Brian Dennehy Movies

Adapted by Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen from their own off-Broadway play, The Exonerated dramatizes the real-life stories of six innocent citizens who spent anywhere from three to 20 years on death row until DNA testing proved that they had all been falsely convicted. Each of the six stories is related in the first person, using free-flowing flashbacks to highlight selected events. Some critics felt that, by using such A-list actors as Susan Sarandon, Aidan Quinn, Danny Glover, Brian Dennehy, and Delroy Lindo to play the unfairly condemned protagonists, the text of the original play was thrown off balance; this may be the reason why the relatively unknown David Brown Jr., cast as the sixth main character, received some of the best reviews. In the tradition of Schindler's List, the actual people whose experiences are enacted in the film show up on camera for the final scene. Directed by veteran Broadway and Hollywood actor Bob Balaban (Seinfeld, A Mighty Wind), The Exonerated was produced for the Court TV cable channel, and was first broadcast on January 27, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Based on Brian Cruver's first-person book, Anatomy of Greed, this strident TV movie chronicles the rise and fall of the notorious Houston-based Enron Corporation in the early years of the 21st century. The film is related from the perspective of Cruver himself (played by Christian Kane), here depicted as a brilliant but naïve young trader who, after being hired by Enron, was dazzled and seduced by the company's "get rich quick by whatever means necessary" credo. The obscenely extravagant "Enron Culture" (represented by endless office parties and nubile young ladies) was built upon the backs of the company's stockholders and lower-echelon employees -- and, when everything inevitably crashed and burned in the spring of 2002, it was the "little people" who suffered the most. Although several real-life personalities are portrayed in the film, among them Enron CEO Ken Lay (played Mike Farrell), executive Jeff Skilling (Jon Ted Wynne), and conscience-stricken whistleblower Sherron Watkins (Jan Skene), many of the characters are composites, chief among them the mysterious, sinister Enron higher-up "Mister Blue" (Brian Dennehy), whose primary function is to spout blatantly mercenary exposition. Due to budget restraints, The Crooked E: The Unshredded Truth About Enron was filmed not in Houston but in Canada; and thanks to copyright restrictions, the company's famous "slanted E" logo is considerably altered onscreen. The film made its CBS debut on January 5, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the tradition of the previous "backstage" TV movies about such iconic series as Batman, The Partridge Family, Gilligan's Island, and The Brady Bunch, this NBC effort promised to give the lowdown on the long-running (1977-1984) ABC sitcom Three's Company. In truth, there is little in this film that was not already common knowledge when it first aired on May 12, 2003, but it's still fun to see a cast of attractive actors portraying another cast of attractive actors. In case anyone needs reminding, Three's Company was the popular tickle-and-tease comedy series based upon the British Man About the House, in which a virile young heterosexual man was forced to pose as a homosexual so that he could remain the roommate of two sexy young ladies. It was perhaps the quintessential "jiggle" sitcom, thanks primarily to its well-endowed co-star Suzanne Somers (here played by Judy Tylor). Because of its risqué (but basically inoffensive) content, Three's Company was turned down by both NBC and CBS before ambitious ABC CEO Fred Silverman (played by Brian Dennehy) decided to take a chance on the property. The rest, as they say, is history, with Three's Company not only setting ratings records but also establishing a whole new threshold for what was and wasn't acceptable in network prime time. Inevitably, the show collapsed under its own weight, especially after the revolving-door cast changes which followed in the wake of the acrimonious defection of Suzanne Somers, but it was fun while it lasted. For the record, the other Three's Company stars were the multi-talented John Ritter (played by Bret Anthony) and the underrated Joyce DeWitt (Melanie Deane-Moore). The actual Joyce DeWitt also appears as herself in this movie, serving as narrator and sidelines commentator. Though the film often pulls its punches regarding the original series' backstage intrigues and legal entanglements, there is enough authentic detail remaining to satisfy the casual sitcom buff. Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of Three's Company was filmed under the title Three's Company Revisited. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The leadership and military expertise of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Charles De Gaulle proved invaluable to the Allied cause during World War II, but while these three men were fighting for the same side, the relationship between them was not always cheery. De Gaulle admired Churchill, but didn't get along with him especially well, while both Churchill and Roosevelt had a passionate dislike of De Gaulle. Allies at War is a documentary which examines the often strained relationships between these three men, and how they were able to set aside their differences for the good of humanity. Allies at War is narrated by Brian Dennehy. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

This film is part one of a four-part series that looks at the human dimension of the events of the American Revolution. With re-enactments of key events, and through period artwork, the personal stories of the founding fathers are told. Voices are provided by actors including Burt Reynolds, James Woods, Brian Dennehy, Hal Holbrook, Michael York, Peter Coyote, and Beau Bridges. In this episode, the various taxes the British placed on their American subjects are the subject of discontent. These onerous taxes led to an unlikely alliance between two Bostonians: the failed businessman Samuel Adams and the wealthy, aristocratic John Hancock. Together, they staged the Boston Tea Party, and the Continental Congress was convened. ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, All Movie Guide

A seemingly-minor electronic error sets the world on the verge of nuclear annihilation in this made-for-TV adaptation of the novel by Eugene Burdick and Harvey Wheeler (which was previously filmed in 1964). Due to the burn-out of a piece of circuitry, a computer orders a U.S. Air Force jet on a strategic bombing raid, destroying targets in Russia with nuclear weapons. As Generals Bogan (Brian Dennehy) and Black (Harvey Keitel) desperately search for a way to recall the planes once the mistake has been discovered, the bomber's commander, Col. Grady (George Clooney) sets out on his mission with grim determination, while the President (Richard Dreyfuss) and his translator (Noah Wyle) stay in contact with the Soviet premier, trying to convince him that this was all a terrible mistake. Fail Safe was first presented as a live television broadcast which aired on CBS on April 9, 2000. The supporting cast includes Hank Azaria, Don Cheadle, James Cromwell, and Sam Elliott. Star George Clooney spearheaded the unique project and served as executive producer. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

This is the final episode in a four-part series on the story of the American Revolution and the men who made it happen. The film gets personal, providing insight into the background and character of each of the major players, from Benjamin Franklin to Thomas Jefferson to John Calhoun. They were men of sharply divergent backgrounds and temperaments; yet, they came together on the issue of freedom. This installment focuses on the momentous year, 1776, when the revolutionaries met, amidst cries of treason and fears of betrayal, to write the Declaration of Independence, declaring that the United States was a new nation, free of British domination. The film tells the story with re-enactments, period imagery, and the voices of well-known Hollywood actors. ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, All Movie Guide