DCSIMG
 
 

Robert Jordan Movies

1996  
R  
Add Primal Fear to Queue Add Primal Fear to top of Queue  
A high-profile slaying becomes the case of an ambitious attorney's career in this legal thriller based on the novel by William Diehl. Richard Gere stars as Martin Vail, a famed defense lawyer who volunteers his services to Aaron Stampler (Edward Norton), a Kentucky teenager charged with the murder of a Chicago archbishop. Covered with blood, Aaron was captured after a foot chase broadcast live on TV, making a gleeful Vail certain that he could raise his profile by defending the obviously guilty suspect. Assigned to prosecute is Assistant District Attorney Janet Venable (Laura Linney), who is Vail's ex-girlfriend. Vail's case becomes more complicated than he expected when a psychologist, Dr. Molly Arrington (Frances McDormand) concludes that Stampler suffers from multiple personality disorder. Vail also uncovers evidence that the archbishop was involved in a corrupt land scheme and may have molested young parishioners. Now the cynical, opportunistic attorney is faced with a daunting prospect, a client who may actually deserve his best defense. Its shocking, twist ending made Primal Fear (1996) a big box office hit and earned Norton, in his screen debut, an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

 Read More

Starring:
Richard GereLaura Linney, (more)
 
1994  
R  
Add Natural Born Killers to Queue Add Natural Born Killers to top of Queue  
A frenetic, bloody look at mass murder and the mass media, director Oliver Stone's extremely controversial film divided critics and audiences with its mixture of over-the-top violence and bitter cultural satire. At the center of the film, written by Stone and Quentin Tarantino, among others, are Mickey (Woody Harrelson) and Mallory (Juliette Lewis), a young couple united by their desire for each other and their common love of violence. Together, they embark on a record-breaking, exceptionally gory killing spree that captivates the sensation-hungry tabloid media. Their fame is ensured by one newsman, Wayne Gale (Robert Downey, Jr.), who reports on Mickey and Mallory for his show, American Maniacs. Even the duo's eventual capture by the police only increases their notoriety, as Gale develops a plan for a Super Bowl Sunday interview that Mickey and Mallory twist to their own advantage. Visually overwhelming, Robert Richardson's hyperkinetic cinematography switches between documentary-style black-and-white, surveillance video, garishly colored psychedelia, and even animation in a rapid-fire fashion that mirrors the psychosis of the killers and the media-saturated culture that makes them popular heroes. The film's extreme violence -- numerous edits were required to win an R rating -- became a subject of debate, as some critics asserted that the film irresponsibly glorified its murderers and blamed the filmmakers for potentially inciting copy-cat killings. Defenders argued that the film attacks media obsession with violence and satirizes a sensationalistic, celebrity-obsessed society. Certain to provoke discussion, Natural Born Killers will thoroughly alienate many viewers with its shock tactics, chaotic approach, and disturbing subject matter, while others will value the combination of technical virtuosity and dark commentary on the modern American landscape. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi

 Read More

Starring:
Woody HarrelsonJuliette Lewis, (more)
 
1983  
PG  
Add Lone Wolf McQuade to Queue Add Lone Wolf McQuade to top of Queue  
In this Spaghetti-western-like martial arts actioner, Texas Ranger J. J. McQuade (Chuck Norris) is up against the weapons-dealer Rawley Wilkes (David Carradine) after Wilkes kidnaps McQuade's partner and daughter and takes them to Mexico. McQuade's personal vendetta is encouraged by the government because Wilkes is hijacking U.S. arms shipments for his illicit weapons deals and the government wants him stopped. After the kidnapping incident, McQuade is assigned Kayo (Robert Beltran) a rookie patrolman, to accompany him in his fight, and he is also joined by FBI-agent Jackson (Leon Isaac Kennedy). Jackson and McQuade track down Wilkes' secret airstrip -- and that is when the fireworks begin. Every weapon known to human technology is brought into the picture as McQuade, also armed with his lethal hands and feet, goes ballistic. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

 Read More

Starring:
Chuck NorrisDavid Carradine, (more)
 
1958  
 
Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) are on the lookout for a hit-and-run driver. Their detective work includes a thorough inspection of the fenders of the suspects' cars. In the end, however, the case is solved with a small print--not a fingerprint, but a lip print! Like most Dragnet episodes of this era, "The Big Lip" proves to be a good workout for several members of the Jack Webb Stock Company, including Vic Perrin and Olan Soule. Also on hand is former "Dead End Kid"Bobby Jordan, here billed more formally as "Robert." ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

 Read More

 
1958  
 
On the verge of starting a business with Walter Osbourne (John Vivyan) in Mexico, Bart (Jack Kelly) discovers that all his money has been stolen by can-can dancer Karen Gustavson (Anna-Lisa). Tracking the girl down, Bart is not entirely convinced when Karen insists that the grabbed the cash in order to save his life. But when two sinister strangers express an interest in the money as well, Bart begins to believe Karen's story. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

 Read More

 
1956  
 
Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) are summoned to the home of wealthy Mr. and Mrs. Moran (Tom Brown, Virginia Carroll), whose 13-year-old daughter Bunny (Frances Karath) has disappeared. All evidence suggests that the girl has been kidnapped, especially since her dog has been found beaten to death in her room--and most especially when a suspect (Robert Jordan) makes several pointed comments suggesting that he knows Bunny's whereabouts. When the girl turns up safe and sound, she insists that she was indeed kidnapped; trouble is, she changes her story every time she is questioned, leading Friday to suspect that she's holding something back. This episode is based on the Dragnet radio broadcast of July 6, 1954. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

 Read More

 
1951  
 
The popular radio detective series The Fat Man was brought to the screen in 1951, with the series' original star J. Scott Smart retained in the title role. Smart plays porcine sleuth Brad Runyon, who tackles the mystery surrounding the murder of a Los Angeles dentist. With the assistance of general factotum Bill Norton (Clinton Sundberg), Runyon follows the trail of clues all the way to a three-ring circus. Famed Barnum & Bailey clown Emmett Kelly makes his screen debut as one of the suspects; others essential to the action are such up-and-comers as Rock Hudson, Julie London and Jayne Meadows. The film's flashback-within-flashback structure helps to enliven its more verbose passages. For the most part, The Fat Man plays more like a radio show than a movie--at least until the exciting climax, inventively staged by director William Castle. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

 Read More

Starring:
Jack SmartJulie London, (more)
 
1949  
 
Often misidentified as The Treasure of Monte Carlo, this low-budget melodrama is tenuously related to the "Monte Cristo" legend as laid down by novelist Alexandre Dumas. Glenn Langan plays Edmund Dantes, a descendant of the original Count of Monte Cristo. Working as an officer on a freighter, Dantes is forced to follow family tradition when he is falsely accused of murder and imprisoned. After escaping, Dantes tracks down the genuine villains to find out why he was set up. Lensed on location in San Francisco, Treasure of Monte Cristo benefits from such reliable supporting players as Adele Jergens (whose duplicity is so transparent that one wonders how the hero could be so stupid), Steve Brodie, and former "East Side Kid" Bobby Jordan. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

 Read More

Starring:
Glenn LanganAdele Jergens, (more)