Andrew Kevin Walker Movies
Even if you don't know who Andrew Kevin Walker is, you may know what he looks like. Walker appeared as the first dead body in Seven (1995) and played the sleeping neighbor who Jodie Foster and Kristen Stewart signal for help in Panic Room (2002). You may also have seen his name. He lent it to the three detectives -- Andrew, Kevin, and Walker -- who try to castrate Edward Norton in Fight Club (1999). Walker's true claim to fame is as one of Hollywood's leading screenwriters and script doctors. He specializes in big-budget thrillers that are just as gutsy as their artsy counterparts; he has also gotten the first crack at the industry's most anticipated screenplays, as well as put the final touches on today's most popular films.Raised in Mechanicsburg, PA, Walker attended Penn State University where he earned a bachelor's degree in Film Production. After graduating, he moved to New York City and toiled on several low-budget films. In 1991, while working at Tower Records, Walker slipped into a deep depression. He channeled his black mood into Seven (1994), a dark screenplay in which a serial killer murders people based on the seven deadly sins. New Line Cinema bought the crime thriller and Walker relocated to Los Angeles soon afterward.
It took several years for Seven to go into production, during which time Walker contributed to HBO's Tales From the Crypt and wrote the thrillers Brainscan (1994) and Hideaway (1995). At the request of New Line, he also reluctantly toned down Seven's gruesome ending -- which included the female lead's severed head turning up inside a box -- to make it more palatable. However, when director David Fincher agreed to helm the project, he had done so based on Walker's first draft. Fincher and the film's stars, Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman, rallied behind Walker's shocking finale, eventually convincing executive producer Arnold Kopelson to keep the gore in the film (Pitt's contract even stipulated that the studio could not alter Seven's final segment). The film became one of 1995's biggest hits, both critically and commercially, and established Walker as an A-list screenwriter.
The next few years saw Walker penning uncredited rewrites on films such as Fincher's The Game (1997) and Fight Club (1999), Paul Anderson's Event Horizon (1997), and David Koepp's Stir of Echoes (1999), and writing an early draft of Bryan Singer's X-Men (2000). He also sold his original screenplay 8MM (1999) -- about a private eye who is hired to investigate the authenticity of a snuff movie -- to Columbia Pictures for a reported 1.25 million dollars. But the studio grew wary of the film's sordid subject matter, and began pressuring Walker into making major changes to the script. Walker thought he was saved when Joel Schumacher agreed to direct the film and supported him against the studio heads. But Schumacher simply made changes of his own, rearranging the script and doctoring scenes to lighten up the film. In a publicized debate, Walker walked off the set and later refused to watch the film, which opened to scathing reviews and disappointing box-office returns.
Walker went on to adapt Washington Irving's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow into Tim Burton's eerie homage to Britain's Hammer films, Sleepy Hollow (1999), starring Johnny Depp and Christina Ricci. Though Burton admired Walker and co-writer Kevin Yagher's work on the film, he still hired Shakespeare in Love (1998) scribe Tom Stoppard to cut down its violence. Walker then wrote two installments of the BMW promotional short-film series The Hire (2001), starring Croupier's Clive Owen as a hired driver. In the first, John Frankenheimer's Ambush (2001), Owen must protect his passenger from mysterious masked gunmen who accuse the man of smuggling diamonds. In the second, Wong Kar-Wai's The Follow (2001), Owen is hired by Mickey Rourke to spy on his wife, who he thinks is an adulteress. Both films premiered on the BMW film site and helped fans whet their appetites for Walker's next projects, an adaptation of Marvel Comics' Silver Surfer for FOX and a screenplay that pairs DC Comic heroes Superman and Batman for director Wolfgang Petersen. ~ Aubry Anne D'Arminio, All Movie Guide
- 2011
When a man becomes aware, through repeated nightmares, that the ghost of a murdered man dwells within him, he travels to the scene of the murder to help sort things out and discovers terrors that have yet to unfold in this Columbia Pictures adapation of Max Ehrlich's novel. David Fincher directs from a script by his Seven screenwriter, Andrew Kevin Walker. The book was brought to the screen once by director J. Lee Thompson in 1975, with a cast headed by Margot Kidder and Jennifer O'Niel. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
Universal Studios resurrects the classic lycanthrope with this tale of an American who experiences an unsettling transformation after returning to his ancestral home in Victorian-era Great Britain and being attacked by a rampaging werewolf. His brother having recently vanished without a trace, haunted nobleman Lawrence Talbot (Benicio Del Toro) returns to his family estate to investigate. What he discovers upon reuniting with his estranged father (Anthony Hopkins), however, is a destiny far darker than his blackest nightmares. As a young boy, the untimely death of his mother caused Talbot to grow up before his time. Though Talbot would attempt to bury his pain in the past by leaving the quiet Victorian hamlet of Blackmoor behind, the past returns with a vengeance when his brother's fiancée, Gwen Conliffe (Emily Blunt), convinces him to return home and aid the search for his missing brother. But something monstrous has been stalking the residents of Blackmoor from the nighttime shadows, something not quite human. Not even recently arrived Scotland Yard inspector Aberline (Hugo Weaving) can dream up a rational explanation for the gruesome spell that has been cast over Blackmoor, yet rumors of an ancient curse persist to this very day. According to legend, the afflicted will experience a horrific transformation by the light of the full moon, their animal rage becoming far too powerful for their human bodies to contain. Now, the woman Talbot loves is in mortal danger, and in order to protect her he must venture into the moonlit woods and destroy the beast before it destroys her. But this isn't your typical hunt, because before the beast can be slain, a simple man will uncover a primal side of himself that he never knew existed. Screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker pens a film directed by Joe Johnston and featuring creature effects by special-effects makeup legend Rick Baker. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Benicio Del Toro, Emily Blunt, (more)
- 2009
F. Gary Gray directs Eric Bana in this remake of France's 2004 heist film Le Convoyeur with this Millennium Films production. The pic surrounds a man who is let in on a heist plan by his co-workers at an armored car company, who are unaware of his intentions on the matter. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
A well-regarded spec script by A-list screenwriter David Koepp became this stylish thriller from director David Fincher. Jodie Foster stars as Meg Altman, a single mother of an diabetic preteen daughter, Sarah (Kristen Stewart). Meg's going through an unhappy divorce that forces her and Sarah to move into a new home. They choose a deluxe New York brownstone that coincidentally boasts an unusual feature: a "panic room," a vault-like hidden space capable of literally sealing itself off from the rest of the building. With its thick steel door on springs, separate ventilation and communications systems, and video monitors linked to cameras mounted throughout the home, the room is an impregnable fortress. It quickly comes in handy when the Altmans' new residence is invaded by a trio of thieves: Junior (Jared Leto), Burnham (Forest Whitaker), and Raoul (Dwight Yoakam). Meg and Sarah are able to secure themselves in the panic room before the robbers can get to them, but it turns out that Sarah's medication is still on the outside, the phone's not yet connected, and the loot the gang's seeking is inside the panic room with them. A cat-and-mouse battle of wits ensues, with Meg trying to outwit their captors over the course of one very long night, as her daughter's health dissipates. Panic Room (2002) co-stars Ann Magnuson, Patrick Bauchau, and Koepp's fellow screenwriter, Andrew Kevin Walker, in a cameo role. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jodie Foster, Forest Whitaker, (more)
- 2001
When a driver-for-hire (Clive Owen) is confronted by hijackers, he must decide whether to surrender his passenger (Tomas Milian) or attempt to flee. The first of the five films in the BMW promotional series, Ambush was directed by action film veteran John Frankenheimer and written by Seven scripter Andrew Kevin Walker. ~ All Movie Guide
- 2001
A driver-for-hire (Clive Owen) is asked to spy on the wife (Adriana Lima) of an obsessively jealous husband (Mickey Rourke). The third of the five films in the BMW promotional series, The Follow was directed by Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar-Wai and written by Seven scriptwriter Andrew Kevin Walker. ~ All Movie Guide
Tom Welles (Nicolas Cage) is a surveillance expert on the rise. He's living the American dream with a wife, Amy (Catherine Keener), infant daughter, and a house in the suburbs of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. After the completion of an assignment for a U.S. Senator, Welles is summoned to the house of a recently deceased captain of industry. His widow, in settling his estate, has discovered an 8MM film in her late husband's private safe. The silent short depicts the apparent murder of a young woman by a large, masked figure, what is known as a "snuff" film. Greatly disturbed by the film's contents, the widow hires Welles to find the identity of the woman and determine if she is still alive. Welles finds the girl's identity and follows her trail from the time she ran away from home to Hollywood. Once there, Welles meets adult bookstore clerk Max California (Joaquin Phoenix) to act as Virgil to Welles' Dante. As the two begin their descent into the world of underground pornography, the detective grows more and more distant from his family, as if he cannot shake the taint of the world in which he now walks. Tom and Max eventually meet pornographers Dino Velvet (Peter Stormare) and Eddie Poole (James Gandolfini). By this time the detective finds he can no longer walk out of the inferno. ~ Ron Wells, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nicolas Cage, Joaquin Phoenix, (more)
Washington Irving's tale of Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman gets a few new twists in a screen adaptation directed by Tim Burton. In this version, Ichabod (Johnny Depp) is a New York City detective whose unorthodox techniques and penchant for gadgets make him unpopular with is colleagues. He is sent to the remote town of Sleepy Hollow to investigate a series of bizarre murders, in which a number of people have been found dead in the woods, with their heads cut off. Local legend has it that a Hessian ghost rides through the woods on horseback, lopping off the heads of the unsuspecting and unbelieving. Ichabod refuses to believe in this legend, convinced that there must be a logical explanation for the murders. In time, Ichabod becomes smitten with a local lass, Katrina Van Tassel (Christina Ricci), who is the sweetheart of the burly Brom Bones (Casper Van Dien), and he becomes determined to capture the murderer to prove his bravery and win her heart. Christopher Walken, Jeffrey Jones, and Christopher Lee highlight the supporting cast; Lee's appearance is particularly apt, since Burton has cited the Hammer films of the 1960s as a major influence in making this film. Andrew Kevin Walker and Tom Stoppard contributed to the screenplay. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, (more)
A man has a near-death experience and awakens to find himself spiritually attached to another who went through a similar experience in this horror movie. The story is based on a Dean Koontz novel. Hatch Harrison, an antique dealer, finds himself in an extraordinary position following the car wreck in which he was broad-sided by a semi-truck. Although his wife and teenage daughter survive, Hatch was actually dead for two hours before innovative resuscitator Dr. Jonas Nybern was able to bring him back. Hatch tries to resume his normal life, but encounters difficulty when he begins having horrific hallucinations. It turns out that the "visions" are really the experiences of Vassago, a Satanist who ritually kills people. Somehow he and the killer are connected. Vassago, too can experience events in Hatch's life; he begins to threaten Hatch by telling him he will use his daughter for a virgin sacrifice. The two men must battle it out spiritually. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeff Goldblum, Christine Lahti, (more)
Director David Fincher's dark, stylish thriller ranks as one of the decade's most influential box-office successes. Set in a hellish vision of a New York-like city, where it is always raining and the air crackles with impending death, the film concerns Det. William Somerset (Morgan Freeman), a homicide specialist just one week from a well-deserved retirement. Every minute of his 32 years on the job is evident in Somerset's worn, exhausted face, and his soul aches with the pain that can only come from having seen and felt far too much. But Somerset's retirement must wait for one last case, for which he is teamed with young hotshot David Mills (Brad Pitt), the fiery detective set to replace him at the end of the week. Mills has talked his reluctant wife, Tracy (Gwyneth Paltrow), into moving to the big city so that he can tackle important cases, but his first and Somerset's last are more than either man has bargained for. A diabolical serial killer is staging grisly murders, choosing victims representing the seven deadly sins. First, an obese man is forced to eat until his stomach ruptures to represent gluttony, then a wealthy defense lawyer is made to cut off a pound of his own flesh as penance for greed. Somerset initially refuses to take the case, realizing that there will be five more murders, ghastly sermons about lust, sloth, pride, wrath, and envy presented by a madman to a sinful world. Somerset is correct, and something within him cannot let the case go, forcing the weary detective to team with Mills and see the case to its almost unspeakably horrible conclusion. The moody photography is by Darius Khondji; the nauseatingly vivid special effects are by makeup artist Rob Bottin, best known for more fantasy-oriented work in films like The Howling (1981). ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, (more)
Unlike most teen horror movies, Brainscan relies more on atmosphere and plot than gore and bloodsoaked effects. Edward Furlong plays Michael, a 16-year-old horror movie fan, computer whiz, and misfit who responds to an ad for Brainscan, an CD-ROM virtual reality game that promises to "interface with your unconscious." Once involved with the game, Michael dreams that he brutally stabs a stranger and slices off his foot -- only to awaken and find the foot in his refrigerator. Out of Michael's computer comes Trickster (T. Ryder Smith), a sardonic, malevolent creation who advises Michael to keep playing new editions of Brainscan to evade capture by a suspicious cop (Frank Langella). With a death count that is relatively low and mostly offscreen (amputated feet notwithstanding), Brainscan doesn't make up for its lack of onscreen violence with a particularly original script, although it should be commended for not taking the easy way out. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edward Furlong, Frank Langella, (more)
