Tommy Lee Jones Movies
An eighth-generation Texan, actor Tommy Lee Jones attended Harvard University, where he roomed with future U.S. Vice President Al Gore. Though several of his less-knowledgeable fans have tended to dismiss Jones as a roughhewn redneck, the actor was equally at home on the polo fields (he's a champion player) as the oil fields, where he made his living for many years.After graduating cum laude from Harvard in 1969, Jones made his stage debut that same year in A Patriot for Me; in 1970, he appeared in his first film, Love Story (listed way, way down the cast list as one of Ryan O'Neal's fraternity buddies). Interestingly enough, while Jones was at Harvard, he and roommate Gore provided the models for author Erich Segal while he was writing the character of Oliver, the book's (and film's) protagonist. After this supporting role, Jones got his first film lead in the obscure Canadian film Eliza's Horoscope (1975). Following a spell on the daytime soap opera One Life to Live, he gained national attention in 1977 when he was cast in the title role in the TV miniseries The Amazing Howard Hughes, his resemblance to the title character -- both vocally and visually -- positively uncanny. Five years later, Jones won further acclaim and an Emmy for his startling performance as murderer Gary Gilmore in The Executioner's Song.
Jones spent the rest of the '80s working in both television and film, doing his most notable work on such TV miniseries as Lonesome Dove (1989), for which he earned another Emmy nomination. It was not until the early '90s that the actor became a substantial figure in Hollywood, a position catalyzed by a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for his role in Oliver Stone's JFK. In 1993, Jones won both that award and a Golden Globe for his driven, starkly funny portrayal of U.S. Marshal Sam Gerard in The Fugitive. His subsequent work during the decade was prolific and enormously varied. In 1994 alone, he could be seen as an insane prison warden in Natural Born Killers; titular baseball hero Ty Cobb in Cobb; a troubled army captain in Blue Sky; a wily federal attorney in The Client; and a psychotic bomber in Blown Away.
Jones was also attached to a number of big-budget action movies, hamming it up as the crazed Two-Face in Batman Forever (1995); donning sunglasses and an attitude to play a special agent in Men in Black (1997); and reprising his Fugitive role for the film's 1998 sequel, U.S. Marshals. The following year, he continued this trend, playing Ashley Judd's parole officer in the psychological thriller Double Jeopardy. The late '90s and millennial turnover found Jones' popularity soaring, and the distinguished actor continued to develop a successful comic screen persona (Space Cowboys [2000] and Men in Black II [2002]), in addition to maintaining his dramatic clout with roles in such thrillers as The Rules of Engagement (2000) and The Hunted (2003).
2005 brought a comedic turn for the actor, who starred in the madcap comedy Man of the House as a grizzled police officer in tasked to protect a house full of cheerleaders who witnessed a murder. Jones also took a stab at directing that year, helming and starring in the western crime drama The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada. In 2006, Jones appeared in Robert Altman's film adaptation of A Prairie Home Companion, based on Garrison Keillor's long running radio show. The movie's legendary director, much loved source material and all-star cast made the film a safe bet for the actor, who hadn't done much in the way of musical comedy. Jones played the consumate corporate bad guy with his trademark grit.
2007 brought two major roles for the actor. He headlined the Iraq war drama In the Valley of Elah for director Paul Haggis. His work as the veteran father of a son who died in the war earned him strong reviews and an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. However more people saw Jones' other film from that year, the Coen brothers adaptation of No Country for Old Men. His work as a middle-aged Texas sheriff haunted by the acts of the evil man he hunts earned him a Screen Actors Guild nomination for Best Supporting Actor. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2011
Matthew McConaughey stars as a dime-store lawyer who stumbles onto the defense team for a wealthy bachelor in a high-profile murder case with this Lakeshore Entertainment production. John Romano provides the adaptation for the best-selling novel by Michael Connelly. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Matthew McConaughey
A detective tracking a serial killer who preys on young women finds his investigation complicated by a glamorous Hollywood starlet and a ruthless crime kingpin in director Bertrand Tavernier's adaptation of the James Lee Burke novel In the Electric Mist with Confederate Dead. Jerzy Kromolowski, Mary Olson-Kromolowski, and Tommy Lee Jones collaborate on the screenplay for the film, which stars Jones, John Goodman, Peter Sarsgaard, Ned Beatty, and Tom Sizemore. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tommy Lee Jones, John Goodman, (more)
Kevin Rafferty's documentary Harvard Beats Yale 29-29 looks at this historic 1968 matchup between those two longtime college football rivals. Many recall that year's edition of this annual grudge match as it was the first time in almost six decades that both schools were undefeated going into the game. The filmmakers utilize archival footage, and intercut it with new interview footage provided by many of those who played a part in that memorable game. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- 2007
In 1997, a group of United States Marines had been assigned to help guard the border between Texas and Mexico, looking for smugglers as part of the federal government's ongoing war on drugs. While on patrol, one of the Marines shot and killed Esequiel Hernandez Jr., mistaking him for a border jumper while the young man tended his family's goats. Hernandez had the dubious distinction of becoming the first American citizen to be killed by U.S. military forces on domestic soil since the Kent State shootings in 1970, and filmmaker Kieran Fitzgerald explores Hernandez's tragic death and its long aftermath in the documentary The Ballad of Esequiel Hernandez. The film features interviews with Hernandez's parents and friends, members of the Marine battalion who were on patrol that day, FBI agents who investigated the killing, and government agents and civilians who discuss the strained relations between the United States and Mexico, the effects of the War on Drugs, the use of military forces for domestic patrols, and how these factors contributed to one man's death. Narrated by Tommy Lee Jones, The Ballad of Esequiel Hernandez received its world premiere at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 1995
Tommy Lee Jones made his directorial debut in this made-for-television movie about an aging cowboy dealing with the changing face of the West. Jones stars as Hewey Calloway, a cowboy who has roamed the West for years, who suddenly finds himself at a crossroads -- torn between the freedom of his lifestyle and the security of a loving family and homestead. The film was based on the book by Elmer Kelton and filmed in Texas. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tommy Lee Jones, Terry Kinney, (more)
Blue Sky was the last film directed by Tony Richardson (Tom Jones) before his death in 1991 and one of the last releases from once-thriving Orion Films, whose bankruptcy kept the picture on the shelf for several years. It also features two career-high performances by Tommy Lee Jones and Jessica Lange, who won the Best Actress Oscar for this role, as Hank and Carly Marshall, a military couple whose marriage unravels under the pressure of his job and her mental instability. Hank is an Army captain at odds with his superiors over the wisdom of nuclear testing. Carly is a free spirit spiralling into a dangerous depression after the family's move from Hawaii to a nowhere base in Alabama alarms the couple's older daughter (Amy Locane) and sends Carly into an affair with the base commander (Powers Boothe). ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jessica Lange, Tommy Lee Jones, (more)
- 1990
This documentary is about the making of the immensely popular television series Lonesome Dove. The Western epic, adapted from Larry McMurtry's novel, starred Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones as two aging cowboys and former Texas rangers, who organize a cattle drive from Texas to Montana. The stellar cast created an engaging drama set against the magnificent country in the American Southwest. This video takes the viewer behind the scenes, where the stars talk about how they created their characters. Wranglers tell stories of working with the hundreds of horses on the set. There is exciting footage of stuntmen performing dangerous acts, as they added dramatic action to the story. ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, All Movie Guide
This six-hour miniseries, based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Larry McMurtry, revitalized both the miniseries and Western genres, both of which had been considered dead for several years. Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones star as fun-loving Gus MacRae and taciturn Woodrow Call, respectively, a pair of longtime friends and former Texas Rangers who crave one last adventure before they bow to their advancing years. Convinced that animals will thrive on the lush grasslands of Montana, Woodrow persuades Gus to undertake the arduous, 3,000-mile cattle drive there. Rounding up over a thousand head from Mexican rustlers south of the border, the men recruit a diverse crew of hands to help them. Among the party are Woodrow's illegitimate son Newt Dobbs (Rick Schroeder), local prostitute Lorena Wood (Diane Lane), and old compatriots Joshua Deets (Danny Glover), Jake Spoon (Robert Urich), and Pea Eye Parker (Tim Scott). Storms, hostile natives, poisonous snakes, and rustlers take their toll on the company before Montana is reached in an adventure that is equal parts Greek tragedy and classic, John Ford-style oater. Originally developed in the 1970s as a script by McMurtry for director Peter Bogdanovich and stars Henry Fonda, John Wayne, and James Stewart, Lonesome Dove earned 18 Emmy nominations and inspired a pair of miniseries sequel as well as two attempts at an ongoing television series. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Duvall, Tommy Lee Jones, (more)
- 1988
In this drama, a Vietnam vet takes a stand when government agents attempt to take his ranch so they can build a missile base there. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1988
The morning invoked by the title of this made-for-TV drama is April 19, 1775. On that day, the "shot heard 'round the world" was fired, signalling the start of the American Revolution. Departing from known history, novelist Howard Fast (who wrote the book on which this film is based) proposes that the skirmish between the Colonial militia and the British troops on Concord Green, Massachusetts, was precipitated by fervent American patriot Solomon Chandler (Rip Torn). Later, Chandler commandeered guerilla raids against the British, activities which involved the film's main protagonist, 15-year-old Adam Cooper (Chad Lowe). Tommy Lee Jones, Robert Urich and Susan Blakely co-star in this Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation, originally telecast April 24, 1988. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tommy Lee Jones, Robert Urich, (more)
This devilish blend of film noir and Gothic melodrama first aired August 21, 1988, over the Showtime Cable service. Tommy Lee Jones stars as Eddie Mallard, an end-of-pier private eye, hired by a millionaire (Colin Bruce) to do some snooping. Eddie's client claims that he is being hounded for money by his ex-wife (Virginia Madsen). A simple case of harassment -- hardly: the man's wife has been dead for 10 years. As Eddie investigates, he himself is confronted by the "deceased" wife, who insists that she's not a ghost and who eventually becomes the gorgeous object of Eddie's own obsessions. The stars sometimes seem as bewildered as the audience, but the film's excellent production values help smooth over the more confusing passages. Originally unrated, Gotham now carries an "R" for violence, language and sexual situations. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tommy Lee Jones, Virginia Madsen, (more)
The Big Town is Chicago, circa 1957. Matt Dillon stars as a small-town crapshooter who heads to the Windy City to seek his fortune. There he becomes the pawn of two high-rolling professional gamblers, played by Lee Grant and Bruce Dern. He later gets mixed up in a revenge scheme cooked up by Diane Lane, the embittered wife of strip-joint owner Tommy Lee Jones. Before he knows what's happened, Dillon is embroiled in two torrid romances, one with Lane and the other with "nice" girl Suzy Amis; he also nearly loses his life by ending up in the middle of a deadly feud between Dern and Jones. Based on The Arm, a novel by Clark Howard, Big Town tends towards uneveness, a result perhaps of the defection of its first director, Harold Becker. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Matt Dillon, Diane Lane, (more)
This drama explores the inner turmoil of a parish priest who begins to question his beliefs and his celibacy after he becomes mixed up with the girlfriend of a murder victim. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tommy Lee Jones, Annette O'Toole, (more)
Made for British television, Yuri Nosenko, KGB stars Oleg Rudnik in the title role. Based on a true story, the film concerns Nosenko's defection to the west in 1964. To make certain that he hasn't been sent to the US as a Russian "mole", Nosenko is subject to a grueling interrogation, headed by American agent Steve Daley (Tommy Lee Jones). The script is derived from the actual transcripts of that interrogation, together with contemporary interviews and newspaper articles. Whenever a gap in the continuity arises, the filmmakers do an admirable job supplying speculative dialogue. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
A John Carpenter story served as the launching pad for Black Moon Rising. Veteran thief Quint (Tommy Lee Jones) is hired by the FBI to steal some politically volatile computer tapes. The owners of the tapes are displeased, and begin chasing Quint all over the countryside. Just when he's about to surrender his booty, Quint's car -- wherein the tapes are stored -- is stolen by Nina (Linda Hamilton). She delivers the car to her corporate-villain boyfriend Ryland (Robert Vaughn), who runs a hot auto ring. Nina then has second thoughts and decides to throw in with Quint...and round and round we go. The "Black Moon" of the title is the name Quint's high-tech, low-slung vehicle. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tommy Lee Jones, Linda Hamilton, (more)
- 1985
In this taut action drama, an unbalanced Vietnam vet goes off the beam and takes over Central Park in this made for cable outing that was filmed entirely in Toronto. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Coproduced by Showtime and PBS, the 1984 TV version of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is based on Tennessee Williams' Pulitzer Price winning play, previously filmed in 1958 and 1979. Jessica Lange stars as Maggie "the Cat", the frustrated, overheated wife of alcoholic former football jock Brick (Tommy Lee Jones). All of Brick's family have gathered for the 65th birthday party of Big Daddy (Rip Torn), and to celebrate the news that the family's patriarch is not suffering from cancer, as earlier reported. Hostilities explode as Maggie goes after Brick for his drinking and impotence, Brick and Big Daddy have a confrontation over Brick's supposed homosexuality, and the doctor arrives with the news that Big Daddy is dying after all--and his estate is up for grabs. Kim Hunter, David Dukes and Penny Fuller costar in this uncensored version of Williams' stage classic, which first aired on pay cable, then was telecast on PBS' American Playhouse. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jessica Lange, Tommy Lee Jones, (more)
- 1982
Tommy Lee Jones stars in this TV-movie adaption of the popular play by N. Richard Nash. Tuesday Weld stars as Lizzie Curry, a plain farm woman who seems destined to spend her life alone. When her family farm is put in jeopardy by drought, along comes Bill Starbuck (Jones), a traveling rainmaker who tries to entice Lizzie into taking a chance on him, while he promises rain for the farm. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide
Tommy Lee Jones won an Emmy for his searing performance as wanton killer Gary Gilmore in The Executioner's Song. The film covers the last nine months of Gilmore's life, beginning with his release from prison in 1976. Linking up with teen-age divorcee Nicole Baker (Rosanna Arquette), Gilmore makes a half-hearted effort to go straight, but ends up embarking on a robbery spree that culminates in two cold-blooded murders. Arrested and sentenced to be executed, Gilmore insists upon being put to death (Utah law required a firing squad for this); he spends his final days as a poster boy for anti-death penalty activists and as a "client" for an entrepreneur (Steven Keats) who wants to make a film of Gilmore's life. Adapted by Norman Mailer from his own book, The Executioner's Song originally aired in two parts on November 28 and 29, 1982. It has since been boiled down to a 97-minute theatrical film for European consumption, with additional scenes of violence and nudity. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tommy Lee Jones, Rosanna Arquette, (more)
For his follow-up to 1979's Academy Award-winning Norma Rae, director Martin Ritt re-teams with that film's star, Sally Field, for this gritty romantic road comedy. Reportedly Ritt's homage to Frank Capra's films of the 1930s, Back Roads stars Field as Amy Post, a no-nonsense prostitute in the deep South struggling with the fact that she gave up her only child for adoption. When Amy first encounters the recently unemployed Elmore Pratt (Tommy Lee Jones), she is anything but fond of the drifter. But after taking to the road together with dreams of California, the two societal misfits find themselves falling for each other. Ritt and Field would team together once again four years later in another romantic comedy set in the South, Murphy's Romance. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sally Field, Tommy Lee Jones, (more)
This 40-minute TV dramatization of William Faulkner's Barn Burning stars Tommy Lee Jones as the truculent head of the Snopes family. Jones has a tendency to burn down the barns of local landowners who've incurred his displeasure. His son Shawn Willington wants no part of this vengeful practice, but is bound by loyalty to his family. Adapted for television by Horton Foote, Barn Burning was originally presented in tandem with a TV version of Mark Twain's The Man Who Corrupted Hadleyburg. Both dramas debuted on March 17, 1980, as part of PBS's American Short Story anthology. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Taking over the already profitable Hughes tool company from his deceased father, the teenaged Howard Hughes (Tommy Lee Jones) turns the operation into a billion-dollar business. Along the way, he dabbles in film production, romancing such Hollywood lovelies as Katharine Hepburn (Tovah Feldshuh) and Billie Dove (Lee Purcell). Fame becomes notoreity as Hughes embarks on such projects as the "bosom western" The Outlaw and the "Spruce Goose." He also defiantly stands up to the HUAC-only to become one of America's most virulent anti-Communists. In his twilight years, the fabulously wealthy but increasingly paranoid Hughes lives like a down-and-out hermit in his high-rise Las Vegas suite, communicating only with his trusted associate Noah Dietrich (Ed Flanders), and then not even with him. Adapted from the memoirs of Noah Dietrich, The Amazing Howard Hughes originally aired April 13 and 14, 1977. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1976
This time, undercover cop Tony Baretta (Robert Blake) goes behind bars to nab a master criminal. Posing as a convict, Baretta blends into the prison population in search of a minor-league jewel thief. His real target, however, is the genius who commandeered a huge jewel theft -- and ordered two brutal murders in the process. Guest stars include future Oscar winner Tommy Lee Jones and soon-to-be CHiPs star Erik Estrada. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Blake, Edward Grover, (more)
- 1976
This disaster movies chronicles the many dramas of the people involved in a 39 car smash-up on a California freeway. The wreck occurs on the final day of a holiday weekend. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Yvette Mimieux delivers a sensitive, nuanced performance in a role that could have easily spread into a cheap exploitation turn in Jackson County Jail. Mimieux plays advertising executive Dinah Hunter, who leaves Los Angeles and a promising career after she discovers her lover has been cheating on her. Determined to start fresh in New York City, she gets into her car and heads east. Picking up some young hitchhikers along the way, she ends up stranded in an out-of-the-way western town after being beaten up and having her car stolen. Thrown into the local jailhouse on trumped up charges, she finds herself at the mercy of a psychopathic guard who further beats her and then rapes her. Dinah kills the jailkeeper and goes on the lam with fellow jailhouse inmate and down-home radical Coley Blake (Tommy Lee Jones). The sheriff's department engages the couple in a wild car chase through a parade commemorating the United States' Bicentennial, as Dinah and Coley try to break free to the open road. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Yvette Mimieux, Tommy Lee Jones, (more)
