Todd Terry Movies
The investigation into a disturbing murder takes a heavy emotional toll on the detective attempting to overcome a personal tragedy while simultaneously chasing a cold-blooded killer in this thriller from first-time producer/editor/director Russ Pond. Detective Paul Gruning was still wrestling with some intensely personal issues when he was summoned to the home of a slain college professor, and as he surveys the scene of the crime his mental malaise only intensifies. The professor's body lies lifeless on the floor of the kitchen, and his wife Emma doesn't seem capable of offering coherent answers to the questions posed by the detective. Frustrated by his subsequent inability to elicit answers from either the professor's resentful son Andrew or his lab-assistant and house guest Rachel, Detective Gruning is troubled to realize that nearly everyone involved has a sufficient motive for murder. But with each interview he conducts, the facts seem to shift. So which version of reality can he trust as the truth? As the stakes are raised, it doesn't take long for Detective Gruning to realize that failure to solve the case could very well cost him his life. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James MacDonald, Jim Blumetti, (more)
Todd Robinson's Lonely Hearts features John Travolta and James Gandolfini as Elmer C. Robinson and Charles Hildebrandt, a pair of homicide detectives who are on the trail of lovers on a crime spree. The evil duo of Ray Fernandez (Jared Leto) and Martha Beck (Salma Hayek) take advantage of elderly widows, stealing as much money as they can after gaining the victim's confidence, and then murdering their mark. Robinson becomes drawn into the case too deeply in order to help him confront his feelings, as his wife has recently killed herself. The story is based on the real life "Lonely Hearts" killers of the late '40s, the infamous couple whom the director's grandfather played a large part in bringing to justice. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Travolta, James Gandolfini, (more)
Stars Martin Lawrence and Will Smith return along with director Michael Bay and producer Jerry Bruckheimer for this sequel to the 1995 sleeper hit Bad Boys, the film that sparked the careers of both actors, as well as Bay. Once again, Lawrence and Smith play hotshot, wisecracking Miami narcotics officers Marcus Burnett and Mike Lowrey. This time around, Burnett and Lowrey have been assigned to head up a task force to investigate the illegal trafficking of ecstasy into the city. They discover that an underground gang war has been instigated by drug kingpin Johnny Tapia (Jordi Molla). In order to cut off the flow of the designer drug, they have to take down Tapia. Unfortunately, there's a wrench thrown into the gears in the form of Burnett's sister Syd, whom Lowrey takes a liking to and begins a relationship with. Tensions rise between the partners, threatening both their friendship and the investigation and putting Syd in harm's way. Also returning from the first film are Joe Pantoliano as Captain Howard, Theresa Randle as Burnett's wife Theresa, and former-NBA star John Salley as 'Hacker' Fletcher. Among the supporting players new to this entry in the series are Peter Stormare and musician, spoken-word artist, and sometimes-actor Henry Rollins. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Martin Lawrence, Will Smith, (more)
The disappearance of a military leader and the death of four of his men leads two investigators to wade through a morass of deceptions and half-truths in search of the facts in this thriller. Sgt. Nathan West (Samuel L. Jackson) is the leader of an elite team of U.S. Army Special Forces operatives known as the Army Rangers; West is known as a highly effective officer, but one with a short temper and aggressive attitude who is not well liked by his soldiers. During a seemingly routine training exercise in Panama, a hurricane sweeps in, and four of West's six men are dead, while West himself seems to have vanished. Eager to get the facts behind what happened, Col. Bill Styles (Tim Daly) assigns Capt. Julia Osborne (Connie Nielsen) to investigate. However, Osborne is having a hard time getting the two survivors to talk, so Styles brings in Tom Hardy (John Travolta), a former Army Ranger who served under West and became a first-class interrogator; Hardy later became a DEA agent, but left law enforcement after allegations of corruption. Hardy interviews Dunbar (Brian Van Holt), who claims that the four soldiers had been murdered, and West was killed in retaliation. Kendall (Giovanni Ribisi), the other survivor (whose father is a powerful officer) has a very different story of how the five men turned up dead, and it's up to Hardy and Osborne to determine who is telling the truth -- or if anyone is saying exactly what happened. Basic marked the first time John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson appeared in the same film together since their breakthrough roles in Pulp Fiction. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Travolta, Connie Nielsen, (more)
A so-called anarchist gets an unexpected crash-course in living on the edge in this independent comedy drama. Puck (Devon Gummersall) is a college dropout and self-styled political radical who lives with a handful of friends in an anarchist commune near Plano, TX. Puck's roommates and fellow semi-revolutionaries include aging hippie Johnny Red (John Savage), man-crazy feminist Karla (Gina Philips), DJ and ladies' man Sweeney (Johnny Whitworth), and cheerful mischief maker Double Dee (Steve Van Wormer). While Puck and his pals enjoy engaging in occasional acts of creative vandalism, their sense of anarchy is more a matter of personal choice than a genuine threat against the larger standing order. That begins to change when the mysterious Johnny Black (Dylan Bruno) ingratiates himself into the commune. Johnny Black's political agenda is significantly more aggressive than that of Puck and his friends, and his willingness to use violence to achieve his ends disturbs Puck, as Black not only takes control of the group, but adds guns, explosives, and sabotage to their formula. Puck also finds himself torn between his commitment to his ideals and his infatuation with Jody (Katherine Towne), whose sexual appetites run counter to her public reputation as a Christian and Young Republican organizer. Taking its title from William Powell's infamous book of the same name (which the author has since come to repudiate), The Anarchist Cookbook was the first feature film from writer and director Jordan Susman. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Devon Gummersall, Dylan Bruno, (more)
- 1998
- Add Still Holding On: The Legend of Cadillac Jack to QueueAdd Still Holding On: The Legend of Cadillac Jack to top of Queue
Country singer Clint Black and his actress wife Lisa Hartman Black doubled as stars and producers in this fact-based TV movie. The career of champion rodeo cowboy Cadillac Jack Favor (Clint Black) comes to sudden and screeching halt when he is accused of a double homicide. As Jack languishes in prison, his loyal wife Ponder (Lisa Hartman Black), convinced of her husband's innocence, all but moves Heaven and Earth to clear his name and secure his freedom. But even if he is released, will Jack be the same man that Ponder married? Still Holding On: Legend of Cadillac Jack originally aired April 28, 1998, on CBS. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lisa Hartman-Black, Clint Black, (more)
- 1995
Filmed on location in the Lone Star State, the made-for-TV In the Name of Love: A Texas Tragedy could be described as a modern retelling of Romeo and Juliet, except that its perverse plot twists are more reminiscent of Jacobean than Shakespearean tragedy. After being rendered paraplegic in an accident, wealthy young Luke Constable (Michael Hayden) is deserted by his socialite girlfriend. In an extremely vulnerable state, Luke falls in love with Laurette Wilder (Laura Leighton), the daughter of a working-class family. Determined to prove that she isn't merely a golddigger, Laurette encourages Luke to break away from his family and turn his back on their fortune. Her stubborn pride ultimately shatters their marriage, but the couple remains in love--so much so that the now-impoverished Luke, determined to "make good" for his wife's sake, is willing to commit murder. Produced for the Fox network, the fact-based In the Name of Love: A Texas Tragedy debuted September 12, 1995. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Crenna
