Christian Kane Movies

A close-knit group of NYU graduates finds the fragile threads of friendship torn asunder following the return of an old friend who had previously vanished without a trace. Heartbroken after being dumped by Amy (Kathleen Robertson), Sam (Desmond Harrington) quietly packs his bags, and sets out to explore the world. He never called to check in on his old friends, eventually fading into a distant memory. Years later, at a wedding in Athens, GA., Sam surprises his old friends by showing up unannounced and unexpected. These days Amy is married, the rest of their friends have gone their separate ways. When Sam shows up at the wedding, however, forgotten memories and suppressed emotions all come flooding back, throwing a big wrench into everyone's staid, comfortable lives. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Oscar winning actor Timothy Hutton stars in this darkly comic drama about a group of criminals who have a thoroughly modern take on the concept of social justice. Led by Nate Ford (Hutton), who has experience as an insurance investigator, the team extort money from targets who really deserve it - people who have harmed others themselves. But robbing the innocent is a very different thing from robbing the guilty in the minds of these warped Robin Hoods, and with a team comprised of a mastermind, a cat burglar, a con-woman, a hacker, and a veteran thief, they're prepared to exert their moral philosophy on the cretins of the world - and make a good living while they do it. ~ Cammila Collar, Rovi

Though created by Jim Leonard, the weekly, hour-long CBS crime-and-punishment series Close to Home bore the distinctive stamp of executive producer Jerry Bruckheimer, whose previous procedural dramas included Cold Case and the CSI franchise. Jennifer Finnigan starred as Annabeth Chase, a hotshot prosecutor -- and new mom -- living and working in Indianapolis. Returning from pregnancy leave, Annabeth discovered that her motherhood had cost her a promotion, and that during her absence she'd acquired a new boss, Maureen Scofield (Kimberly Chase), who was now worried that Annabeth would let her hormones rule her head in legal matters. Nonetheless, our heroine was dedicated to the point of obsession with ridding her town of serial murderers and sex criminals, especially those who hid behind the veneer of "folks next door" respectability. Also in the cast were Christian Kane as Annabeth's husband, Jack, and John Carroll Lynch as her colleague Steve Sharpe. Close to Home made its network bow on October 4, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Executive produced by Steven Spielberg, the sprawling six-part, 12-hour TV miniseries Into the West covers 65 years of American history, from the first major migration westward in the mid-1820s to the massacre at Wounded Knee in the early 1890s. The story is largely seen through the eyes of two protagonists (and their families): Jacob Wheeler (Matthew Settle), a wheelwright who leaves his Virginia hometown and his family's business in 1827 to seek his destiny in the company of legendary mountain man Jedediah Smith (Josh Brolin); and Loved by the Buffalo (George Leach), a Lakota Sioux holy man who spends a lifetime seeking the answers to his profound and disturbing images about the future of his country -- and his people. Eschewing the usual "old-age makeup" route often pursued in epic tales of this nature, the main characters are played by progressively older actors in the course of the story: for example, Loved by the Buffalo is portrayed by no fewer than four different performers! In a more traditionalist How the West Was Won vein, the miniseries is festooned with major stars, some cast in very brief roles: among these are Josh Brolin, Keri Russell, Matthew Modine, Beau Bridges, Gary Busey, Tom Berenger, and Judge Reinhold. Nor is How the West Was Won the only inspiration for the multi-plotted storyline: other films echoed and emulated throughout the saga include The Iron Horse, The Big Trail, Westward the Women, The Searchers, and Dances With Wolves. As mentioned, the story is divided into six parts: "Wheel to the Stars," in which the fates of Jacob Wheeler and Loved by the Buffalo become forever intertwined; "Manifest Destiny," chronicling the first major trek to California; "Dreams & Schemes," wherein the Lakota lands are despoiled by Gold Fever and war breaks out between the North and South; "Hell on Wheels," chronicling the postwar chaos and the coming of the railroad; "Casualties of War," wherein the conflict between Native Americans and the white man results in wholesale bloodshed -- and, surprisingly, a "counter-revolution" of compassion and understanding; and "Ghost Dance," the last great stand of the Lakota, which brings the story full circle. Largely filmed in the Canadian Rockies over a six-month period, and utilizing the talents of six directors, Into the West premiered June 10, 2005, on the TNT cable network. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

H.G. Bissinger's best-selling true-life account of a few months in the life of a high-school football team comes to the screen in this adaptation written and directed by Peter Berg. Odessa, TX, is an oil town in the western part of the state that's home to the Permian High School Panthers, the football team with the best winning record in the state. Odessa is a town with more than its share of problems; the decline of the oil business in Texas has set the city's economy into a tailspin, and racial tensions still erupt into violence on occasion. But football is the one thing that brings all the people of Odessa together, and on Friday nights every fall, as many as 20,000 people fill Permian's football stadium to watch Coach Gary Gaines (Billy Bob Thornton) and his boys try to lead the team to victory. As Gaines works to build a winning team in a town where victory is prized above all else, however, his players struggle through the emotional trials common to any teenager and ponder the fact that there is little future in their hometown...and that a championship season can be as much a burden as a triumph. Friday Night Lights also stars Lucas Black, Derek Luke, Jay Hernandez, and country singer-turned-actor Tim McGraw. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

In this family-friendly comedy drama, Walter (Haley Joel Osment) is a shy and bookish boy just short of his teens whose mother impulsively decides to leave him for the summer with his eccentric grand-uncles, Hub (Robert Duvall) and Garth (Michael Caine). Walter isn't especially happy about being left in the middle of Texas with two old men, while Hub and Garth aren't too pleased to be stuck minding a boy, especially one who isn't accustomed to hunting, fishing, or firearms. When Walter starts hearing local gossip about his uncles' wild and wooly pasts, he begins asking a few questions, and while Hub and Garth don't enjoy having the boy poking into their pasts, as they start telling tales of their youthful adventures, they find themselves itching for some new adventures in their lives. Soon Walter is a semi-willing accomplice as his elderly guardians rediscover the wild, impulsive spirit of youth. Secondhand Lions was produced in part by the well-respected visual effects house Digital Domain, who also helped create the imagery for the film's flashback sequences. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Can a new marriage survive meddling friends, disapproving families, and some of the worst accommodations in Europe? That's the question posed in this broad comedy. Tom Leezak (Ashton Kutcher) is a regular guy who likes sports and beer and tries to make ends meet working as a nighttime radio traffic reporter. Sarah McNerney (Brittany Murphy) is a beautiful young woman from a wealthy and privileged family who is trying to make a name for herself as a writer. Tom and Sarah have seemingly nothing in common, but that doesn't stop them from falling in love. Sarah's family doesn't much care for Tom's boorish ways, and Tom's buddies think Sarah is too highbrow for him, but, if anything, this makes the couple all the more determined to be together, and they decide to get married and head off to Italy for a month-long honeymoon despite the pleas of those closest to them. However, even after the knot is tied, Sarah's former beau, Peter Prentiss (Christian Kane), is dead set upon breaking up the happy couple, though as it turns out, a seemingly endless stream of bad luck and post-marital jitters may do the job for him. Just Married was written by Sam Harper, who claims to have loosely based the script on his own experiences on an ill-starred European honeymoon with his wife; fortunately, the couple's marriage survived the experience. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Angel (David Boreanaz) undergoes a punishing regimen of physical and mental training in preparation for his inevitable showdown with Darla (Julie Benz) and Drusilla (Juliet Landau). He shadows the terrible twosome as they haunt the demon lairs of Los Angeles, inviting would-be villains to attend their impending tryouts for the formation of a fearsome vampire/demon posse. Meanwhile, it turns out that Lindsey McDonald (Christian Kane) and Lilah Morgan (Stephanie Romanov) were spared during Darla and Drusilla's massacre (see "Reunion") so that one can serve as a scapegoat at Wolfram & Hart and the other can continue liaising with the vampire women. Angry at having been manipulated, Darla tells the lawyers she doesn't care who gets axed and who lives to scheme with her another day. In the end, the senior partners kill neither Lilah nor Lindsey, instead allowing them to take over from the slain Holland Manners as acting co-vice presidents. As for Angel's newly fired associates, Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter), Wesley (Alexis Denisof), and Gunn (J. August Richards) nurse their hurt feelings with the Host (Andy Hallett) at Caritas. Drunkenly resolving to carry on Angel Investigations with or without its founder, they respond to one of Cordelia's visions and successfully save a girl from a demon. Elsewhere, Angel arrives at Dru and Darla's audition space and slays the assembled would-be minions. When the vampire vixens themselves arrive, Angel sets them on fire. They escape the reaper by knocking the top off of a fire hydrant, but are horribly burned nonetheless. Originally broadcast January 16, 2001, on the WB network, "Redefinition" marked season two, episode 11 of the supernatural comedy drama. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi

Cordy (Charisma Carpenter) and the boys proudly cure a client of a demonic third eye that has sprouted in the back of her head, but the girl's mother refuses to pay on the grounds that since demons don't exist, the team must have scammed her. Later, Virginia (Brigid Brannagh) breaks up with Wesley (Alexis Denisof), unable to cope with his dangerous lifestyle. Elsewhere, Detective Kate Lockley (Elisabeth Rohm) gets fired from the LAPD for her obsession with the occult. Meanwhile, Angel (David Boreanaz) learns that one of the senior partners of Wolfram & Hart, a fearsome Kleynack demon, will be arriving on earth soon for the firm's violent 75-year review. Angel decides to take his battle with the firm all the way to the bottom -- to hell, where he will confront the senior partners on their home turf. After basically stealing a book from Wes and Cordy and further alienating his former comrades, he turns to Denver (Brett Rickaby), the same bookstore proprietor who helped him 50 years earlier (see "Are You Now or Have You Ever Been?"). Denver gives him a mystic gauntlet that will allow him to kill the visiting Kleynack demon and steal the magical ring with which it travels between dimensions. Unfortunately, Darla (Julie Benz), who has been recovering from her burns at the apartment of smitten lawyer Lindsey McDonald (Christian Kane), has also learned of the impending review. She arrives at the bookstore, kills Denver, steals the glove and runs Angel through with a sword. Later, both Darla and Angel crash the Wolfram & Hart review, and Angel manages to get his hands on both the gauntlet and the ring. When he puts it on, the deceased Holland Manners (Sam Anderson) arrives to take him in an elevator to hell. As it turns out, though, the elevator leads not to hell, but back to earth -- for, as Holland explains, evil is everywhere and inside everyone. As the bitter Kate lies near death, having washed down a bottle of pills with liquor, a demoralized Angel returns home to find Darla waiting for him. He falls nihilistically into bed with her and awakens in what appears to be the same agony that beset him after making love to Buffy and losing his soul (see Buffy the Vampire Slayer, "Innocence"). Originally broadcast February 20, 2001, on the WB network, "Reprise" marked season two, episode 15 of the supernatural comedy drama. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi

Tom Selleck plays the drifter Rafe Covington in this respectful adaptation of the Louis L'Amour novel Crossfire Trail, presented by Turner Network Television. A romantic Western, Crossfire Trail follows Rafe as he struggles to honor his vow to a dying friend to protect his wife and daughter and their Wyoming homestead. Virginia Madsen plays the widow who questions Rafe's intentions and unwittingly sides with the bad guys headed by land owner Bruce Barkow (Mark Harmon). The producers went to great lengths to find historic buildings and props to lend an authentic air to the production. The film was directed by Simon Wincer, who also paired with Selleck on 1990's Quigley Down Under. The film also stars Wilford Brimley, Brad Johnson, Patrick Kilpartrick, and Barry Corbin. ~ Jessica Frost, Rovi

Angel (David Boreanaz) tries to assure Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter) and Wesley (Alexis Denisof) that he's recovered from his grief over Darla (Julie Benz). It turns out he's actually had Gunn (J. August Richards) trailing his formerly dead, formerly vampiric former paramour. Lindsey McDonald (Christian Kane) gets to Darla's tenement hotel before Angel can, and, taking her to his superiors at Wolfram & Hart, learns that she was resurrected in the same state she was in before she ever became a vampire. In other words, she's dying of syphilis. In a desperate attempt to escape her looming mortality, Darla later tries to convince a total dweeb of a vampire to "sire" her -- drink and be drunk by her so she can once again become an immortal bloodsucker. Angel interrupts the proceedings, tries to reason with her, and learns of her condition. Crushed, he takes her to Caritas, where the Host (Andy Hallett) sends both of them off on a mystical quest to heal Darla. The Valet (Jim Piddock), an interdimensional functionary, wagers with Angel. If he passes three nearly impossible tests, Darla will be healed; if he fails, she will die immediately. Angel just barely survives the three tests, including one that's more psychological than physical. But even this third challenge is nothing compared to the anguish Angel suffers when the Valet belatedly informs him that because Darla was already resurrected once, she cannot be granted yet another lease on life. Back at Darla's hotel, Angel offers to sire her, theorizing that because he's a vampire with a soul perhaps she will be, too. She demurs, telling him that because of the love and dedication he's shown her, she's content to die the way nature intended 400 years ago. Just then, Wolfram & Hart's minions break in with a surprise guest, Drusilla (Juliet Landau), who promptly drinks Darla's blood and opens her own veins while Angel is held in check. Originally broadcast November 28, 2000, on the WB network, "The Trial" marked season two, episode nine of the supernatural comedy drama. References to the character of Holtz in this episode's flashback sequence will take on new significance in season three when the time-traveling vampire hunter becomes Angel's chief nemesis. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi

Recording artist Monica Arnold stars in this made-for-cable drama as African-American pre-med student Camille Livingston. Having been carefully raised in the lap of privilege and luxury by her wealthy, "mixed" parents, Camille is fully prepared to make her doctor father's dream come true by following in his footsteps. She is also resigned to wed a "safe" young man, fellow student Calvin (Rainbow Francks), at her parents' behest. All of this changes when she falls head over heels in love with college drop-out Billy Ryan Gallo (Christian Kane), a struggling young jazz musician. Filmed in Montreal, Love Song was first broadcast over MTV on December 1, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi