Jonathan Banks Movies

The surrealistic ABC cop drama Day Break was aptly characterized by most observers as "24 Meets Groundhog Day." Taye Diggs starred as police detective Brett Hopper, whom when first we met him had just endured the worst day of his life, culminating in his arrest for the murder of Assistant District Attorney Alberto Garza. Although he had an airtight alibi, Hopper was unable to convince anyone of his innocence, suggesting that his arrest was part of a conspiratorial frame-up. While being aggressively grilled by homicide detectives Spivak (Mitch Pileggi) and Choi (Ian Anthony Dale), Hopper suddenly lost consciousness, awakening in an other-worldly hideaway presided over by a sinister shadowy figure (Jonathan Banks) -- who "entertained" the protagonist by showing a tape in which Hopper's girlfriend Rita Shelten (Moon Bloodgood) died horribly.

At this point, Hopper was whisked back in time to the morning of his "worst day," only to find that he was condemned to live that same day over and over again until he was able to change its outcome. Alas, no matter how hard he tried to alter events, the day ended inexorably with his being arrested for murder and his witnessing of Rita's demise. Moreover, when the day started over again, Hopper found that the decisions he made during his previous "reliving" had had profound and disturbing consequences. In each episode, Hopper (the only person who knew that he and everyone around was trapped within the same ever-repeating time arc) was armed with knowledge he hadn't previously possessed, along with vital clues as to why all this was happening to him. Other players in this déjà vu nightmare were Hopper's partner, Andrea Battle (Victoria Pratt), who may or may not have been in on the conspiracy; his ex-partner (and Rita's ex-husband) Chad Shelten (Adam Baldwin), head of Internal Affairs and apparently a man with more than his share of dark secrets; Hopper's sister, Jennifer (Meta Golding), whose miserable domestic life weighed heavily on the plotline; and alleged gang leader Damien Ortiz (Ramon Rodriguez), who turned out to be even more a victim of circumstance than the hero. Created by Paul Zbyszewski, Day Break first aired on November 15, 2006. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In the first episode of a two-part story, Francie's evil double (Merrin Dungey) implants Will (Bradley Cooper) with phony retinal DNA, thereby framing him as a traitor. Worried about the fugitive Will's fate, Sydney (Jennifer Garner) blows her cover in the presence of the phony Francie -- meaning that now she, too, will have to be eliminated. And a "new" Sloane (Ron Rifkin) tries to strike a deal with Jack (Victor Garber). This is the one in which star Jennifer Garner dons a skimpy dominatrix outfit -- all in the line of duty, of course. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A cop's personal code of justice begins to change after a number of incidents lead his city to a tragic wave of violence in this police drama. Eldon Perry (Kurt Russell) is a veteran cop with the LAPD's Special Investigations unit, a man who isn't above bending the law if it means putting people behind bars who deserve the treatment. As Los Angeles waits on the verdict in the Rodney King police beating trial, Perry is presenting testimony to Assistant Chief of Police Arthur Holland (Ving Rhames), who is well aware of the corruption in the SIS unit and wants to stop it. Perry, however, twists some facts as he speaks in the defense of his new partner, Bobby Keough (Scott Speedman), who is being investigated for inappropriate use of deadly force. For lack of honest testimony, Keough is let off the hook, and soon he and Perry have a new case to investigate -- a robbery at a liquor store than turned into a quadruple homicide. Perry and Keough quickly track down two likely suspects, Orchard (Kurupt) and Sidwell (Dash Mihok), but Perry is surprised when the head of SIS, Van Meter (Brendan Gleeson), tells him to let Orchard and Sidwell go, and instead points the finger at two ex-cons who should be taken off the street, even though they're innocent of this crime. Perry follows Van Meter's orders, despite Keough's misgivings, but in the wake of the L.A. riots, Perry has a change of heart, and decides to start working with Holland against Van Meter's corrupt methods. In the midst of it all, Perry is trying to hold together his troubled marriage to Sally (Lolita Davidovich), while Keough finds himself romancing a fellow officer, Beth (Michael Michele). Dark Blue was adapted from an original screenplay by noted crime novelist James Ellroy; originally set against the backdrop of the 1965 Watts riots, the story was later updated to 1992. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Three guys from New Jersey decide they need some male bonding with their fathers -- whether their fathers like it or not -- in this independent comedy. When his grandfather dies, Richie Gallo (Scott Baio) finds himself thinking about his relationship with his family, and realizes that he barely knows his aging father Jimmy (Dean Stockwell). Richie discusses his emotionally distant relationship with his dad with his pals Al (Carlo Imperato) and Philly (Thomas Calabro), and they confess they aren't much closer to their own fathers -- and their fractured family lives have had an impact on their less-than-stable relationships with women. Richie decides they should get closer to their dads before it's too late, so Richie, Al, and Philly fast-talk their fathers Jimmy, Charlie (Joe Viterelli), and Phil (Alex Rocco) into joining them for a long weekend getaway of family bonding, though the older men are hardly enthusiastic about the idea. Star Scott Baio co-wrote the screenplay for Face to Face, which was based on a story he wrote with Adam Ferrara and fellow cast member Carlo Imperato. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Director and screenwriter Stacy Title (best known for the independent feature The Last Supper) obviously knows a good story when she sees one, and proves it with Let The Devil Wear Black, which takes the framework of Shakespeare's Hamlet and recasts it with present-day characters and dialogue. Jack (Jonathan Penner), a professional student, is convinced something is rotten in the state of his family after the recent death of his father -- especially when Uncle Sammy (Jack Sheridan) decides to marry Jack's mother (Jacqueline Bisset) with what Jack thinks is inappropriate speed. Jack becomes convinced his father's death was at the hands of some shadowy conspiracy, while his girlfriend, Julia (Mary-Louise Parker) starts to unravel in the face of her own tensions and Jack's obsessions. The supporting cast includes Philip Baker Hall, Jonathan Banks, Maury Chaykin and Chris Sarandon; Let The Devil Wear Black was shown as part of the 1999 Slandance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

With this western saga, the TNT network pays tribute to the Spaghetti westerns of Sergio Leone. Featuring the original crew responsible for the Italian helmer's most famous genre entries A Fistful of Dollars and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, the film was primarily shot in Spain. The tale is set just after the American Civil War and follows the efforts of a tormented cowboy and his strange partner to seek out a cache of gold hidden in the badlands by Confederate soldiers. The all-star cast includes Emilio Estevez and William Forsythe. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

In this adventure drama for the family, based on the popular TV series of the mid-'60s, Sandy Ricks (Elijah Wood) is a moody teenager from Chicago who is not dealing well with the recent divorce of his parents. In the hope that a change of scenery will do him good, Sandy is sent to spend the summer with his Uncle Porter (Paul Hogan), an aging hippie and fisherman who lives on Coral Key, an island off the coast of Florida. The sun and sand do little to improve Sandy's outlook on life, even after he meets Kim (Jessica Wesson), a pretty girl who lives nearby, but he becomes sunnier when he encounters Flipper, a friendly dolphin, while boating with Porter. When Sandy helps save Flipper from a pack of bloodthirsty charter-boat fishermen, led by the mean-spirited Dirk Moran (Jonathan Banks), the dolphin becomes the boy's loyal companion (at least when Sandy is close to the water). But Sandy soon discovers that Dirk is dumping toxic waste into the waters of Coral Key, and with the help of Cathy (Chelsea Field), a friend of Porter's with a background in marine biology, Sandy and Porter try to gather enough evidence so that Sheriff Buck Cowan (Isaac Hayes) will be able to put Dirk behind bars. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

This science fiction yarn from Richard Pepin and Joseph Merhi revolves around the crash-landing of a space shuttle bearing six astronauts who are returning from a top-secret mission. Mission commander Cutter (Lance Le Gault) puts Capt. Nick Saxon (Jack Scalia) on the case. Saxon was the head of the last Aquarius mission, which also failed, and his wife, Debbie (Donna W. Scott), is one of the crewmembers this time around. The crew has been infected with something very strange, evidenced when the astronauts break out of the shuttle and their leader, Joe (Jonathan Banks), punches his fist clean through a guard's chest. After his eyes turn a mysteriously cattish yellow he tells his former best-buddy Nick, "It doesn't matter! None of your pathetic little lives matter anymore!" and throws him from a speeding truck before beating a hasty retreat with his super-human crew. The truth of the matter is that the astronauts are being controlled by space parasites that need to find their egg canisters to hatch a race of monsters and destroy the world. Debbie, the sole exception, is being controlled by a female "watcher" named Sabidra, who explains that her people are actually a "race with their faces to the sun" and that she will destroy the Dark Breed. There's also a government conspiracy, involving Cutter, who orders everyone "terminated with extreme prejudice." Numerous highly flammable items get blown up with bazookas and Joe morphs naked into a big slimy monster before Nick blows everything up and gets to run in slow motion ahead of a big fireball. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi

A homeless derelict named Garret (Jonathan Banks) may hold the key to locating a kidnapped woman. Unfortunately, Garret is nowhere to be found--and there's every possibility that he abducted the woman himself. As Fraser (Paul Gross) conducts a city-wide search for Garret with the bumbling assistance of FBI agents Ford (Alex Carter) and Deeter (Mark Melymick), Ray (David Marciano) wrestles with another dilemma--mainly, finding out if his sister Francesca (Ramona Milano) and Fraser have gone "all the way." First broadcast on Canadian television, this final episode of Due South's inaugural season made its US debut on June 16, 1995. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi