William Baldwin Movies

The second of three films by co-writer/director Oliver Stone to explore the effects of the Vietnam War (Platoon and Heaven and Earth are the others), Born On The Fourth Of July tells the true story of Ron Kovic (Tom Cruise), a patriotic, All-American small town athlete who shocks his family by enlisting with the Marines to fight in the Vietnam War. Once he is overseas, however, Kovic's gung-ho enthusiasm turns to horror and confusion when he accidentally kills one of his own men in a firefight. His downfall is furthered by a bullet wound that leaves him paralyzed from the chest down. He returns home, spends an appalling, nightmarish stint in a veterans' hospital, and follows an increasingly disillusioned and fragmented path that ultimately leaves him drunk and dissolute in Mexico. However, Kovic somehow turns himself around and pulls his life together, becoming an outspoken anti-war activist in the process. The film is long but emotionally powerful; many consider it Stone's best work and Cruise's best performance. Both were nominated for Oscars, as was the film itself, but only Stone, who co-wrote the film with Kovic from the latter's book, won for Best Director. ~ Don Kaye, Rovi

In this glossy L.A. crime drama by Mike Figgis, Andy Garcia stars as Sgt. Raymond Avila, a cop who just joined the Internal Affairs division of the L.A.P.D. An investigation into police corruption has led Avila and his partner, Sgt. Amy Wallace (Laurie Metcalf), to Officer Dennis Peck (Richard Gere). Avila suspects something about Peck from the beginning; his influence and dominance over others seems to extend further than the reach of his badge. When officers who wish to testify against Peck start dying, the depth of his corruption becomes increasingly clear; at his disposal, he has an army of cops and criminals alike. He even agrees to assassinate a sleazy businessman's own parents, and humiliates the businessman while they make the deal. In his drive to dominate others, Peck attempts to seduce almost every woman around him and is obsessed with children and fatherhood. Peck is most dangerous when the investigation threatens his territory and his extended family; he stalks Avila and turns him against his wife (Nancy Travis). ~ Jonathan E. Laxamana, Rovi

The sons of a Chicago fireman who gave his life in the performance of his duties, firefighting brothers Kurt Russell and William Baldwin carry their lifelong sibling rivalry into their work. Russell is convinced that Baldwin hasn't got what it takes to remain in the fire department. Baldwin is transferred to a "safe" assignment, assisting arson investigator Robert DeNiro, who is trying to make sense of a series of fires involving an oxygen-induced ball of fire called a backdraft. The investigation reveals a link between corrupt alderman J. T. Walsh and imprisoned pyromaniac Donald Sutherland. The trail of evidence leads Baldwin to suspect that his brother Russell, a much-decorated hero, may be the "inside" man setting up the arsons. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A new '90s expressiveness regarding homosexuality in movies is gently mined for laughs in this 1993 comedy that predates the similar but much more raw Chasing Amy and slightly more humorous Threesome. With her straight greasy hair, semi-paranoid outlook, and leather jacket she wears like a shield, Connie (Kelly Lynch) already seems a bit unhinged. Then her girlfriend, Ellen (Sherilyn Fenn), breaks up their relationship and Connie loses it. In her grief, she hits upon a bizarre plan: Why not hire male prostitute Joe (William Baldwin) to seduce Ellen, then break her heart? Wouldn't that make Ellen rush back into Connie's arms? Of course not. For one thing, Joe's life is complicated by his protective yet sinister pimp (Joe Pantoliano) and a thug who mistakenly believes Joe set him up for a prison sentence. And Joe and Ellen fall in love. Yet an odd, sibling-like friendship develops between Joe and Connie that steers them through the repercussions of Ellen's discovery of their deceit, the thug's attack on Joe, and Joe's desire to give up prostitution. By the story's end, they've lost Ellen, but they have one another, and have learned to step beyond the protective relationships they have lost. Three of Hearts solidified William Baldwin's ascent to leading-man status (along with brothers Stephen and Alec) after 1991's Backdraft. ~ Nick Sambides, Jr., Rovi

Supermodel and sex symbol Cindy Crawford made her acting debut in this high-decibel thriller. Kate McQuean (Crawford) is a lawyer who -- in the course of a divorce proceeding -- attempts to seize a 157-foot freighter docked off the Florida coast in lieu of unpaid alimony. It turns out that the freighter is the current base of operations of Kazak (Steven Berkoff), a former KGB agent who has become an international money laundering expert and leader of a crack terrorist team. As one might imagine, Kazak is not especially happy about possible eviction, and soon Kate has a hefty price on her head. Kate, however, doesn't know the nature of Kazak's business and isn't sure why someone is trying to kill her. Loose cannon police detective Max Kilpatric (William Baldwin) is assigned to protect Kate, and romance begins to bloom as they dodge a remarkable number of bullets and explosions. Fair Game was originally slated to star Sylvester Stallone alongside Crawford (the film's location was moved to Florida at his request); when he dropped out, Crawford found herself co-starring with Baldwin, another model-turned-thespian. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

In this dark comedy, a woman fascinated with crime has an unexpected brush with a famous murderer's handiwork. Gabriela (Angela Jones) is a Colombian immigrant living in Miami who has been fascinated with violent death since she saw a falling corpse pass by her window as a child. Today she works for a cleaning service that specializes in mopping up the blood, gore, and bone fragments left behind at crime scenes, and she is tickled to discover one day that she's cleaning up after an execution by her favorite at-large serial murderer, The Blue Blood Killer (William Baldwin), so named because his victims are all wealthy women. But Gabriela doesn't know that the killer is still in the building; he managed to lock himself in the wine cellar while trying to escape, and he is slowly trying to remove the bolts from its lock while Gabriela makes the place livable again. However, while cleaning, she discovers a piece of evidence that could confirm the identity of the killer, just as he's about to emerge from the cellar. Curdled is an expanded version of a short film that director Reb Braddock made in 1991; the short inspired one of the episodes in Quentin Tarantino's film Pulp Fiction, and Tarantino in turn helped produce this feature-length remake, as well as making a cameo appearance. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

This program examines the evolution of the Cold War following World War II and America's decision to use atomic weapons against Japan. It looks at the fears and paranoia that often went unchecked as Americans and their enemies second-guessed one another before new crises could develop. The program brings various realities to light by showing how the lives of eight ordinary Americans were affected by the Cold War. The program also examines the terror many experienced during the McCarthy hearings. People knew that their careers could suddenly end if Communist accusations were brought against them and their names were added to blacklists. The Soviet Union's response to all of these events is also reviewed. ~ Elizabeth Smith, Rovi

This drama is based on the true story of Thomas Martinez (William Baldwin), a poor and uneducated Army veteran living in Philadelphia in 1983. Frustrated by his inability to find a job, especially as his wife (Kelly Lynch) is expecting their first child, Thomas thinks he's found a sympathetic ear when he meets Bob Matthews (Peter Gallagher), the leader of a white supremacist group called "The Order." Urging Thomas to "take an oath of allegiance and protect your family," Bob initiates him into the Order, and Thomas soon rises to a position of importance in the organization (and becomes privy to one of their key fund-raising operations -- counterfeiting). However, Thomas discovers that the group's racist views are not just a matter of talk when the Order engineers the assassination of radio talk show host Alan Berg, and in time Thomas approaches the FBI, risking his life to act as an informant against the racist group. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Adapted for the screen from the 1951 play that revived playwright Noel Coward's flagging reputation, Relative Values is another wit-laden addition to the English comedy of manners ouevre. Set sometime during the mid-20th century, the film opens on the French Riviera, where nebbish English aristocrat Nigel (Edward Atterton) has just announced his engagement to vulgar American movie star Miranda Frayle (Jeanne Tripplehorn). Nigel's news dismays both his mother, Felicity (Julie Andrews), and Miranda's former lover, fellow screen icon Don Lucas (William Baldwin). Felicity manages to strap on a stiff upper lip while Don drowns his sorrows in booze and flees to England. Meanwhile, Felicity's personal assistant Moxie (Sophie Thompson) makes the rather startling announcement that Miranda is her estranged younger sister. Everything looks set to go pear-shaped until Felicity's cunning butler Crestwell (the ever-cunning Stephen Fry) comes up with an ingenious plan that will turn the tables in Moxie's favor. After Nigel returns to his mother's estate with Miranda in tow, Crestwell's plan is complicated by the unexpected arrival of an inebriated Don at a dinner party that Felicity is throwing for the engaged couple. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, Rovi

In this thriller, Brennan (William Baldwin) is an honest cop whose partner is murdered during an investigation of an organized crime syndicate. Determined to get to the mobsters who killed his partner, Brennan searches for the man who ordered his friend's assassination. Double Team offers two Baldwins for the price of one, with Adam Baldwin (no relation to William Baldwin) in the supporting cast alongside Elizabeth Mitchell and John Seda. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

When his hopeful fiancee Chloe (Denise Richards) leaves him to pursue an acting career in Los Angeles, down on his luck Owen (David Krumholtz) begins to see love in the eyes of Nadine (Milla Jovovich), the woman who would have been the maid of honor at Own and Chloe's wedding. Nadine has offered Owen comfort in his abandonment, and it seems as if he finally may be recovering from crushing blow dealt to him by Chloe. Just as thing begin to look up, however, Chloe's show is cancelled and the disheartened would-be actress returns home fully intent on rekindling on reuniting with Owen. Will Owen remain with the lovely Nadine, or will his old flame prove too difficult to resist? ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Two boys learn the hard way about how a marriage falls apart in this independent comedy drama. Bernard (Jeff Daniels) is a novelist whose career has gone into a slow decline as he spends more time teaching and less time writing. His wife, Joan (Laura Linney), meanwhile, has recently begun publishing her own work to widespread acclaim, which only increases the growing tension between them. One day, Bernard and Joan's two sons -- 16-year-old Walt (Jesse Eisenberg) and 12-year-old Frank (Owen Kline) -- are told that their parents are separating, with Bernard renting a house on the other side of their Park Slope, Brooklyn, neighborhood. As the parents set up a schedule for spending time with their children, Walt and Jesse can hardly imagine that things could get more combative between their folks, but they do, as Joan begins dating Ivan (William Baldwin), Frank's tennis instructor, and Bernard starts sharing the house with Lili (Anna Paquin), one of his students. Meanwhile, the two boys begin taking sides in the battle between their parents, with Walt taking after his father and Frank siding with his mom. Based on writer/director Noah Baumbach's own childhood experiences with his parents' divorce, The Squid and the Whale won prizes for writing and direction at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi