Rudy Diaz Movies

Veteran director Masato Harada spins this Bagdad Café-style drama about a group of quirky strangers stuck in the desert. The film opens with a yakuza named Jiro (Kazuya Kimura) staggering into a remote tumble-down café with an ugly shoulder wound. The place is run by tough-as-nails Japanese-American woman Sari (Nobu McCarthy), who toils as the establishment's only waitress and cook. After convalescing, Jiro reveals some surprising skills -- his culinary prowess would put Alice Waters to shame. Soon the café's handful of patrons are being wowed by some wildly creative, beautifully laid out food. Meanwhile, Mafioso kingpin Al (James Gammon) tires of his usual Italian fare and somehow stumbles onto Sari's place. He's instantly in love -- both with the food and the proprietress. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

This made-for-TV movie relates the true story of the infamous Donner Party, the group of unlucky pioneers who were stranded in the Rockies by a snowstorm and had to eat the bodies of the dead to survive. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide

Once again, Jim (James Garner) crosses paths with his old prison "pal" Gandy Fitch (Isaac Hayes), who is now managing the singing career of his girlfriend Thea (Dionne Warwick). Unfortunately, Thea has a hot-tempered ex-husband named Joe Moran (Tony Burton), who up until recently was serving time for murder. Released from prison as part of a touchy-feely "Second Chance" program, Moran uses HIS second chance to kidnap Thea and spirit her away. All this rigmarole is tied in with a hidden "treasure", stuffed in an old stereo system. It's up to another of Jim's prison buddies, Angel Martin (Stuart Margolin) to provide a most appropriate coda to this latest chapter in the saga of Gandy Fitch. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this first episode of Baretta, gonzo undercover cop Tony Baretta sets up a phony numbers bank to trap prominent mobster Frank Cassell (Joseph Mascolo). In his off hours, Baretta romantically pursues the lovely Sharon Fowler (Madlyn Rhue), whom he wants to marry despite her protests that living together is the way to go. Tragically, their relationship is literally terminated when Sharon is killed by Cassell's hired thugs. Throwing "police procedure" in the wastebasket, the grieving Baretta vows to take his own personal revenge against Cassell. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Don Siegel directed this offbeat crime thriller which stars Walter Matthau as the titular Charley Varrick. Varrick is a small-time stick-up man who, in tandem with his partner Harman Sullivan (Andrew Robinson), makes plans to rob a small bank in New Mexico. Varrick and Sullivan are expecting a modest payday for a simple heist, but to their surprise they walk away with $750,000 in cash. But it turns out this isn't entirely good news; the bank was flush with cash because a number of well-connected Mafia chieftains have been using the bank to launder their ill-gotten gains, and they're determined to get their money back. Before Varrick can figure out a way to return the money, sadistic hired killer Molly (Joe Don Baker) is on his trail, forcing Varrick to outwit both the cops and the robbers if he is to stay alive.

~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Father Gregory Lind (Robert Forster) is the Catholic priest who questions his dedication to his parishioners. He becomes disenchanted with the church over the official stance on birth control, unwanted pregnancy and social change. He tries to confide in his family but they rebuke him for questioning his faith. He falls in love with Pamela Gibson (Lauren Hutton) a wealthy social worker. The Bishop (Will Geer) tries to bring Gregory back to the fold, but his love for Pamela is too much. He is beaten up by street thugs who believe he is gay. Gregory considers leaving the church for a new life with the woman he loves. The story for this romantic melodrama is taken from the novel The Wine And The Music by William E. Barrett. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Mackenna's Gold is a colorful, action-packed western feature with an all-star cast. Mackenna (Gregory Peck) has committed to memory the map that leads to some hidden Apache gold. The Indians now want the gold to finance their fight against the white men who invade their territory. Mexican bandit Colorado (Omar Sharif) wants the gold for himself, and the local preacher (Raymond Massey) and the editor of the newspaper (Lee J. Cobb) also get gold fever. Burgess Meredith plays the storekeeper and Edward G. Robinson is long-time town resident Old Adams. Everyone goes looking for the hidden treasure as the Indians dwindle their numbers with violent attacks. The search is monitored by U.S. calvary Sergeant Tibbs (Telly Savalas). Colorado captures Mackenna to lead him to the gold as death comes to those who show the most avarice. Music is provided by Quincy Jones. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

In this badly misconceived pseudo-biography of the legendary Cuban revolutionary -- played, incredibly, by Omar Sharif -- Che Guevara takes up the cause as a rebel fighter under the direction of Fidel Castro, played -- also incredibly -- by Jack Palance. Guevara, a young Argentine doctor, proves his worth under the heat of guerilla warfare and, gaining the respect of his men, becomes the leader of a patrol. Castro is impressed by Guevara's tactics and strict discipline and makes him his chief advisor. When Castro defeats the Cuban dictator Batista after two years of fighting, Guevara, under Castro's nod, directs a series of massive reprisals -- but Guevara dreams of fermenting a worldwide revolution. After Castro backs down during the Cuban Missile Crisis, Guevara accuses Castro of being a Soviet dupe and leaves Cuba. Under disguise, Guevara lands in Bolivia, where he attempts to begin his dream of a worldwide peasant revolution, but the Bolivian poor will not follow his lead, and his band find themselves starving in the Bolivian jungle and pursued by the Bolivian army. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

Clint Eastwood stars as Walt Coogan, an Arizona deputy sheriff who has been sent to New York City to extradite escaped killer James Ringerman (Don Stroud). On arrival, he's forced to wait by NYPD detective Lieutenant McElroy (Lee J. Cobb), who informs him that Ringerman is recovering from a bad acid trip at Bellevue Hospital. After briefly flirting with attractive probation officer Julie Roth (Susan Clark), Coogan heads for Bellevue, where he's able to con the hospital's staff into releasing the criminal. The cop and the fugitive are on the way to catch a flight back to Arizona, when Ringerman's hippie girlfriend Linny (Tisha Sterling) and a large accomplice spirit the killer away, leaving Coogan unconscious. Luckily, Julie is the girl's probation officer, and Coogan manages to get her address from the woman's files while getting to know her better. He tracks the girl to a popular psychedelic club, whereupon, deciding she likes the deputy, she takes him back to her apartment for further interrogation. The first in a series of films on which Eastwood would collaborate with director Don Siegel, it features a memorable scene in which a battle fought with billiard balls and cue sticks suggests the birth of a new martial art. Although its seemingly innocuous scenes of sex and violence drew criticism at the time, it served as the source for television's considerably more benign McCloud, starring Dennis Weaver as the laconic fish out of water. ~ Michael Costello, All Movie Guide

Chance Buckman (John Wayne) heads a team of international trouble shooters who travel around the world to put out oil fires. The dangerous profession has taken a toll on the marriage between Chance and Madelyn (Vera Miles), who leaves when she can no longer endure the stress of saying goodbye and fearing she will never see him again. With his faithful assistant Greg (Jim Hutton), the team is ready at a moments notice to race anywhere to extinguish the flames of oil fires raging out of control. Greg eventually falls for Chance's daughter, Tish (Katherine Ross), who shares her mother's concern over the dangers the men endure. Hellfighters received technical advising from famed oil-well fighter Red Adair and his assistants who provided excellent and credible information for the film and the pyrotechnic team headed by legendary special-effects expert Fred Knoth. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide