William Hurt Movies
One of the top leading men of the '80s, William Hurt, born March 20th, 1950, is notable for his intensity and effective portrayals of complex characters. Although born in Washington, D.C., Hurt had already seen much of the world by the time he was grown, as his father worked for the State Department. His early years spent in the South Pacific near Guam, Hurt moved to Manhattan with his mother after his parents divorced when he was six years old. He spent the summers with his father, vacationing in a variety of international locales, including Sudan. At the age of ten, Hurt's life again changed dramatically when he became a stepson to Henry Luce III, the heir to the Time-Life empire. His mother's second marriage indirectly led to Hurt's initial involvement with the theater: sent away to a boarding school in Massachusetts, he found comfort in acting.After going on to Tufts University to study theology for three years at his stepfather's urging, Hurt married aspiring actress Mary Beth Supinger and followed her to London to study drama. Upon their return to the U.S., Hurt studied drama at Juilliard. By this time, under the realization that his marriage was failing, Hurt divorced his wife, got a motorcycle, and headed cross country for the Shakespeare festival in Ashland, OR, where he made his professional debut in a production of Hamlet. He later joined New York's Circle Repertory Company, and went on to receive critical acclaim for his work on the New York stage.
Hurt made his feature film debut in Ken Russell's Altered States in 1980, but it was not until he appeared opposite Kathleen Turner in Body Heat (1981) that he became a star and sex symbol. Four years later, he won Best Actor Oscar and British Academy awards as well as a similar honor at Cannes for his sensitive portrayal of a gay prisoner in Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985). He was again nominated for a Best Actor Oscar for his two subsequent films, Children of a Lesser God (1986) and Broadcast News (1987). Further success followed in 1988 when he starred in The Accidental Tourist.
As bright as his star shone on stage and screen, by the end of the '80s, a darker side of Hurt was exposed when he was sued by his former live-in love and mother of his daughter Alex, ballet dancer Sandra Jennings, who claimed to be his common-law wife. Despite his personal problems, Hurt continued to stay relatively busy, beginning the new decade with a fine turn in Wim Wenders' Until the End of the World (1991). He subsequently appeared in such acclaimed films as Smoke (1995), Jane Eyre (1996), One True Thing (1998), and Dark City (1998). In 1998, Hurt appeared as the patriarch of one of televisions most beloved sci-fi families in the big-budgeted remake of Lost in Space, and as a gubernatorial candidate with a shadowy past in George Hickenlooper's political drama The Big Brass Ring (1999).
Still alternating between stage and screen into the new millennium, Hurt stuck mainly to the small screen in the next few years. After lending his voice to the animated portrayal of the life of Jesus Christ in The Miracle Maker, appearing in the mini-series Dune, and taking the title role of The Contaminated Man in 2000, Hurt returned to features with his role in director Steven Spielberg's long anticipated (post-mortem) collaboration with the late Stanley Kubrick, A.I. As the well-intending scientist who sets the story of an artificial boy capable of learning and love into motion, Hurt's character seemed to provide the antithesis of the regressive experiments his previous character had flirted with in Altered States.
Hurt played a supporting role in Changing Lanes (2002), an thought-provoking thriller following two very different New York City residents whose lives fatefully intersect following a car accident, and again in the political thriller Syriana, which would go on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2005. The actor was praised the same year for his work as a supporting character in David Cronenberg's A History of Violence. In 2007, Hurt starred as the murderous alter ego of a businessman in Mr. Brooks, and co-starred with Matthew Fox, Forest Whitaker, and Dennis Quaid for the political thriller Vantage Point (2008). Hurt stars as an ex-con looking to start over for The Yellow Handkerchief (2008), and Gen. Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross, Bruce Banner's nemesis, in The Incredible Hulk (2008).
In 2009, Hurt reunited with Vantage Point director Pete Travis for the historical thriller Endgame, for which he played the leading role of philosophy Professor Willie Esterhuyse, an essential member of a team dedicated to securing the release of Nelson Mandela. Director Julie Gavras' 2011 romantic comedy found Hurt starring alongside the legendary Isabella Rossallini. Hurt is slated to work in the The Host, a dystopian thriller adapted from a novel from author Stephanie Meyers, in 2013.
~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 2013
- PG13
- Add The Host to Queue
A body-snatching alien takes possession of a young woman who refuses to surrender her mind, and together they seek out the man they both love as writer/director Andrew Niccol (Gattaca, In Time) adapts Twilight author Stephenie Meyer's New York Times best-seller. The majority of the human race have been possessed by unseen invaders, leaving only small pockets of "wild" humans like Melanie (Saoirse Ronan) scattered throughout the world. Upon being captured by the invaders, Melanie finds her body claimed by Wanderer, a spirit that has been warned of the difficulties that come with claiming a human host. In the process of inhabiting Melanie, Wanderer is deeply affected by her vivid dreams and memories. And when Melanie fights to maintain control of her mind even as Wanderer possesses her body, the sympathetic entity joins her on a journey that will reveal the unfathomable depths of human love and compassion. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Saoirse Ronan, William Hurt, (more)
Oscar-winning director Curtis Hanson (8 Mile, L.A. Confidential) adapts author Andrew Ross Sorkin's penetrating expose of the 2008 Wall Street financial crisis in this made-for-HBO docudrama featuring an all-star cast. As the U.S. economy hits the skids, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson (William Hurt) finds himself caught up in a critical battle of wills between the key players on Wall Street, and the powers that be in Washington, D.C. With just weeks to go before the country plunges into the most devastating financial crash since the Great Depression, the powerbrokers on both sides scramble to pull the failing economy back from the brink of disaster. Ed Asner, Billy Crudup, Paul Giamatti, Cynthia Nixon, James Woods, Tony Shalhoub, and Topher Grace co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- William Hurt, Ed Asner, (more)
Academy Award-winner William Hurt top-lines this retelling of Herman Melville's timeless tale of obsession and madness on the high seas. His crew taken from him by massive white whale that dwells deep in the sea, vengeful Captain Ahab (Hurt) steers his Nantucket whaling vessel The Pequod into the open waters on a mission to find and kill the elusive leviathan. But the deeper the waters get, the further Captain Ahab falls into a dangerous void of all-consuming insanity. Ethan Hawke, Gillian Anderson, Donald Sutherland, and Eddie Marsan co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- William Hurt
- 2011
- NR
An aging couple clash in the way they respond to the realization that their golden years are just around the corner in this romantic comedy about the joys and challenges of growing old together. Adam (William Hurt) and Mary (Isabella Rossellini) have been married for decades. They've both got rewarding careers, a supportive circle of friends, and gorgeous grandchildren. Living a rich and active life has kept them both young at heart, so upon realizing they will soon become senior citizens, Adam goes into full denial while Mary embraces her maternal instincts. But the harder Adam clings to his youth, the faster it seems to slip away. Meanwhile, Mary's plan to prepare for the inevitable begins raising serious concerns among her friends and family. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
Director Ridley Scott and actor Russell Crowe reunite for their fifth big-screen outing, a retelling of the Robin Hood legend featuring the Gladiator star in the titular role. A bowman in the army of Richard Coeur de Lion, virtuous rogue Robin Hood rises from an unlikely background to become a hero to the impoverished people of Nottingham and lover to the beautiful Lady Marion (Cate Blanchett). Cyrus Voris, Ethan Reiff, and Brian Helgeland collaborate on the screenplay for a costume adventure produced by Brian Grazer (Frost/Nixon, American Gangster). ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, (more)
Julie Delpy directs and stars in this biography of Erzebet Bathory, the 17th century countess whose love of a younger man drove her to madness and beyond. At the dawn of the 17th century, Countess Bathory was the most powerful woman in Hungary. At the age of 14, she married a powerful warlord twice her age and bore him four children. While her husband was away fighting wars, Countess Bathory maintained their estate with the help of her one true confidant, a powerful witch named Anna Darvulia. Over time, Countess Bathory's gained great influence, even holding sway over decisions made by the King. But she was unwilling to accept a world in which men were able to break the rules without consequence while women were expected to be unquestionably subservient, and after her husband died, Countess Bathory fell deeply in love with a young nobleman named Istvan (Daniel Brühl), whom she encountered at a lavish feast. Istvan too was smitten, though his relationship with the countess was cut short when his father, Count Thurzo (William Hurt), forced him to break off the romance. Meanwhile, as Countess Bathory becomes obsessed with the prospect that age was a factor in the failure of the relationship, Count Thurzo begins crafting an elaborate plot against her. Eventually Countess Bathory's blinding sadness gives way to irreversible madness, and she becomes convinced that she can maintain her youth and beauty forever by bathing in the blood of virgins. Her dementia and obsession flowing like the virginal blood she bathes in every night, Countess Bathory eventually realizes that she has become the victim of a vast political conspiracy hatched by the father of her beloved. But by now it's already too late, Countess Erzebet Bathory's downfall had already been set into motion. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Julie Delpy, Daniel Brühl, (more)
Vantage Point director Pete Travis turns his attention from high-profile political assassinations to the high-risk talks that ushered in the end of apartheid while securing the release of Nelson Mandela in this historical drama starring William Hurt, Chiwetel Ejiofer, Mark Strong, and Johnny Lee Miller. The time is the late '80s, a crucial period in the history of South Africa. President P.W. Botha is hanging on to power by a thread as the African National Congress (ANC) takes up arms against apartheid and the country tumbles toward insurrection. A British mining concern called Consolidated Gold is convinced that their interests would be better served in a stable South Africa, and they quietly dispatch Michael Young, their head of public affairs, to open an unofficial dialogue between the bitter rivals. Assembling a reluctant yet brilliant team to pave the way to reconciliation by confronting obstacles that initially seem insurmountable, Young places his trust in ANC leader Thabo Mbeki and Afrikaner philosophy professor Willie Esterhuyse. It is their empathy that will ultimately serve as the catalyst for change by proving more powerful than the terrorist bombs that threaten to disrupt the peaceful dialogue. As the story shifts between Mandela's jail cell, Botha's chambers, ANC headquarters, and a rented car occupied by a British bureaucrat, the prospect for peace becomes more than just a distant hope. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- William Hurt, Chiwetel Ejiofor, (more)
Season 2 follows cutthroat legal do-gooder Patty Hewes (Glenn Close) as she goes after the murderous CEO of a rapacious energy company, while Patty's no-longer-naive associate Ellen Parsons (Rose Byrne) goes after her because she thinks Patty tried to have her killed. Guiding Ellen in this effort are two FBI agents (Mario Van Peebles, Glenn Kessler) out to entrap Patty in a bribery scheme. Two of the ways they try to get to her are through her second-in-command, Tom Shayes (Tate Donovan), and Uncle Pete (Tom Aldredge), her Mr. Fix-it (with no questions asked). Meanwhile, Ellen meets a sympathetic, if secretive man named Wes Krulik (Timothy Olyphant) at a grief-counseling session, and they're immediately attracted to each other. What Ellen doesn't know is Wes has ties to Rick Messer (David Costabile), the rogue cop Arthur Frobisher (Ted Danson) hired in Season 1 to murder her fiancé. As for Frobisher, Patty's first-season target, he's now her uneasy ally in her effort to take down Walter Kendrick (John Doman), the CEO of Ultima National Resources. Kendrick is accused by scientist Daniel Purcell (William Hurt) of knowingly polluting land around a UNR facility in West Virginia. Purcell's wife is soon murdered and he's charged with the crime. As it happens, Purcell once had an affair with Patty but now he's secretly seeing Kendrick's lawyer, Claire Maddox (Marcia Gay Harden). Patty's husband, Phil (Michael Nouri), who's having an affair as well, gets mixed up in the UNR affair when he's offered the post of U.S. energy secretary. Working for Kendrick are math whiz Finn Garrity (Kevin Corrigan), a cocaine-snorting, price-rigging energy trader, and the Deacon (Darrell Hammond), whose dirty work is less cerebral. ~ Paul Droesch, Rovi
- Starring:
- Glenn Close, Rose Byrne, (more)
A band of outsiders takes to the highways in this touching independent drama. Brett (William Hurt) is a petty criminal who is eager to turn his life around after spending six years in jail. Brett is looking for a ride home to Louisiana, and happens upon a pair of teenagers up for a road trip -- Martine (Kristen Stewart), a 15-year-old girl whose attempts to catch the eye of a boy she loves have ended in failure, and Gordy (Eddie Redmayne), a geeky outcast wishing he could find somewhere to fit in. Brett persuades Martine and Gordy to give him a ride home, and together the three misfits bond over their shared need for acceptance. Driving toward a New Orleans that's been leveled by Hurricane Katrina, Brett can't help but ponder the biggest question in his life -- if his wife, May (Maria Bello), will take him back now that he's a free man. Based on a short story by Pete Hamill, The Yellow Handkerchief received its world premiere at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- William Hurt, Maria Bello, (more)
Forest Whitaker, Dennis Quaid, William Hurt, and Matthew Fox star in director Pete Travis' Rashomon-style thriller in which an assassination attempt on the president of the United States is detailed from five unique perspectives. As the president arrives in Salamanca, gunshots ring out. An American tourist (Whitaker) has captured footage of the would-be assassin on videotape, and now, as the stories of the other four witnesses unfold, each essential piece of the puzzle quickly falls into place. Only when all of the stories are told will the chilling truth to this shocking crime finally emerge. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Dennis Quaid, Matthew Fox, (more)
Mild-mannered scientist Bruce Banner has been traveling the globe in search of the antidote that will allow him to break free from his primal alter ego, but both the warmongers who long to exploit him for their own gain and a horrific creature known as The Abomination are determined to stop him from achieving his noble goal in Transporter 2 director Louis Leterrier's take on the classic Marvel Comics superhero tale. For years, Bruce (Edward Norton) has been living in the shadows, pursued by the military and haunted by the rage within. But traveling the world in secrecy isn't easy, and as hard as he tries Bruce can't get Betty Ross (Liv Tyler) off his mind. The daughter of Bruce's nemesis Gen. Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross (William Hurt), Betty represents everything that is beautiful in the world to a man who lives his life on the run. Eventually, Bruce returns to civilization and faces the wrath of The Abomination. While the Hulk may be a formidable force of nature, The Abomination is decidedly more powerful, and determined to destroy Bruce Banner. Created when KGB agent Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth) exposed himself to a higher dose of the same radiation that transformed Bruce into The Hulk, The Abomination is unable to change back into human form and holds Bruce accountable for his frightful condition. With time fast running out for both Bruce and The Hulk, New York City is about to become the ultimate urban battle zone as two of the most powerful creatures ever to walk the earth clash in a massive, no-holds-barred fight to the finish. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, (more)
Tim Robbins, Bridget Moynahan, and William Hurt star in writer/director Henry Bean's topical urban comedy following one man's quest for a little peace and quiet in the big city. The noise was bothersome when David Owen (Robbins) first moved to New York City, but back in those early days it was almost endearing in an odd sort of way; a forgivable manifestation of urban vitality, or so he had led himself to believe. These days the incessant barking of car alarms, traffic, and frustrated commuters seems to be driving David insane, never allowing him the opportunity to concentrate or focus on the task at hand. While this distraction is at first only bothersome on a superficial level, however, the thing that really riles David is that he is completely powerless to remedy the problem. As the days go on and the noise on the street seems to amplify in David's ears, he makes the decision to take up arms against the unseen intruder. Initially, David is content to simply let the air out of tires or leave notes on windshields when the owners of cars fail to turn off their alarms. When this approach fails to yield acceptable results, David's subversive urban sabotage techniques quickly evolve into full-blown acts of vandalism. Eventually, David is caught in the act and arrested by the police. After spending a night in jail, David confesses to his wife that he is in fact the urban folk hero who has come to be known by the public as "The Rectifier" for his repeated attempts to hold those responsible for urban noise pollution accountable for their auditory transgressions. When his wife voices concern about such extreme and irrational behavior, David dutifully agrees to give up his career as a noise-fighting vigilante. But try as he might, David simply cannot repress his lingering urge to strike back against such a formidable enemy. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Tim Robbins, Bridget Moynahan, (more)
A hardened detective enters into a tenuous symbiotic relationship with the vicious serial killer she is tracking after earning the respect of the murderous madman in this vicious psychological thriller starring Demi Moore, Kevin Costner, and William Hurt. Earl Brooks (Costner) is a successful businessman, noted philanthropist, and loving father. He's the kind of man whom no one would ever suspect of being a notorious serial killer, but then again history's most dubious psychopaths are often the quiet neighbor whom no one would ever suspect was capable of committing such unspeakable atrocities. Until now, no one has had any reason to link Earl Brooks with the heinous crimes of the dreaded Thumbprint Killer. Even his beautiful wife (Marg Helgenbeger) and teenage daughter (Danielle Panabaker) could never conceive of such an awful truth. But when Mr. Brooks's dark side begins to outshine his sane exterior, an amateur photographer (Dane Cook) captures the killer succumbing to his murderous instinct on film. Now, as Mr. Brooks is pursued by tenacious detective Tracy Atwood (Moore) and forced to bend to the will of an opportunistic bystander, the killer who was once able to keep his murderous alter ego (Hurt) in check finds his control steadily slipping. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Kevin Costner, Demi Moore, (more)
Into the Wild is writer/director Sean Penn's adaptation of the popular book by Jon Krakauer, a nonfiction account of the post-collegiate wanderings of a young Virginia man, who divorces himself from his friends, family, and possessions in search of a greater spiritual knowledge and communion with nature. Upon his 1990 graduation from Emory University in Atlanta, Christopher McCandless (Emile Hirsch) walks away from a loving if dysfunctional family and sends his nearly 25,000-dollar life savings to Oxfam International. Instead of the normal life his parents planned for him, Chris rechristens himself "Alexander Supertramp" and heads west in his beaten-up automobile until it no longer runs, at which point he takes up hitchhiking. The goal on the horizon? Alaska. By hook or by crook -- but without his limited cash, which he symbolically sets aflame -- Chris/Alexander determines to make it to his personal promised land, with stops along the way to experience America and its people. These adventures include a kayak trip down dangerous rapids, a gig working in a grain mill, extended stays with a hippie couple and a kindly old widower -- and enough cold, hunger, and exhaustion to leave him emotionally defeated more than once. Meanwhile, his parents (William Hurt and Marcia Gay Harden) and sister (Jena Malone) haven't received so much as a postcard from him, and begin to fear the worst. Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder composed the contemplative soundtrack. ~ Derek Armstrong, Rovi
- Starring:
- Emile Hirsch, Marcia Gay Harden, (more)
Longtime actor Chad Lowe makes his feature directorial debut with this quiet family drama focusing on two young brothers as it explores the elaborate family dynamics and rapidly-evolving social attitudes during the dawn of the 1970s. Simon (John Hurt and Judith Messerman (Rita Wilson) are progressive parents who want nothing but the best for their two boys Clive (David Call) and William (Brett Davern). A highly-intelligent math prodigy whose seems set to claim the top prize at the upcoming mathmatics competition, troubled Clive frequently disconnects from his doting parents by speaking in a made-up language that nobody but himself can understand. William, on the other hand, is just trying to get by as he struggles to work his way out from under the formidable shadow cast by his older sibling. When Clive's provocative girlfriend Sandra (Michelle Trachtenberg enters into the equation harboring a decidedly sensitive secret, the tempestuous relationship between the two brothers will soon put to the ultimate test. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Brett Davern, David Call, (more)
In this 3D animated adventure, the Davis family moves into a log cabin in the mountains above Seattle, only to find that a family of Bigfoot are living nearby in a cave. Unfortunately, that very cave is going to be flooded when a new dam is put in, and the family's new hairy friends need help. So now the Davises are teaming up with the Sasquatches as well as Ranger Steve in order to do what's right, help their new friends, and have an incredible adventure in the process. ~ Cammila Collar, Rovi
- Starring:
- Blaire Restaneo, Jewel Restaneo, (more)
One man bears witness to the secret history of America during the Cold War in this drama directed by celebrated actor Robert De Niro. In 1939, Edward Wilson (Matt Damon) is a young man with a bright future ahead of him -- he's a top student at Yale and the protégé of one of the school's leading English professors, Dr. Fredericks (Michael Gambon). But Wilson's life changes dramatically when he's invited to join Yale's powerful secret society, Skull and Bones. Through his Skull and Bones connections, Wilson meets Sam Murach (Alec Baldwin), an mysterious FBI agent who asks Wilson to investigate charges that Fredericks is a Nazi sympathizer working with the German government. Later, at a Skull and Bones party, Wilson is introduced to Clover Russell (Angelina Jolie), the sister of one of his classmates and the daughter of a powerful politician; their one-night stand leaves Clover pregnant, and Wilson must leave the woman he loves, Laura (Tammy Blanchard), to wed Clover and give their child a name. Shortly after their wedding, thanks to his work with Murach, Wilson is invited to join the Office of Strategic Services, a military intelligence organization organized by Bill Sullivan (Robert De Niro), and Wilson accepts. Through World War II, Wilson serves with the OSS, and learns he can trust no one in the game of international espionage, which helps make him little more than a stranger to his wife, his son, and his few friends. As the OSS evolves into the Central Intelligence Agency after the war, Wilson becomes party to America's darkest and most dangerous secrets, and in the wake of the futile Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961, Wilson is forced to make a terrible choice between the security of his nation and the safety of his family. Inspired by the true-life story of CIA founder James J. Angleton, The Good Shepherd boasts an impressive supporting cast, including William Hurt, John Turturro, Billy Crudup, Joe Pesci, and Timothy Hutton.
~ Mark Deming, Rovi
~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Matt Damon, Angelina Jolie, (more)
A young man exacts a thorough revenge against the father who abandoned him in this independent drama. Elvis (Gael García Bernal) is a young man in his early twenties who, after finishing a hitch in the Navy, learns that his biological father was Pastor David Sandow (William Hurt), a man of the cloth who has never taken responsibility for siring a child out of wedlock. Elvis travels to Corpus Christi, TX, to confront Sandow about his past; the pastor asks Elvis to let him break the news to his wife and children himself, and assures the young man he wants to stay in contact with him. Elvis, however, prefers to handle matters in his own way. First Elvis sets his sights on Malerie (Pell James), the pastor's teenage daughter, and after winning her trust, takes the girl's virginity. Malerie soon discovers she's pregnant, and after her older brother Paul (Paul Dano) sees Elvis slipping out of the house following a liason with the girl, he confronts the seducer and is stabbed and killed.
Elvis manages to cover his tracks cleanly enough that no one is certain Paul is dead. Next, Elvis goes to great lengths to ingratiate himself with Sandow, and despite the objections of his wife (Laura Harring), the pastor eventually invites the man who killed his son and violated his daughter to live under the same roof with his family. The King was the first dramatic feature from director James Marsh, who previously distinguished himself in documentaries. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
Elvis manages to cover his tracks cleanly enough that no one is certain Paul is dead. Next, Elvis goes to great lengths to ingratiate himself with Sandow, and despite the objections of his wife (Laura Harring), the pastor eventually invites the man who killed his son and violated his daughter to live under the same roof with his family. The King was the first dramatic feature from director James Marsh, who previously distinguished himself in documentaries. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Gael García Bernal, William Hurt, (more)
A man seeks to unlock the mysteries of his family's tragic past in this drama. Zach Riley (Aaron Eckhart) is a psychiatrist who has resigned a prestigious position at a major university to take a job at the Millwood Clinic, a private residential facility run by one Dr. Reed (William Hurt). Riley tells Reed he was inspired to come to Millwood by the case of a family friend who was a patient there years before, but what Riley doesn't mention is the person in question was his father, T.L. Pierson (Nick Nolte), a successful but reclusive children's author whose book "Neverwas" became a remarkable critical and popular success. For all his talent and success, Pierson was haunted by mental illness and drug addiction, and after leaving Millwood he committed suicide, with young Zach finding the body. Ever since, his mother (Jessica Lange) has been bitter and blamed Zach for Pierson's death, and he's come to Millbrook looking for answers and closure regarding his dad. While working with the patients at Millwood, Riley strikes up a friendship with Gabriel (Ian McKellen), a charming older man with a poor connection to reality who was friendly with Pierson when they were both in treatment there; Riley also renews his childhood friendship with Maggie Blake (Brittany Murphy), a Millwood intern who was powerfully affected by "Neverwas" when she was young. Neverwas is the first feature film from writer and director Joshua Michael Stern. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Aaron Eckhart, Ian McKellen, (more)
Oil drives greed in Oscar-winning Traffic screenwriter Stephen Gaghan's labyrinthine sophomore directorial effort that traces the corruption of the global oil industry from the backrooms of Washington, D.C., to the petroleum-rich fields of the Middle East. Based in part on the writings of former CIA case officer Robert Baer, Syriana combines multiple storylines to explore the complexities that befall a proposed merger between two U.S. oil giants. Reform-minded Gulf country prince Nasir (Alexander Siddig) is in favor of making his nation more self-sufficient rather than U.S.-reliant, and his money-minded Western connections couldn't be less pleased. Before settling into a cushy desk job for the remainder of his career, CIA agent Bob Barnes (George Clooney) is sent on one last assignment -- to assassinate Prince Nasir and reinstate U.S. ties in the oil-rich region. Though his loyalty dictates that Barnes carry out his current mission despite lingering doubts of a previous blunder, his mission goes horribly awry when his field contact goes turncoat and Barnes becomes a CIA scapegoat. Meanwhile, up-and-coming Washington attorney Bennett Holiday (Jeffrey Wright) attempts to walk a fine line in overseeing a tenuous merger between two oil giants that's plagued with shady business dealings. Hotshot energy analyst Bryan Woodman (Matt Damon) is in talks to form a lucrative partnership with Prince Nasir, though the death of his son during a party at the prince's estate makes him question his loyalty to business over family. Back in Washington, D.C., Bennet's boss Dean Whiting attempts to undermine Prince Nasir's attempts to make his country less reliant on the U.S. dollar by planting the seeds of dissonance between the progressive prince and his money-minded younger brother Prince Meshal (Akbar Kurtha). ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- George Clooney, Matt Damon, (more)
David Cronenberg directed this screen adaptation of a graphic novel by John Wagner and Vince Locke which explores how an act of heroism unexpectedly changes a man's life. Tom Stall (Viggo Mortensen) lives a quiet life in a small Indiana town, running the local diner with his wife, Edie (Maria Bello), and raising their two children. But the quiet is shattered one day when a pair of criminals on the run from the police walk into his diner just before closing time. After they attack one of the customers and seem ready to kill several of the people inside, Tom jumps to the fore, grabbing a gun from one of the criminals and killing the invaders. Tom is immediately hailed as a hero by his employees and the community at large, but Tom seems less than comfortable with his new notoriety. One day, a man with severe facial scars, Carl Fogarty (Ed Harris), sits down at the counter and begins addressing Tom as Joey, and begins asking him questions about the old days in Philadelphia. While Tom seems puzzled, Carl's actions suggest that the quiet man pouring coffee at the diner may have a dark and violent past he isn't eager to share with others -- as well as some old scores that haven't been settled. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bello, (more)
Hunt for Justice tells the story of a Canadian judge (Wendy Carson) who is appointed to a war crimes tribunal. With great determination, she overcomes a variety of dangers thrown her way in order to discover the truth about and punish those responsible for a variety of war crimes that transpires during the genocide in the Balkans. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi
The true-life quest of a terminally-ill ten-year-old boy who longs to capture the most beautiful butterfly on the planet comes to life on the screen in a touching drama directed by Léa Pool and starring Academy Award-winner William Hurt. In order to appreciate life to its fullest, an ageing entomologist learns that sometimes all you have to do is come out of your cocoon. When the young boy's mother convinces the renowned insect-expert to accompany her son on the journey of a lifetime, the courage that the terminally-ill child shows in realizing his dream inspires a man who has lived his entire life in a lab to get outside, connect with his fellow man, and experience the wonder of nature firsthand. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- William Hurt, Pascale Bussières, (more)
M. Night Shyamalan, the creative mind behind The Sixth Sense and Signs, wrote and directed this characteristically atmospheric thriller. The rustic village of Covington is a small town in rural Pennsylvania that is home to 60 souls. The citizens of Covington lead a quiet and peaceful life, but not without an unusual caveat -- terrible creatures lurk just outside the borders of the village, and the people of Covington have reached an agreement of sorts with the beasts, in which they are allowed to go about their business as long as they never cross the village's boundaries. However, this precarious balance is upset when a headstrong young man, Lucius Hunt (Joaquin Phoenix), decides to find out what lies outside Covington, and unwittingly invites the wrath of the creatures upon the town. The Village also stars Sigourney Weaver, William Hurt, Adrien Brody, Judy Greer, and Bryce Dallas Howard; both Kirsten Dunst and Ashton Kutcher were at one time attached to the project, but both left the cast before filming began. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Joaquin Phoenix, Bryce Dallas Howard, (more)
Kevin Connor directs William Hurt, Donald Sutherland, and Julie Delpy in this adaptation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. The film follows the storyline of the book closely. Dr. Victor Frankenstein creates a man from the parts of different corpses, and the creature turns out to be superior to his creator in many ways -- but the creation turns on the creator when the world is unable to recognize the creation's humanity. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi
- Starring:
- Luke Goss, Alec Newman, (more)
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