Armand Assante Movies
Relegated to a series of low-budget thrillers in his later years despite impressive appearances in such films as Paradise Alley (1978) early on, Emmy-winning actor Armand Assante can always be relied upon to turn in a solid performance despite the fact that full-fledged stardom has eluded him throughout his long and varied career. A New York City native and a graduate of Cornwall Central High School, the handsome Irish-Italian actor got an impressive start to his acting career when he was awarded one of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts' highest honors while still a student at the renowned school. Assante is well versed in both stage and screen, and after he cut his teeth on such television dramas as How to Survive a Marriage and The Doctors, the fledgling actor got his big break opposite Sylvester Stallone in 1978's Paradise Alley. High-profile roles in Private Benjamin (1980) and Unfaithfully Yours (1984) found Assante gaining screen momentum in the early '80s, though the dedicated thespian continued to moonlight with numerous stage roles throughout the decade. From 1984 on, the majority of Assante's screen work was of the television variety, and in 1989 he was nominated for a Golden Globe for his role in the made-for-television feature Jack the Ripper.Assante started off the 1990s with a bang, and after gaining momentum with such efforts as Q & A (1990), The Mambo Kings (1992), and Hoffa (1992), an unrelentingly goofy performance in Fatal Instinct (1993) proved that he did indeed have a sense of humor despite his suave composure. With Judge Dredd (1995), Assante's feature career came to something of a head in the mid-'90s, and upon returning to the small screen he would take home an Emmy for his chilling performance as the eponymous character in the 1996 crime drama Gotti. Kudos would continue to roll in when Assante took the lead role in the television production of The Odyssey (1997), and after a strong few years onscreen he would usher in the new millennium with a voice role in the animated adventure The Road to El Dorado (2000). After taking the lead in the made-for-television remake of Stanley Kramer's nuclear war drama, On the Beach (2000), Assante spent the following few years appearing in such obscure action thrillers as Federal Protection (2001) and Partners in Action (2002). Despite his low profile, the tireless actor was in fact busier than ever as he appeared in no less than five films in 2003 alone. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Ridiculed and dismissed by his contemporaries due to his outrageous warnings about the dangers of Global Warming, a once-respected professor and academic hatches a deadly experiment designed to prove his theories in this thriller starring Val Kilmer and Armand Assante. James Pettis is a man on the brink. After publishing a pair of alarmist books claiming that Global Warming would hasten the collapse of humanity and bring about the end of the world as we know it, Pettis the laughing stock of the academic community. But even after losing everything, Pettis remained convinced that his theories were sound. Then, one day, Pettis bursts into the Tampa Tribune claiming that he can prove his hypothesis in no uncertain terms. In a bit to regain his status in the Global Warming community, Pettis has set up an experiment: six unsuspecting people have been lured into a "Steam Room" where the temperature will gradually rise, providing undeniable proof of Pettis' theory that rising temperatures on the planet's surface would send humanity spiraling into chaos. Should the Tampa Tribune fail to print his theories on the front page of their next edition, Pettis' unwitting lab rats will die a slow and excruciating death. Now it's up to Detective Jack Mancini to figure out whether Pettis is bluffing, or if he actually put the lives of innocent civilians in danger in a mad bid to prove his point about the dangers of Global Warming. But Detective Mancini has only two hours to discern whether the "Steam Room" is indeed real, or the manipulative creation of a delusional psychopath: does his risk his life and the lives of others to rescue people who may only exist in Pettis' mind, or does he take the madman at his word and do everything in his power to appease him? The clock is ticking, and the only way out of this deadly maze is for Detective Mancini to engage in an intellectual game of cat-and-mouse against an opponent who truly has nothing left to lose. Eric Roberts and Patrick Muldoon co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Val Kilmer, Armand Assante, (more)
An Army Ranger discovers a clan of nightclubbing vampires while investigating the murder of his parents in this Indifferent Entertainment production. Vinnie Jones, Michael Madsen, DMX and Armand Assante fill out the cast in the Charles Picerni-directed horror flick. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vinnie Jones, Michael Matthias, (more)
- 2009
His glory days as a hit man for Chicago's most powerful crime family fading into a distant memory, a seasoned killer accepts one last job in an attempt to secure his retirement, and discovers just how much the streets have changed in the last twenty years. In his heyday, Lou Marazano (Frank Vincent) was the number one triggerman for the Outfit, a ruthless gang that ruled all of Chicago. His exploits were legendary, and his ability to pull off big jobs without leaving any evidence was an enormous asset to the criminal powerbrokers in the city. Now Lou is in his sixties, and jailed Outfit boss Stefano D'Agnostino (Armand Assante) needs a big favor. There's a conspiracy linking some outwardly upstanding city officials to the Outfit, and Lou is exactly the kind of guy who can make those suspicious connections disappear. But this time someone's on to him. Veteran Homicide Detective Ralph Maloney (Danny Goldring) is certain that Lou has a hand in the latest round of underworld assassinations, and he's determined to do whatever it takes to connect him to the crimes. With Detective Maloney closing in and his job not yet finished, Lou finds regret hanging heavily on his conscious, and memories of his estranged family beginning to cloud his better judgment. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Frank Vincent, Armand Assante, (more)
Tourist season sets the stage for terror when a greedy developer attempts to transform a quiet California fishing town into a gaudy tourist trap, and a swarm of man-eating Great Whites begin devouring anyone who dares venture into the once-peaceful waters. Decades of dumping has turned the Pacific Ocean into a toxic cesspool, and while some species died out others somehow managed to survive and adapt. Full Moon Bay is a sleepy seaside town populated primarily by fisherman, though slimy industrial millionaire Hamilton Lux (Armand Assante) is planning to rape the land a reap a profit. Should Lux have his way, overpriced shops will flank historic landmarks and a luxury resort will draw tourists from around the world. Of course this will put a stranglehold on the local business, such as the nearby fishery fun by Daniel (John Schneider) and Brook Wilder (Daryl Hannah). Wilder isn't about to go down without a fight though, and though he's never seen eye to eye with his estranged brother Phillip (Roark Critchlow) - a noted professor and environmental expert - the siblings are about to reunite to fight for a common cause. Just as Phillip returns to town, word emerges that a number of locals have been torn to shreds and eaten alive after venturing into in bay. When Marine biologist Amy Zuckermann (Heather McComb) arrives to survey Lex's developments, she makes a most disturbing discovery - a beached bull shark with sensory organs that still display predatory instincts even after death. As if this news wasn't horrifying enough, Amy discovers that a swarm of Great White sharks are stalking the waters and killing for pleasure. Each day the number of sharks grows, and each day they become more violent. With the sun shining bright and the tourists turning up in droves, Amy, Daniel, and Brook must figure out a way to stop these killing machines before the feast begins. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Schneider, Daryl Hannah, (more)
- 2007
Romanian director Cristian Nemescu's comedy California Dreamin' (aka Nesfarsit, 2007) unfolds against the backdrop of the Kosovo War, circa 1999. A NATO train rolls through a Romanian hamlet, transporting a plethora of weapons across the country -- without official documents, and equipped only with the verbal consent of the Romanian authorities. The transport thus grows intensely vulnerable to the locals -- particularly the corrupt head of the railway station, who moonlights as a mobster and promptly decides to interfere with the shipment. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Armand Assante, Razvan Vasilescu, (more)
A historic cult that operates in accordance to ancient rituals involving the dragon-slaying Christian martyr St. George attempts to procure the sacrifice needed to resurrect their ancient leader in this supernatural thriller starring Armand Assante. On the Eve of St. George, the cult believes that they can bring the English patron back to life if they can find the perfect sacrifice - a child with untainted ancestry. Now, as the moment of truth draws near, ancient prophecies come to pass and a dark force prepares to rise from an eternal slumber. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Armand Assante
Set in the year 1882, director Pinchas Perry's adaptation of Irvin D. Yalom's fictional 1992 novel finds a depressed Friedrich Nietzsche seeking out the advice of pioneering psychoanalyst Josef Breuer for help in battling mental malaise. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ben Cross, Armand Assante, (more)
When a mob mule carrying five million dollars in cold hard cash suddenly goes missing, the kingpin awaiting the substantial delivery discovers that he isn't the only one searching for the missing money in this quirky crime comedy starring Armand Assante, Steven Bauer, John Heard, Nicole Eggert, and Joe Piscopo. Tony Thick is a mobster who was expecting a lucrative visit from Los Angeles-based delivery man Lenny Long. But Lenny has failed to show, and now the impatient Mafioso suspects that the courier may have met with foul play. Hoping to find out the whereabouts of his cash as quickly as possible, Tony sends his henchman Shady to L.A. to recover the tidy sum. Little does Shady realize he's about to run into a whole cast of crazies who seem to be on the same mission. From Lenny's desperate wife to his scatterbrained mistress, his bodybuilding brother, and one seriously eccentric neurosurgeon, this exhausting money run seems to get more outlandish with each passing day. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nicole Eggert, Steven Bauer, (more)
A mall security guard with a perfect work record reveals himself to be a dangerous sociopath in Children of the Corn director Fritz Kiersch's jarring psychological thriller. Harley (Armand Assante) is a security guard who never misses a shift, and always seems to have his act together. But sometimes perfection can mask great danger, and before he clocks out today the security guard that everyone trusted will reveal himself to be a murderous master of deception. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Armand Assante and Udo Kier star in director Ivan Nichev's tale of two warring gangs of drug dealers struggling to gain the upper hand in the lucrative Berlin drug trade. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Armand Assante, Udo Kier, (more)
The action film Mirror Wars concerns a super powerful secret fighter jet developed by the Russian government that is stolen by a group threatening to use it for their nefarious purposes. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Armand Assante, Malcolm McDowell, (more)
Gary Ellis' crime thriller Tough Luck stars Armand Assante as a man named Ike who hires Archie (Norman Reedus) to murder his wife. Archie begins to suspect that many of the people he has come into contact with while carrying out the job might be less than honest. Will he get away when the double-crosses start flying fast and furious? ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Armand Assante, Norman Reedus, (more)
Armand Assante is an ex-cop turned undercover crime fighter in this intense, high speed action film from Director Sidney J. Furie. Dejected by the failure of an undercover drug bust involving some dirty cops, Jack Cunningham (Assante) must protect the only surviving witness if there is any hopes of clearing his name and cleaning the streets of an increasingly drug-infested city. As time winds to a close and the bad guys move in for the kill, Jack's chances for survival in an urban nightmare grow as dim, though there may be one last hope of turning the tables if he can just find a good place to hide. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Armand Assante
- 2002
Network television's first "interactive" mystery-suspense series, Push, Nevada got under way somewhat in the manner of the 1945 theatrical feature Murder, He Says, with stalwart IRS agent Jim Prufrock (Derek Cecil) venturing into the hinterlands in search of a huge cache of stolen money. Prufrock followed the trail of evidence to the cloistered community of Push, NV, which seemed to be populated exclusively by weirdos with deep, dark secrets. Each time that Prufrock thought he'd figured out what was going on, a new riddle or enigma was added to the mixture, such as a motel which looked like a dump on the outside but was luxurious on the inside, or a bizarre casino where everyone was forced to speak in lousy French accents. As Jim tried to piece things together, the viewers at home were invited to interpret the clues right along with the protagonist. If the viewer was able to solve the mystery before the first 13 episodes had played out, he or she would win one million dollars. Co-created by actor Ben Affleck and boasting a production staff gleaned from Affleck's popular cable-TV documentary series Project Greenlight, Push, Nevada debuted on September 17, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Derek Cecil, Scarlett Chorvat, (more)
"Chop Chop" Frankie Carbone (Armand Assante) has made a career out of stealing cars for the mob in Chicago. An attempted assassination by a mob boss goes badly and Frankie retaliates, only to wind up in the hands of the Feds. Frankie agrees to testify against the mobsters and his life is suddenly worthless -- unless he submits to going into federal protection. The FBI gives him a new name -- Howard Akers -- and relocates him to a sleepy middle-class suburb in Little Rock, AR. Howard catches the attention of his lovely neighbor, Leigh (Angela Featherstone), a bored fund-raiser for a non-profit zoo whose husband, Dennis (David Lipper), is having an affair -- and she knows it, but she doesn't know it's with her hot-blooded sister, Bootsie (Dina Meyer). Leigh becomes friends with the enigmatic Howard, but Dennis and Bootsie see an opportunity to earn the million-dollar bounty the mob has put on his head by turning him in to the mob. ~ Buzz McClain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Armand Assante, Angela Featherstone, (more)
Adapted from an Ernest Hemingway story by Hemingway's longtime friend and associate A. E. Hotchner, After the Storm spent years in development before filming of the movie version began in 2000, several years after Hotchner's death. Set in the Bahamas in 1936, the story concerns a young fisherman on the lam from gangsters, who stumbles upon a fortune in jewels from a yacht sunk in a recent storm. This sudden windfall results in nothing but unhappiness and betrayal for the fisherman -- and for everyone else who embarks upon the treasure hunt that consumes most of the action. When After the Storm failed to secure a theatrical release, it was licensed to the USA network for its first American TV showing. The R-rated video version was released on May 29, 2001. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Benjamin Bratt, Armand Assante, (more)
- 1999
This animated children's film introduces kids to the life and times of Rashi, history's most studied Biblical commentator. Besides his work as a groundbreaking scholar, Rashi was a rabbi, lawyer, and vintner. This film takes children into the life of this remarkable man. Children will hear the voices of Leonard Nimoy and Armand Assante among others. ~ Rob Ferrier, All Movie Guide
- 1999
Co-writer director Martin Davidson, who previously made a name for himself in rock-fuelled features such as The Lords of Flatbush (1974) and Eddie and the Cruisers (1983), creates this wistful melodrama about a middle-aged widower looking back with tinges of regret at his abandoned musical career. Armand Assante stars as Vince, a former neighborhood idol and lead singer in his moderately successful doo-wop band. But instead of pursuing stardom, he married and got a job as a bartender in order to support his three kids; his eldest son is a cop with a family of his own, his middle child is a 20-something trying to start out with his band, and his youngest, Tina, spends her days in and out of hospitals suffering from leukemia. Though Vince has not dated since his wife died of cancer, he finds himself attracted to motor mouth nurse Joanne (Diane Venora). Later, Vince and his old friends from his defunct group visit the glitz and glamour of Atlantic City and reminisce about old times. Looking for an Echo was screened at the 1999 Mill Valley Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Armand Assante, Diane Venora, (more)
Utilizing an exceptional international all-star cast and excellent special effects, Hallmark entertainment and American Zoetrope productions created this fun-filled adaptation of Homer's most-famous epic poem. It was originally broadcast as a four-hour miniseries on the NBC network. The story faithfully chronicles the many adventures of sailor Odysseus (Armand Assante), his colorful crew as they encounter a variety of mythical figures, including Odysseus's spiritual guide Athena (Isabella Rossellini), the seductive Calypso (Vanessa Williams) and the treacherous Eurymachus (Eric Roberts). Highlights include the Trojan Horse (made to original scale and filmed on location in the ruins of Troy) sequence. Much of the miniseries was filmed in Europe and on the Mediterranean, making it a feast for the eye. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Armand Assante, Greta Scacchi, (more)
Gotti is the semi-biographical tale of John Gotti, the infamous crime boss of the Gambino mob family. This drama chronicles not only the bloody rise of Gotti, also known as the "Dapper Don", but the FBI's struggle to bring him to justice. His refusal to play by the normal "rules" of the mafia ultimately became the mobster's achilles heel; the FBI eventually persuaded assassin Sammy "The Bull" Gravano to testify against his ungrateful, paranoid boss, who was finally imprisoned in 1982. Gotti is based in part on a book written by Jerry Capeci and Gene Mustain titled Mob Star: The Story of John Gotti. Gotti, directed by Robert Harmon stars Armand Assante as the complicated mafia lord, and also features actors Anthony Quinn and William Forsythe. The drama aired on HBO in 1996, unwittingly serving as a precurser to what would later become the wildly popular mob drama The Sopranos. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Armand Assante, Anthony Quinn, (more)
- 1995
This adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's tale of valor and derring-do is set in the late 18th century during the time that England was ruthlessly trying to vanquish Scotland's bloody bid for independence. Young Scottish nobleman David Balfour would have inherited his family's estate had not his conniving uncle arranged for him to be abducted and put to sea as a slave. There he meets fugitive rebel Alan Breck, and together they have many adventures while trying to return home to claim David's birthright. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Armand Assante, Brian McCardie, (more)
- 1994
Armand Assante continues his vigilant quest into the mythos surrounding the man/messiah Jesus Christ with The Last Days of Jesus, which examines the crucifixion and the resurrection. Assante addresses the contradictions and the many difficult questions surrounding these seminal events while trekking through the Holy Land, talking to great scholars and examining ancient texts. ~ Ed Atkinson, All Movie Guide
- 1994
Part of a three-tape series on the historical figure of Jesus, The First Christmas attempts to unearth the secrets of Jesus' birth. What is the relationship between this Christian story and virgin-birth myths in other cultures? Why do only two of the four gospels even mention Jesus' birth and early years? How did Christmas come to be celebrated in the way that we know today? Armand Assante hosts this investigation into ancient lands, ancient texts, and modern beliefs. ~ All Movie Guide
