunaway) soon paves the path for the minister himself to achieve celebrity status. Blessed with the stage presence of Elvis and imparted with a flamboyant sense of style that would make even Liberace envious, Jenkins' intolerance for anyone who voices descent finds his list of enemies multiplying almost as fast as his list of followers. When betrayal comes knocking at the headstrong holy man's door, Jenkins is forced to face up to his all-consuming pride and turn to The Spirit in hopes of reconciling his situation before it's too late. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 1994
We'd rather not rehash the sordied Menendez murder case in this space; besides, it isn't necessary, inasmuch as no fewer than two TV movies were produced on the subject in 1994. The first was Fox's Honor Thy Father and Mother; the second, telecast less than a month later, was Menendez: A Killing in Beverly Hills. Two hours longer than the first film, Menendez spends half of its running time recounting the events leading up to the Menendez brothers' murder of the parents, while the second half devotes itself to their overpublicized trial. Lyle and Eric Menendez are played, respectively, by Damian Chapa and Travis Fine. Edward James Olmos and Beverly D'Angelo costar as the ill-fated parents, while Margaret Whitton is cast as attorney Leslie Abramson. Once past the most lurid aspects of the case-notably the Menendez boys' insistence that their crime was motivated by extreme parental abuse-this 4-hour wallow gets pretty tiresome. Menendez was originally telecast in two parts, on May 22 and 23, 1994. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edward James Olmos, Beverly D'Angelo, (more)
- 1996
Created by William Finkelstein of Civil Wars fame, the made-for-TV feature On Seventh Avenue was intended as the pilot for a weekly series. Wendy Makkena stars as Nadine Jacobs, the owner of a high-profile fashion business established by her father (played by actor-director Gene Saks). In order to keep her business afloat in a sea of cutthroat competitors, Nadine recklessly cuts several deals with a major investment firm--and with the Mob. In typical "pilot" fashion, the film ends with several loose plotlines still dangling and unresolved; guess we'll never know what happened now (sigh!) On Seventh Avenue was telecast by NBC on June 10, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Filmmaker Damian Chapa writes, produces, directs, and stars in this unsanctioned biopic tracing the remarkable life of controversial filmmaker Roman Polanski. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 1995
Sex, drugs, lies and betrayal form the basis of this gritty crime thriller that centers on two white guys, Pooch and Big Boy, lifelong friends who decide they want a piece of the local drug trade action in their old neighborhood. They end up being distracted by aspiring-model and pathological-liar Eva, who involves them in an increasingly kinky menage-a-trois that results in jealousy between the friends. Still the two, with the help of their pal Juanito, are getting close to having total control and will be able to make a proposition to the mob behind it all. Unbeknownst to the others, Pooch is working as a spy for the police, but toward the end, he is undecided about whether he should help them, or help himself. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1998
- R
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Adapted from characters created by Stephen King, Sometimes They Come Back ...For More is set in Antarctica, where a remote government outpost has been the scene of a horrible disaster, leaving only two survivors - medical officer Jennifer Wells (Faith Ford) and technical officer Shebanski (ax Perlich). Two military investigators, Sam Cage (Clayton Rohner) and Callie Wilson (Chase Masterson) are sent out to uncover the truth about what happened. They are soon confronted by evil forces that steal away Callie and lead them all into a terrifying nether world with a horrible secret. Sometimes They Come Back ...For More was also screened under the titles Frozen and Ice Station Erebus. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Clayton Rohner, Faith Ford, (more)
Based on the popular video game Street Fighter II, Street Fighter stars Jean-Claude Van Damme as Col. Guile, the cocky but brave leader of an Allied Nations fighting force. When the evil General Bison (Raul Julia), the power-mad leader of Shadaloo, kidnaps a bus full of Allied Nations relief workers and holds them for a multi-billion dollar ransom, Guile and his team are sent in to do battle with Bison; aiding Guile is intrepid TV journalist Chun-Li (Ming-Na Wen), while a pair of con men (Damian Chapa and Byron Mann) try to play both sides against the middle for their own purposes. Raul Julia died of cancer shortly before the film was released. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean-Claude Van Damme, Raul Julia, (more)
Prolific Mexican-American actor-director Damian Chapa ventures into Hostel territory with this low-budget crime drama. Two best friends travelling through Europe find themselves targeted by Russian mobsters in a torture and kidnapping scheme that runs deeper than either one of them could imagine. ~ Sandra Bencic, All Movie Guide
