Frederic Forrest Movies
Frederic Forrest seemed destined for stardom earlier in his career, but circumstance has led him to become a well-respected supporting/character actor who only occasionally plays leads. Forrest began working professionally off-Broadway after studying acting under Sanford Meisner and Lee Strasberg. Forrest then worked in experimental theater with such groups as Tom O'Horgan's La Mama; it is with this troupe that he made his first film appearance in Futz (1969). He appeared in his first Hollywood feature as a young Indian in When the Legends Die (1972) after being spotted performing on the Los Angeles stage. His work earned him a Golden Globe for Best Newcomer and put him in demand with several big-name directors, most notably Francis Ford Coppola, who has provided Forrest with some of his best roles in films like The Conversation (1974), Apocalypse Now (1979), and Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988). Forrest was one of the first actors signed to a contract with Coppola's Zoetrope Studios. Forrest has once been nominated for an Oscar for playing Bette Midler's chauffeur/lover in The Rose (1979). In 1983, Forrest offered a memorable portrayal of detective novelist Dashiell Hammett in Hammett. Forrest has also done a lot of television work and has been particularly notable in such offerings as Lonesome Dove and Saigon, Year of the Cat. While primarily a supporting actor during the '80s, Forrest began playing character roles during the '90s in such films as The Two Jakes (1990), Falling Down (1993), and The Brave (1996). ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide- 1972
- PG
Young Tom Black Bull (Frederic Forrest) is a Ute Indian who ventures into the world of white men after the death of his parents. He winds up working at the rodeo. When hard-drinking Red Dillon (Richard Widmark) spots Tom's horse-handling skills, he makes him a bronco-riding star (and keeps the money for himself). Tom eventually tires of their exploitative relationship and sets out on his own, eventually winning a championship. Motivated perhaps by nostalgia, he later seeks Red out. Red, who is nearly dead from alcoholism, steals Tom's championship money to have one last spree. When Red dies, Tom genuinely mourns him and gives him Ute death rites before returning, now a seasoned man, to the reservation. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
In this organized crime drama (one of many that came in the wake of The Godfather, Tony (Frederic Forrest) and Vince (Al Lettieri) are two brothers whose father is a high-ranking Mafia kingpin; they've followed him into the family business, operating a profitable drug ring. While waiting for a delivery of a large supply of heroin, the pair are ambushed, which leads them to suspect their associate Frank (Robert Forster) is a snitch. They soon realize that the corruption within their organization runs deeper than expected when they discover that their father has been assassinated. Don Angelo (Anthony Quinn) is chosen to be the new boss in a tense meeting of the Mafia brass, but Tony and Frank refuse to follow his leadership. Meanwhile, Orlando (Charles Cioffi), a mob accountant whose boss, Don Bernardo (J. Duke Russo), is behind bars, has a plan to bring himself to a position of power in the mob; he engineers a situation that will put Frank's fiancée Ruby (Angel Thompkins) into the arms of Don Angelo, thereby sending Frank into a murderous rage. Cult figure Sid Haig has a supporting role as The Arab. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anthony Quinn, Frederic Forrest, (more)
- 1973
- R
Deadly Kiss and Beautiful But Deadly are alternate titles for the Godfather knockoff The Don is Dead. Anthony Quinn is appointed mob leader after the reigning Don expires. Syndicate functionaries Frederic Forrest and Al Lettieri, sons of the deceased don, refuse to align themselves with Quinn, sparking a power struggle involving Quinn and overambitious Charles Cioffi. Sexy singer Angel Tompkins is used as a pawn in Cioffi's insidious scheme. Quinn, however, is not so easily toppled; only an act of God can knock him off his throne, and ultimately it's the Almighty who takes a hand in matters. Adapted from the novel by Marvin H. Albert, The Don is Dead is a fascinating (if tacky) peek into the inner workings of Mafia politics. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1974
- R
The Gravy Train stars Stacy Keach and Frederic Forrest as a husky but none-too-bright pair of West Virginia brothers. Feeling stifled by their blue-collar jobs, the boys become tentatively involved in crime, only to discover that they enjoy working on the wrong side of the law. The moments of extreme violence in this film erupt naturally, not arbitrarily, but still come as a shock to those viewers who've grown to like the sociopathic protagonists. Terence Malick co-wrote the film's seriocomic script under the "nom de plume" of David Whitney. The Gravy Train is better known by its alternate title, The Dion Brothers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1974
The title of the book, written by Dr. Robert McQueen, upon which this TV movie was based is the tragically on-target Larry: Case History of a Mistake. Frederic Forrest stars as Larry, who for 26 years was wrongly confined in a mental institution. Diagnosed as retarded, Larry is actually possessed of normal intelligence, as is belatedly discovered by the film's Dr. McQueen counterpart (Michael McGuire). The problem is now twofold: Larry must be taught to be self-sufficient by the hospital staff, and he must be prepared to enter society's mainstream. Filmed at an actual California facility for the mentally challenged, the fact-based Larry premiered April 23, 1974, as a GE Theater special. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Made between The Godfather (1972) and The Godfather Part II (1974), and in part an homage to Michelangelo Antonioni's art-movie classic Blow-Up (1966), The Conversation was a return to small-scale art films for Francis Ford Coppola. Sound surveillance expert Harry Caul (Gene Hackman) is hired to track a young couple (Cindy Williams and Frederic Forrest), taping their conversation as they walk through San Francisco's crowded Union Square. Knowing full well how technology can invade privacy, Harry obsessively keeps to himself, separating business from his personal life, even refusing to discuss what he does or where he lives with his girlfriend, Amy (Teri Garr). Harry's work starts to trouble him, however, as he comes to believe that the conversation he pieced together reveals a plot by the mysterious corporate "Director" who hired him to murder the couple. After he allows himself to be seduced by a call girl, who then steals the tapes, Harry is all the more convinced that a killing will occur, and he can no longer separate his job from his conscience. Coppola, cinematographer Bill Butler, and Oscar-nominated sound editor Walter Murch convey the narrative through Harry's aural and visual experience, beginning with the slow opening zoom of Union Square accompanied by the alternately muddled and clear sound of the couple's conversation caught by Harry's microphones. The Godfather Part II and The Conversation earned Coppola a rare pair of Oscar nominations for Best Picture, as well as two nominations for Best Screenplay (The Godfather Part II won both). Praised by critics, The Conversation was not a popular hit, but it has since come to be seen as one of the artistic high points of the decade, as well as of Coppola's career. Its atmosphere of paranoia and suspicion, combined with its obsessive loner antihero, made it prototypical of the darker "American art movies" of the early '70s, as its audiotape storyline also made it seem eerily appropriate for the era of the Watergate scandal. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gene Hackman, John Cazale, (more)
- 1974
Reverse sexism-sort of-is the theme of Promise Him Anything. Ever on the lookout for new conquests, bachelor Frederic Forrest signs on with a computer dating service, exaggerating his attractiveness on his resume. He is matched up with secretary Meg Foster, whose own resume promises that "anything goes." When he learns that "anything" really means "nothing", he hauls the girl into court! Veterans Eddie Albert, Tom Ewell, William Schallert and Aldo Ray costar in the forgettable made-for-TV fluff. Promise Him Anything was originally telecast May 14, 1975. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1975
It's still the same old story...but what a story. This umpteenth filmization of the classic Mark Twain novel stars Ron Howard as Huck and Donny Most as Tom Sawyer. After faking his own murder to escape his brutish Pap (played by Howard's real-life father Rance), Huck and fugitive slave Jim (Antonio Fargas) fashion a raft and head off down the Mississippi. The darker elements and sociological commentary of the Twain original are carefully excised from this version, the better to allow more time for the antics of those "royal" rapscallions, the King (Jack Elam) and the Duke (Merle Haggard). Mark Twain himself makes a guest appearance, in the person of Royal Dano. Filmed along the Sacramento River in California (a frequent movie "stand-in" for the Mississippi), Huckleberry Finn was first broadcast March 25, 1975. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1975
- PG
Yet another in the stable of spy movies which depict espionage as a dirty business. Here, we have Dirk Bogarde heading the "Western Intelligence Liaison" his specific task is to keep the head of a radical third-world organization from returning to his country. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dirk Bogarde, Ava Gardner, (more)
A rancher, a rustler, and a regulator face off in Arthur Penn's eccentric western. As a cover for their horse thievery, a gang of Montana rustlers, led by the laid-back Tom Logan (Jack Nicholson), buys a small farm adjacent to the ranch of their latest target/nemesis, Braxton (John McLiam). When the gang leaves Tom on the farm and heads to Canada for another score, Tom takes a shine both to farming and Braxton's rebellious, strong-willed daughter, Jane (Kathleen Lloyd). The slightly loco Braxton, however, hires the psychopathic regulator Lee Clayton (Marlon Brando) to root out the rustlers. With a series of unorthodox methods (and costumes), Clayton hunts down Logan and his gang one by one, even after Braxton fires him, but Logan isn't about to let Clayton (or Braxton) make him obsolete. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marlon Brando, Jack Nicholson, (more)
Producer/director Mel Stuart, who'd previously worked with David L. Wolper on the historical-recreation series Appointment with Destiny, applies the same docudrama techniques to the feature length Ruby and Oswald. Framed in the form of a documentary, the film recounts the days just prior to the Kennedy assassination, then traces the events leading to the fatal confrontation between Jack Ruby and Lee Harvey Oswald. There is a smattering of "conspiracy" speculation, but the script generally sticks to the known facts. The dramatized recreations are interspersed with actual footage of the dark days in November, including JFK's funeral. Made for TV, Ruby and Oswald has been rereleased as Four Days in Dallas. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1978
- R
Writer-director Larry Cohen followed his ragged but interesting horror hit It's Alive! with this sequel, which surpassed the original in both creativity and technical expertise. The story opens as another expectant couple, Eugene and Jody Scott (Frederic Forrest and Kathleen Lloyd), are paid a surprise visit by a stranger who turns out to be Frank Davies (John P. Ryan), the father of the original monster baby from the previous film. Davies warns the couple that their unborn child may be similarly at risk, and thereby in mortal danger from a nationwide task force dedicated to destroying the monster infants. Despite their initial apprehension, the Scotts eventually place a tenuous trust in the stranger, who explains that the children are not subhuman animals, but may actually represent the next step in human evolution -- a view shared by members of an underground organization devoted to the protection and study of the children. Davies secretes Eugene and Jody in this group's hideout so that they can attend to the birth of the child in safety. Discovering that their newborn is indeed one of the same mutants, the Scotts undergo a traumatic test of familial integrity, much like that of the Davies family in the previous film. Their emotional turmoil is further compounded by an assault on the compound by members of a rival underground dedicated to eradicating the monster babies, which leads to a grim and violent confrontation. This time out, Cohen is far more assured at the helm, stabilizing his vision with a more elaborate script, higher budget, and good performances. On the downside, the monster-baby FX haven't particularly improved since the previous outing, but Cohen has the good sense to keep the little rubber beasties fairly well-hidden. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Frederic Forrest, Kathleen Lloyd, (more)
- 1978
In this drama, a politically ambitious lawyer, a bookie, and a barmaid become finalists in a large lottery. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Bette Midler stars as Rose in this somber drama loosely based on the life of the late Janis Joplin. She plays an ill-fated singer who succumbs to the pressures of performing by indulging in drugs and alcohol. Her sweetheart Dyer (Frederic Forrest) is the former chauffeur who naively tries to save her from self destruction, while her British manager Rudge (Alan Bates) is ultimately blamed for not preventing her inevitable fall. The story mirrors any one of a number of popular singers who have fallen victim to the excess of success. Midler and Forrest were nominated for Oscars for their performances, with Best Editing laurels given to Timothy O'Meara and Robert Wolf. The Rose was a box office smash and was the plum role that elevated Midler to star status in the eyes of the public and Hollywood. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bette Midler, Alan Bates, (more)
One of a cluster of late-1970s films about the Vietnam War, Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now adapts the Joseph Conrad novella Heart of Darkness to depict the war as a descent into primal madness. Capt. Willard (Martin Sheen), already on the edge, is assigned to find and deal with AWOL Col. Kurtz (Marlon Brando), rumored to have set himself up in the Cambodian jungle as a local, lethal godhead. Along the way Willard encounters napalm and Wagner fan Col. Kilgore (Robert Duvall), draftees who prefer to surf and do drugs, a USO Playboy Bunny show turned into a riot by the raucous soldiers, and a jumpy photographer (Dennis Hopper) telling wild, reverent tales about Kurtz. By the time Willard sees the heads mounted on stakes near Kurtz's compound, he knows Kurtz has gone over the deep end, but it is uncertain whether Willard himself now agrees with Kurtz's insane dictum to "Drop the Bomb. Exterminate them all." Coppola himself was not certain either, and he tried several different endings between the film's early rough-cut screenings for the press, the Palme d'Or-winning "work-in-progress" shown at Cannes, and the final 35 mm U.S. release (also the ending on the video cassette). The chaotic production also experienced shut-downs when a typhoon destroyed the set and star Sheen suffered a heart attack; the budget ballooned and Coppola covered the overages himself. These production headaches, which Coppola characterized as being like the Vietnam War itself, have been superbly captured in the documentary, Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse. Despite the studio's fears and mixed reviews of the film's ending, Apocalypse Now became a substantial hit and was nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor for Duvall's psychotic Kilgore, and Best Screenplay. It won Oscars for sound and for Vittorio Storaro's cinematography. This hallucinatory, Wagnerian project has produced admirers and detractors of equal ardor; it resembles no other film ever made, and its nightmarish aura and polarized reception aptly reflect the tensions and confusions of the Vietnam era. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando, (more)
After completing Apocalypse Now, Francis Ford Coppola initially planned for his next picture to be an intimate romantic musical shot on a low budget in Las Vegas. Three years later, One from the Heart had mushroomed into a big-budget spectacular, shot on strikingly stylized sets at his newly opened Zoetrope Studio and costing a then-massive $27 million. The story concerns Hank (Frederick Forrest) and Franny (Terri Garr), a working-class couple living on the outskirts of Las Vegas; after five years together, their relationship has fallen into a rut, and they both set off in search of new partners. Hank meets up with Leila (Nastassia Kinski), a beautiful high-wire artist, and Franny has a fling with Ray (Raul Julia), a dashing actor-waiter. But Hank and Franny still love each other, and their search for romance brings them back into each other's arms. Singer/songwriter Tom Waits received an Oscar nomination for his widely acclaimed song score, performed with country crooner Crystal Gayle. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Frederic Forrest, Teri Garr, (more)
Director Wim Wenders made his American film bow with the ultra-stylish Hammett. Based on the speculative novel by Joe Gores, the story concerns real-life detective novelist Dashiell Hammett (Frederic Forest), who early in his career is involved in a complex mystery that will profoundly influence his later works. While hacking away for pulp magazines, Hammett is asked by Jimmy Ryan (Peter Boyle), his old boss at the Pinkerton agency (and the model for the writer's "Continental Op" character), to help out on a particularly difficult case. Before long, Hammett is prowling the nooks and crannies of San Francisco in search of a missing Chinese prostitute-blackmailer (Lydia Lei). Among the several delectable "inside jokes" in Hammett is the presence of Elisha Cook, who'd appeared in the 1941 film adaptation of Hammett's Maltese Falcon, as Eli the Cab Driver. Cinematographers Philip H. Lathrop and Joseph Biroc work overtime to invest Hammett with the "feel" of a classic 1940s detective yarn. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Frederic Forrest, Peter Boyle, (more)
- 1983
Ann-Margret is beyond praise in her TV movie debut as the real-life Lucile Frey. A poor, minimally educated rural Iowa mother, Lucile learns on the occasion of the birth of her tenth child in 1952 that she is dying of cancer. Reasoning that her husband (Frederic Forest) is not responsible enough to take care of her children on his own, Lucile takes upon herself the task of finding suitable foster parents for her soon-to-be motherless brood. Not as depressing as it might have been, Who Will Love My Children? closes with the implication that Lucile's children were able to retain their family ties even after being separated for 29 years. The real-life Frey children were showcased the same evening that Who Will Love My Children premiered (February 15, 1983) on an installment of the ABC TV series That's Incredible. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
A satiric romantic comedy, Martha Coolidge's Valley Girl is a testimony to the short-lived Southern California '80s craze. Julie (Deborah Foreman) is a good-natured teenager following a swarm of pastel pink valley girls, who utter "gag me" at every opportunity. To her friends' dismay , Julie breaks up with her egotistical boyfriend, Tommy (Michael Bowen), while shopping at the mall. All the valley kids go to a party that night, and Tommy immediately tries to bed one of Julie's friends. Randy (Nicolas Cage), a bad boy from Hollywood, shows up and crashes the party. Open-minded Julie flirts with him before he is literally thrown out, presumably just for looking different. Smitten with Julie, Randy sneaks back into the party to talk to her again. Julie drags a whimpering valley friend with her to spend the night cruising with Randy in Hollywood. After an extended courtship, Randy is in love with Julie, and she must choose between him and Tommy, who wants her back. Her friends refuse to accept Randy, who makes many exaggerated attempts to win back her love. Finally, after she has a heartfelt talk with her dad (Frederic Forrest), love triumphs at the prom. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nicolas Cage, Deborah Foreman, (more)
Saigon: Year of the Cat is a low-budget drama about the fall of Saigon. The film was made for the BBC in 1983. It was one of many television projects that director Stephen Frears (High Fidelity) worked on in the early part of his career. Playwright David Hare (Plenty) wrote the script. Judi Dench plays Barbara Dean, a depressed loan officer working for a British bank in Saigon in 1974. Barbara politely wards off the advances of her Scottish co-worker, Donald (Roger Rees), who does not share her respect for the Vietnamese people. She also avoids getting involved with Frank (Wallace Shawn), an American embassy employee with whom she plays bridge. When she meets Bob (Frederic Forrest), however, she's immediately attracted to him. She soon learns that while Bob poses as a cultural attaché, he actually works for the CIA. When Bob belatedly recognizes her attraction, he opens up to her, and they become lovers. Bob hears from a reliable intelligence source that the North Vietnamese are stepping up their aggression and plan to take Saigon soon. He tries to convince his boss, Jack Ockham (Josef Sommer), and the U.S. ambassador (E.G. Marshall) to prepare for the fall of the city by evacuating the South Vietnamese citizens who have worked most closely with the U.S. government. The ambassador does not want to appear to be abandoning President Thieu's regime. He refuses to credit Bob's report. Meanwhile, as the crisis looms, Barbara is growing despondent because Bob is not spending time with her, and because there's little she can do to help her South Vietnamese friends get out of the country. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Judi Dench, Frederic Forrest, (more)
A small Kansas town's preparations for its annual Fourth of July parade provide the backdrop of this drama that centers around the sudden turmoil experienced by three generations of women in a family when one of their husbands is released from a seven year sentence in prison and comes home looking for revenge. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
In this tightly-wound, perceptive film, a young farm boy kills his older brother when a shotgun accidentally goes off then retreats into a shell of silence as his family seems to react against him. Arnold (Jason Presson) and his brother get up at the crack of dawn to go duck hunting, but their happy plans take a tragic turn when Arnold's shotgun gets caught in a barbed wire fence and accidentally goes off, killing his older brother. Arnold is in shock, he sits by his brother's side, he irrationally wanders in a pea patch, slowly picking the vegetables. When he finally goes home and manages to articulate what happened, his parents ignore him in their own grief. His father Joe (Robert Duvall) thinks Arnold does not have a clue about what he did because he just stands there, not speaking or communicating anything at all -- like a stone. Arnold's mother may not understand his behavior -- this is a Montana farming couple, not a pair of psychologists -- but she is not as judgmental as her husband. The family's grief causes some aberrant behavior, making the life of Arnold's next-door Aunt Lu miserable (her philandering husband is taking off after the dead boy's girlfriend), and Arnold senses a kindred spirit in the woman. But his grandfather is the only one who understands that the family should not mistreat Arnold, that he is suffering so intensely he simply cannot express it. When Arnold runs away, escaping to the city of Reno, there is some hope that the boy will find a much-needed emotional release. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Duvall, Jason Presson, (more)
- 1984
Christopher Collet stars as real-life teenager Richard Jahnke Jr. in the made-for-TV Right to Kill. After suffering years of torment and abuse from his father (Frederic Forrest), Jahnke can stand no more. Hiding in the closet of his Wyoming home, Jahnke hears the familiar sounds of his father beating his mother. "I just wanted to make him stop," Jahnke later explained to the authorities--after he killed his father with a rifle. Written for television by Joyce Eliason, it initially aired on May 22, 1985 ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Frederic Forrest, Christopher Collet, (more)
- 1984
Patty Duke Astin plays the wife of police officer Frederic Forrest, who wants to join a special investigative unit. Forrest is denied this position on the basis of information concerning his wife. The information, which reveals a dicey extramarital affair, was culled from a department surveillance file that was supposed to have been destroyed by court order. Astin battles through legal channels to expose the police force's illegal actions, even as she and her husband suffer the innuendoes and cold shoulders from his fellow officers. The made-for-TV Best Kept Secrets premiered on March 26, 1984. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1984
19th century frontierwoman Martha Jane Canary (1852-1903)--better known as Calamity Jane--has been portrayed by actresses as diverse as Doris Day, Jean Arthur and Louise Dresser. Jane Alexander isn't exactly the living image of the legendary Jane, but at least she plays down the Hollywood glamour that afflicted Arthur's and Day's interpretations. This made-for-TV film details the private Jane rather than the public image. It was based on letters sent by Jane to her daughter back east; Suzanne Clauser's teleplay opines that the daughter was the illegitimate offspring of Calamity and her paramour Wild Bill Hickok (Frederic Forrest). Calamity Jane originally aired March 6, 1984. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
