Ron Eldard Movies
At times bearing a resemblance to a slightly stockier Tim Roth, former Golden Gloves contender Ron Eldard first became familiar to television audiences with his standout role as the love interest of Julianna Margulies on the hit television drama ER. Though Eldard had been appearing in film and television since the late '80s, it was the dawn of the new millennium that found Eldard's career reborn with roles in such acclaimed films as Barry Levinson's Sleepers (1996), Mystery, Alaska (1999), and Black Hawk Down (2001). Eldard was born into a large family of six siblings in New York City in 1965; his mother died when he was very young, forcing the siblings apart in order to live with various relatives. The second youngest of his siblings, Eldard sought a boxing career in the Golden Gloves after discovering his remarkable strength early in life. Following his graduation from New York's renowned High School of the Performing Arts, Eldard's passion for drama was ignited, and he went on to appear on One Life to Live before he made his feature debut in 1989's True Love. After competing for the love of Phoebe Cates in Drop Dead Fred, Eldard would subsequently appear in numerous roles in film (Scent of a Woman [1992] and The Last Supper [1995]) and television (Arresting Behavior and Men Behaving Badly). Eldard's onscreen romance with Margulies blossomed into true-life romance shortly after the two were paired up on ER, and the couple became an offscreen item as well. Though subsequent feature roles increased Eldard's recognition factor, he had yet to parlay his acting career into leading-man territory. The new millennium, however, found the now-established actor edging ever closer to headline status with roles in Just a Kiss (2002), Ghost Ship (also 2002), and House of Sand and Fog (2003). As a stage actor, Eldard has impressed Broadway audiences with roles in Biloxi Blues, On the Waterfront, and Death of a Salesman. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
A happy and successful family man is lured down the destructive path of revenge after his son is killed and his wife brutalized in a vicious home invasion. Thomas Archer (Ron Eldard) had it all, a successful career as a senior associate at a prominent architectural firm, a beautiful wife, and a wonderful child. Just when it seemed that things couldn't get any better for Thomas, however, his life was suddenly transformed into a waking nightmare. One night, a violent criminal breaks into Thomas' home, attacking his wife and senselessly murdering his innocent young son. In the aftermath of the tragedy, Thomas implores the police for help in catching the criminals while attempting to pick up the pieces of his broken life by visiting a highly respected therapist (Christopher Plummer). When local law enforcement fails to turn up any leads, Thomas' therapist suggests that the vengeful father contact a mysterious group with the resources to ferret out his son's killer and let the father exact the any kind of justice that he sees fit. His marriage failing, Thomas decides to take his therapist up on the offer, sending the lives of everyone involved down a dark path from which there is no escape, and no return. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ron Eldard, Til Schweiger, (more)
In the years before the Hamptons became the ultimate Long Island destination, two generations of clam diggers work the land and struggle to make sense of the changes that threaten to forever transform their simple way of life. The year is 1976, and the future Long Island vacationing hotspot is little more than a tight-knit community of hard-living folks who make their living from the sea. While the impending presidential race between Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter has the entire country swept up in the wind of change, the local Hamptons clam diggers begin waging a losing battle against the wealthy developers who are gradually encroaching on their waters. Hunt (Paul Rudd) is a restless and imaginative digger who comes from a long line of hardworking seafarers and has a keen eye for black-and-white photography. When Hunt's father suddenly dies, Hunt and his lifelong pals Frankie (Ken Marino), Jack (Ron Eldard), and Cons (Josh Hamilton) slowly begin to take stock of their modest lives. Meanwhile, as Hunt's recently divorced older sister, Gina (Maura Tierney), struggles to get by while working as a waitress at a local diner, Hunt himself enters into a playfully flirtatious relationship with vacationing Manhattanite Zoe (Lauren Ambrose). Constantly questioning why Hunt refuses to venture out of his dead-end town in favor of pursuing his artistic talents in the big city, Zoe serves as a persistent reminder that one is not always necessarily bound by his or her roots. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Rudd, Lauren Ambrose, (more)
Joe Roth directs his adaptation of Richard Price's novel Freedomland from a script by the author. Samuel L. Jackson stars as a police detective who must investigate a distraught woman (Julianne Moore) who claims that her child was kidnapped by a black man. The accusation stirs up much racial animosity in the town. Edie Falco co-stars. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Samuel L. Jackson, Julianne Moore, (more)
Three families residing on the same suburban street struggle to strengthen their father/son bonds in this tale from filmmakers Rodrigo García, Jared Rappaport, and Robert Spera. As old wounds remain sensitive and alienation keeps generations of fathers and sons from truly bonding, the struggle to make a meaningful connection offers hopes of understanding and a new beginning. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kathy Baker, Ron Eldard, (more)
Russian filmmaker Vadim Perelman makes his feature-film debut with the psychological drama House of Sand and Fog, based on the novel by Andre Dubus III. Ben Kingsley plays Massoud Amir Behrani, an Iranian immigrant living the United States. Even though he was a high-ranking official in Iran, he works several menial jobs in order to provide his wife, Nadi (Shohreh Aghdashloo), and his son, Esmail (Jonathan Ahdout), with an apartment in California. He buys a California bungalow, thinking he can fix it up, sell it again, and make enough money to send Esmail to college. However, the house is the legal property of former drug addict Kathy (Jennifer Connelly). After losing the house in an unfair legal dispute with the county, she is left with nowhere to go. Wanting her house back, she hires a lawyer (Frances Fisher) and befriends a police officer (Ron Eldard). Neither Kathy nor Behrani have broken the law, so they find themselves involved in a difficult moral dilemma. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jennifer Connelly, Ben Kingsley, (more)
They say the heart goes where it will, and six people find theirs following a very complicated road map with a seventh creating some unexpected detours in this dark romantic comedy. Dag (Ron Eldard) is a successful director of television commercials who shares his home with his beautiful girlfriend, Halley (Kyra Sedgwick). Dag, however, has a serious case of roving eye and is given to frequent flings with other women. Halley tries to turn a blind eye to Dag's infidelity, but when she discovers he had a one-night stand with Rebecca (Marley Shelton), a beautiful but troubled dancer who is dating Dag's close friend Peter (Patrick Breen), she decides things have gone too far. Halley gives Dag his walking papers and she soon makes the acquaintance of Andre (Taye Diggs), a very handsome and well-mannered classical musician. Andre, however, is married to Colleen (Sarita Choudhury), a woman with exotic sexual tastes who meets up with Peter, now suddenly without a girlfriend, on an airline flight. Meanwhile, Peter's very angry confrontation with Dag attracts the attention of Paula (Marisa Tomei), a mysterious but very sexy woman who has taken a decidedly carnal interest in Peter. However, as Paula makes her way through Peter's daisy-chained circle of friends, events begin taking a strange turn as her new acquaintances begin dropping like flies. Just a Kiss was the first feature film directed by actor-turned-filmmaker Fisher Stevens. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ron Eldard, Kyra Sedgwick, (more)
A salvage team think they've made the find of a lifetime, until they discover there's more on board than meets the eye in this supernatural thriller. Led by Captain Sean Murphy (Gabriel Byrne), the crew of the tugboat Arctic Warrior have discovered a sideline far more lucrative than hauling ships in and out of the harbor -- they locate missing or wrecked ships in international waters, repair them until they can be brought back to port, and then sell off the ship and its contents as salvage. Acting on a tip from Jack Ferriman (Desmond Harrington), a pilot in the Canadian Air Force, Murphy and his crew -- salvage expert Maureen Epps (Julianna Margulies), first mate Greer (Isaiah Washington), and crewmen Santos (Alex Dimitriades), Dodge (Ron Eldard), and Munder (Karl Urban) -- set out to find a large craft seen adrift off the Alaskan coastline. To their surprise, the crew of the Arctic Warrior discover what appears to be the Antonia Graza, a famous Italian ocean liner, legendary for its luxury, which vanished without a trace in 1962. While they at first anticipate the payday of a lifetime from this find, the crew soon discover a sinister force has taken control of the ship, and before long they're battling not for salvage rights, but for their lives. Ghost Ship was directed by special effects man turned filmmaker Steven Beck, who previously directed the 2001 remake of 13 Ghosts. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Julianna Margulies, Ron Eldard, (more)
A quickly forgotten chapter in United States military history is relived in this harrowing war drama from director Ridley Scott, based on a series of Philadelphia Inquirer articles and subsequent book by reporter Mark Bowden. On October 3rd, 1993, an elite team of more than 100 Delta Force soldiers and Army Rangers, part of a larger United Nations peacekeeping force, are dropped into civil war-torn Mogadishu, Somalia, in an effort to kidnap two of local crime lord Mohamed Farah Aidid's top lieutenants. Among the team: Staff Sgt. Matt Eversmann (Josh Hartnett), Ranger Lt. Col. Danny McKnight (Tom Sizemore), the resourceful Delta Sgt. First Class Jeff Sanderson (William Fichtner), and Ranger Spec. Grimes (Ewan McGregor), a desk-bound clerk getting his first taste of live combat. When two of the mission's Black Hawk helicopters are shot down by enemy forces, the Americans -- committed to recovering every man, dead or alive -- stay in the area too long and are quickly surrounded. The ensuing firefight is a merciless 15-hour ordeal and the longest ground battle involving American soldiers since the Vietnam War. In the end, 70 soldiers are injured and 18 are dead, along with hundreds of Somalians. Black Hawk Down was voted one of the top ten films of the year by the National Board of Review prior to its limited Oscar-qualifying release. On the basis of his work in this film, co-star Eric Bana, a relatively unknown Australian actor playing Delta Sgt. First Class "Hoot" Gibson, won the lead in director Ang Lee's version of The Hulk (2003). ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor, (more)
- 2000
Neil LaBute's Bash: Latter Day Plays is a film of his theatrical presentation of three one-act plays. As in much of LaBute's work, the darker side of human nature is explored. "Gaggle of Saints" features a couple (Paul Rudd of Clueless and Calista Flockhart of Ally McBeal), students at Boston College, who take turns describing a road trip to New York City for a big "bash" at the Plaza Hotel. While the girls go off to bed after the party, the boys roam Central Park, and end up having a violent encounter. In the second play, "Medea Redux," Flockhart plays a young woman who describes an affair she had with her teacher when she was thirteen, and the terrible vengeance she took on him after he abandoned her. The third play, "Iphigenia in Orem" stars Ron Eldard (Sleepers) as a traveling salesman, who regales an unseen confidant with a tragic and increasingly disturbing tale of his family life. Most of the characters are Mormons (as is LaBute himself). The film originally aired on Showtime in 2000. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Rudd, Calista Flockhart, (more)
- 1999
Ron Eldard guest stars as Emmett Carey, who takes his two children hostage, barricades himself in his sister-in-law's apartment, and threatens to blow up the place if the cops try to remove him. As the day wears on, Mike Giardello (Giancarlo Esposito) and Stuart Gharty (Peter Gerety) are able to gain Carey's confidence, and hope to use this advantage to talk him out of doing something he'll regret. But all bets are off when Carey's ex-wife manages to break through the police barricade -- and is shot dead for her troubles. This devastatingly dramatic episode was originally scheduled to air on April 30, 1999. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Giancarlo Esposito, Peter Gerety, (more)
A young man with an addiction to gambling (played by Ron Eldard) has managed to get himself into serious debt. In an effort to pay off the bookies, his uncle (Joe Mantegna) pulls a few strings and gets him a job working for a gangster (John Goodman) who needs a "runner" to place bets with various bookies. The gangster keeps his new "runner" on a short leash, and for the most part the young gambler behaves himself. However, the temptation of walking around with large sums of cash proves too great, and the "runner" puts both his job and his survival on the line when he dips into his boss's funds to buy a ring for his girlfriend (Courtney Cox). This story about life in the Las Vegas underworld is enlivened by a few unusual plot twists and bizarre set pieces (including Goodman's mechanical attack dog). ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ron Eldard, Courteney Cox Arquette, (more)
In this comic drama about fame, sports, and small-town life, Mystery, Alaska is a small town in one of the least accessible parts of the coldest state in the union. It's a town where everyone knows each other and there isn't much to do. In places like this, small things tend to become very important, and in Mystery, the one thing that keeps everyone sane is hockey. Most of the men of Mystery are obsessive hockey fans, and a local hockey league has sprung up, with pools of neighborhood talent facing off on the ice every week. When a national sports magazine does a story on the hockey fans of Mystery, Alaska, someone at the National Hockey League gets an idea for a publicity stunt: send the New York Rangers to Mystery to play the local all-stars in a nationally televised game. Most of the locals are thrilled; the game will give the people of Mystery a chance to bask in the limelight and make their sleepy town a household word. On the other hand, in a small town where everyone knows everyone else's secrets, this event could cause everyone to start airing their dirty laundry in public, with the whole world watching. Mystery, Alaska was directed by Jay Roach, who enjoyed considerable success with the two Austin Powers films, and stars Russell Crowe as John Biebe, Mary McCormack as his wife Donna, Burt Reynolds as Judge Burns, and Lolita Davidovich as Mary Jane. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Russell Crowe, Hank Azaria, (more)
Mimi Leder (The Peacemaker) directed this science-fiction disaster drama about the possible extinction of human life after a comet is discovered headed toward Earth with the collision only one year away. Ambitious MSNBC reporter Jenny Lerner (Tea Leoni) stumbles onto the story, prompting a White House press conference. United States President Beck (Morgan Freeman) announces the government's solution: a team of astronauts will travel to the comet and destroy it. The team leader aboard the spaceship Messiah is Spurgeon Tanner (Robert Duvall), who was once the last man to walk on the moon. However, the mission fails, splitting off a chunk of the comet, now due to land in the Atlantic with the impact sending a 350-foot tidal wave flooding 650 miles inland, destroying New York and other cities. The larger part of the comet, hitting in Canada, will trigger an E.L.E. (Extinction Level Event), not unlike a "nuclear winter" as dust clouds block out the sun and bring life to an end. President Beck reveals Plan B: a cavernous underground retreat constructed to hold one million Americans, with most to be selected through a national lottery. Since teenage amateur astronomer Leo Biederman (Elijah Wood) discovered the comet, his family gets a pass to enter the cave, but his girlfriend Sarah (Leelee Sobieski) and her parents will be left behind. Meanwhile, still in space, Spurgeon Tanner devises a plan for a kamikaze-styled operation that could possibly save the Earth. Special visual effects by Scott Farrar and Industrial Light & Magic. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Morgan Freeman, Robert Duvall, (more)
Guy Ferland directed this comedy-thriller about aspiring cartoonist and pizza-delivery guy Will Sherman (David Strickland). College dropout Will delivers a pizza to murderer Reed (Ron Eldard), who later realizes Will can connect him to the crime scene. This prompts Reed to steal Will's tape-recorded diary and gather info on Will's friends. Will remains unaware that a psycho has taken an interest in his life -- but soon various people Will knows begin to die. Shown at the 1998 Seattle Film Festival and the 1998 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Strickland, Ron Eldard, (more)
John Irvin directed this gripping and effective WWII drama set amid the carnage and slaughter of the Hurtgen Forest battle when the Allies moved on toward Germany in the fall of 1944. Private Manning (Ron Eldard) hopes for a Section 8 switch away from the frontline combat, but when he's the only survivor of his platoon, Captain Pritchett (Martin Donovan) is so impressed he upgrades Manning to sergeant. This irritates Sgt. Talbot (Dylan Bruno) who views Manning as a coward. Manning is put in charge of a group of awkward recruits, including the clumsy Sanderson (Zak Orth), as the Allies prepare to take a key location, a well-defended bridge. Shown at the 1998 Seattle Film Festival, this television production had its HBO premiere on June 27, 1998. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ron Eldard, Zak Orth, (more)
- 1996
Paramedics Shep (Ron Eldard) and Raul (Carlos Gomez) respond to a call from the projects, where an abandoned row house yields 22 youngsters suffering from malnutrition. Though his actions in this crisis are compassionate, Shep nonetheless makes a careless remark which Benton (Eriq La Salle) and Malik (Deezer D) regard as racist. Benton has other problems in the form of Jeanie (Gloria Reuben), whose husband, Al (Michael Beach), wants a reconciliation. In other developments, Greene (Anthony Edwards) is served with divorce papers while on the job; and Carter (Noah Wyle) tests out a risky surgical procedure on the terminally ill wife of octogenarian Mr. Rubadoux (Red Buttons). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
Having completed medical school, Carter (Noah Wyle) invites Benton (Eriq La Salle) to his graduation -- only to miss the festivities himself because he's too busy comforting his patient TC (Gabrielle Boni). Meanwhile, Carol Hathaway (Julianna Margulies), fed up with the bureaucracy and backstabbing of hospital politics, quits her job; and Greene (Anthony Edwards) is forced to back Weaver (Laura Innes) for the job of attending physician if he wants to appoint Lewis (Sherry Stringfield) as chief resident. This final episode of ER's second season includes an unresolved plot strand involving Benton, his erstwhile lover, Jeanie (Gloria Reuben), and an HIV examination. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
Unable to cope with losing custody of baby Suzy, Lewis (Sherry Stringfield) begins consulting a therapist, whereupon the events in this episode (directed by series regular Anthony Edwards) are unfolded in flashback form. One of the plot developments involves Carol (Julianna Margulies), who in order to save her paramedic boyfriend, Shep (Ron Eldard), from disciplinary action may be forced to lie on his behalf. Elsewhere, Ross (George Clooney) discovers that his father, Ray, has run out on Karen (Marg Helgenberger) -- and with most of Karen's money. And Carter (Noah Wyle) tries to comfort a young girl named TC (Gabrielle Boni), whose surgery will prevent her from participating in a basketball tournament. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
In the opening episode of ER's third season, Benton (Eriq La Salle) and Jeanie (Gloria Reuben) get the results of their HIV tests, forcing Jeanie to make a difficult decision. Carter's inaugural assignment as a first-year intern is to temporarily replace Benton as ER surgical consultant; Carter (Noah Wyle) also finds time to befriend another first-year man, Dr. Dennis Gant (Omar Epps). Having been promoted to full-time attending physician (and, incidentally, full-time ER regular), Weaver (Laura Innes) is more insufferable than ever. And in two separate Fourth of July festivities, a couple of the other main characters experience uncomfortable reunions. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
Having endured four consecutive night shifts, Greene (Anthony Edwards) reluctantly tackles night number five with only a skeleton crew -- and an inordinately large influx of patients. Among those passing through the doors of the crowded ER are an abusive husband whose wife has retaliated in a violent fashion, a lap dancer, a teenager who has swallowed antifreeze, and a young girl who was injured in a car accident that Greene had witnessed while grabbing a sandwich at a nearby restaurant. At the end of it all, Carter (Noah Wyle) can only express admiration for Greene's handling of a near-impossible job -- not to mention a last-minute innovation in patient care. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
Having missed a bone tumor on a child's x-ray, Ross (George Clooney) is none too anxious to tell the patient's grandfather (Bill Cobbs) about the mistake -- especially since four months have elapsed and the tumor has gotten worse. Meanwhile, Chloe (Kathleen Wilhoite) sweeps back into Lewis' (Sherry Stringfield) life, insisting upon full custody of little Suzy. Carter (Noah Wyle) worries himself into a stomach ache over his much-anticipated residency at County General. And Greene (Anthony Edwards), newly shed of his marital status, radically changes his image. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
With baby Suzy gone, Lewis (Sherry Stringfield) tries to get over the loss by throwing herself in her work. Meanwhile, Greene (Anthony Edwards) and Weaver (Laura Innes) discuss the possibility of making Lewis chief resident. Elsewhere, paramedic Shep (Ron Eldard), unable to cope with the dearth of his partner, begins to take out his anger on the job. Ross (George Clooney) begins cultivating an interest in his father Ray's girlfriend, Karen (Marg Helgenberger). And Carter (Noah Wyle) finds that his qualifications for graduation are incomplete. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
Benton (Eriq La Salle) is removed from a round of surgery because no one on that shift wants to work with him. In other developments, Lewis (Sherry Stringfield) and her sister, Chloe (Kathleen Wilhoite), lock horns over custody of little Suzy; Ross (George Clooney) treats eight-year-old Jeremy (Kevin Duran), who has been traumatized by witnessing his mother's murder; and Carter (Noah Wyle) spitefully prevents Dale Edson (Matthew Glave), the college friend and ex-lover of Harper Tracy (Christine Elise), from performing an appendectomy. On a happier note, Greene (Anthony Edwards) successfully re-enters the dating pool. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
