Stephen Dorff Movies
Balancing independent film and Hollywood, Stephen Dorff made his name as a versatile actor with a particular talent for playing assorted rebels and villains. The son of composer Steve Dorff, the younger Dorff opted for the acting side of show business instead. Entering the industry as a teenager, Dorff cut his acting teeth on TV in the late '80s with guest spots on several series, including Roseanne and Married With Children, and roles in TV movies, including I Know My First Name Is Steven (1989). Dorff jumped to feature films with the starring role as a socially conscious South African boxer in The Power of One (1992). Voted the National Association of Theater Owners' Male Star of Tomorrow in 1992, Dorff next earned attention with his lead performance as Beatle manqué Stu Sutcliffe in the British biopic Backbeat (1993). He also appeared in the genre thriller Judgment Night that same year, with Emilio Estevez and Cuba Gooding Jr. Despite his Hollywood beginnings, Dorff focused more on independent productions in the mid-'90s, including the media satire S.F.W. (1994). His nuanced performance as Warhol Factory transvestite superstar Candy Darling in Mary Harron's acclaimed I Shot Andy Warhol (1996), though, definitively revealed that Dorff could be more than a pretty, brooding face. Dorff further held his own opposite Jack Nicholson in neo-noir Blood and Wine (1997) and against Harvey Keitel in crime drama City of Industry (1997), but neither film made a box office impression. Dorff scored a summer popcorn hit, however, as Wesley Snipes' flamboyant vampire nemesis in the comic book adaptation Blade (1998). Displaying his range, Dorff starred opposite Susan Sarandon in the romance Earthly Possessions (1999) for HBO, and put two different spins on movie director characters in Phil Joanou's film à clef Entropy (1999) and John Waters' black comedy Cecil B. Demented (2000). Branching out into another medium, Dorff starred in Quantum Project (2000), the first film produced for the Internet. Dorff continued to do work in a series of independent films, but occasionally would appear in more mainstream fare such as fear dot com, Cold Creek Manor, and Alone in the Dark. He had his largest profile film in years in 2006 as part of the cast of Oliver Stone's 9/11 film World Trade Center. He maintained his footing in the independent film world by starring opposite Milla Jovovich and Aisha Taylor on that same year's .45. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide
During a boring, routine weekend, young Glen (Stephen Dorff) and his best buddy Terry (Louis Tripp) decide to explore Glen's backyard. Before long, the boys come across a strange hole in the ground which yields all manner of sinister prizes. Consulting one of his heavy-metal record albums, Glen comes to the correct conclusion that the hole is actually the Gate to Hell. Offering a sacrifice in the form of a dead dog, Glen further opens the portals of Hades, through which pass some of the most hideous demons imaginable. A surprise box-office hit, The Gate yielded a sequel, predictably titled Gate II. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stephen Dorff, Christa Denton, (more)
- 1988
This is the true story of Los Gatos (California) high school football coach Charlie Wedemeyer (Michael Nouri). At 31, onetime football pro Wedemeyer is living the American dream; a winning team, a happy marriage and public adulation. Then in 1977, Charlie is diagnosed as suffering from ALS, a degenerative neurological ailment better known as Lou Gehrig's disease. Given only one year to live, Charlie determines to continue leading his Los Gatos Wildcats to a state championship -- which he eventually does, despite losing all powers of speech and movement. Several notches above the usual "disease of the week" TV movie, Quiet Victory: The Charlie Wedemeyer Story was directed by Roy Campanella II -- himself the son of a physically disabled pro athlete, baseball star Roy Campanella. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Nouri
- 1988
Victory in war doesn't end prejudice. That idea is enacted in the 1988 release Hiroshima Maiden. Ten years after the end of World War II, suburbs are becoming popular as baby boomers seek normalcy. While race riots are being raged in the South, middle-class America deals with a subtler form of bigotry. Miyeko, a Japanese survivor of Hiroshima, seeks plastic surgery in the United States. Sent to live with an American family, she faces a daily struggle against hatred. Her toughest critic is the story's hero, Jonathan, who combats peer pressure and his own feelings while befriending Miyeko. The family is outcast during the young girl's recovery. Meanwhile, Jonathan's expectations are smashed when he learns life is less than ideal. Jonathan's growth comes from an increased understanding of others. Joan Darling directs Susan Blakey, Richard Masur, Stephen Dorff, and Tamlyn Tomita in this thought-provoking presentation. ~ Sarah Ing, All Movie Guide
- 1989
Based on a true story, the two-part TV movie I Know My First Name Is Steven tells the tragic story of Steven Stayner. At age seven, Steven was kidnapped by two men who held him captive in a tiny shed for seven years. One of the men, a habitual child abuser named Kenneth Parnell, sexually assaulted Steven on an almost daily basis during the boy's ordeal. At age 14, Steven finally was able to escape and return to his family. But we are shown that Steven's safe return was far from the happy ending it appeared to be. He's forced to adjust to a family he'd never really known, to convince himself that his parents had never forgotten him, and to put his seven-year hell behind him. While I Know My First Name Is Steven ends on an upbeat note, the real Stayner died in a motorcycle accident only a few months after this film was first telecast in May 1989. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Do You Know the Muffin Man? was the first of a brace of TV movies about day-care abuse (see also Unspeakable Acts). Pam Dawber and John Shea play the parents of a preschool child who comes home one day with horrible stories about the staff of his day care center. The owners of the center are two highly respected social pillars, who automatically deny all charges and accuse the parents of fabricating the whole thing. Despite the looming spectres of public ridicule and financial ruin, Dawber and Shea hire lawyers and pursue the case. Once the story switches to the courtroom, the emphasis shifts from the adult litigants to the prosecution's difficulties in coaxing the children to testify without inducing further damage. Do You Know the Muffin Man? is handled with care and discretion, though dramatically it covers more legal and emotional ground than its two-hour length can hold. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1989
Since she quit her job at the plastics factory in the last episode of season one, Roseanne goes looking for a new job in telephone sales. Meanwhile, Becky gets embarrassed during a public situation in front of the school council. Stephen Dorff guest stars as Jimmy. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- 1989
Roseanne tries to relax in the bathtub, but her family won't leave her alone. She eventually falls into a fantasy involving two guys (Brett Baxter Clark and Charles Wahlheim). ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- 1989
In this Thanksgiving episode, Jackie comes back from the police academy to have dinner with the Conners. Roseanne's mother, Bev (Estelle Parsons), is less than thrilled to hear that her daughter is going to be a cop. Dan's dad, Ed (Ned Beatty) tries to sweet-talk Crystal (Natalie West). ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- 1989
When two of his school buddies manage to land dates, Bud (David Faustino) takes desperate action to keep up with his pals' social life. This includes getting hold of a life-sized mannequin (named "Monique") and using a vacuum cleaner to apply some artificial hickies. Meanwhile, Al (Ed O'Neill) hopes to strike it rich with his latest invention, "Shoe Lights", using Kelly as his reluctant demonstration model. Featured as Boz is a youthful Stephen Dorff. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The promise made by 15-year-old Georgia boy Ricky Schroder is to his dying mother (Veronica Cartwright). Schroder vows that he'll keep his parentless family--all seven brothers--together, no matter what. He keeps his word, through starvation, deprivation and natural disaster. It says in the ads that the made-for-TV A Son's Promise was based on a true story. Real or fabricated, the film offers a good workout for your tear-ducts, even when lapsing into the Obvious. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rick Schroder, Donald Moffat, (more)
- 1990
On his 16th birthday, Stephen Dorff discovers that he is adopted. This in itself is not so traumatic, but the worst is still to come: His adoptive parents had bought him from a baby broker, who kidnapped the infant from his natural mother. Dorff rejects the protestations of love from his "mother" and "father", and sets out on a long journey to locate his real family. Patty Duke costars as the woman from whom Dorff was stolen some 14 years earlier. Timed for telecast during the Christmas season, Always Remember That I Love You premiered December 23, 1990. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
John G. Avildsen, director of Rocky and The Karate Kid, adapts Bryce Courtenay's compassionate novel about the coming of age of a white anti-apartheid activist during the years of World War II in South Africa. Avildsen cumbersomely grafts Courtenay's tale of fighting apartheid onto a Hollywood-style fight-for-the-championship bout. Seven-year-old P.K. (Guy Witcher) is a white South African raised on his family's farm by his Zulu nanny. When his mother takes ill, he is sent away to an Afrikaner boarding school, where he is picked on and nearly killed by the school bully during a pep rally for Hitler. P.K. survives and is sent to live with his grandfather. He befriends Doc (Armin Mueller-Stahl), a jailed German musician, and a black inmate (Morgan Freeman), who teaches P.K. how to use his fists for some quick boxing moves. At 12, P.K. (now played by Simon Fenton), witnesses black inmates being cruelly humiliated by their racist white jailers. Taking note of P.K.'s fluidity for languages, his black mentor spreads the word that P.K. is the incarnation of the mythic Rain Maker, a messianic liberator who is destined to unite all the African tribes. By the time he's 18 years old, P.K. (now played by Stephen Dorff) is becoming the Great White Hope for the black Africans, boxing his way into their hearts and minds. He joins up with an old boxing foe (Alois Moyo), who is now a township activist, and takes up the apartheid struggle. But things get confusing when P.K. falls in love with the daughter (Fay Masterson) of an apartheid leader. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stephen Dorff, Morgan Freeman, (more)
In Judgment Night, an action-packed thriller directed by Stephen Hopkins, a group of young middle-class men Emilio Estevez Cuba Gooding Jr. Jeremy Piven and Stephen Dorff on a night out with the boys take a disastrous wrong turn that leads to a run-in with a vicious street gang led by Fallon (Denis Leary). A cold, vicious and frightening criminal, Fallon and his band of thugs threaten to permanently silence the foursome after they witness a murder. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Emilio Estevez, Cuba Gooding, Jr., (more)
- 1993
Ten years earlier, George's mother (Genvieve Bujold) ran over his younger brother in the family driveway and killed him. Since then, she's been permanently out to lunch, and he has many responsibilities around the house. He's a teenager now, with the usual insecurities that go along with that, but he also hasn't reconciled the tragedy of his childhood. His difficulties are compounded when his schoolmate Christian (Alan Boyce) shows up on his doorstep asking for him to hide him; it turns out the boy has killed one of their classmates. George (Steven Dorff) is not willing to turn him in without taking some thought about it, and hides him for a while. Meanwhile, he acts as a go-between for Christian and his girlfriend Denise (Anne Heche), whom he develops feelings for. Eventually, the question of what is really real becomes an important one to find answers to. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stephen Dorff, Geneviève Bujold, (more)
- 1993
- PG13
Rescue Me is an agreeably daffy spoof of adventure films. Nerdy high school camera aficionado (Stephen Dorff) worships teen queen (Ami Dolenz) from afar. He fantasizes about performing some sort of noble act to impress her. But when she's kidnapped before his very eyes, he's too busy taking pictures to do anything. With the help of scuzzy Vietnam veteran (Michael Dudikoff) (who delivers an amiable takeoff of his usual film roles), Dorff goes to the girl's rescue. Engaging supporting appearances by Peter DeLuise and Dee Wallace Stone add to the PG-13 fun. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Dudikoff, Stephen Dorff, (more)
The Beatles' early days as a struggling bar band are depicted in this fact-based drama, which tells the little-known story of original member Stuart Sutcliffe (Stephen Dorff). A close friend of John Lennon, Sutcliffe acts as the band's original bassist, accompanying them on their early gigs in Liverpool and Hamburg, Germany. The friendship becomes strained, however, when Sutcliffe falls in love with a German art student and starts to question his commitment to the band. With Sutcliffe's story taking center stage, the stories of the more famous Beatles largely fade into the background. The exception is John Lennon, thanks to a fierce performance by Ian Hart, who had previously portrayed the musician in the more intimate and provocative The Hours and the Times. While Backbeat does provide a new perspective on the band's beginning, and numerous opportunities for a group of modern rock musicians to recreate the band's energetic early performances, it never makes Sutcliffe's story seem more than a footnote to musical history. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sheryl Lee, Stephen Dorff, (more)
Embracing the supposed nihilism and cynicism of the "slacker" generation, S.F.W. (1995) caused nary a blip on the media-saturated cultural radar screen that it criticized. Stephen Dorff stars as Cliff Spab, an aimless, hard-drinking youth. Spab becomes a national hero when he is one of several people held hostage by gun-toting terrorists in a convenience store. He doesn't care much about his own life or anything else, and his attitude of "So f---ing what?" translates into debates with his terrorist captors and gloomy pronouncements that charm viewers. After a month-long siege, a crisis erupts when the store runs out of beer and junk food, so Cliff finds himself a free man whose celebrity image is emblazoned on t-shirts and whose presence is requested at a rock concert where he is required to do nothing other than appear. In the meantime, Spab's girlfriend Wendy (Reese Witherspoon) becomes a ubiquitous talk show guest. Ostensibly a satire of the celebrity-obsessed culture of the 1990s, the film was withheld from distribution for a year because of thematic similarities to Oliver Stone's Natural Born Killers (1994). ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stephen Dorff, Reese Witherspoon, (more)
- 1995
- PG13
Reckless is a dark, dream-like comedy-fantasy adapted by Craig Lucas from his play that takes place in a strange, hallucinogenic otherworld. Mia Farrow stars as annoying, air-headed housewife Rachel, who discovers on Christmas Eve that her husband Tom (Tony Goldwyn) has arranged for a hit man to murder her. Barely escaping with her life into the snowy wastes of her neighborhood, Rachel crosses paths with a social worker, Lloyd (Scott Glenn), and Lloyd's paraplegic, deaf and mute wife, Pooty (Mary-Louise Parker). Rachel takes up house with the friendly couple, but Lloyd is not quite what he appears to be and the naïve Rachel is forced to flee. This time, her travels take her into contact with a variety of eccentric characters, including game show host Fast Tim Timko (Giancarlo Esposito), the staff of a non-profit group, and a troubled nun. As she crosses America, Rachel visits all 50 states, although she repeatedly ends up in towns called Springfield. Reckless (1995) was the third and final film of director Norman Rene, who passed away the following year. Rene had previously collaborated with Lucas on the films Longtime Companion (1990) and Prelude to a Kiss (1992). ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mia Farrow, Scott Glenn, (more)
This homage to the cinema by venerated movie-maker Agnes Varda, often dubbed the "grandmother" of the French New Wave, features an all-star international cast. The story is based upon the memories and insights of the 100-year old Mr. Simon Cinema. He lives in a magnificent house filled with movie memorabilia. To help him remember the important details of his career he hires Camille, a film student to write down his remembrances and experiences which have involved all areas of movie-making. Camille comes once a day for 101 days. Film clips, photographs and actual visitors highlight his stories. As he continues to spin his yarns, the imagery in the film smoothly morph into other images. Camille, when not recording, is involved in other exploits including a romance with a production assistant, Mica who aspires to becoming a director. She also begins plotting a way to get to Mr. Cinema's fortune by having a friend pose as his long lost heir. Many other characters are peripherally involved including Death, an Italian seeking the rights to his film catalogue, and a memory specialist. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michel Piccoli, Marcello Mastroianni, (more)
Murder and double-dealing among the idle rich sets the stage for this drama. Alan Cross (Adrian Dunbar) is a British detective who travels to a wealthy community along the coast of France in 1938; he's there to attend the funeral of a friend and wants to find out more about the mysterious circumstances behind his friend's death. Cross finds a privileged British family who were close to the deceased and who seem to live by their own set of rules. Helena Graves (Joanna Lumley) was good friends with the deceased, but she claims to know nothing about how he died. Helena's daughter Celia (Gabrielle Anwar) is engaged to a hot-blooded American but has also been involved in an incestuous relationship with her brother Jeremy (Stephen Dorff); Jeremy harbors a dark childhood secret regarding the death of his brother, and he is courting a Jewish woman, much to the chagrin of the anti-Semitic Helena. Cross becomes convinced that someone in the Graves family is to blame for the death, but it's not until someone else dies that the truth begins to bubble to the surface. Innocent Lies was also shown under the title Halcyon Days. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stephen Dorff, Gabrielle Anwar, (more)
- 1996
- R
Jack Nicholson reunited with director Bob Rafelson, director of Five Easy Pieces and The King Of Marvin Gardens, for this violent, downbeat crime drama. Alex (Jack Nicholson) is a wine dealer whose business is going belly-up, along with his life. His step-son Jason (Stephen Dorff) hates him, his wife Suzanne (Judy Davis) has a drinking problem and is the constant target of Alex's abuse, and Alex is having an affair with Gabriella (Jennifer Lopez), a domestic worker from Cuba. One of the people that Gabriella cleans for has a diamond necklace worth several million dollars locked in a safe in a bedroom. Desperate for a quick score to get himself out of debt, Alex sees a opportunity for a lot of fast money and hooks up with Victor (Michael Caine), a career criminal who knows how to open safes but is desperately ill with tuberculosis. Nicholson and Rafelson first worked together on the film Head, starring The Monkees (Nicholson only had a bit part, but he also wrote the screenplay and was credited with producing the soundtrack album). ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Nicholson, Stephen Dorff, (more)
The true story of Valerie Solanas, the radical feminist who became notorious after shooting art world icon Andy Warhol, is portrayed in this fact-based drama. In an attempt to present a fair assessment of her actions, writer-director Mary Harron focuses on Solanas' troubled life, from her childhood as an abuse victim to her life as teenage prostitute in New York City. These experiences left Solanas (played by Lili Taylor) deeply scarred, contributing to a hatred of men that later found full flower in her famous "SCUM Manifesto," an extremist tract calling for the establishment of a "Society for Cutting Up Men." Deeply troubled, she nevertheless briefly finds hope after befriending young transvestite Candy Darling (played by Stephen Dorff) and discovering herself on the fringes of the wild, colorful world surrounding the eccentric Warhol. She becomes obsessed with the idea that Warhol's support could change her life, only to become violently enraged when the artist and his friends begin to turn away from her. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lili Taylor, Jared Harris, (more)
Betrayal and revenge are the key ingredients of this violent, streetwise crime drama. Roy Egan (Harvey Keitel) was once a highly successful thief but has gotten out of the business and now leads a quiet life in the Midwest. He's lured out of retirement by his brother, Lee (Timothy Hutton); Lee figures that he's come to the end of his rope as a small-time thief and wants to pull one last job that will earn him a healthy score. Lee and Roy devise a plan to knock over a jewelry store in Palm Springs and bring along two helpers, even-tempered family man Jorge (Wade Dominguez) and hot-headed driver Skip (Stephen Dorff). The heist goes like clockwork, but afterward Skip turns on his partners and kills Lee and Jorge. Roy is able to escape and swears to avenge his brother's death with the help of Jorge's wife Rachel (Famke Janssen). City of Industry was the debut feature for writer/producer Ken Solarz. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Harvey Keitel, Stephen Dorff, (more)
Former National Lampoon editor Ted Mann, who scripted this $27 million science-fiction comedy, calls it "the first outer-space road movie." According to Mann, the film has "no scientists, no techies, none of the usual polished, sanitary environments we're used to in our space films. Space is like anywhere else -- the people who are there are underpaid and poorly regarded." In the year 2196, freight pilot John Canyon (Dennis Hopper), one of the last of the independent truckers competing against the huge mega-corporations, is hassled by high-tech interference plus corrupt bosses. After Canyon delivers a cargo of pigs, genetically engineered to be square and stackable for more efficient shipping, he finds his profits siphoned off by a crooked labor boss (George Wendt). When Canyon heads for Earth with a secret cargo, he's accompanied by young apprentice trucker Mike Pucci (Stephen Dorff) and waitress Cindy (Debi Mazar), who plans to marry Canyon if he gets her safely to Earth. The trio goes through the asteroid belt and are captured by pirates, led by engineering wiz Captain Macanudo (Charles Dance), who discovers the secret cargo of the army androids stolen from him by capitalist corp chief E.J. Saggs (Shane Rimmer) -- who's plotting an android takeover of Earth. Filmed at Ireland's Ardmore Studios, Space Truckers was shown at several 1997 film festivals (Sundance, Sitges, Vancouver). ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dennis Hopper, Stephen Dorff, (more)
