Vincent D'Onofrio Movies
An actor whose hulking presence belies his ability to slip quietly into an astonishing variety of roles, Vincent D'Onofrio is one of Hollywood's most unpredictable and compelling performers. Throughout his career, D'Onofrio has played a diverse range of characters, from Full Metal Jacket's fatally unhinged army recruit to a wholly convincing Orson Welles in Ed Wood to a bisexual porn star in The Velocity of Gary.Born in Brooklyn, NY, on June 30, 1959, D'Onofrio was raised in the diverse locales of Hawaii, Colorado, and Miami's Hialeah section. His career as an actor began on the stage, with study under Sonia Moore of New York's American Stanislavsky Theatre and Sharon Chatten at the Actors Studio. D'Onofrio's early years in the theater were filled with an obligatory helping of obscurity and miniscule paychecks (so miniscule that he worked for a time as a bouncer to help pay the bills). His fortunes began to shift in 1984, when he joined the American Stanislavsky Theatre as a performer. There, he appeared in such well-regarded productions as Of Mice and Men and David Mamet's Sexual Perversity in Chicago, and also made his Broadway debut in Open Admissions.
D'Onofrio debuted onscreen in the straight-to-oblivion 1983 comedy The First Turn-On!, but it was not until his haunting portrayal of Pvt. Pyle (a role for which the actor gained 70 pounds) four years later in Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket that he earned much-deserved notice for his work. Defying easy categorization, D'Onofrio next appeared in the romantic comedy Mystic Pizza (1988), slimming down to his normal weight and giving a convincing portrayal as Lili Taylor's lovestruck boyfriend.
Having thus given audiences a glimpse of his remarkable versatility, D'Onofrio spent the next few years making his presence felt in such films as JFK (1991), in which he played assassination witness Bill Newman; The Player (1992), which cast him in the pivotal role of ill-fated screenwriter David Kahane; and Nancy Savoca's Household Saints (1993), which, through a particularly odd feat of casting, had him playing the father of Lili Taylor. Although D'Onofrio worked at a prolific pace, it was not until he portrayed Conan the Barbarian author Robert E. Howard in the 1996 The Whole Wide World that he really had his screen breakthrough. A low-key romantic drama about the relationship between Howard and a schoolteacher (Renée Zellweger), the film allowed D'Onofrio to take center stage, rather than lend support to better-known co-stars. Critics roundly applauded his performance, but although the actor kept working steadily, he was by no means a Hollywood fixture. Eschewing the limelight, he turned in particularly memorable performances in Feeling Minnesota (1996) as Cameron Diaz's cuckolded fiancé and in the 1997 blockbuster Men in Black, which cast him as the film's resident bad guy.
D'Onofrio had long since become an established actor by the 2000's, and he would remain a solid force on screen in such films as The Cell, Happy Accidents, Steal This Movie, andThumbsucker. D'Onofrio would also find just as much notoriety on the small screen, most notably as Detective Robert Goren on the phenomenally successful Law & Order spin-off Criminal Intent, and even step behind the camera, penning, helming and starring in the drama Mall. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, Rovi
Based on author Rick Porrello's book To Kill the Irishman: The War that Crippled the Mafia, director Jonathan Hensleigh's richly detailed biopic details the rise and fall of notorious Cleveland union rep Danny Greene (Ray Stevenson), who earned notoriety in the mid-'70s for his bold willingness to defy the Italian mob. Raised on the mean streets of Cleveland, Greene's tough reputation eventually lands him a contact with the local mob. Before long, the scrappy local has become a mafia enforcer, but after forming an alliance with notorious gangster John Nardi (Vincent D'Onofrio) and burning feared loan shark Shondor Birns (Christopher Walken), Greene starts to discover that he has the potential to become as powerful as any of his adversaries. Later, Greene develops a reputation as untouchable after surviving numerous assassination attempts, and dealing a devastating blow to organized-crime syndicates across the U.S. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ray Stevenson, Vincent D'Onofrio, (more)
- 2011
The members of an emerging rock band retreat into the woods in search of artistic inspiration, but find only sheer terror when a well-dressed maniac begins indiscriminately slaughtering them in the feature directorial debut of critically acclaimed actor Vincent D'Onofrio (Full Metal Jacket, Law and Order: Criminal Intent). ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Bo Boddie, Eric Bogosian, (more)
Training Day director Antoine Fuqua takes viewers on a dark ride through the streets of Brooklyn, following three New York Police officers as they wrestle with temptation, loyalty, and duty while attempting to uphold the law and deal with the pressures of the job. Eddie Dugan (Richard Gere) is days away from retirement, but he's been burnt-out for years. Unable to remember why he signed up for the job in the first place, all Eddie can think about is retreating to his fishing cabin in Connecticut, and forgetting the horrors that he's seen during his decades on the job. At the same time, undercover narcotics cop Clarence "Tango" Butler (Don Cheadle) is right in the thick of it. As hard as he tries to quit, however, his superiors always find a way of keeping him on the job. Much like Dugan, he's lost sight of his priorities, and these days Tango's loyalties seem to lie more with notorious inner-city drug dealer Caz (Wesley Snipes) than with the boys in blue. And Tango isn't the only cop who's being drawn to the dark side of the law; narcotics officer Sal Procida's (Ethan Hawke) wife is currently pregnant with twins, and he's barely making enough to keep his family afloat. When Sal learns that his wife is at risk of losing their unborn children, desperation drives him to consider unethical means of ensuring financial stability. In seven days, the lives of all three officers will converge at one crime scene as the NYPD attempts to clean up the BK projects, the epicenter of lawlessness in the highest-crime precinct. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Richard Gere, Don Cheadle, (more)
- 2009
In this darkly comic outing, which won the 2009 Academy Award for Best Live Action short, two gay men move into an apartment building, little realizing that the flat owns a very complicated and troubled history. Suddenly thrust into tumult of which they have no prior knowledge, the couple must contend with an obnoxiously nosy neighbor, a strung-out-drug dealer, and an overly intimidating, gun-packing husband with a deadly agenda. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
- Starring:
- Vincent D'Onofrio, Kevin Corrigan, (more)
- 2009
- R
Training Day director Antoine Fuqua takes viewers on a dark ride through the streets of Brooklyn, following three New York Police officers as they wrestle with temptation, loyalty, and duty while attempting to uphold the law and deal with the pressures of the job. Eddie Dugan (Richard Gere) is days away from retirement, but he's been burnt-out for years. Unable to remember why he signed up for the job in the first place, all Eddie can think about is retreating to his fishing cabin in Connecticut, and forgetting the horrors that he's seen during his decades on the job. At the same time, undercover narcotics cop Clarence "Tango" Butler (Don Cheadle) is right in the thick of it. As hard as he tries to quit, however, his superiors always find a way of keeping him on the job. Much like Dugan, he's lost sight of his priorities, and these days Tango's loyalties seem to lie more with notorious inner-city drug dealer Caz (Wesley Snipes) than with the boys in blue. And Tango isn't the only cop who's being drawn to the dark side of the law; narcotics officer Sal Procida's (Ethan Hawke) wife is currently pregnant with twins, and he's barely making enough to keep his family afloat. When Sal learns that his wife is at risk of losing their unborn children, desperation drives him to consider unethical means of ensuring financial stability. In seven days, the lives of all three officers will converge at one crime scene as the NYPD attempts to clean up the BK projects, the epicenter of lawlessness in the highest-crime precinct. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Gere, Don Cheadle, (more)
The lives of a septic tank cleaner, an ambitious mob boss, and a deaf-mute deli worker converge in tragedy in this seriocomic crime drama from director/screenwriter James DeMonaco. Blue collar by birth, Sully Halverson (Ethan Hawke) has never amounted to much in life. When Sully finds out he's about to become a father, he schemes to rob Parmie Tarzo (Vincent D'Onifrio), a small-time kingpin who's looking for a way to leave his mark on the world. By saving Staten Island Forest, Parmie surmises, he can mold an upstanding public persona for himself while quietly eliminating the competition behind closed doors. That's where Jasper Sabiano (Seymour Cassel) comes in. Seymour may not be able to hear or speak, but he's a hard worker who knows where his bread is buttered. When he's not serving up bagels and coffee, Jasper is dispatching bodies for Tarzo -- frequently in Staten Island Forest. But lately Jasper has been growing tired of the game, and he's desperate to find a way out. When Sully sets his plan into motion, all three men find themselves thrust into a volatile situation that threatens to destroy their plans for the future as it quickly spirals out of control. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ethan Hawke, Vincent D'Onofrio, (more)
A 20-year-old man at a crucial crossroads in life finds himself caught between two worlds and two women in director François Velle's feature adaptation of author Tom McLoughlin's original novel Heart of the Old Country. Mike Manadoro (Kevin Zegers) is a Bay Ridge, Brooklyn shutterbug who lives with his father, Vinny (Vincent D'Onofrio), a former Department of Sanitation worker who is now retired on disability. Despite the fact that Vinny is officially retired, he still manages to draw a healthy income thanks to his side job as Bay Ridge's main numbers runner. It's Mike's job to drive his father on his "rounds," and while Vinny is taking care of business Mike passes the time by snapping pictures of the neighborhood locals. Seeing great promise in Mike's impressive portfolio, an influential professor offers the amateur photographer a partial scholarship to a high-profile university in Manhattan. It's the opportunity of a lifetime to be sure, though Mike soon finds out that there are strings attached. Unfortunately for Mike, Vinny is a proud man who refuses to allow his son to seek out financial aid. But Vinny has underestimated his son's desire to accomplish something more in life, and before long Mike is leading a double life in order to forge ahead into the future. Unbeknownst to his father, Mike accepts a job delivering "packages" for a local mobster named Tony (Titus Welliver). But while the job does help Mike bring in the cash he needs to cover his tuition, his two worlds begin to collide after he meets beautiful and refined fellow student Kathy (Sophia Bush). Unfortunately Mike's longtime girlfriend, Gina (Monica Keena), is none too happy about this latest development, and the situation quickly begins to spiral out of control. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Kevin Zegers, Vincent D'Onofrio, (more)
A once-loving Chicago couple whose happily-ever-after quickly turned into a never-again finds their crumbling romance complicated when both parties refuse to move out of the pair's recently purchased condo. The Break-Up is a romantic comedy that starts where all the others end. The future once looked promising for thirtysomething couple Brooke (Jennifer Aniston) and Gary (Vince Vaughn), but lately it seems like a series of increasingly petty and intolerable squabbles have snuffed any semblance of romance in their relationship. Their confrontation endlessly fueled by mean-spirited suggestions of revenge tactics from friends and family and their stubborn refusal to budge resulting in an excruciating stalemate, Brooke and Gary ultimately decide to spitefully stick it out as hostile roommates until the weaker party eventually admits defeat. As the competition to drive one another out grows increasingly intense and outrageous, however, Brooke eventually comes to the realization that she's not fighting for possession of the condominium as much as she is fighting to salvage her relationship with the man she once viewed as the love of her life. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Vince Vaughn, Jennifer Aniston, (more)
A high-school senior finds that fate (and modern medicine) plays some interesting tricks with his personality in this dramatic comedy. Justin Conn (Lou Taylor Pucci) is a neurotic teenager who has a difficult time with his peers, especially Rebecca (Kelli Garner), a cute girl in his debate class with whom he is somewhat mutually infatuated. It isn't much better at home with his obnoxious younger brother Joel (Chase Offerle), his father, Mike (Vincent D'Onofrio), who is busy having a midlife crisis, and mother Audrey (Tilda Swinton), who's infatuated with one of her favorite TV actors (Benjamin Bratt). All this anxiety has to go somewhere, and Justin's manifestation of his troubles comes in the form of sucking his thumb, which makes him even more of an outcast. Dr. Perry Lyman (Keanu Reeves), an orthodontist who seems to double as a new age therapist, treats Justin with hypnosis; meanwhile, the school psychologist decides he has Attention Deficit Disorder, and treats him with medication. Suddenly, Justin stops sucking his thumb and becomes an outgoing overachiever, single-handedly taking his school debate team to the state championship. But Justin's relationshop with his debate coach, Mr. Geary (Vince Vaughn), becomes strained, and the boy tries to mold yet another new identity for himself. Thumbsucker was the first feature film from Mike Mills, who previously distinguished himself in commercials and music videos. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Lou Taylor Pucci, Tilda Swinton, (more)
Another in a long line of "revisionist" Sherlock Holmes dramas, the made-for-cable Case of Evil offers a 28-year-old Holmes (James D'Arcy) who, in contrast with his later and more familiar persona, brashly brags about his deductive skills, egotistically basks in his fame and popularity, and drinks like a fish. But young Sherlock is in for a sobering and humiliating return to earth when he first crosses the path of Professor Moriarty (Vincent D'Onofrio), the "Napoleon of Crime." The brilliant but inexperienced Holmes not only fails to connect Moriarty with the murders of London's most notorious opium dealers, but even ends up falling into the clutches of the master criminal, who introduces the hapless detective to a relatively new and exotic drug known as heroin. Helping Sherlock put himself back together after his horrendous experience are his friend Dr. Watson (Roger Morlidge), his brother Mycroft (Richard E. Grant), and a comely young lady (Gabrielle Anwar) -- whose last name happens to be Doyle. The story is climaxed by a thrilling sword duel inside Big Ben (and never mind that the famous clock tower hadn't yet been built). Filmed in Romania, Case of Evil made its USA Network debut on October 25, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- James D'Arcy, Vincent D'Onofrio, (more)
The feature film debut of producer and TV director D.J. Caruso, this pulpy noir mystery is a dark tale of redemption set among southern California crystal methamphetamine "tweakers." Val Kilmer stars as Danny Parker, a former trumpet player who has become a tattooed speed freak living in a cesspool of murderous dealers and hardcore addicts near the desert lake of the title. Danny's fall from grace is the result of a hidden agenda, however -- he's seeking answers about the murder of his beloved wife. He's also working undercover for a pair of brutal narcotics cops (Anthony Lapaglia and Doug Hutchison), while trying to rescue his beautiful neighbor Colette (Deborah Kara Unger) from an abusive situation and her own demons. As he and his slacker buddy Jimmy the Fin (Peter Sarsgaard) are antagonized by the sadistic, noseless dealer Pooh Bear (Vincent D'Onofrio) and his henchman, Danny draws closer to the truth about his wife's death, but the crime's solution isn't quite what he expected. Produced by Frank Darabont, The Salton Sea co-stars Adam Goldberg, Meat Loaf, Luis Guzman, and Azura Skye. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi
- Starring:
- Val Kilmer
Actor and dancer Gregory Hines directed this fantasy fable, in which he cast himself in a supporting role. Reggie Reynolds (Dempsey Pappion) is a 17-year-old high school student who earns good grades, gets along well with his friends and family, and is the manager of his school's basketball team. Reggie would rather play on the team than sit on the sidelines, but unfortunately Reggie has no knack for the game, which is especially frustrating since two of his best friends, Khalil (Cabral Richards) and Roscoe (Chris Collins), can shoot hoop like nobody's business. One day, a frustrated Reggie meets Zeke (Gregory Hines), a friendly junk dealer who gives Reggie a pair of ancient red high-top basketball shoes, which he says once belonged to Willie Slokum, a star of the Negro basketball leagues in the 1930s. Reggie doesn't think much of Zeke's story until he tries on the shoes -- and discovers he's suddenly playing like a champ. Reggie soon becomes the star player on the school's basketball team, and earns the respect of his fellow players (as well as the attention of some of the prettiest girls in school). But Reggie is also pursued by Mercado (Vincent D'onofrio), a promotions man for a major athletic shoe company; he's willing to offer Reggie a lot of money to switch shoes, but Reggie doesn't want anyone to know that without the magic sneakers, he'll be back to riding the bench. The Red Sneakers also features Vanessa Bell Calloway, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, and Linda Carter. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Dempsey Pappion, Vanessa Bell Calloway, (more)
Heather Morgan (who also scripted the film) portrays a dog-walker who has decided to stop talking and begins to act like the animals she tends to. The film is concerned mostly with her husband Peter (Lee Tergesen) and his attempts to help his wife. The supporting cast of this whimsical comedy includes Hank Azaria as Peter's most trusted friend, Vincent D'Onofrio as a psychiatrist who is in need of some mental health care, and Friends co-star Lisa Kudrow as a veterinarian. Kasia Adamik, the child of famed director Agnieszka Holland, helms this quirky comedy that played at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi
- Starring:
- Lee Tergesen, Heather Morgan, (more)
- 2002
- R
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The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys brings Chris Fuhrman's well-received, posthumously published teen novel to the screen. Set in the 1970s, the film concerns two rebellious Catholic schoolboys -- bashful, pensive Francis (Emile Hirsch) and whip-smart, impulsive Tim (Kieran Culkin) -- who spend their free time pulling elaborate pranks and creating a comic book featuring themselves and their friends, Wade (Jake Richardson) and Joey (Tyler Long), as superheroes. Their alter egos are brought to life in animated sequences by Spawn creator Todd McFarlane. Their grim, strict, one-legged teacher, Sister Assumpta (Jodie Foster), is drawn as a motorcycle-riding supervillain. Vincent D'Onofrio plays the more easygoing Father Casey. Egged on by Tim, Francis admits that he has a crush on Margie Flynn (Jena Malone). Tim encourages Francis to pursue Margie, at one point even sending her a mash note and signing his friend's name. Francis and Margie eventually begin seeing each other. But when Margie reveals a terrible, painful secret to Francis, it sets off a chain of events that leads to tragedy. The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys marks the feature debut of director Peter Care. It was screened at several festivals, including the 2002 Sundance Film Festival. The film sparked a small controversy at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival, where it was rejected, allegedly in retaliation for producer Foster's decision to forego heading up the fest's jury in order to replace Nicole Kidman in Panic Room. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi
- Starring:
- Kieran Culkin, Jena Malone, (more)
This long-delayed science fiction thriller from director Gary Fleder was actually filmed prior to his box-office hit Don't Say a Word (2001), which preceded it in theaters by several months. Based on a 1953 short story by Philip K. Dick, the film shares that schizophrenic author's long-running obsessions with concealed identity and humanity's potential inferiority to alternative life forms. Gary Sinise stars as Spencer John Olham, a respected government scientist in the year 2079 trying to devise a secret weapon that will help his fellow humans win a decade-long war with invading aliens that are cloning human subjects and using the replicas as walking time bombs. Suddenly, Olham is accused of being an alien spy and a nationwide manhunt to capture him ensues. With even his doctor wife (Madeleine Stowe) unsure that she can trust him, Olham must uncover the truth on his own, even as he's relentlessly pursued by Hathaway (Vincent D'Onofrio), a federal agent charged with destroying the clones. Imposter has a complicated history, originally produced in early 2000 as a 30-minute short to be included in an anthology entitled "The Light Years Trilogy," a project that never got off the ground. So impressed was Dimension Films with the completed piece, however, that the footage was incorporated into a new feature version. That film was then shuffled around the release schedule for more than a year as effects were completed, reshoots were ordered, and the film was recut for a PG-13 rating instead of its original R. The R-rated "director's cut" was later released on DVD. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi
- Starring:
- Gary Sinise, Madeleine Stowe, (more)
Actor Ethan Hawke takes the director's chair for a test drive with this independent feature, based on a play by Nicole Burdette, in which a number of creative types living in New York's famed bohemian enclave the Chelsea Hotel struggle with their muses as well as their personal concerns. Middle-aged novelist Bud (Kris Kristofferson) is having problems with his latest project, as well as his appetite for alcohol, while he juggles two relationships -- with his wife Greta (Tuesday Weld) and his lover Mary (Natasha Richardson). Audrey (Rosario Dawson) is a poet who is attracted to Val (Mark Webber), but Val has a hard time staying away from drugs, and his pal Crutches (Kevin Corrigan) is doing nothing to help. Grace (Uma Thurman) is trying to make a name for herself as a poet, but in the meantime she supports herself waiting tables; she's developed a crush on her neighbor Frank (Vincent D'Onofrio), but she can't figure out how to get him to pay attention to her. And Ross (Steve Zahn) and Terry (Robert Sean Leonard) are a pair of would-be rock stars who have just arrived in New York from the Midwest, wondering how to get noticed as they try to pick up women. Jeff Tweedy from the acclaimed rock band Wilco composed the film's musical score, while legendary jazz vocalist Jimmy Scott appears in a nightclub scene. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Kevin Corrigan, Rosario Dawson, (more)
- 2001
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When crimes make the headlines, the NYPD Major Case Squad goes to work in ensuring that the worst offenders on the streets are securely held under lock and key. Homicide Investigator Robert Goren (Vincent D'Onofrio) is the best in the Big Apple, and along with his partner Detective Alexandra James (Kathryn Erbe), the crimefighting duo are ready to tackle any case that Captain James Deakons (Jamey Sheridan) assigns them. As Investigator Goren and Detective James attempt to look into the minds of the city's toughest criminals, District Attorney Rom Carver (Courtney Vance) is always willing to lend a hand. When a scheming thief and his girlfriend enlist the aid of three master criminals in pulling off a major jewelry heist, the resourceful detectives will need every trick in the book to crack the case and bring the devious diamond thieves to justice. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Vincent D'Onofrio, Kathryn Erbe, (more)
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