Colm Feore Movies
A classically trained stage star in his adopted home of Canada, Colm Feore became an increasingly familiar presence to movie and TV audiences as a prolific supporting actor in the 1990s.Though he was born in the U.S. and spent the first years of his life in Ireland, Feore and his family moved to Ottawa when he was three and Canada became his official home. After studying acting at Canada's National Theater School, Feore built a distinguished Canadian stage career, performing in over 40 productions during 13 seasons with the prestigious Stratford Festival.
Feore began adding film and TV to his acting experience in the late '80s with such movies as Iron Eagle II (1988) and Bethune: The Making of a Hero (1989), starring Donald Sutherland. Feore himself starred as a 19th century doctor in Beautiful Dreamers (1991). He caught the attention of film critics and art house audiences as the famed reclusive pianist Glenn Gould in François Girard's biopic 32 Short Films About Glenn Gould (1994), a musically structured combination of documentary reminiscences and fancifully staged incidents from Gould's troubled life. Feore also appeared in the esteemed TV biopic Truman (1995).
Feore's non-stage career expanded further in the latter half of the 1990s and into the 2000s with numerous roles in a wide range of projects. Along with the TV movie Hostile Waters (1997), about a U.S.-Soviet submarine incident, Feore also acted in several major 1997 releases, playing an unlucky surgeon in John Woo's blockbuster Face/Off and appearing in Sidney Lumet's New York policier Night Falls on Manhattan and black comedy Critical Care. The following year, Feore played parts in both the Canadian action movie Airborne (1998) and the Canadian action movie send-up The Wrong Guy (1998). Whatever artistic credibility Feore may have sacrificed to star opposite Shannen Doherty in the thriller Striking Poses (1998) and play Meg Ryan's fiancé in City of Angels (1998) was mitigated by his appearance in François Girard's The Red Violin (1998). Feore subsequently played Marcus in Titus (1999), Julie Taymor's ambitious reworking of Shakespeare's maligned Titus Andronicus, and joined the lauded ensemble cast of Michael Mann's Oscar-nominated docudrama, The Insider (1999). Feore's sharp features also enhanced his performance as Satan's minion in Stephen King's TV miniseries Storm of the Century (1999).
Though he spent part of 2000 acting in the New York Public Theater production of Shakespeare's Hamlet, Feore was soon back in front of the cameras in an eclectic mix of works. Along with the miniseries Haven (2001), about the rescue of concentration camp refugees, Feore appeared in off-center murder mystery The Caveman's Valentine (2001) and played Admiral Kimmel in Michael Bay's overblown blockbuster Pearl Harbor (2001). ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide
- 1998
Peter Lynch directed this Canadian docudrama about events after the Canadian government authorized Laplander Andrew Bahr to feed starving Inuit in 1929 by herding several thousand reindeer from Alaska to the McKenzie River region. The project turned into a logistical nightmare, with six years spent on the 1500-mile trek. The film combines archival footage with staged sequences. Shown at the 1998 Vancouver Film Festival and the Toronto Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Colm Feore, David Hemblen, (more)
TV director David Steinberg (Mad About You, Seinfeld) helmed this Canadian comedy satirizing The Fugitive and similar actioners. Cleveland corporate climber Nelson Hibbert (Dave Foley) is confident his promotion to company prez is just around the corner, but when it doesn't happen, he goes postal during a meeting, aiming threats at the boss who passed him over. Later, he barges into the boss' office, finds him dead, and runs from the office holding the bloody weapon. Since this was witnessed by his co-workers, he thinks they have accused him as the killer. Unaware surveillance cameras revealed the real killer, Hibbert hightails it for Mexico, certain that he's a most-wanted fugitive. Made in Toronto in 1996, this film expands on a sketch Foley scripted for Kids in the Hall. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dave Foley, Jennifer Tilly, (more)
Rockne S. O'Bannon scripted this two-part TV miniseries adaptation of Peter Benchley's novel, found floating in the wake of his Jaws and The Beast. The origins of the tale's hybrid horror begin in 1972 at a secret Navy base off St. Lucia, where researchers cross a dolphin with a great white shark, creating a monster to generate fear and loathing in Vietnam. The Navy covers up the failed experiment, and 25 years later, cut to the Chase -- namely, scientist Simon Chase (Craig T. Nelson), who moves to the island to research a cancer-shark connection. Chase brings along his scientist ex-wife (Kim Cattrall), his 15-year-old son, Max (Matthew Carey), and their pet sea lion. Naturally, the "creature" resurfaces and gnaws on islanders -- with Chase soon in pursuit. Creature effects by Stan Winston. Filmed in St. Lucia, West Indies and Vancouver, British Columbia. Premiered May 17, 1998 on ABC. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Craig T. Nelson, Kim Cattrall, (more)
Sidney Lumet filmed this hospital satire at a Canadian studio. Alcoholic Dr. Butz (Albert Brooks in old-age makeup) advises younger Dr. Werner Ernst (James Spader) to only treat patients with much insurance. "When the lawyers start crawling all over you," says Butz, "that's when you know you're a doctor." Ernst, a second-year resident working in the ICU with head nurse Stella (Helen Mirren), winds up in the middle of a dispute between two sisters (Kyra Sedgwick and Margo Martindale). One wants to pull the plug on their wealthy father; the other demands that he remain alive (at a cost of $112,800 a month). Soon events swivel from the money-mad medical mire to equally murky legalistics. Steven Schwartz's screenplay was adapted from the novel by Richard Dooling. Shown at the 1997 Chicago Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Spader, Kyra Sedgwick, (more)
The third of John Woo's American-made feature films, Face/Off stars John Travolta as Sean Archer, an FBI agent obsessed with capturing Castor Troy (Nicolas Cage), a criminal genius who years before killed Archer's son while trying to assassinate the agent. Archer's single-minded pursuit of Troy has caused serious harm to his marriage, but Archer thinks the light may have appeared at the end of the tunnel when a seriously wounded Troy is captured in a bloody shootout. However, it turns out that Troy has planted a time bomb, with a biological payload that could destroy the entire city of Los Angeles -- and Troy isn't about to say where it is. The only other person who knows the bomb's location is Troy's brother, Pollux (Alessandro Nivola), who is no more helpful than Castor. FBI scientists hatch a plan: they have developed an experimental surgery which would allow them to graft Troy's face temporarily on Archer's head and allow him to question Pollux as if he were his brother. But after Archer has taken Troy's face, Troy regains consciousness and forces the doctors to give him Archer's face. Now the criminal mastermind has the FBI at his disposal, and the lawman is underground with few places to turn. Along with Woo's usual elaborately choreographed action scenes, Face/Off features a number of notable supporting performances, including Joan Allen as Archer's wife, Colm Feore and C.C.H. Pounder as FBI scientists, and Gina Gershon as Troy's loyal but long-suffering girlfriend. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Travolta, Nicolas Cage, (more)
A lawyer discovers just how fine the line between good and evil can be in this drama based on the novel Tainted Evidence by Robert Daley. When a carefully-planned bust of drug dealer Jordan Washington (Shiek Mahmud-Bey) goes sour, a shootout between Washington and officers from three precincts leaves a number of cops dead or wounded. Washington escapes in the confusion, but he turns himself in on the advice of gadfly lawyer Sam Vigoda (Richard Dreyfuss). District Attorney Morgenstern (Ron Leibman) appoints Sean Casey (Andy Garcia), a former cop new to trial law, to prosecute the case, less for his legal expertise than because Sean's father, Liam (Ian Holm), was one of the injured officers, guaranteeing good press. Despite Vigoda's allegations of widespread police corruption, Sean scores an easy victory in the case; Washington is behind bars, and the young lawyer's career is on the rise; however, the discovery of a dead body confirms suspicions that Vigoda's allegations have a basis in fact, and Sean learns that his father may be in on a police cover-up. Night Falls on Manhattan also features Lena Olin as Sean's girlfriend and James Gandolfini as Liam's partner. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Andy Garcia, Lena Olin, (more)
- 1997
- NR
In this drama, an escaped convict attempts to evade his former captors. Despite his efforts to flee, however, his pursuers draw ever closer. Matters become more complex when the fugitive falls in love with a cellist. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Patrick Dempsey, Brigitte Bako, (more)
- 1997
Reminiscent of the "best" of David Lynch, the two-part TV movie Night Sins uses a mysterious abduction as catalyst for a progressively bizarre and disturbing expose of small-town corruption, hypocrisy and perversion. When the 8-year-old son of a doctor is kidnapped from his home in the rural Washington town of Deer Lake, government agent Megan O'Malley (Valerie Bertinelli) arrives to investigate. It soon becomes apparent that this most recent abduction is tied in to a string of kidnappings and murders that have occurred in the region over the past twenty years. As Megan pursues her investigation with the help of friendly local cop Mitch Holt (Harry Hamlin)--to whom she grows extremely close--innumerable local skeletons are dredged out of innumerable local closets. In fact, it seems that everyone concerned with the story is harboring a dark, unsavory secret--including Megan. If nothing else, this offbeat melodrama may well be the only TV movie to feature an evil chess club! Originally telecast on CBS, Night Sins was first seen on February 23 and 25, 1997. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Based on an actual event, this made-for-television movie chronicles a delicate international situation that could have derailed Russian-American relations in the 1980s. Martin Sheen and Rutger Hauer star as military leaders on opposing sides, in this edgy drama about the collision between a Russian nuclear submarine and an American submarine off the coast of Bermuda. While the sub crews were dealing with the danger of a possible nuclear accident due to vessel damage, political leaders Reagan and Gorbachev were in the middle of sensitive peace talks. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rutger Hauer, Martin Sheen, (more)
- 1996
Despite Ray's best efforts, killer Charles Carver (Colm Feore) is paroled for good behavior. Although the authorities believe that the soft-spoken, intellectual Carver has mended his ways, Ray (David Marciano) is convinced that the parolee intends to knock off everyone responsible for his arrest--and Carver confirms this by tauntingly leaving clues for Ray to uncover. As if this wasn't bad enough, Carver manages to persuade the public that he was wrongly imprisoned in the first place--and that Ray had framed him on a phony charge. Originally broadcast on Canadian television, this episode made its US debut on May 3, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Gross, David Marciano, (more)
- 1995
When her husband's career finally gets boosted onto the fast track, a wife finds herself increasingly alone, bored and confused about what she should do with her life. As a result, her marriage begins to suffer. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kathleen Turner, Faith Prince, (more)
The Champagne Safari was a foolhardy 1,200 mile expedition across Northern Canada backed by millionaire entrepreneur Charles Bedaux. To make the 1934 journey Bedaux brought along five Citroen half-track tanks, 130 pack horses, kegs of champagne and tons of gourmet French cuisine. He also brought along an entire library of books, a crew and Oscar winning cameraman Floyd Crosby. The expedition was a bust and the resulting film footage was lost until 1984 when Canadian filmmaker George Ungar found it in a Paris basement and used it in this fascinating biography of the enigmatic, megalomaniacal American industrialist, entrepreneur and WW II-era traitor Charles Bedaux, a man who had a tremendous effect on the rise of the Nazis to power. The film took over 16 years to make and is narrated by actor Colm Feore. In addition to Crosby's fascinating footage, the story is told via reenactments, archival photos and interviews with historians, writers, and relatives. The Champagne Safari was but one incident in Bedaux's life. He earned his fortune by using scientific methodology to create the "Bedaux System" of worker management. Other American corporations liked the methods and he became wealthy. Bedaux soon became known for his exotic expeditions. But there was a dark side to Bedaux, and his close ties to the Nazi party are also explored in the film. It was this shadowy relationship that ultimately caused the downfall and suicide of Bedaux who died just before he was to stand trial for treason in the US. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Colm Feore
- 1994
In this suspenseful made-for-cable whodunit, two rival mystery writers challenge each other to devise the perfect murder, and they quickly fall in love. The trouble is that one of them really is a murderer. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mel Harris, Ted Shackelford, (more)
- 1994
- NR
The highly acclaimed and famously eccentric classical pianist Glenn Gould is the subject of this idiosyncratic film portrait. As the title suggests, Gould's life is explored through a series of thirty-two self-contained but interrelated vignettes, a structure inspired by Bach's "Goldberg Variations," the compositions that were the basis for one of Gould's most famous recordings. Fictional recreations, many starring an excellent Colm Feore as Gould, follow the musician from his precocious childhood to his early death at the age of fifty. Juicy biographical details like a surprising early retirement from public performance and an addiction to prescription drugs are featured prominently, but equal attention is paid to Gould's challenging theoretical ideas. Director Francois Girard refuses to provide easy explanations for the pianist's quirks, instead using his unconventional structure to provide great insight while suggesting the real Gould remains essentially unknowable. Especially interesting is the film's mix of dramatization and documentary, as it juxtaposes its fictional recreations with actual interviews with Gould's friends and associates. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Colm Feore, Gale Garnett, (more)
- 1991
Rip Torn does a magnificent job as American poet Walt Whitman in the fanciful period piece Beautiful Dreamers. The scene is a hellish 19th century Canadian institution for the mentally retarded. Compassionate doctor Maurice Bucke (Colm Feore) defies his superiors by treating his patients as human beings rather than animals. He even begins conducting classes for his charges, teaching them basic cognitive and manual dexterity skills. When Whitman champions Bucke's cause, the doctor is ostracized by those who fear the poet's reputation as a "wild-eyed" radicial. Based on a true story, Beautiful Dreamers is more interesting for its intentions than its execution. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Colm Feore, Rip Torn, (more)
- 1989
Having previously essayed the role of real-life Canadian physician/political activist Norman Bethune in a 1977 TV movie, Donald Sutherland returns to the role in the 1989 theatrical feature Bethune: The Making of a Hero. Over a period of several decades, Dr. Bethune grows increasingly disenchanted with the corrupt politics that have fomented so many wars. Radicalized during the Spanish Civil War, he declares himself by fighting with Mao Tse Tung's Chinese Communist forces against the Japanese in World War 2. He remains a staunch Mao supported in the postwar years, winning him both loyal supporters and bitter foes in the West. This warts-and-all film makes no effort to cover up Bethune's personal demons, notably his boozing and philandering. Still, one emerges from the film wishing to learn just a wee bit more about the good doctor's motivations. Bethune: The Making of a Hero was released in the US in 1993 as Doctor Bethune. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Donald Sutherland, Helen Mirren, (more)
A pair of American pilots are forced to cooperate with their Soviet counterparts on a mission to destroy a Middle Eastern nuclear weapons site in this predictable, low-budget action sequel. The first Iron Eagle's rebellious fly boy Cooper (Mark Humphreys) has returned, as has his gruff mentor Chappy (Louis Gossett Jr. as yet another military man). They must work with two Russian pilots, one of whom is a beautiful woman that handsome young Cooper naturally sets out to woo. An extended build-up, including the requisite government conspiracy, leads to the climactic final battle. Average-at-best production values fail to elevate the film above a derivative screenplay, although the film did find enough success to produce further installments in the series. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Louis Gossett, Jr., Mark Humphrey, (more)
- 1988
A woman finds herself torn between her career and love in this Canadian made-for-television movie. Sheila McCarthy stars as Anna, a professor who takes a temporary position at a Western Canadian university. When her tenure is up and she must look elsewhere for work, she has to choose between pursing her career or staying with the colleague she has fallen in love with (Barry MacGregor). ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sheila McCarthy, Barry MacGregor, (more)
- 1988
This Canadian made-for-TV movie was originally telecast under the title Skate. Should give you a clue as to its content, yes? no? Under any name, the film is a prosaic biopic of Olympic skating-star Lori Larouche. Lynn Nightingale plays the leading role, while the real Lori is seen in longshot. Blades of Courage premiered in the US on cable television. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christopher Jorgens, Jorgito Vargas Jr., (more)
