Michael Chiklis Movies
Though known mainly for his role as complicated police officer Vic Mackey on F/X's television cop drama The Shield, Massachusetts native Michael Chiklis has been acting professionally since the age of 13, when he made several appearances at the Town and Country Playhouse in Salem, NH. From there, Chiklis enlisted in a variety of classical, occasionally Shakespearian theatrical productions at the prestigious Merrimack Repertory Theatre and ultimately studied acting in the drama program at Boston University's College of Fine Arts. After graduating, Chiklis traveled to New York and began the auditioning process. In 1988, he was picked to portray John Belushi in the feature film Wired, though litigation and controversy delayed the release and proper promotional process, and the picture itself was a wretched mess (not to mention a depressing affair).
By 1991, after making guest appearances in some of the most popular sitcoms of the time (Murphy Brown, L.A. Law, and Seinfeld, to name a few), Chiklis was cast as amiable police commissioner Tony Scali on ABC's The Commish. Though a few extra pounds at that time helped him land the role after his audition, his subsequent weight loss required him to wear a "fat suit" to remain in character (though the actor was only in his mid-twenties, series producers created the role for someone much older). When The Commish ceased to be after a five-year run, Chiklis took on a small role in Oliver Stone's Nixon (1995) and starred in the ill-fated NBC sitcom Daddio (2000). Two years later, the series premiere of The Shield catapulted Chiklis back into the forefront of network success. His role on the popular series would bring him two Best Actor nominations from the Golden Globes, as well as one from the Screen Actor's Guild.
Chiklis contented himself with this part for several years, but in 2005, he returned to cinematic ventures and went big budget with the FX-laden summer extravaganza Fantastic Four. This film - like the famous Stan Lee comic strip - concerns a group of individuals who journey into outer space to investigate a cosmic storm, and find each of their DNA codes altered in a unique way; one by one, they become The Human Torch, The Thing, The Invisible Girl, and Mr. Fantastic (four superheroes, each of whom has a unique power) -- and must collectively take on the seemingly invincible Doctor Doom (Julian McMahon). Chiklis plays The Thing (nee Ben Grimm), a creature made entirely of stone. Though broadly derided in the press, the public ignored the negative critical responses and helped The Fantastic Four reel in an estimated worldwide gross of around $330 million -- paving the way for a 2007 sequel, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. In that outing, the quartet of demigods take on the nefarious titular villain, who has set about destroying the Earth.
In that same year's supernatural thriller Rise: Blood Hunter, Chiklis played Detective Rawlins - an unfortunate man whose daughter was bitten and turned into a blood-sucking vampire. The film saw Rawlins pooling his efforts with those of vampire fighter Sadie Blake (Lucy Liu) to destroy an evil vampiric host ironically named Bishop (James D'Arcy). Following this outing, Chiklis signed for a supporting role in director D.J. Caruso's psychological thriller Eagle Eye (2008). ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- 2002
Someone is trying to drive Rondell (Walter Emanuel Jones) out of the drug business. Things come to a head when they shoot up Kern's (Sticky Fingaz) car. Rondell suspects the Nation of Islam, which has been trying to push him out of the neighborhood around their mosque, leading to a scuffle between Rondell and the NOI leader, Xavier Salaam (Mailon Rivera). But Mackey (Michael Chiklis) quickly realizes that the confrontational Salaam is a law-abiding citizen. Mackey soon learns that a Rondell underling, Tio (Cedric Pendleton), wants to push the irresponsible, hotheaded Rondell out, and take over his deal with Mackey. After Julien (Michael Jace) and Danny (Catherine Dent) witness the suicide of a Korean robbery victim, Dutch (Jay Karnes) and Claudette (CCH Pounder) encounter cultural barriers while investigating the crime. When Mackey finds out his autistic son was waitlisted at a special school due to unflattering headlines about police corruption, he works to ingratiate himself to the school administrator (Sandy Mulvihill). Aceveda (Benito Martinez) pays a visit to an old girlfriend from college (Katy Boyer), who once accused him of rape, in an effort to keep her politically damaging story out of the papers. Tomas (Brent Roam) gets busted for stealing CDs, and accuses Julien of abandoning him. Still unable to come to terms with his sexuality, Julien has a life-threatening breakdown on the job. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Chiklis, CCH Pounder, (more)
- 2002
As Captain David Aceveda (Benito Martinez) gives a press conference, touting impressive crime statistics and community outreach in Farmington (L.A.) under his watch, Detective Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis) and his Strike Team chase down a drug dealer, and Mackey impolitely exposes the perp's intimately concealed stash. Detectives Dutch Wagenbach (Jay Karnes) and Claudette Wyms (CCH Pounder) discover a murdered woman whose young daughter is nowhere to be found. Captain Aceveda chews out Mackey when the insolent detective registers his fourth excessive force complaint since the captain's appointment. The captain also convinces Detective Terry Crowley (Reed Diamond) to help him uncover dirt on Mackey, including his connection to a local drug dealer. In exchange for helping Aceveda make a federal case, Crowley wants a job with the Justice Department. Looking for the missing girl, Dutch and Claudette interrogate her distraught crackhead father (the late Denis Forest). He eventually admits to murdering his wife and selling his daughter to a pedophile. They then bring in George Sawyer (Brian Boone), and Dutch manages to trick him into confessing that he bought the girl and traded her to another pedophile, Dr. Bernard Grady (Jim Ortlieb). The two detectives have little luck cracking Grady. In desperation, Aceveda has Mackey conduct his own form of interrogation. "Good cop and bad cop have gone home," Mackey tells Grady, "I'm a whole new kind of cop." Dutch is trying to get to know Officer Danny Sofer (Catherine Dent), but is repeatedly interrupted and humiliated by the married Mackey, who has already slept with her. Crowley joins the Strike Team as they execute a daring raid on a big-time dealer. The pilot for The Shield was directed by Clark Johnson, who co-starred with Diamond on Homicide: Life on the Street. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Chiklis, CCH Pounder, (more)
- 2002
Danny (Catherine Dent) shows up at the hospital, where Aceveda (Benito Martinez) gives everyone the news that Crowley (Reed Diamond) is dead. Acevedo wants to conduct his own investigation, but Assistant Chief Gilroy (John Diehl) tells him to let IAD handle it. Danny offers Mackey (Michael Chiklis) a shoulder to cry on, and lets her rookie partner, Julien (Michael Jace) know that in the wake of a cop killing, they have to let people on the street know who's in charge. Acevedo finds out that his contact told others at the Justice Department that Crowley was helping them investigate Mackey. Acevedo suspects that Mackey was responsible for Crowley's death, and vows to bring him to justice. Shane (Walton Goggins) gets a little shaky at Crowley's funeral, and Mackey warns him to keep his cool. Dutch (Jay Karnes) and Wyms (CCH Pounder) interrogate a young gang member suspected of murdering a street vendor who had stopped paying protection money. Acevedo gets Dutch to help him interrogate Shane, who he recognizes as the weak link in Mackey's chain. Gilroy makes Acevedo back off. Mackey assures Gilroy, who told him about the Justice Department probe, that Crowley's shooting was a "bust gone bad." Julien is coerced into a sexual initiation rite by his fellow officers. This episode was directed by Gary Fleder (Kiss the Girls). ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Chiklis, CCH Pounder, (more)
- 2002
Aceveda (Benito Martinez) announces a Farmington-wide sweep of all outstanding warrants. Connie (Jamie Brown) goes to see Mackey (Michael Chiklis) to complain that a john slashed her when she tried to put a condom on him. He's busy serving warrants, so he asks Dutch (Jay Karnes) to take her to the hospital and find the john. On their raid, Mackey's squad finds East-Coast NBA star Derrick Tripp (Elimu Nelson) in a drug dealer's shoddy hotel room with an unlicensed gun. Knowing how Tripp manhandles the Lakers, Mackey and Shane (Walton Goggins) decide to keep the hoopster occupied for the day so he misses the game, while Shane lays down a big bet on the home team. Tomas (Brent Roam), one of the men busted by Danny (Catherine Dent) and Julien (Michael Jace) mentions that he's seen Julien outside a gay club, the Abbey. Julien, a devout Christian, denies it. Connie identifies her john, Richard Greeley (Kirk Baltz), a schizophrenic with an inoperable brain tumor who saves his semen in his locked refrigerator. Dutch, off on a crazy tangent, questions Greeley about a series of seemingly unrelated prostitute murders, but Claudette (CCH Pounder) turns out to have the key to cracking the case. Mackey goes off to tend to Connie, leaving Shane and Lemonhead (Kenneth Johnson) to babysit Tripp. Shane, jealous of the athlete's money and fame, gets into a serious confrontation with Tripp. Danny and Julien uncover an arsenal, and Mackey and his wife Corrine (Cathy Cahlin Ryan) learn that their son Matthew (Joel Rosenthal) may have a developmental disorder. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Chiklis, CCH Pounder, (more)
- 2002
Danny (Catherine Dent) and Lemonhead (Kenny Johnson) are moonlighting, working security at a "shake club," where rap impresario Kern Little (Sticky Fingaz) is having a party with his girl and fellow recording artist, Tyesha (Chene Lawson). Kern's rival and former labelmate, T-Bonz (Dex Elliott Sanders), arrives, leading to a shootout in which two people are killed. To make matters worse for Mackey (Michael Chiklis), his own personal drug dealer, Rondell (Walter Jones), was on the scene and fired off a couple of shots. Mackey has him turn over a couple of guys from his side, and orders him to keep his dealers off the street until things settle down. But Rondell doesn't follow orders very well. Mackey gets Kern and T-Bonz to agree to a 24-hour truce while he (Mackey) arbitrates their financial disagreement. Things get more complicated for him when Danny identifies him (from a mug shot) for Acevedo (Benito Martinez). Mackey tells Rondell not to worry, but Rondell decides to take action on his own. Acevedo gets Dutch (Jay Karnes) and Claudette (CCH Pounder) to track down a missing illegal immigrant day worker as a favor to Jorge Machado (Efrain Figueroa), a political powerbroker who's thinking about helping Acevedo run for the city council. When the ceasefire is broken, Mackey comes up with a unique way to settle the dispute between Kern and T-Bonz. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Chiklis, CCH Pounder, (more)
- 2002
A truck is hijacked and the driver viciously beaten. Mackey (Michael Chiklis) goes to work on the case, despite the fact that it's his day off, annoying his overburdened wife, Corrine (Cathy Cahlin Ryan). The driver describes his assailant's tattoos, leading Mackey and the Strike Team to suspect Hector (Rolando Molina), a member of the Los Mags gang. They stake out the home of Hector's girlfriend, Tigre (Liz Jemielita). When a young man shows up at her door, Mackey and Lemonhead (Kenny Johnson) go after him. Mistaking a carton of stolen cigarettes for a gun, Lemonhead shoots the young man. Mackey plants a "throwaway" gun on him. The young man turns out to be, not Hector, but Chaco (Robert Zepeda), Tigre's brother, a reformed gang member who is trying to lead a clean life. Chaco survives the shooting, but now faces a trumped-up gun charge. Mackey and Lemonhead have to find a way to clear Chaco and nail Hector. Complicating the situation, Lemonhead develops a romantic relationship with Tigre. Meanwhile, Claudette (CCH Pounder) is unhappy when her father, Bryce (Roscoe Lee Browne), arrives at the station and tries to get her to reconcile with her estranged daughter. Claudette is also unhappy about the rapport that quickly builds between her father and her partner, Dutch (Jay Karnes), as the cops investigate the case of Maynard (Ralph Drischell), a blind old man, left chained to a stake in his backyard by his uncaring son, Lloyd (Mystro Clark). ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Chiklis, CCH Pounder, (more)
- 2002
One of the strippers at a local club is leading customers into a back alley for sex so that her partner can mug them. While Mackey (Michael Chiklis) and the Strike Team work an unconventional sting operation, Julien (Michael Jace) and Danny (Catherine Dent) catch a guy, Sean Taylor (Michael Kelly), pleasuring himself in a nearby alley, and let him off with a warning. But when Dutch (Jay Karnes) hears about it, he insists on tracking down Taylor, who he instinctively believes may be his mythical serial killer. Connie (Jamie Brown) calls Mackey in a panic when her mother dies suddenly of a stroke, leaving her to take care of her infant son on her own. Mackey takes the boy home (much to Corrine's (Cathy Cahlin Ryan) chagrin) and leaves someone to look after Connie while she tries to kick heroin. The Strike Team nails Tulips (Nichole Hiltz), a nubile stripper, after she leads Shane (Walton Goggins) into the alley to be mugged. Shane, sensing a rapport between them, does everything he can to get Tulips a good deal, even after all the other girls at the club back her partner's story about Tulips being the mastermind behind the muggings. Tereza Verela (Sandra Purpuro), a reporter, stirs things up at the station by trying to dig up dirt on Aceveda (Benito Martinez). Danny is bitten by a transvestite hooker, necessitating a trip to the hospital, while Julien contemplates payback. Dutch interrogates Taylor, who takes the opportunity to psychoanalyze and humiliate the sensitive cop. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Chiklis, CCH Pounder, (more)
- 2002
Tensions grow in the neighborhood where two women were killed due to a delayed police response to a 911 call. Julien (Michael Jace) and Danny (Catherine Dent) receive a phony 911 call, which lures them into an ambush in which two other uniform cops are killed. Mackey (Michael Chiklis) has to move Corrine (Cathy Cahlin Ryan) and the children to protect them from Gilroy (John Diehl), whom he can't find. While Mackey investigates the rash of cop killings, Gilroy shows up at the station to take Dutch (Jay Karnes) off the incriminating hit-and-run case. He also takes over Aceveda's (Benito Martinez) office and tries to enlist Aceveda in taking down Mackey. Mackey goes to Aceveda and tells him the whole story about the hit-and-run and where it's led, and suggests teaming up to take Gilroy down. As the cops track down the shooters, Aceveda manages to track down Gilroy's girlfriend/real estate partner, Sedona (Lana Parrilla). ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Chiklis, CCH Pounder, (more)
- 2001
Quahog residents brace themselves for the annual return of the "Leafers," obnoxious tourists from New York who flood the town to view the autumn foliage. Inspired by Bonnie's (voice of Jennifer Tilly) impressive figure, Lois (voice of Alex Borstein) joins a Tae-Jitsu class taught by Jared (voice of Peter Gallagher). Lois turns out to have a great talent for fighting. Peter (voice of Seth MacFarlane), disturbed that Jet fans have taken over The Drunken Clam, tries posing as a man-eating tree to scare off the tourists. When he learns of Lois' fighting prowess, he puts up a sign on his lawn, giving folks the opportunity to "Fight the Ass-Kicking Housewife" for ten bucks. Lois, naturally, doesn't go along. Peter feels threatened by Lois' newfound sense of power, and tries to get her to quit. She goes along until Jared asks her to join his advanced class. Soon, Lois is taking on all comers. One night, she interrupts Peter's viewing of "Speed 3: Glacier of Doom" to demand sex. The next morning, a frazzled, humiliated Peter cries to Brian (MacFarlane), "Last night, Lois was the man." When Stewie (MacFarlane) attacks Peter with a baseball bat, they bring him to a therapist, who points out that the Griffins have a lot of anger in their household. They go home determined to smooth things over, but when a round of therapeutic role-playing goes awry, all hell breaks loose. This episode features the vocal talents of Michael Chiklis. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- 2001
Since he lost his job, Peter (voice of Seth MacFarlane) has gained a lot of weight from sitting on the couch watching television. After a walk on the pier with Brian (MacFarlane), he decides to become a fisherman. "That's how a real New England man makes his living," he reasons. He buys a boat at a police auction for 50,000 dollars, only to learn that its previous owner, Salty, died while chasing after "Daggermouth," the man-eating bluefish. Peter then goes to "Jim's Bank" for a loan so he can pay for his boat. He soon runs into conflict with Henessey, a veteran fisherman who resents the newcomer. Peter's having a hard time earning a living, and to make matters worse, he failed to read the loan papers he signed, and the bank is repossessing everything the family owns. Meanwhile, Meg (voice of Mila Kunis) is distraught about missing out on spring break. In an effort to placate her, Lois (voice of Alex Borstein) takes her to a fancy spa. When that doesn't do the trick, Lois drives Meg to spring break. Meg is embarrassed to be seen there with her mother, and it only gets worse when Lois parties her way to popularity among Meg's peers, neglecting her daughter in the process. While Lois and Meg negotiate their bacchanal, Peter is desperate to come up with the money to keep their home from being taken by the bank. When he learns that there's a 50,000-dollar bounty on Daggermouth, he and his friends set out to capture the dreaded beast. This episode features the vocal talents of Michael Chiklis and Brian Doyle Murray. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
Master animation director Hayao Miyazaki follows up on his record-breaking 1997 opus Princess Mononoke with this surreal Alice in Wonderland-like tale about a lost little girl. The film opens with ten-year-old Chihiro riding along during a family outing as her father races through remote country roads. When they come upon a blocked tunnel, her parents decide to have a look around -- even though Chihiro finds the place very creepy. When they pass through the tunnel, they discover an abandoned amusement park. As Chihiro's bad vibes continue, her parents discover an empty eatery that smells of fresh food. After her mother and father help themselves to some tasty purloined morsels, they turn into giant pigs. Chihiro understandably freaks out and flees. She learns that this very weird place, where all sorts of bizarre gods and monsters reside, is a holiday resort for the supernatural after their exhausting tour of duty in the human world. Soon after befriending a boy named Haku, Chihiro learns the rules of the land: one, she must work , as laziness of any kind is not tolerated; and two, she must take on the new moniker of Sen. If she forgets her real name, Haku tells her, then she will never be permitted to leave. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Daveigh Chase, Rumi Hiiragi, (more)
- 2000
The comedy team that made the phrase "nyuk nyuk nyuk" part of the American vocabulary gets the full biographical treatment in this made-for-TV feature. The Three Stooges opens in 1959, as a TV executive tries to persuade Moe Howard (Paul Ben-Victor) to reunite with his former onscreen partners to publicize the television premiere of a package of Three Stooges classic comedy shorts. Howard then flashes back on his long and remarkable career, as vaudeville star Ted Healy (Marton Csokas) assembles Moe Howard, sibling Shemp Howard (John Kassir), and Larry Fine (Evan Handler) as "stooges" for his stage act. As Moe, Shemp, and Larry gain popularity, a jealous Healy forces them to strike out on their own, but after many grueling years on the road, Columbia Pictures head Harry Cohn (Linal Haft) offers them a chance to star in their own series of two-reel comedies. But Shemp, always stage-shy, backs out of the group, and his brother Jerome (Michael Chiklis) -- aka "Curly" -- takes over, and the Three Stooges become a sensation. However, success proves to be a bumpy road for the group, as a bad deal with Columbia prevents them from reaping the full benefits of their success, and a serious illness forces Curly to quit, bringing Shemp back into the act. Mel Gibson was an executive producer for this biopic, which first aired on ABC on April 24, 2000. Incidentally, this wasn't Michael Chiklis' first time playing an icon of American comedy; he portrayed John Belushi in the 1989 drama Wired. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Ben-Victor, Rachael Blake, (more)
- 2000
In the tradition of Mr. Mom and My Two Dads comes this breathtakingly-original show about an oafish though loveable salesman who quits his job and raises the kids. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anita Barone, Michael Chiklis, (more)
A frightened child and her parents must endure a night of terror in this thriller. Walter (WIlliam Hurt) and Cathryn (Jennifer Tilly) are an American couple traveling in Amsterdam with their ten-year-old daughter Melissa (Francesca Brown). When Melissa accidentally witnesses a murder, the killers set out to find her and silence the child before she can tell anyone what she's seen. However, the problem is that Melissa can't tell her parents what's going on, as Melissa can't speak. Do Not Disturb also stars Denis Leary, Michael Chiklis, and Corey Johnson. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Hurt, Jennifer Tilly, (more)
Former boxing great Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini brings years of experience in the ring to his role in this drama. Charlie (Mancini) is an up-and-coming boxer who decides he needs to move to the big city if he wants to be a contender. With his best friend and manager Tiny (Michael Chiklis) in tow, Charlie heads to Reno; en route, Charlie falls for Gina (Jennifer Beals), an attractive hitchhiker, though Tiny is certain she's up to no good. In Reno, Charlie's skills as a fighter attract the attention of Johnny (Rod Steiger), a veteran trainer who thinks Charlie has what it takes to be a champ. Johnny is able to arrange a meeting for Charlie and Tiny with Dumas (Joe Mantegna), a boxing promoter who controlls the fight game in Reno. Charlie soon learns that fame and fortune could be his for the asking, but is he willing to give up his principles and betray the people he cares about in exchange for a shot at the big time? Body and Soul is a loose adaptation of the 1947 classic starring John Garfield, though beyond the fact the lead characters are boxers named Charlie, the two films have little in common. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rod Steiger, Jennifer Beals, (more)
- 1998
Having witnessed a hate crime committed by a gang of white supremacists against a black law student, baker Matt Colletti (a pre-The ShieldMichael Chilkis) is too frightened to come forward and tell the authorities. It is up to Monica and Tess--disguised respectively as an assistant baker and a visiting preacher--to convince Matt to do the right thing. It takes some doing, but Matt finally takes a stand and provides testimony against the thugs. Alas, when Matt claims to have recognized one of the student's assailants as Satan in disguise, no one (except the angels) believes him! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
After scripting Blade Runner and Twelve Monkeys, David Webb Peoples continued to traverse the science fiction landscape with this action-adventure directed by Paul Anderson. A prologue shows infants classified 1A and placed in an academy promoting violent militarism. Spawned in such an environment, Sgt. Todd (Kurt Russell) became a top-ranking interplanetary fighter. However, military upgrades in genetic engineering made Todd obsolete. Todd's commanding officer, Captain Church (Gary Busey), has a confrontation with West Point-trained Colonel Mekum (Jason Isaacs), who heads the new generation of genetically engineered fighters. One such warrior is Caine 607 (Jason Scott Lee), who defeats Todd and others led by Church. The trio, presumed dead, is put in a garbage ship which dumps them on the distant Arcadia 234 planet. However, Todd survives and is nursed by homesteaders Sandra (Connie Nielsen) and Mace (Sean Pertwee), while their mute son Nathan (brothers Jared and Taylor Thorne) watches. Todd is regarded with suspicion by others in the colony. But when the warrior supermen, led by Caine 607, attack the settlement, Todd turns out to be their only line of defense. The one-man army springs into action to eliminate the super squadron amid leftover props from Demolition Man, Event Horizon and other sci-fi movies. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kurt Russell, Jason Scott Lee, (more)
- 1998
- R
Tailing a Brooklyn tax evader, tax investigator Al Benjamin (Joe Pantoliano) uncovers several murders. Ignoring the police and his tax-office boss, Al teams with rookie cop Joseph Romero (Wade Dominguez). Their efforts to solve the killings lead them to the boss of the Russian immigrant community at Brooklyn's Brighton Beach. The boss' attractive daughter Nadia (Elizabeth Berkley) takes an interest in Al. Joseph and Al succeed in getting a state prosecutor to examine the case, but the key figure in the crime remains elusive. A Raymond Chandler-styled voiceover narration moves the story along. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joe Pantoliano, Wade Dominguez, (more)
- 1995
Although The Commish officially came to an end at the end of its fourth season, the series was briefly revived in late 1999 with three new episodes advertised as "movie specials." "In the Shadow of the Gallows" finds Eastbridge, NY, police commissioner Tony Scali (Michael Chiklis) plagued by a past murder. The two-part "Father Image" reunites Tony with his onetime mentor Terry Boyle (Darren McGavin). And in "Redemption," Rod Steiger guest stars as a suspected arsonist. ~ All Movie Guide
Oliver Stone, the most outspokenly political American filmmaker of the 1980s and '90s, directs this epic-length biography of Richard Nixon, the 37th President of the U.S., who was re-elected by a landslide in 1972, only to resign in disgrace two years later. Taking a non-linear approach, Nixon jumps back and forth between many different periods and events, from Nixon's strict upbringing at the hands of his Quaker mother, through the many peaks and valleys of his political career, to his downfall in the wake of the Watergate scandal. The facts of his life are blended with supposition and speculation to create a portrait that is often critical of the man's policies but displays an unexpected compassion toward his failings as a human being. Anthony Hopkins stars as Nixon, Joan Allen plays his long-suffering wife Pat, Mary Steenburgen portrays his mother Hannah, Bob Hoskins is cast as J. Edgar Hoover, Powers Boothe plays Alexander Haig, Paul Sorvino portrays Henry Kisinger, and Ed Harris plays E. Howard Hunt. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anthony Hopkins, Joan Allen, (more)
- 1994
Season four of The Commish gets off to a harrowing start with the two-part "Against the Wind," wherein Eastbridge, NY, police commissioner Tony Scali (Michael Chiklis) is temporarily paralyzed in an assassination attempt. Though he manages to recover from this, Tony narrowly escapes death in a later episode when he comes too close to exposing a conspiracy to frame an innocent man. There has been quite a turnover since season three, with Chief of Detectives Cyd Madison (Melinda McGraw) leaving Eastbridge to accept another job, and Paulie Pentangeli (John Cygan), not seen since the series' first season, returning to take Cyd's place. Others missing from the roster this season are officers Ricky Caruso (Nicholas Lea), Mike Rose (Pat Bermel), and Jonathan Papdakis (Ray Scrivano) -- and, of course, the late officer Stan Kelly, who died in spectacular fashion at the end of season three. The cases crossing Scali's desk during this years' 22 episodes involve crooked cops, illegal immigrants, a possible ghost sighting, and, on an intensely personal note, the possibility that Tony's father (George Kennedy) may have killed the man dating Tony's mother (Carol Lawrence). In the two-part season finale (which was also planned as The Commish's very last episode), "Off Broadway," Tony teams with New York police officer Connie Muldoon (Lisa Vidal) to hunt down a serial killer. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1993
The two-part "Suffer the Children," all about the investigation of a runaway's death, opens the third season of The Commish. With his wife, Rachel (Theresa Saldana), pursuing a new career in Buffalo, Tony Scali (Michael Chiklis), police commissioner of Eastbridge, NY, considers quitting his job, joining his wife, and starting a new career of his own as a private eye. Though this doesn't happen, Eastside's PD does lose a couple of its best officers, Carmela Pagan and Gordy Tuefel (respectively played in previous seasons by Gina Belafonte and Michael Patten). And at the tail end of season three, officer Stan Kelly (Geoffrey Nauffts) makes a startling and spectacular exit in a car explosion. In other developments, Tony must come to the rescue of wife Rachel twice, first when she is framed for murder, then when she is taken hostage by bank robbers; Chief of Detectives Cyd Madison (Melinda McGraw) is drawn into a potential fatal attraction; Stan Kelly's fiancée is implicated in a robbery; and one of the cops shakes up the precinct when he comes out of the closet. As the season draws to a close, Tony must deal with the fallacies and failures of the court system when trying to protect a little girl from being molested by her wealthy and well-connected father. ~ All Movie Guide
Season two of The Commish finds unorthodox, freewheeling Tony Scali (Michael Chiklis) still securely installed as police commissioner in the suburban New York community of Eastbridge. There have, however, been some changes within Tony's circle of associates: Chief of Detectives Paulie Pentangeli has been succeeded by Cyd Madison (Melinda McGraw), and officer Jonathan Papdakis (Ray Scrivano) has been added to the roster. Likewise, the population of Scali's own home has been altered somewhat: wife Rachel (Theresa Saldana) has given birth to daughter Sarah (played by twin infants Dayna and Justine Cornborough), and Tony's freeloading brother-in-law Arnie (played during Season One by David Paymer) will have moved out by season's end. In the two-part season opener "Adventures in the Skin Trade", Tony goes undercover in the porn-film industry to locate a missing person--and gets kidnapped in the process. Subsequent episodes touch upon such issues as vigilante justice, high-class call girls, 20th century witchcraft, TV reality shows and "blue flu." Guest stars include game-show host Pat Sajak as a psychiatrist in "The Two Faces of Ed," Stella Stevens as a faded movie star in "Eastbridge Boulevard," and, in one of his last TV outings, Telly Savalas as a retired (?) racketeer in "The Frame" and the two-part "Family Business." The second season ends on a cliffhanger as Tony's wife, Rachel, considers leaving her family to accept a job out of town. ~ All Movie Guide
Quite a lot of difficult cases cross the desk of Eastbridge, NY, police commissioner Tony Scali (Michael Chiklis) during season one of The Commish. Scali and his associates must tackle everything from rapists to child molesters to white supremacists -- and on a lighter note, the men in the department find themselves vying for the opportunity to pose for a "beefcake" calendar. Highlight episodes include the two-part "A Matter of Life and Death" (the series' pilot, though not the first episode to be shown), and "Charlie Don't Surf," which features a compelling performance by Hang S. Ngor of The Killing Fields fame. Changes occurring during the season's 22 episodes include the departure of Chief of Detectives Irv Wallenstein (Alex Bruhanski), who is almost immediately replaced by Paulie Pentangeli (John Cygan); and the announcement by Tony's wife, Rachel (Theresa Saldana), that she is about to become a mother -- again. ~ All Movie Guide
