Charles Hallahan Movies
Supporting actor Charles Hallahan played character roles on stage, television and in feature films. Fans of the Stephen J. Cannell police drama Hunter will know Hallahan for playing Captain Charlie Devane between 1986 and 1991. A Philadelphia native, Hallahan earned an undergraduate degree at Rutgers and a master's from Temple University six years before heading to Los Angeles in 1977. Hallahan had little trouble finding acting jobs. His stage credits include playing the lead in a long-running San Francisco production of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest during the late '90s, roles in plays ranging from Equus to The Threepenny Opera. In 1976, Hallahan toured the Soviet Union in two classic plays. On television, Hallahan guest-starred on over 200 episodes of shows ranging from Lou Grant to The Paper Chase. He made his feature film debut in Nightwing (1979). He made his last film appearance playing Paul Dreyfuss in Dante's Peak (1997). Hallahan died during a car crash in which he apparently suffered a heart attack on November 25, 1997. He was 54. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Old Smokey develops a bad temper in this volcanic disaster spectacle. Harry Dalton (Pierce Brosnan) is a volcano expert whose interest became more than academic after he lost the woman he loved in a volcanic emergency. When he is sent to investigate unusual seismic activity in the quiet Pacific Northwest community of Dante's Peak, he discovers people boiled to death in the local hot spring and plant and animal life dying or displaying unusual illnesses near the city's supposedly dormant volcano. Harry becomes convinced that a major volcanic catastrophe is in the cards. Rachel Wando (Linda Hamilton), the town's mayor, is a single mother who also runs the local cafe, and now that Dante's Peak has been named one of the most desirable small towns in America, tourists have been flocking to the diner and other local businesses. While concerned with the safety of her community, Rachel takes a cynical view of Harry's warnings about the volcano; she has no desire to alarm either the town's residents or the wealthy visitors lining the city's pockets. Nevertheless, Harry tries to convince Rachel of the potential danger, as they begin to develop feelings for each other that are not strictly professional. The summer of 1997 was a big season for killer volcanoes at the movies, as Dante's Peak and Volcano opened within a few months of each other. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pierce Brosnan, Linda Hamilton, (more)
- 1997
Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) and Simone (Jimmy Smits) investigate the murder of a Russian mail-order bride who wanted to divorce her husband. After losing his cool while investigating an unusual drive-by shooting, Medavoy (Gordon Clapp) wonders if he should go through with his dinner date with Abby (Paige Turco). And while moonlighting with the U.S. Marshal's office, Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) is assigned to supervise captured drug couriers at airport customs -- a duty otherwise known as "dump detail." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
A man discovers the lighter side of being hunted down like an animal in this manic comedy. Pestario "Pest" Vargas (John Leguizamo) is a low-rent con man from Miami's South Beach who has fallen deeply in debt to ill-tempered members of the Scottish mafia (complete with kilts). Desperate to raise $50,000 to stave off having his legs broken (and possibly turned into haggis), Vargas takes an offer for a very high paying one day job from Gustav Shank (Jeffrey Jones), a German businessman visiting Florida. However, it's not until later that Vargas finds out what Shank has in mind. The lunatic white supremacist Shank transports Vargas to his island compound, Little Germany, and announces that he will hunt him as wild game. If Vargas can survive for 24 hours, he gets the cash; otherwise, his head will join the others stuffed and mounted on Shank's wall. Can Vargas' speed, agility, and gift for cheesy impersonations save him now? John Leguizamo co-wrote The Pest's original story, loosely based on the classic adventure tale The Most Dangerous Game. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Leguizamo, Jeffrey Jones, (more)
In this action thriller, a group of Islamic terrorists, led by Nagi Hassan (David Suchet), highjacks a 747 jetliner with 400 passengers aboard, but Lt. Col. Austin Travis (Steven Seagal), a United States intelligence agent, is convinced that this isn't an ordinary case of air piracy. His suspicions are soon confirmed; Hassan's men have obtained a large cache of stolen Soviet nerve gas, and they are using the 747 to smuggle the deadly gas into the United States, where they intend to use it to wipe out Washington D.C. and possibly the entire East Coast. As the jet approaches the U. S., engineer Dennis Cahill (Oliver Platt) designs a plan in which a military plane will be able to transfer U.S. soldiers onto the 747 and regain control of the plane and its deadly cargo. However, when Travis dies in the course of the mission, intelligence agent Dr. David Grant (Kurt Russell) is forced to take his place alongside explosives expert Cappy (Joe Morton), commando Rat (John Leguizamo), and stewardess-turned-anti-terrorist Jean (Halle Berry). Executive Decision was the first directorial assignment for veteran film editor Stuart Baird; he cut the film as well. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kurt Russell, Halle Berry, (more)
This is a domestic thriller in the Hitchcock mode with a legalistic twist involving that modern invention, the prenuptial agreement. Halle Berry stars as Josie Potenza, the unhappy wife of alcoholic, philandering executive Tony Potenza (Christopher McDonald). Josie is unfaithful too, but she wants to salvage her marriage and proposes an alcohol-free vacation in a remote backwoods location. Tony agrees, but soon after they arrive, he's called back to work. Angry and lonely, Josie goes to a nearby bar, where she meets sympathetic Cole Wilson (Peter Greene), who's actually a psychotic ex-con. After hearing Josie's tale of marital woe, Cole proposes that he kill Tony. Appalled, Josie refuses, but soon Tony is murdered in a carjacking, leaving Josie the possible inheritor of millions. A prenuptial agreement that would've left her penniless in a divorce puts the LAPD on Josie's scent, while Wilson blackmails her and both her lover Jake (Clive Owen) and his cuckolded wife Nora (Clea Lewis) scheme to profit from Josie's loss. Of course, it's also possible that Josie manipulated the events to transpire exactly as they did. Writer-director Amy Holden Jones also wrote the screenplays for Mystic Pizza (1987) and Indecent Proposal (1993). ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Halle Berry, Christopher McDonald, (more)
Robert De Niro is Gil Renard, baseball fan from hell. Bobby Rayburn (Wesley Snipes) is the player he is nuts about. No sooner does the talented Rayburn sign a huge contract with the San Francisco Giants, than everything in his life goes horribly wrong. Not only does his field play deteriorate along with his batting average, but someone murders his chief team rival. It's not revealing too much to say that Gil killed him, in the mistaken belief that he was doing Bobby a favor. When superfan Gil insinuates himself into Bobby's everyday life, the situation grows much worse, because this fixated nut-case has some very strange ideas about family solidarity. Amusing highlights come from John Leguizamo as a ballplayer's agent, and Ellen Barkin as a radio sports announcer. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert De Niro, Wesley Snipes, (more)
- 1994
While watching TV with a group of friends, Jessica (Angela Lansbury) is amused by an amateurish-looking production being presented on a cable-access channel. Before long, however, Jessica realizes that the "production" is the real thing: the TV is hooked up to a surveillance system. Worse still, the on-screen "characters" are planning a big-time robbery, with murder a likely option! Future Everybody Loves Raymond costar Doris Roberts shows up as a woman with a very, very serious problem. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1994
Jamie (Helen Hunt) tries to arrange for a former N.Y. Yankee to make a guest appearance at the annual Midnight Sale held by the sporting goods store owned by Paul's father, Burt Buchman (Louis Zorich). But Paul (Paul Reiser) is not in a particularly festive mood; he was under the impression that he would someday inherit the store from his dad, and now that doesn't seem to be the plan. On an even more sober note, there's a spirited discussion of Harvey Keitel's private parts. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1994
Originally made for cable television, Roswell is an entertaining mix of purported actual events and science fiction. The narrative unfolds primarily in flashbacks as retired Army officer Jesse Marcel (Kyle MacLachlan) attends a reunion of the 509th Bomber Group and tries to come to closure on events that had taken place 30 years earlier. Back in 1947, Major Marcel had been part of a military team that investigated a crash site on a ranch near Roswell, New Mexico. The debris recovered from the site had exhibited some remarkable properties such as being able to repair itself instantly after being cut, suggesting that it might have been of extraterrestrial origin. The military brass had ordered Marcel to go along with their phony story that the material was ordinary metal foil from a weather balloon, and he had reluctantly complied. By the time of the 1977 reunion, Marcel is suffering from a terminal illness, and he feels compelled to try to find out what had really happened at Roswell all those years ago. MacLachlan gives an effective performance, particularly when he portrays Marcel as an older man trying to understand his past. Evocative location shooting in the American Southwest adds cinematic impact. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kyle MacLachlan, Martin Sheen, (more)
The sequel to Warlock, this film features the return of the evil warlock (Julian Sands) who is on a quest to search out and obtain a set of six magical runestones needed to summon the Devil to Earth. However, a group of powerful druids have become aware of the sinister plans afoot, and it is up to them to defeat the warlock and prevent Armageddon. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Julian Sands, Chris Young, (more)
The ghost of Frank Capra must have smiled when he saw Dave, an amusing and effective update of one of Capra's favorite themes -- the scrupulously honest little guy who becomes a force for good against a corrupt system. Dave Kovic (Kevin Kline) runs an employment agency and seems to genuinely enjoy finding work for people who need it. He also bears a striking resemblance to the president of the United States, Bill Mitchell (also played by Kline) and occasionally gets work as a Bill Mitchell impersonator. One day, Dave gets a call from the Secret Service -- for security purposes, they want to hire him to act as a decoy for an upcoming appearance by the president. All goes well, but later that evening President Mitchell suffers a massive stroke while in bed with his mistress. Wanting to keep the matter a secret, two of the president's top advisors appeal to Dave to stand in as Bill Mitchell until he regains his health. One of the men behind this scheme, Bob Alexander (Frank Langella), hopes to use Mitchell's absence to promote his own right-wing political agenda, but after a few weeks "in office," Dave decides it's time to promote some changes of his own that will help increase employment and keep homeless shelters open. Dave also finds himself growing fond of Ellen Mitchell (Sigourney Weaver), the President's wife, while Ellen sees in Dave the idealism her husband left behind years ago. Dave features numerous cameo appearances by politicians, Washington insiders, and journalists; Oliver Stone also appears to explain a conspiracy theory regarding sudden changes in Bill Mitchell's behavior. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kevin Kline, Sigourney Weaver, (more)
- 1993
A highly decorated police officer is killed in a shootout with a drug dealer. In his statement to the police, the dealer indicates that the dead cop's fellow officers failed to provide proper backup. When it is revealed that the victim was gay, the staff of the DA's office grimly prepare to charge three of the cop's homophobic colleagues with hatching a criminal conspiracy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Madonna plays Rebecca Carlson, a sex bomb who parades naked in front of the open windows of her houseboat at all hours while the lobstermen catch crabs. This entry in the Basic Instinct sweepstakes poses the question: If love hurts, does sex kill? The judge and jury certainly want to find out when Rebecca's latest conquest, a multi-millionaire, dies of a heart attack while making love to her. Eight million dollars was bequeathed to Rebecca in his will, and District Attorney Robert Garrett (Joe Mantegna) is convinced that Rebecca, knowing that her rich lover had a weak heart, killed him with wild sex so that she could get her mitts on the money. Rebecca's lawyer, Frank Dulaney (Willem Dafoe), thinks differently, suspecting the millionaire's private secretary Joanne Braslow (Anne Archer) of the crime, since she was dumped by the millionaire for Rebecca. Besides which, Frank is attracted to Rebecca himself and throws legal ethics out the window as he starts a sadomasochistic affair with her. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Madonna, Willem Dafoe, (more)
Just after the turn of the 21st century in L.A., Harry (Belushi) works for a television station that uses a revolutionary technology, virtual reality projected for at-home viewers with 3-D holographic programs. A sinister group known as the Fathers, headed by Senator Kreutzer (Loggia), has a scheme to use it for mind-control. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1992
Maniacal Dennis Hopper plays a high-strung L.A. homicide detective who embarks upon a vengeful hunt for the drug pushers who brutally murdered his partners. His investigation soon reveals that the dealers' influence extends to the highest echelons of city government. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1991
- R
This clever and well-crafted production (produced for Home Box Office) goes the distance with its innovative concept, which is equal parts Raymond Chandler and H.P. Lovecraft. Taking place in 1948 Hollywood -- in an alternate reality where magic spells, curses and demons are commonly used and accepted -- the story revolves around hard-boiled gumshoe Harry P. Lovecraft (Fred Ward, looking nothing like his character's namesake and everything like Mike Hammer), the only detective in the business who relies on brains and instinct instead of gazing into a crystal ball or casting runes. This pure perspective is sought out by wealthy eccentric Amos Hackshaw (David Warner), who is trying to retrieve the legendary "Necronomicon" (a key component in the works of the real H.P. Lovecraft). The book is reputed to have the power to release the "Elder Gods" from their cosmic confines and return them to Earth, whereupon Hackshaw believes they will appoint him ruler of all mankind. The chief rival for possession of the book is a seedy gangster (Raymond O'Connor) whose favorite nightclub singer (Julianne Moore) takes a shine to Harry. Followed by a sequel, Witch Hunt, which applies a more sublime (if unnecessary) re-interpretation of the material, and features Dennis Hopper in the Lovecraft Role. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fred Ward, David Warner, (more)
- 1991
This video is made up of four mini-thrillers from a popular television anthology series. The first is "People Don't Do Such Things," about a soured marriage; "Youth from Vienna," centering on a fountain of youth that gives unexpected results; "Skeleton in the Cupboard," about a man with a terrible secret; and "Bird of Prey," the mystery of a dead parrot's giant egg. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1990
Several significant changes are wrought upon the long-running cop drama Hunter during its seventh and final season. Having spent six years in the LAPD's homicide division, Rick Hunter (Fred Dryer) is promoted to the department's new, elite Metro Division, a group designed to give special attention to high-priority cases. Likewise making the move upward is Hunter's longtime superior, Captain Devane (Charles Hallahan). Conspicuous by her absence is Stepfanie Kramer, whose decision to leave Hunter prompted the producers to write her off the show by having her character, Det. Sgt. Dee Dee McCall, quitting the force to get married. Her replacement as Hunter's partner is Sgt. Joanne Molenski (Darlanne Fluegel), who is introduced in the two-part season opener "Deadly Encounters". Like Hunter, Molenski still has issues with her troubled past, as indicated in the subsequent episode "Kill Zone." And also like Hunter, Joanne is capable of making serious mistakes, notably when she loses her weapon to a killer during an undercover operation in "This Is My Gun". Midway through the season, Joanne Molenski is knocked off by a serial killer in the two-parter "Fatal Obsession"; at the same time, Lauren Lane joins the cast as Sgt. Chris Novak, a divorcee with a cute daughter named Allison (Courtney Barilla)--and a former flame of her erstwhile partner Hunter. During the series' final months, the relationship between Hunter and Novak will slowly but surely rekindle again. Curiously, neither Hunter nor Chris are the focal points in the series finale "Little Man with a Big Reputation"; instead, the plot is built around a former associate of the mercurial Captain Devane. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fred Dryer, Charles Hallahan, (more)
- 1990
A writer from "American Flyer" magazine is winging his way toward Nantucket, intending to interview Sandpiper Air owner Joe (Tim Daly). Unfortunately, the writer evinces more interest in the self-proclaimed exploits of Joe's brother Brian (Steven Weber). Meanwhile, two expatriates from Wings' sister series Cheers -- Norm (George Wendt) and Cliff (John Ratzenberger) -- show up on the island with fishing poles in their hands and big hopes in their hearts. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1989
Season Six of the cop drama Hunter gets under way with "On Air", with LAPD detective Rick Hunter (Fred Dryer) and Dee Dee McCall (Stepfanie Kramer) protecting a radio talk host (guest star Erin Gray from a homicidal fan. Hunter and McCall's mercurial superior officer Captain Devane (Charles Hallahan) is center of attention in the subsequent episode "Shalalagh", as he romances a woman (Fiannula Flanagan) who is related to a notorious IRA activist (Nicholas Guest). Also on the schedule this season is "A Girl Named Hunter"--said girl being an infant, named for our hero by a woman who is being terrorized by an illegal adoption agency; "Lullaby", in which Hunter joins forces with Scotland Yard to trap a modern-day Jack the Ripper who kills to the tune of "Brahm's Lullaby" (this one features an early appearance by Gary Sinise); and most movingly, "Yesterday's Child", in which an Asian murder suspect (Joon B. Kim) turns out to be the son Hunter never knew he had. Likewise worth noting is the episode "The Nightmare", if only because its director was former Hunter regular James Whitmore Jr. The season's requisite two-part episodes include "The Legion", wherein Hunter matches wits with a white supremacist who will stop at nothing to spring his brother from prison; and the season finale "Street Wise", wherein a rekindled romance with an old flame (Robert Connor Newman) leads Hunter's partner Dee Dee to make a fateful decision. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fred Dryer, Stephanie Kramer, (more)
The only True Believer at the beginning of this drama is idealistic young attorney Robert Downey Jr., who apprentices under the guidance of celebrated civil-rights activist James Woods. Alas, in the years since the sixties, Woods has become a disillusioned, dope-smoking ambulance chaser. Goaded by Downey, Woods takes up one last "lost cause:" that of Korean-American prison inmate Yuji Okomoto, who is about to be tried for the self-defense slaying of another prisoner. As Woods investigates, he unearths several iniquities in the trial that sent Okomoto to prison. Despite the fact that the one witness who might clear Okomoto is an unhinged conspiracy theorist, Woods endeavors to re-open Okomoto's case--which plays right into the hands of sharkish, politically ambitious DA Kurtwood Smith. Chock full of plot twists and last-minute shockers, True Believer was popular enough to inspire a spin-off TV series, Eddie Dodd. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Woods, Robert Downey, Jr., (more)
- 1988
Now executive-produced by George Geiger, who this year replaces the veteran Roy Huggins, the fifth season of the NBC cop drama Hunter opens with the episode "Heir of Neglect", in which LAPD homicide detectives Rick Hunter (Fred Dryer) and Dee Dee McCall (Stepfanie Kramer) come to the aid of a troubled teenager who is trying to cope with unpleasant revelations about his late dad's private life. Similarly, Hunter's sentimental side is exposed for all to see in "The Baby Game", as he protects a 2-year-old girl who may have witnessed her mother's murder. Later, "Shoot to Kill" poses a question that was virtually obligatory on cop shows of the 1980s: did an overzealous McCall shoot an unarmed suspect? And in "Ring of Honor", Sammy Davis Jr. makes one of his final TV appearances as a long-suffering boxing manager. Other Season Five highlights include the two-part "Dead of Target", in which a long-ago mission in Vietnam comes back to haunt war vet Hunter when several of his former comrades in arms are systematically murdered; and the three-part "City Under Siege", wherein Hunter joins a new task force designed to control crime in specially selected neighborhoods. This last-named multiparter features a rare acting appearance by onetime LA Police Chief Daryl Gates. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fred Dryer, Stephanie Kramer, (more)
- 1987
Season Four of the cop drama Hunter brings back Fred Dryer as unorthodox LAPD homicide cop Rick Hunter, Stepfanie Kramer as his partner (and, it is hinted, his lover) Dee Dee McCall, and Charles Hallahan--promoted to star billing this year--as their bombastic superior Captain Devane. Among the season's best episodes are the opener "Playing God", wherein the discovery that a recently deceased pillar of society may have had mob connections nearly prompts Hunter and Dee Dee to quit the force in disgust; "Allegra", in which a woman from Hunter's past is the victim of a spectacular murder; "Black Dahlia", a speculative reopening of the infamous unsolved murder case of the 1940s, featuring such venerable character actors as Jeanette Nolan and Lawrence Tierney); "Fourth Man", in which Hunter is again suspected of being a "dirty cop" when an old drug-bust case comes back to haunt him; and a rare light-hearted episode, "Murder He Wrote", a parody of you-know-what series with Marge Redmond as "Jessica Fletcher" clone Jennifer Brasher and Efrem Zimbalist Jr. as the archetypal "murder victim who needs killing." The season also serves up a brace of intriguing multipart episodes. In the two-parter "Naked Justice", Hunter tries to ascertain the link between a murdered movie star and a mysterious street person. And in the three-part "City of Passion", adapted from a novel by Dallas Barnes, Hunter and McCall explore the possibility that a serial killer is tied in with a Satanic cult. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fred Dryer, Stephanie Kramer, (more)
- 1987
Based on the book My 30 Years in Hoover's FBI by William G. Sullivan and William S. Brown, this made-for-cable biopic stars Treat Williams as the infamous Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
