Dana Smith Croll Movies
Viggo Mortensen, Naomi Watts, Armin Mueller-Stahl, and Vincent Cassel star in this David Cronenberg's thriller concerning a London midwife who unwittingly stumbles into a clandestine Russian sex trafficking ring. An unidentified Russian teen has been rushed to a London hospital after going into labor. Though midwife Anna Khitrova (Watts) does manage to deliver a healthy baby girl, the newborn's mother dies tragically during delivery. But the deceased mother's secrets did not die with her, because she has left behind a diary. Determined to ensure the newborn is placed with her rightful family, Anna attempts to read the diary and discovers a business card for a local restaurant therein. Upon visiting the restaurant Anna is greeted by kindly owner Semyon (Mueller-Stahl), who generously offers to translate it for her. But Semyon is not what he appears to be, and before long Anna begins to fear that the child could be in great danger. Semyon admits to Anna that the diary contains information about his son Kirill (Cassell) that could land the volatile offspring in jail despite the fact that Kirill is at heart a good person. As the truth begins to unfold and Anna begins to believe that Kirill and his driver Nikolai (Mortensen) - an ambitious driver seeking to ascent the ranks of the notorious Russian mafia - mean the baby harm, an underworld storm begins to brew that could consume all involved. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Viggo Mortensen, Naomi Watts, (more)
The politics of slavery and the follies of nation-building highlight Danish director Lars von Trier's thought-provoking follow-up to the director's 2003 drama Dogville, featuring The Village's Bryce Dallas Howard in the role originally played by Nicole Kidman, and shot in the same stage-bound style as its predecessor. Shortly after leaving Dogville, Grace (Howard) and her father (Willem Dafoe) wander into a gated Alabama community still operating under the tenets of slavery. Appalled to stumble across a brutal scene in which a white master is viciously lashing his slave (Isaach de Bankolé), Grace hastily intercedes and pleads with the abusive man to treat his workers with respect and dignity. When merciless matriarchal plantation owner Mam (Lauren Bacall) dies shortly thereafter, the remaining slaves, who have never tasted freedom and only known life under "Mam's Law," implore the sympathetic Grace to help ease their turbulent transition toward democratic rule, with disastrous results. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bryce Dallas Howard, Isaach de Bankolé, (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
