Stephen Lang Movies

Two young men are looking for a better life but may have to go to the wrong side of the law to get it in this independent drama from director John Gray. Brian Leary (Nick Thurston) and Danny (Geoff Wigdor) are brothers living in a decaying Brooklyn neighborhood in 1975. Tired of dealing with their angry and abusive father (Stephen Lang) and high-strung mother (Karen Allen), both Brian and Danny want to move out and do something different with their lives, but their ambitions travel different paths. Danny, the older brother, is a petty criminal who is trying to finance a new life one hold-up at a time; Brian, meanwhile, works at a movie theater and paints in his spare time, though he doesn't tell anyone about his dreams of becoming an artist. Brian thinks he might be able to bankroll a few years at art school when Whitey (Peter Riegert), the manager of the theater, tells him they have a shot at booking the Rolling Stones for a special show at the theater, which would mean a big payday for everyone. But when Danny hears about the big show, he starts making plans of his own to rob the box office the night of the concert. White Irish Drinkers received its world premiere at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Based on author Bryan Burrough's ambitious tome Public Enemies: America's Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI, 1933-43, director Michael Mann's sprawling historical crime drama follows the efforts of top FBI agent Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale ) in capturing notorious bank robber John Dillinger. A folk hero to the American public thanks to his penchant for robbing the banks that many people believed responsible for the Great Depression, charming bandit Dillinger (Johnny Depp) was virtually unstoppable at the height of his criminal career; no jail could hold him, and his exploits endeared him to the common people while making headlines across the country. J. Edgar Hoover's (Billy Crudup) FBI was just coming into formation, and what better way for the ambitious lawman to transform his fledgling Bureau of Investigation into a national police force than to capture the gang that always gets away? Determined to bust Dillinger and his crew, which also included sociopathic Baby Face Nelson (Stephen Graham) and Alvin Karpis (Giovanni Ribisi), Hoover christened Dillinger the country's very first Public Enemy Number One, and unleashed Purvis to take them down by whatever means necessary. But Purvis underestimated Dillinger's ingenuity as a master criminal, and after embarking on a frantic series of chases and shoot-outs, the dashing agent humbly surmised that he was in over his head. Outwitted and outgunned, Purvis knew that his only hope for busting Dillinger's gang was to baptize a crew of Western ex-lawmen as official agents, and orchestrate a series of betrayals so cunning that even America's criminal mastermind wouldn't know what hit him. Marion Cotillard, Channing Tatum, and Stephen Dorff co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A paraplegic ex-marine finds a new life on the distant planet of Pandora, only to find himself battling humankind alongside the planet's indigenous Na'vi race in this ambitious digital 3D sci-fi epic from Academy Award-winning Titanic director James Cameron. The film, which marks Cameron's first dramatic feature since 1997's Titanic, follows Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), a war veteran who gets called to the depths of space to pick up the job of his slain twin brother for the scientific arm of a megacorporation looking to mine the planet of Pandora for a valued ore. Unfortunately the biggest deposit of the prized substance lies underneath the home of the Na'vi, a ten-foot-tall, blue-skinned native tribe who have been at war with the security arm of the company, lead by Col. Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang). Because of the planet's hostile atmosphere, humans have genetically grown half-alien/half-human bodies which they can jack their consciousnesses into and explore the world in. Since Jake's brother already had an incredibly expensive Avatar grown for him, he's able to connect with it using the same DNA code and experience first-hand the joys of Pandora while giving the scientific team, led by Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver) and Norm Spellman (Joel David Moore), some well-needed protection against the planet's more hostile forces.

On a chance meeting after getting separated from his team, Jake's Avatar is rescued by Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), a Na'vi princess, who brings him into her tribe in order to give the humans a second chance at relating to this new environment. When word gets out of his increasing time with the alien species, Quaritch enlists Jake to do some reconnaissance for the company, as they'd like to persuade the tribe to move their home before taking more drastic measures to harness the treasure hidden below. Yet as Jake becomes one with the tribe and begins to understand the secrets of Pandora, his conscience is torn between his new adopted world and the wheelchair-bound one awaiting him when the psychic connection to his Avatar is broken. Soon battle lines are drawn and Jake needs to decide which side he will fight on when the time comes. The film was shot on the proprietary FUSION digital 3D cameras developed by Cameron in collaboration with Vince Pace, and offers a groundbreaking mix of live-action dramatic performances and computer-generated effects. The revolutionary motion-capture system created for the film allows the facial expressions of actors to be captured as a virtual camera system enables them to see what their computer-generated counterparts will be seeing in the film, and Peter Jackson's Oscar-winning Weta Digital visual-effects house supervises Avatar's complex special effects. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

Filmed on location in New York and Connecticut, the ESPN miniseries The Bronx is Burning was a vivid (if not overly expensive) retelling of the New York Yankees' championship year of 1977. Heading the enormous cast of celebrity lookalikes were Oliver Platt as Yankees owner George Steinbrenner and John Turturro as team manager Billy Martin. The infamously volatile relationship between the two men was the heart of the series, with the prickly Martin curiously emerging as the hero of the piece. Setting the story in motion was the hiring of baseball superstar Reggie Jackson (Daniel Sunjata), the first of several measures taken by the Yanks to reclaim the World Series. To place the action at Yankee Stadium in proper historical context, much was made of the other events which kept the citizens of New YOrk on their collective toes in the summer of 1977, including the frantic search for the serial killer known as the "Son of Sam", the devastating power blackout, the fractious mayoral race, and the ongoing violence in the streets of the Bronx. The title of the series derived from the famous TV-news headline "Ladies and Gentlemen, the Bronx is Burning", which was also the title of the Jonathan Mahler novel upon which the show was based. The Bronx is Burning first roared into flame on July 10, 2007. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Hubert Selby Jr. was a powerful and influential literary figure whose best-known novels, Last Exit to Brooklyn and Requiem for a Dream, dealt with the dark underside of life in a way that was bleak and often shocking, but also laced with compassion and understanding for the tortured lives of his characters. Selby only completed the eighth grade when he became a merchant marine and contracted a severe case of tuberculosis from infected cattle. While Selby survived thanks to bootleg antibiotics, he lost a lung and had to give up his physically punishing work at sea. Selby took up writing and developed a unique style that helped make his first novel, 1964's Last Exit to Brooklyn, a critical success and a controversial best-seller. However, Selby developed a massive appetite for alcohol and drugs which derailed his career, and by the time he published his second book, 1971's The Room, Selby was all but forgotten. However, Selby's work developed a passionate following in Europe, and was rediscovered in the United States after a successful film adaptation of Last Exit to Brooklyn was released. Hubert Selby Jr.: It/ll Be Better Tomorrow is a documentary which explores the life and work of this unlikely literary icon, and features extensive interviews with Selby as well as his friends and admirers. Interview subjects include Lou Reed, Henry Rollins, Richard Price, Nick Tosches, Ellen Burstyn, Darren Aronofsky, Uli Edel, Amiri Baraka, and Jerry Stahl. Robert Downey Jr. serves as narrator. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

FBI agents Kurt Novack (David James Elliott) and Andrea McInroy (played by Elliott's real-life wife Nanci Chambers) fly to Australia to follow up a lead on a serial killer who photographs his female victims before murdering them. Along for the ride are Novack's estranged wife Michelle (Terry Farrell) and their son Johnny (Myles Jeffrey). Although a suspect is arrested and booked, Novack cannot help but shake the feeling that the wrong man is in prison. On the flight back to the U.S., Novack discovers, in startling fashion, that his instincts are correct -- the killer is somewhere on board the plane, has struck again, and intends to add Novack's wife to his victim list. Filmed in 2001, Code 11-14 was originally scheduled to air in September of that year, but was bumped because its subliminal "terror in flight" theme struck too close a nerve with those reeling from the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The film was rescheduled for April 2003, but was again shelved, this time because of network coverage of the war in Iraq. The film finally made its CBS network bow August 24, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Alan Rudolph directed and co-wrote this eccentric comedy about a woman who bumbles her way into fighting crime. Trixie Zurbo (Emily Watson) is a well-meaning but scatter-brained casino security guard, who dreams of a career as a private detective. Her ambition accidentally becomes reality when she's thrown into the middle of a series of events involving double-dealing state senator Avery (Nick Nolte), crooked real estate developer Red Rafferty (Will Patton), and his sleazy girlfriend Dawn Slotnick (Lesley Ann Warren). Along the way, Trixie finds romance with the suave Dex Lang (Dermot Mulroney). Nathan Lane appears in a supporting role as Kirk Stans, a flamboyant lounge singer. Trixie had its world premiere at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Adapted from an Ernest Hemingway story by Hemingway's longtime friend and associate A. E. Hotchner, After the Storm spent years in development before filming of the movie version began in 2000, several years after Hotchner's death. Set in the Bahamas in 1936, the story concerns a young fisherman on the lam from gangsters, who stumbles upon a fortune in jewels from a yacht sunk in a recent storm. This sudden windfall results in nothing but unhappiness and betrayal for the fisherman -- and for everyone else who embarks upon the treasure hunt that consumes most of the action. When After the Storm failed to secure a theatrical release, it was licensed to the USA network for its first American TV showing. The R-rated video version was released on May 29, 2001. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

One of the bloodiest and militarily greatest battles occurred along the riverbanks of Shiloh, TN, during the War Between the States. This battle is considered one of the first major battles of engagement during that war -- a two-day conflict in April 1862 between Union forces under the commands of Generals Ulysses S. Grant and Don Carlos Buell and Confederate forces under General Albert Sidney Johnston. This battle was a loss for Union forces, who were attempting to defend a region where the Tennessee and Mississippi rivers meet. The result was the loss of two Union forts, many lives, and a railroad line connecting Memphis to Charleston. This video tells a fascinating tale from U.S. history. ~ Forrest Spencer, Rovi

Habitually abused by her arrogant surgeon husband Thomas (Stephen Lang), successful realtor Elizabeth Cooper (Joanna Kerns) has decided to get a divorce. Shortly after this decision, Elizabeth is in conference with a new client, John Davis (Tim Matheson)--who stops her short by announcing that he is a "hit man", hired by Thomas to murder Elizabeth. But after meeting his potential victim, John has had a change of heart, and is now determined to rescue her from her husband. Togther, John and Elizabeth formulate a plan: She will disappear, he will arrange the evidence to make it seem as if he's killed her, and then he'll trap Thomas into a confession. Although she hates the idea of being so long separated from her beloved children, Elizabeth agrees to the scheme. That things don't go off precisely as intended should at this point be a foregone conclusion. Made for television (and based on a true story to boot!), At the Mercy of a Stranger first aired November 3, 1999, on CBS. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Based on a teleplay by the late Rod Serling, this drama is set in a far-off and arid future. The tale follows the growing racial tension and conflicts within a mining town gripped by a terrible drought. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Two emotionally scarred young people find both love and tragedy as they run away together in this drama. Marcy (Robin Tunney) and Seth (Henry Thomas) meet while shoplifting at the same department store; Seth is the son of an angry, abusive father and steals out of rebellion, while Marcy suffers from Tourette's Syndrome, which causes her to compulsively curse, flail about, and indulge in anti-social behavior. The two misfits find a common ground in each other, and they decide to hit the road. Marcy has always wanted a black "You Do The Hairdo" Barbie doll head, and they drive off to Toronto to find one. However, when a pharmacy along the way refuses to refill Marcy's prescription for her Tourette's medication, she and Seth decide to rob the drugstore, and Seth is shot by the pharmacist. An aging tow truck driver named Walter (Michael Parks) shows mercy on them, but his hospitality proves short-lived thanks to Marcy's increasingly violent outbursts. Robin Tunney's performance in Niagara Niagara earned her the prize as Best Actress at the 1997 Venice Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi