Zeljko Ivanek Movies
Possessing a near-perfect balance of everyman looks and tremendous talent on both stage and screen, actor Zeljko Ivanek has been a key supporting player in feature films since the early '80s. A native of Ljubljana, Yugoslavia (now Slovenia), Ivanek's family moved to the United States in 1960 in order for his father to complete his doctoral research in electronic engineering at Stanford University. Briefly returning to Yugoslavia before settling in Palo Alto, CA, in 1967, it was only a few short years before young Ivanek was pursuing his higher education at Yale. Subsequently accepted at The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, he continued to refine his passion for acting and the summers of 1978-1980 found him honing his stage skills in the Williamstown Theater Festival in such efforts as Hay Fever and The Front Page. In 1983, Ivanek was nominated for a Tony award for his role in Brighton Beach Memories and it was around this time that he made his first film and television appearances. An early role as a telepathic killer in the 1982 thriller The Sender found Ivanek making a chilling impression, and strong performances in Mass Appeal (1984) and the AIDS drama Our Sons (1991) kept expectations high for the rising star. As his feature credits continued to build, Ivanek began appearing in such popular television series as L.A. Law, Law & Order, The X-Files, and Murder, She Wrote. Though the adjustment from stage to screen was initially daunting for the classically trained actor, once he got accustomed to the change of pace, he adjusted remarkably well. As the '90s rolled on, Ivanek's film credits included such A-list releases as Courage Under Fire (1996), Donnie Brasco (1997), and the John Travolta thriller A Civil Action (1998). It was also around this time that Ivanek embarked on a six-year stint as Governor James Devlin on HBO's acclaimed series Oz. As the millennium turned, so did Ivanek's onscreen career, and his resume seemed to be exclusively built of nothing but high-profile efforts in both film and television. In addition to appearing in Dancer in the Dark (2000), Hannibal (2001), Black Hawk Down (2001), Unfaithful (2002), and Dogville (2003), memorable roles on The Practice and The West Wing kept television audiences glued to their sets. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Nine years after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, a small town in the Pacific Northwest still struggles with the troubling legacy of U.S. policies against Asian-Americans. In December 1950, just off the shores of San Piedro Island in Washington, a Japanese-American man named Kazuo Miyamoto (Rick Yune) stands accused of murder after his close friend Carl Heine (Eric Thal) is found drowned in icy waters. As the trial gets under way, with Alvin Hooks (James Rebhorn) prosecuting Kazuo and Nels Gudmundsson (Max Von Sydow) defending him, reporter Ishmael Chambers (Ethan Hawke) covers the proceedings for the local newspaper. It's difficult for Ishmael to view the trial objectively, as his first love was a Japanese-American girl named Hatsue (Youki Kudoh), who later married Kazuo. Now, Ishmael has discovered that, when the Japanese-American residents of San Piedro Island were sent to internment camps during World War II, Carl's mother used their incarceration to scuttle a land purchase by Kazuo's family. This could suggest a motive for murder, but Ishmael is reluctant to step forward with the story. Snow Falling on Cedars was based on the best-selling novel by David Guterson, adapted for the screen by Ron Bass and writer/director Scott Hicks. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ethan Hawke, James Cromwell, (more)
- 1999
The then-current efforts to impeach President Bill Clinton were clearly the inspiration of this episode, the first in a two-part story. A Baltimore official is murdered in New York's Battery Park, compelling the NYPD's Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) and Curtis (Benjamin Bratt) to work side by side with Baltimore homicide cops John Munch (Richard Belzer) and Rene Sheppard (Michael Michele). It turns out that the victim was killed on Munch and Sheppard's home turf before being dumped in Briscoe and Curtis' backyard. The ensuing investigation involves a high-level Washington cover-up, a lesbian romance, and an FBI-protected witness, culminating in a clash between ADA Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston) and duplicitous Independent Counsel William Dell (George Hearn, who, coincidentally, bears a strong physical resemblance to the redoubtable Kenneth Starr). This two-parter was Law & Order's third and final crossover with the NBC crime drama Homicide: Life on the Street; the conclusion originally aired as an installment of Homicide February 19, 1999. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1999
Luke Ryland (Benjamin Busch), the demented "Internet killer" first seen on the previous episode "Homicide.com," is freed from prosecution on a technicality -- sending arresting officer Bayliss (Kyle Secor) off the deep end. Meanwhile, Giardello's (Yaphet Kotto) daughter Teresa (Audra McDonald) unexpectedly shows up in Baltimore to help her dad celebrate his promotion to captain -- and her brother Mike's (Giancarlo Esposito) long-overdue resignation from the FBI. Several last-minute revelations, apologies, and surprises occur in this, the 122nd and final episode of Homicide: Life on the Street -- which, in its terminal moments, neatly brings the entire series "full circle." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Belzer, Giancarlo Esposito, (more)
- 1998
Patti D'Arbanville guest stars as Darlene Everett, who shows up at the squad room with a videotape that "proves" that her husband, a bestselling author of espionage thrillers, was killed by his agent. Trouble is, there's no corpse -- and for the moment at least, it looks like there was no crime. In another case, an old woman is found dead after a break-in at her home -- but was she murdered? And on the romantic scene, Munch (Richard Belzer) pursues waitress Bille Lou (Ellen McElduff), while Falsone (Jon Seda) pursues fellow detective Ballard (Callie Thorne). Austin Pendleton makes his first appearance as eccentric Baltimore coroner Dr. Griscom. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Belzer, Giancarlo Esposito, (more)
- 1998
Mike "McGee" Giardello (Giancarlo Esposito) and Laura Ballard (Callie Thorne) investigate when a famous sports doctor "accidentally" kills his sister-in-law. Joining the investigation is Falsone (Jon Seda), who in the course of events finds time to show off his prowess in the boxing ring. Meanwhile, Munch (Richard Belzer) is peeved that his partners in the Waterfront Bar would doubt the honesty of his accountant cousin -- until he's slapped with a bill for 30,000 dollars in back taxes. And Gharty (Peter Gerety), newly separated from his wife, tries to date Waterfront waitress Billie Lou (Ellen McElduff). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Belzer, Giancarlo Esposito, (more)
- 1998
Season seven of Homicide: Life on the Street begins not long after the Baltimore homicide unit's squad room has been renovated as a means of expunging all memory of the Mahoney shoot-out. Fully recovered from their wounds, detectives Tim Bayliss (Kyle Secor), Stuart Gharty (Peter Gerety), and Laura Ballard (Callie Thorne) are back on the job -- but Frank Pembleton and Tim Kellerman have resigned from the force and are gone forever (or at least Pembleton is). Among those expressing an interest in the department's newest detective, sexy ex-beauty queen Rene Sheppard (Michael Michele), is Meldrick Lewis (Clark Johnson), who has recently separated from his wife. The first case on the board concerns a series of slayings in Little Italy, including the murder of skipper Al Giardello's (Yaphet Kotto) cousin Mario. At the funeral for his cousin, Giardello endures an uncomfortable reunion with his son Mike (Giancarlo Esposito in his first series appearance), an Arizona-based FBI agent. It will, of course, not be the last time that the senior and junior Giardellos are brought together professionally. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Belzer, Giancarlo Esposito, (more)
- 1998
In the first episode of a two-part story, former homicide detective Mike Kellerman (Reed Diamond) returns to Baltimore. Now a private detective, Kellerman has been hired by a prominent family to prove that their daughter Debbie (Jena Malone) did not murder her newborn baby. It so happens that Falsone (Jon Seda) is working on this case, and he isn't comfortable with the apparent fact that Kellerman has sold his soul for a quick dollar. This episode was originally scheduled to air on December 4, 1998. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Belzer, Giancarlo Esposito, (more)
- 1998
Two prominent members of the same exclusive country club have apparently committed suicide. Ballard (Callie Thorne) and Munch (Richard Belzer) investigate one of the deaths, while Pembleton (Andre Braugher) and Bayliss (Andre Braugher) investigate the other -- whereupon both teams unearth evidence of a blackmail-murder plot. Meanwhile, Lewis (Clark Johnson) is off suspension and back on duty; another member of the Mahoney crime operation turns up dead; and even though the civil suit against the police is dismissed, Kellerman (Reed Diamond) can't leave well enough alone, launching into a public tirade that may very well seal the doom of one of the key players in the suit. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Belzer, Andre Braugher, (more)
- 1998
In the conclusion of a two-part story, Debbie Straub (Jena Malone), teenaged client of homicide detective-turned-private-eye Mike Kellerman (Reed Diamond), plea-bargains her way out of a murder charge by naming her boyfriend, Craig (Chris Gunn), as the killer of her newborn baby. Not satisfied with this turn of events, Falsone (Jon Seda) tries to appeal to the conscience of his former colleague Kellerman, and to persuade Debbie to tell the truth. But this is not to be: One of the principals in the case abruptly commits suicide, forever preventing the homicide unit from knowing what really happened -- and driving yet another wedge between Kellerman and Falsone. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Belzer, Giancarlo Esposito, (more)
- 1998
In this first episode of a two-part story, bounty hunters Knoll (Christopher Meloni) and Lichte (Vic Noto) descend upon Baltimore in search of fugitive killer Joe Errico -- and promptly shoot and kill the wrong man. Elsewhere, Al and Mike Giardello (Yaphet Kotto, Giancarlo Esposito) find themselves the reluctant subjects of a human-interest article in Baltimore Magazine; and Gharty (Peter Gerety) drives Munch (Richard Belzer) crazy with his vivid recollections of his war experiences in Vietnam. The episode ends on a cliffhanger, with a car carrying one of the bounty hunters and two of the detectives plowing into a vehicle driven by two senior citizens. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Belzer, Giancarlo Esposito, (more)
- 1998
In the conclusion of a two-part story, Mike Giardello (Giancarlo Esposito) has physically recovered from the car accident that claimed the lives of two senior citizens, but emotionally it is a different story. Despite their resentment of the two bounty hunters who have arrived in Baltimore in search of fugitive killer Joe Errico, Mike and his father, Al (Yaphet Kotto), nonetheless agree to cooperate in bringing Errico to justice. The trail leads to Miami, where head bounty hunter Dennis Knoll (Christopher Meloni) offers to cut a deal with two of the nonplussed Baltimore detectives. This episode was originally scheduled to air on November 20, 1998. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Belzer, Giancarlo Esposito, (more)
- 1998
Ballard (Callie Thorne) and Gharty (Peter Gerety) run up against a wall of confusion as they investigate the murders of two women who were felled by a stun gun and strangled after accepting drinks from a kinky married couple. Things get more and more curious when one of the suspects makes a full confession -- which turns out to be a lie from start to finish. Meanwhile, Lewis (Clark Johnson) turns over important information relating to the Mahoney drug shootings. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Belzer, Andre Braugher, (more)
Season two of Oz gets under way in the wake of the bloody riot at "Emerald City," the experimental unit set up on Cell Block 5 of Oswald Maximum Security Penitentiary, in which eight are killed and 34 wounded. Though it is obvious to many observers that the ruthlessly ambitious Governor Devlin (Zeljko Ivanek) has used the riot as an excuse to violently smash Warden Glynn's (Ernie Hudson) efforts to rehabilitate the prisoners via more freedom of movement and extra privileges, Devlin's questionable actions in the incident are condoned by the prison board. Ten months later, the convicts are herded into Emerald City's new facilities -- whereupon the old power struggles and drug trading resumes as if nothing had happened. The unit's still-idealistic manager, Tim McManus (Terry Kinney), hopes to mollify the prisoners and mold them into useful citizens worthy of rehabilitation by reinstating many of their privileges, and by attempting to bring the various factional subgroups -- the Latinos, the Italians, the Muslims -- into a homogenous "whole" in which everyone is equal and no one is mad at anyone. McManus has also convinced himself that the cons would benefit from an education program. Before long, alas, most of McManus' New Age notions are flattened beneath the juggernaut of reality. New to the Em City prisoner population this season are Chris Keller (Christopher Meloni), Agamemnon "The Mole" Busmalis, (Tom Mardirosian), and Cyril O'Reily (Scott William Winters). Events crucial to the action include the rape of Gov. Glynn's daughter by members of the Latinos; the publication of a "true" interpretation of the riot by inmate Kareem Said (Eamonn Walker), the powerful and nationally famous leader of the Muslims; the governor's announcement that prisoner Shirley Bellinger (Kathryn Erbe) is to be the first woman executed by the state since 1841; and a "foolproof" escape attempt that ends in a double tragedy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ernie Hudson, Terry Kinney, (more)
- 1998
This episode of Homicide: Life on the Street, originally telecast as a two-hour special, has since been edited into two hour-long installments for syndication. In part two, the homicide unit has been ordered to concentrate exclusively on the murders of a priest and monsignor. Bayliss (Kyle Secor) poses as a cleric in hopes of flushing out the killers, who may or may not be a pair of missing Guatemalan refugees. And in other developments, the missing Lewis (Clark Johnson) finally resurfaces with an unusual request for Falsone (Jon Seda), Gharty (Peter Gerety) "loses it" while interrogating a suspect, and Kellerman (Reed Diamond) gets involved in a drunken brawl. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Belzer, Andre Braugher, (more)
- 1998
This episode of Homicide: Life on the Street, originally telecast as two-hour special, has since been edited into two hour-long installments for syndication. In part one, Lewis (Clark Johnson) completely drops out of sight after being suspended for a heated confrontation with litigious drug dealer Georgia Rae Mahoney. The murder of a priest yields a bizarre videotape which may lead Munch (Richard Belzer) and Kellerman (Reed Diamond) to the suspected killers, a pair of young Guatemalan refugees. And Falsone (Jon Seda) continues to battle his ex-wife over custody of their son. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Belzer, Andre Braugher, (more)
Shot in 33 days, this $9.6 million biographical drama of behind-the-scenes interactions within the Rat Pack group of Frank Sinatra (Ray Liotta), Dean Martin (Joe Mantegna), and Sammy Davis Jr. (Don Cheadle) is set against the political backdrop of the '60s, establishing links of singers, gangsters, actors, and politicans (sometimes brushing shoulders in the same rooms). The film also explores Sinatra's relationship with John F. Kennedy (William Peterson). Deciding to support Kennedy, Sinatra patches up his feud with Peter Lawford (Angus Macfadyen), since Lawford's wife, Pat (Phyllis Lyons) is JFK's sister -- and a Sinatra-Kennedy friendship soon follows. However, when Joe Kennedy (Dan O'Herlihy) decides Sinatra's nightclub, mob and commie connections are a no-no for JFK, the patriarch's interference angers Sinatra. Meanwhile, Sammy Davis Jr. enters into an interracial liaison with May Britt (Megan Dodds), and the dynamics of the situation are visualized in an imaginative musical fantasy sequence in which Davis sees himself singing and dancing for an unresponsive line of white supremacists. Broadway's Savion Glover stepped in with the film's choreography. Substitute singers featured the voice of Michael Dees for Sinatra and Mantegna duplicating Dino. Also covered here are the events that led to the filming of Ocean's Eleven (1960). For an actual Rat Pack stage performance, see The Rat Pack Captured (1965). Filmed in LA, the TV movie premiered August 22, 1998 on HBO. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ray Liotta, Joe Mantegna, (more)
Directed by Schindler's List screenwriter Steve Zaillian, this courtroom drama is based on a true story and non-fiction book by Jonathan Harr. The case revolves around an incident in 1979 in East Woburn, MA, where two drinking wells supplying water to the town were found to be contaminated with industrial solvents. When toxic waste was discovered later that year, suspicions arose that the local factories caused the pollution. The residents felt these companies were responsible for the unusually high rate of leukemia deaths amongst the town's children. Anne Anderson (Kathleen Quinlan), a mother who lost her son Jimmy to leukemia, fronts an effort to bring a lawsuit against the major conglomerates Beatrice Foods and W. R. Grace & Co for their pollution crimes -- a heavy-duty problem, because these companies have the money to squash the less powerful citizens. Enter Jan Schlichtmann (John Travolta), a personal injury lawyer whose small law firm is hired to sue these industrial giants for millions of dollars in damages. He's up against Jerome Facher (Robert Duvall) and William Cheeseman (Bruce Norris), high-priced lawyers who represent the big companies. Most of the film takes place in the courtroom during the trial. It also features William H. Macy as Schlichtmann's accountant and John Lithgow as the judge. ~ Arthur Borman, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Travolta, Robert Duvall, (more)
- 1998
Rebellious teen Niki (Tricia Vessy) has nowhere to go. She doesn't get along with her widowed father (John Shea) or her selfish boyfriend (Scott Caan), and she's about to be kicked out of high school. The school's principal (Zeljko Ivanek) suggests she work counseling troubled children, but she winds up having a confrontation with the program's leader (Marianne Jean-Baptiste). Niki meets with an eight-year-old (Jacob Smith), reexamines her own childhood, gets help from her grandmother (Carroll Baker), rejects her boyfriend, finds a new friend (Ryan Francis), and soon is on the road to recovery, even reconnecting with her dad. Marianne Jean-Baptiste, who appeared as the British optometrist in Mike Leigh's Secrets & Lies, portrays an American in this film. Shown at the 1998 Santa Barbara Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tricia Vessey, John Shea, (more)
- 1997
Ally McBeal, despite low expectations from the network, proved to be a highly successful endeavor from writer/producer David E. Kelley. The notoriously tiny Calista Flockhart's neurotic portrayal of Ally fueled the show for five seasons, though it could not have lasted nearly as long without the insights of its eccentric supporting cast. Unique for its forays into the surreal, Ally McBeal as a show is as conflicted as its starring character. Half feministic endeavor, half a frustratingly traditional portrayal of lovelorn women, Ally McBeal danced precariously between law dramas of a more serious nature and Bridget Jones-esque "chick-shows." The series centered around the life of Ally McBeal, the quintessential "little girl lost," who, after graduating with a law degree from Harvard University, found herself in a law firm populated by an extraordinarily unconventional staff, including but not limited to Billy Thomas (Gil Bellows), her high school sweetheart. The show's premise allowed for quite a bit of creative freedom, and most episodes switched seamlessly from the thought-provoking (modern gender issues and sexual boundaries) to the absurd (remote control toilet flushers and pet frogs). Ally's quest for love and emotional fulfillment made for the heart of the series, along with the dark undertone of her often-questionable sanity. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Calista Flockhart, Courtney Thorne-Smith, (more)
- 1997
In the second of Law & Order's three "crossovers" with the Baltimore-based NBC crime series Homicide: Life on the Street, a teenaged model dies on the streets of New York, apparently the victim of toxic-shock syndrome. An autopsy reveals that the girl had been raped, a crime that would have to have been committed while she was in Baltimore. Thus, detective Lennie Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) calls in his Baltimore counterpart, John Munch (Richard Belzer), to assist in the investigation. Meanwhile, New York assistant DA McCoy (Sam Waterston) finds himself locked in a jurisdictional battle with the Baltimore DA -- a battle complicated by the actions of the dead girl's parents. In addition to Richard Belzer, Homicide regulars Jon Seda (Falsone) and Yaphet Kotto (Giardello) also appear. The first episode of the two-part "Baby, It's You" aired as the November 11, 1997, installment of Law & Order; the conclusion was seen November 14 on Homicide: Life on the Street. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1997
This episode is told in flashback, as Frasier (Kelsey Grammer) tries to cheer up a depressed radio caller by philosophizing over an event in his own experience. It seems that the Crane's quirky dog Eddie was also down in the dumps emotionally, causing no end of concern for Frasier and his dad, Martin (John Mahoney). The solution: Send Eddie to see a pet psychiatrist, Dr. Shaw (Zeljko Ivanek, of Oz fame). And the results? Well, the results are much better seen than described. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1997
Filmed in Vancouver, this Hallmark Hall of Fame takes place during the '70s in the U.S. After the death of her mother, Charlotte (Glynis O'Connor), 10-year-old Ellen Foster (Jena Malone, who narrates) suffers abuse from her alcoholic father (Ted Levine) and is ill-treated by her maternal aunts Nadine (Debra Monk) and Betsy (Barbara Garrick) and also by Nadine's mean daughter Dora (Kimberly Brown). Ellen is sent to live with her grief-stricken grandmother Leonora (Julie Harris), but her problems continue since the mean-spirited Leonora blames Ellen for Charlotte's death. Harry Nilsson's song, "Remember Christmas," is featured. This TV movie premiered December 14, 1997 on CBS. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Julie Harris, Jena Malone, (more)
A man brings new life to a small town by announcing that he's killing himself in this low-key comedy-drama that marked a significant change of pace for star Christian Slater. Julian Po (Slater) is a quiet, unassuming bookkeeper -- so quiet and unassuming, in fact, that most people hardly notice that he exists, as his life quietly slips by. Julian has few friends and little to look forward to in life, so one day he decides to commit suicide. One of his few ambitions in life has been to see the ocean, so Julian plans to take one final vacation in which he'll visit the seashore before doing himself in. En route to the coast, Julian's car breaks down in a small town so obscure that the name isn't even posted at the city limits. Julian's plan is to spend the night, get the car fixed, and move on, so he stops to get a room at Vern's Boarding House, where Vern himself (Michael Parks) informs Julian that he almost never has guests. In fact, the town gets so few visitors that most of the locals view Julian with tremendous suspicion, especially the Mayor (Harve Presnell) and the Sheriff (Frankie R. Faison). After his car disappears, Julian decides to tell everyone, while eating at the only diner in town, that he means them no harm and has not come to cause any trouble -- he's merely decided to go somewhere to kill himself. Suddenly, everyone's attitude towards him changes; at once expressing admiration for his determination and concern for his well-being, the whole town tries to leap to his rescue, and as they gently try to convince Julian to go on living, they gain a new lease on life -- especially Sarah (Robin Tunney), a beautiful but lonely woman who has fallen in love with the quiet stranger. Julian Po was the first feature film for writer and director Alan Wade; it was also released as The Tears of Julian Po. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christian Slater, Robin Tunney, (more)
Seen mostly through the eyes of wheelchair-bound prisoner Augustus Hill (Harold Perrineau Jr.), who serves as narrator and "tour guide," the first season of Oz begins with the establishment of a "prison within a prison" on Cell Block 5 of Oswald Maximum Security Penitentiary -- aka "Oz." Under the watchful eyes of Warden Leo Glynn (Ernie Hudson), Tim McManus (Terry Kinney) serves as unit manager of Cell Block 5, which he rechristens the Emerald City. It is the hope of the idealistic McManus that by allowing the prisoners more freedom and privileges, and getting them used to a daily routine, they will become rehabilitated more quickly. Perhaps it goes without saying that McManus is in for a lot of disillusionment and disappointment during the eight episodes of season one. Newly interned at "Em City" are former lawyer Tobias Beecher (Lee Tergesen), nervously serving time for murder; famed Muslim leader Kareem Said (Eamonn Walker), who calmly informs Warden Glynn that he intends to become "top man" at Oz; pro basketball player Jackson Vayhue (Rick Fox); and cannibalistic serial killer Donald Groves (Sean Whitesell). Their assimilation into the prison population is uneventful until Governor James Devlin (Zeljko Ivanek), who has sailed into office on a platform diametrically proposed to Glynn's "coddling" of prisoners, orders the removal of such newly installed privileges as smoking and conjugal visits. Going one step farther, Devlin reinstates the death penalty, resulting in the immediate execution of one of the Em City "residents." Clearly, this does nothing to alleviate the tension between cons and guards -- nor, for that matter, between the various powerful factions within the population. In the course of events, an undercover narc is found hanged in his cell, another prisoner is set afire, the Oz staffers wrestle with the problem of what to do with elderly inmates, a turf war breaks out over a game of checkers, and Kareem Said suffers a heart attack. The season ends with a bloody and destructive riot -- with no indication as to who will survive to appear in season two. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ernie Hudson, Terry Kinney, (more)
- 1997
This episode of Homicide: Life on the Street is the conclusion of a two-part story begun on its "sister" series Law & Order. The man accused of stalking Brittany Janaway (Rachel Jane Sacrey), a teenaged model who'd been raped in Baltimore before dying of toxic shock syndrome in New York City, insists that he witnessed her attack. This brings Law & Order detectives Rey Curtis (Benjamin Bratt) and Lennie Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) to Baltimore, where they team with the Homicide sleuths to determine if Brittany's father (Tom Tammi) -- the same man who posted a 250,000-dollar reward for the capture of her rapist -- is actually the guilty party. In the ensuing jurisdictional battles both in and out of the courtroom, the facts of the case are all but sacrificed in the interests of a speedy conclusion. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Belzer, Andre Braugher, (more)
