Kari Skogland Movies

Loosely based on the remarkable true story of the British undercover agent who successfully infiltrated the IRA, writer/director Kari Skogland's thriller takes its title from author Martin McGartland's best-selling book of the same name. Set at the absolute height of the Irish civil conflict, Fifty Dead Men Walking begins as 22-year-old Martin McGartland is recruited by the British police to infiltrate the IRA and report back with intelligence. It's an extremely dangerous job that could result in death or worse should his true identity be revealed, yet McGartland realizes that the information he's gathering will save countless lives. At first, the prospect of being discovered provides something of a rush for McGartland, though that initial buzz quickly wears off when his true identity is revealed and he's forced to attempt an impossible escape. Two decades later, McGartland is still on the run. Sir Ben Kingsley, Jim Sturgess, and Rose McGowan star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A female car thief becomes the target of a notorious serial killer after stealing his mint-condition '66 Dodge Charger in this made for cable thriller from director Kari Skogland (Zebra Lounge, The L Word). Sage Rion (Taryn Manning) is a car thief who's so proficient at her profession that she's earned the nickname Banshee in certain criminal circles. Her skill for stealing cars is unmatched, and when she stumbles across the Dodge Charger of her dreams the temptation proves too powerful to deny. Unfortunately this particular muscle car belongs to a genuine "Badass" (as indicated on the license plate), a fact that Sage discovers all too late after arriving home and finding her boyfriend's severed ear along with a threatening note. Should Sage fail to return the car to its rightful owner by midnight, her recently-hearing impaired boyfriend will meet a grisly demise. But Sage isn't up against your typical murderous madman, because this particular psycho (Christian Campbell) is a popular local DJ who records the screams of his victims, mixes them with the sound of his accelerated hearbeat, and uses the resulting sounds to keep local clubbers on their feet all through the night. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Liberty Wallace (Linda Fiorentino), the wife and business partner of wealthy weapons manufacturer Victor Wallace (Oliver Platt), is on her way to her regular assignation with her boyfriend, Russell (Martin Cummins), an actor who's about to go on-stage for the closing night of his hit play. Their plans are ruined by a mysterious gunman who calls himself Joe (Wesley Snipes). Joe straps Russell to a bomb in his dressing room, which will go off if he moves or speaks too loudly. Joe then calls Liberty on her cell phone and coerces her into chaining herself to a hot dog stand in a plaza outside the theater. The hot dog stand is rigged with a bomb, which will go off if Liberty hangs up her cell phone, or when it runs out of battery power. Joe also has a high-powered sniper rifle, her company's best gun, trained on Liberty. Joe doesn't make any demands at first, but it's clear that he has a problem with Liberty's weapons empire, which she inherited from her late father. He eventually tells Liberty that his young daughter was killed in a school shooting by one of the guns her company manufactured. Joe lets Liberty know that she's going to die, but she can die a hero if she exposes her company's shady business dealings and political connections before she's killed. As Joe monitors and records her every move, Liberty reveals secrets about her own past, and her business dealings. When Victor, who's also having an affair, finds out that his wife has been taken hostage, he's torn between following company protocol -- protecting himself and allowing his wife to be killed -- and going to help her. Liberty Stands Still was written and directed by Kari Skogland. The film premiered on Cinemax in July 2002. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

Christian Craft stars in this 2001 coming-of-age drama from writer/director Jefferson Davis. The son of an abusive father played by country crooner Randy Travis, young John John devises a plan to escape along with his battered mother. Along with his mentally challenged pal Zeola (Rusty Schwimmer), John John attempts to build a working airplane that will take his mother and himself away from their grim life. John John in the Sky also stars Matt Letscher and Romy Rosemont. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi

Fifteen years after the original Children of the Corn, John Franklin returns as Isaac, leader of the band of murderous children who has returned to bring the youthful followers back to the field. Also stars Nancy Allen and Stacy Keach. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

In this made-for-TV drama, Sarah Polley plays Catherine, a college freshmen who is ignored by her family and feels like an outcast among her fellow students. While browsing the Internet, she comes across the website of a white supremacist group and finds herself drawn into their spiral of hatred. She becomes a spokesperson for the organization, only to find herself questioning their views as she becomes more aware of the group's violent nature. The supporting cast includes Lynn Redgrave and Jonathan Scarfe. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Nikita (Peta Wilson) is suspicious of Section One's motives when she is assigned to romance celebrated charity fundraiser Alec Chandler (Simon MacCorkindale); after all, if Alec is only a "money launderer" as her superiors claim, why go to the trouble of putting him under surveillance? Things become more problematic when Nikita, convinced of Alec's charitable selflessness, falls in love with him. But Alec's generosity may be merely a front for a particularly nasty criminal operation. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi