Kim Knuckey Movies
The made-for-cable Western The Outsider would seem to have its roots in the classic John Wayne theatrical feature Angel and the Badman. In the Montana of the late 19th century, wounded outlaw Johnny Gault (Tim Daly) is given refuge by widowed sheep farmer Rebecca Yoder (Naomi Watts). This puts Rebecca on the outs with her own people, a pacifist Quaker sect, and also incurs the wrath of a ruthless cattle baron, who has long coveted the Quakers' land--and who also was responsible for the death of Rebecca's husband. Not surprisingly, Johnny Gault turns out to be the traditional "good bad man", capable of solving everyone's problems--except, perhaps, his own. The Outsider first aired over the Showtime cable network on November 10, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Long before his legendary association with the Alabama Crimson Tide, football coach Paul "Bear" Bryant was athletic director at Texas A&M University. In this made for TV movie, the hard-as-nails Bryant (played by Tom Berenger) shepherds 100 potential college football players into the desolate village known as Junction, Texas, in the summer of 1954. Determined to find out which of his boys has the guts and fortitude to play winning football, Bryant forces the applicants to train eight hours a day in 120 degree heat, without food or water. Ultimately, only 35 players make the cut, among them such gridiron luminaries as Gene Stallings and Jack Pardee (though, outside of Bryant, none of the players' actual names is mentioned in the script). "Bear"'s grueling regimen is tough, relentless and perhaps unfair, but the football players emerge as a unified whole, dedicated both to victory and to their tireless coach. The second feature film produced especially for the ESPN cable network, The Junction Boys was based on the book by Jim Dent, and originally aired on December 14, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Berenger, Fletcher Humphrys, (more)
- 1997
Made for television, Heart of Fire stars Patrick Duffy as Max Tucker, a veteran firefighter who has seen so much in his lifetime that he regards himself immune to the tragedies and heartaches of the world. Tucker's cynicism is put to the test when he tries to save a little girl named Katy (Alex McKenna), trapped beneath a burning tanker. Though the other firefighters have given up the girl for dead, Tucker puts his own life on the line in hopes of pulling off an "impossible" rescue--and restoring his faith in miracles. Produced by Arnold Shapiro of Rescue 911 fame, Heart of Fire (cable TV title: The Tanker Incident) first aired January 7, 1997 on CBS. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
