Robert Wahlberg Movies
- 2007
Ken Burns continues his exploration of massive, sweeping subjects with his 15-hour documentary The War; in this case, the conflict in question is World War II. Yet within the scope of that gargantuan subject, Burns and co-director Lynn Novick narrow their scale of emphasis, honing in on four "average" American towns and charting the experiences of individual young men who enlisted to go overseas and fight against the encroaching shadow of fascism. The film covers each major "region" of the U.S. by transporting audiences to the west coast (Sacramento, California); the south (Mobile, Alabama); the east coast (Waterbury, Connecticut) and the Midwest (the farming community of Luverne, Minnesota). Within that geographic framework, Burns uncovers a series of astonishing tales about bravery in the midst of adversity - from the story of a young man who transported 12 American soldiers from the Normandy beach on D-Day, to the accounts of innumerable young men who falsified their ages and enlisted early. Burns and Novick thus repeatedly emphasize the human side of war - an aspect all too often glossed over when documentarians treat WWII on a broader scale. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Glenn Frazier, Sam Hynes, (more)
- 2007
His uncle having recently died in his arms after a hard fall from a high roof, a Boston carpenter decides to pen a play about the funeral despite having no previous theater experience and only his instinct to guide him. Jack O'Toole was just an average guy from an average family, but the instant he gazed into the eyes of his dying uncle everything changed. Taken by emotion and stirred by an internal voice that encourages him to filter his pain into something creative, Jack quits his job and begins writing a play. Much to Jack's surprise, his heartfelt vision slowly comes into focus in the back room of a local pub -- the only stage he can afford. Anyone who has ever written or produced a play will likely attest to the personal toll it takes, however, and Jack is no exception. Not only does Jack's new marriage begin to suffer as a result of his creative aspirations, but his strained relationship with his own father begins to buckle under the stress as well. As the night of the big premiere looms ever closer, the vocal doubts of his family and friends do little to distract the budding playwright from telling the story that continues to weigh on his heart and mind. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Amy Poehler, Eliza Dushku, (more)
Directed by Clint Eastwood, the mysterious drama Mystic River is based on the novel by Dennis Lehane and adapted by screenwriter Brian Helgeland. Set in an Irish neighborhood in Boston, Jimmy, Sean, and Dave are three childhood friends who are reunited after a brutal murder takes place. Reformed convict Jimmy Markum (Sean Penn) and his devoted wife Annabeth (Laura Linney) find out that their teenage daughter Katie (Emmy Rossum) has been beaten and killed. Jimmy's old friend Sean Devine (Kevin Bacon) is the homicide detective assigned to the case, along with partner Whitey Powers (Laurence Fishburne). Jimmy also gets his relatives, the Savage brothers (Adam Nelson and Robert Wahlberg), to conduct an investigation of their own. Jimmy and Sean both start to suspect their old pal, Dave Boyle (Tim Robbins), who lives a quiet life with his wife Celeste (Marcia Gay Harden) but harbors some disturbing secrets. Clint Eastwood won a Golden Coach for Mystic River at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sean Penn, Kevin Bacon, (more)
Frequent television director Brad Silberling directs the romantic drama Moonlight Mile. Set in a Massachusetts town in the early '70s, Joe Nast (Jake Gyllenhaal) is distraught after the death of his fiancée. He moves in with her parents, Ben (Dustin Hoffman) and JoJo (Susan Sarandon), while trying to sort out all of the legal troubles and painful details of the wedding cancellations. While trying to locate the wedding invitations in the mail, Joe meets Bertie (Ellen Pompeo), whose boyfriend has been MIA in Vietnam. Despite his growing relationship with his late fiancée's parents, Joe begins to foster a romance with Bertie. Also starring Dabney Coleman and Holly Hunter. Moonlight Mile is based on Brad Silberling's real-life situation following the murder of his TV-star girlfriend Rebecca Schaeffer. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jake Gyllenhaal, Dustin Hoffman, (more)
- 2001
Jake McCrory (Marty Maguire) is a hired killer who, as part of a routine assignment, poses as a salesman and murders a man in his doorway, while the victim's young daughter, Anna, watches nearby. One of the victim's associates shoots Jake, and as Jake is tugged between life and death, he is visited by the spirit of the man he's just killed, asking him to keep an eye on Anna, who is now an orphan. Jake survives his wounds, and while he doesn't turn his back on his deadly profession, he also tries to honor his pledge to make sure Anna is being well cared for by her uncle. Years later, Anna (Charis Michaelson) is an adult in her early twenties, and Jake is still following her from a safe distance, which strikes Jake's wife Kelly (Sandi Carroll) as an obsession that has grown unhealthy. But Jake is not aware that Anna still carries a deep hatred of the man who killed her father and has been trying to persuade Timmy (Robert Wahlberg), the gunman who nearly killed Jake years ago, to finish the job. Jake, however, wants to confess his crime to Anna, hoping he can find some sort of redemption in coming clean. Orphan was the first feature film from director Richard Moos. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marty Maguire, Charis Michaelson, (more)
Robert Wahlberg, brother to Mark and Donnie, stars in this crime thriller about four brothers who get in too deep. At first, the men only aim to support their family with the spoils of their scams. But eventually, two of the quartet take things too far, putting everyone in danger. The debut feature from director Ed Nicoletti, The Exchange also stars Robert Stevenson and Anthony Mangano. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Wahlberg, Anthony Mangano, (more)
"Southie" is common usage in Massachusetts for a resident of South Boston. John Shea directed and co-scripted (with James Cummings and Dave McLaughlin) this low-budget crime drama which won the American Independent Award at the 1998 Seattle Film Festival. Out of money and out of luck, Danny Quinn (Donnie Wahlberg) leaves NYC and returns home to South Boston where his dysfunctional family is allied with an Irish Mafia crowd. When Danny's pals open a private casino with an assist from a different Irish Mafia group, this leaves Danny stuck in the middle when trouble erupts between the two factions. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Donnie Wahlberg, Rose McGowan, (more)
