Brian Dennehy Movies

Teamster Boss: The Jackie Presser Story is a made-for-cable adaptation of James Neff's Mobbed Up, a real-life account about Teamster president Jackie Presser. Brian Dennehy plays Presser, who was Jimmy Hoffa's successor as president of the Teamsters. Like Hoffa, Presser was caught between the Mafia, the FBI, and his own ambitions, and the film follows his rise to power, as well as all the trials and tribulations that arose while he was president of the Teamsters. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide

John Wayne Gacy was a respected member of his suburban Illinois community -- he was an active member of several service organizations, ran his own business, and entertained children as Pogo the Clown in his spare time. But Gacy had a terrible secret, and before he was finally brought in by the police, he had raped and killed over 30 young men and buried them beneath his house. To Catch a Killer is a made-for-TV movie that examines Gacy's life and crimes, and Joe Kozenczak (Michael Riley), the cop who finally brought John Wayne Gacy (Brian Dennehy) to justice. The supporting cast includes Margot Kidder and Meg Foster. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Not all things about the Zebra are black and white. This striped creature of the African plains is smaller in size than its relative the horse but resembles a wild ass in both appearance and character. The 60-minute documentary takes viewers to the veldt to witness a marvel: the great zebra migration in Botswana. Thousands of zebras, traveling in herds, cross old trails and grasslands inhabited by wildebeests, giraffes, elephants, tigers, and two of its deadliest enemies: lions and human hunters. This documentary is filled with stunning photography and informative narration about this ancient creature of the African plains. ~ Forrest Spencer, All Movie Guide

In F/X2: The Deadly Art of Illusion, Bryan Brown returns as movie special effects designer Rollie Tyler. Having barely escaped with his life after being duped and exploited by the villains in the first F/X, he isn't too eager to channel his talents into police work again. He'd much rather design harmless playthings for the kiddies. Still, detective Mike Brandon (Tom Mason) manages to convince Rollie to help the cops trap a dangerous voyeur. When Brandon is killed, Rollie suspects there's more to the story than meets the eye. With the aid of his old buddy Leo McCarthy (Brian Dennehy, likewise a veteran of the first F/X), Rollie uncovers a vast conspiracy involving both the police and organized crime. Of course, this compels Rollie to come up with a series of dazzling live-action special effects to confound the bad guys. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Brian Dennehy stars in this made-for-cable drama about a blue-collar family man laid off from his auto-industry job who learns that his resentful son plans to drop out of medical school. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide

Four cops make the painful discovery that not everyone on the force is upholding the law in this crime drama. Frank Daly (Brian Dennehy), Wayne Gross (Joe Pantoliano), Ricky Rodriguez (Jeff Fahey), and Howard Jones (Bill Patxon) are four undercover cops with the Los Angeles Police Department who work as a team to solve the cases that their colleagues consider too tough to handle. Under Daly's supervision, the four are trying to get the goods on a drug dealing operation working out of a meat packing plant. However, a raid on the plant uncovers little practical evidence, and Daly, a moody and hard-drinking loose cannon, is sharply criticized by his superiors for planning the bust without the input from the department heads or the FBI. Convinced that there's more to the case than they've been able to find so far, the four men begin looking into the matter on their own time. The deeper they dig, the more shocking the evidence becomes, as they learn that the police, the FBI, and even the Federal Government are involved in the smuggling operation, and the parties involved are perfectly willing to use violence and murder to keep troublemakers out of their way. After Jones is murdered while collecting evidence on a businessman in on the operation, the other three quit the police force, determined to see justice done even if they have to overstep the boundaries of the law to do it. Last of the Finest was also released under the titles Blue Heat and Street Legal. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Pride and Extreme Prejudice was first seen January 17, 1990, on the USA Cable TV network. Brian Dennehy is atypically but effectively cast as an ageing CIA agent headquartered in West Germany. Dennehy has recently recovered from a nervous breakdown, and as a result he falls under the deadly scrutiny of both the CIA and the KGB. The weary "mole" is sent on a mission in the Eastern sector from which neither side expects him to return--in fact, they're hoping he won't. Just a tad outdated by late-breaking world events, Pride and Extreme Prejudice was written directly for television by Frederick Forsyth. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Perfect Witness is New York restaurant owner Aidan Quinn. After witnessing a mob murder, Quinn does his civic duty by reporting the incident to the authorities. This plunks Quinn into the middle of a power play between the DA and ambitious US attorney Brian Dennehy, who won't let up on the case until he can prove that the murder is part of a larger conspiracy. When mob thugs injure Quinn's son, he asks to be allowed not to testify, whereupon Dennehy jails the poor fellow for obstructing justice. Perfect Witness was first telecast October 28, 1989, over the HBO cable service. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Two brothers (Richard Gere, Kevin Anderson) have inherited a large farm (once voted "Farm of the Year") from their father, but cannot keep it afloat. When the farm goes bankrupt, the pair decide to torch the place and take off across the Midwest, fleeing the law to become folk heroes for many rural farmers in the area. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide

Made for television, A Father's Revenge stars Brian Dennehy as a high school basketball coach. When terrorists pull off a political kidnapping in West Germany, Dennehy's stewardess wife Joanna Cassidy is among the hostages. Fed up with the apparent foot-dragging of the authorities, Dennehy takes personal action in effecting Joanna's rescue. He hires Ron Silver's band of mercenaries, then heads to Germany to bring back his wife himself. Credibility is stretched to the limit at times, but the three stars are at their peak. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This made-for-cable action story stars Brian Dennehy as a diamond dealer and Brooke Adams as a doctor who join forces to make their way to Kenya. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide