Alan Davidson Movies
A cop's personal code of justice begins to change after a number of incidents lead his city to a tragic wave of violence in this police drama. Eldon Perry (Kurt Russell) is a veteran cop with the LAPD's Special Investigations unit, a man who isn't above bending the law if it means putting people behind bars who deserve the treatment. As Los Angeles waits on the verdict in the Rodney King police beating trial, Perry is presenting testimony to Assistant Chief of Police Arthur Holland (Ving Rhames), who is well aware of the corruption in the SIS unit and wants to stop it. Perry, however, twists some facts as he speaks in the defense of his new partner, Bobby Keough (Scott Speedman), who is being investigated for inappropriate use of deadly force. For lack of honest testimony, Keough is let off the hook, and soon he and Perry have a new case to investigate -- a robbery at a liquor store than turned into a quadruple homicide. Perry and Keough quickly track down two likely suspects, Orchard (Kurupt) and Sidwell (Dash Mihok), but Perry is surprised when the head of SIS, Van Meter (Brendan Gleeson), tells him to let Orchard and Sidwell go, and instead points the finger at two ex-cons who should be taken off the street, even though they're innocent of this crime. Perry follows Van Meter's orders, despite Keough's misgivings, but in the wake of the L.A. riots, Perry has a change of heart, and decides to start working with Holland against Van Meter's corrupt methods. In the midst of it all, Perry is trying to hold together his troubled marriage to Sally (Lolita Davidovich), while Keough finds himself romancing a fellow officer, Beth (Michael Michele). Dark Blue was adapted from an original screenplay by noted crime novelist James Ellroy; originally set against the backdrop of the 1965 Watts riots, the story was later updated to 1992. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kurt Russell, Brendan Gleeson, (more)
Actor Bill Paxton made his directorial debut with Frailty. The bulk of the story is told through flashbacks, as a mysterious man (Matthew McConaughey) tells a terrible tale to an FBI agent (Powers Boothe) investigating the "God's Hand" serial killer case. The man grew up in a small town in Texas, where he and his brother lived a bucolic life with their kindhearted widower father (Paxton). One night, the father awakens the two boys, Fenton (Matthew O'Leary) and Adam (Jeremy Sumpter), and tells them he's had a vision, and God has chosen him and his sons to help Him slay demons who walk the earth in human form. He tells the boys they can never tell anyone about this task. Before long, he comes home from work with a list of names that he claims an angel has given to him. He then begins abducting people, bringing them home, one by one, and having the boys watch while he lays his hands on them. After having proven, to his mind, that they are demons and not human, he chops them up with an axe while the boys look on. Young Adam is eager to participate, seeing his family as "kind of like superheroes," while the older Fenton is distraught, believing that his father has lost his mind. He contemplates running away, but is reluctant to leave his little brother behind. Eventually, he goes to the authorities, which results in disaster. As he tells the story, McConaughey takes Boothe out to the public rose garden near his old home, where he claims his brother, the "God's Hand" killer, buried the bodies. Paxton dramatizes the mayhem while leaving almost all of the gore offscreen, and Brent Hanley's script leaves the true motives of several characters unclear until the very end. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bill Paxton, Matthew McConaughey, (more)
- 1999
Carolyn McCormick returns to Law & Order in the role of Dr. Elizabeth Olivet, a former police psychologist now in private practice. When detective Green (Jesse L. Martin) coaxes a confession from the ten-year-old suspect in a school killing, the D.A.'s office calls in Dr. Olivet to examine the perpetrator. Is the boy indeed the killer -- and if so, is there the likelihood that he will kill again? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Director Matthew Harrison and star Kevin Corrigan co-wrote this offbeat comedy about a man trying to map out a future in the midst of a very confusing present. Redmond (Corrigan) is a self-styled poet and philosopher who frequently ponders his personal journey of self-discovery, which doesn't leave him much time to hold down a steady job. Needing cash, Redmond agrees to do a favor for his Uncle Sam (James Woods), a small-time scam artist; Sam gives him a bag to deliver to someone at a subway station, neglecting to tell him that he's actually making a cocaine drop. The delivery turns into a gun battle, and Redmond soon finds himself on the run, with gangster Jack (Burt Young) eager to catch up with him. Without an apartment and needing a place to hole up, Redmond persuades his buddy Stretch (Michael Rapaport), a man with a tremendous enthusiasm for his work as a beer distributor, to take him in. As he ponders his next move, Redmond falls into a sudden romance with a beautiful airline attendant, Megan (Linda Fiorentino), while his former girlfriend Happy (Lili Taylor) stays on his tail, and Redmond keeps thinking about the Hindenberg. Martin Scorsese served as executive producer. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kevin Corrigan, Linda Fiorentino, (more)
