William Monahan Movies
A successful novelist and journalist before he turned to writing screenplays, Oscar-winning Departed scribe William Monahan rose fast through the ranks to work with some of the biggest names in the business before being bestowed the biggest honor in moviemaking for just his second cinematic outing. Born in Boston, Monahan received his higher education at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst before relocating to New York City. It was there that the aspiring writer earned a steady paycheck as an editor for SPY Magazine while establishing himself as a particularly gifted journalist, essayist, and critic. In 1997 Monahan released his critically acclaimed first novel Light House: A Trifle in addition to earning a Pushcart Prize for short fiction. Just four short years later Monahan sold his first screenplay -- an epic take on William Eaton's historic march on Tripoli during the Barbary Wars. Originally set to be directed by Hollywood heavyweight Ridley Scott, the film went unproduced for the time being. Despite this disheartening setback, however, Monahan's talent was evident to all who read the screenplay and the writer was subsequently commissioned to pen an original tale set during the Middle Ages -- a project that would eventually evolve into Scott's 2005 feature Kingdom of Heaven. It was around this time that Monahan was approached about adapting the complex screenplay to the 2002 Hong Kong Film Awards Best Picture winner Infernal Affairs for a remake set to be helmed by legendary director Martin Scorsese. Transplanting the action from Hong Kong to his hometown of Boston, Monahan successfully adapted one of the most highly praised Hong Kong crime films in recent history into a complex tale of high-level corruption that would not only net him a Best Screenplay award, but win director Scorsese his very first Oscar as well. Of course, after his big win on Oscar night, expectations were near-stratospheric for Monahan's next project, and with Jurassic Park IV, Wartime Lies, and Tripoli all looming on the horizon, it appeared as if he was ready and willing to work harder than ever in order to maintain the remarkable momentum he had established at such an early stage in his screenwriting career. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi- 2014
Charlize Theron stars in this American update of Park Chan-wook's revenge masterpiece with this Annapurna Pictures production headed up by screenwriter William Monahan. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi
- 2014
The Hangover's Todd Phillips moves into dramatic territory with this remake of the James Caan 1974 vehicle, The Gambler, with this Paramount Pictures production about a compulsive gamber college professor who finds that the only people who will have anything to do with him are those to whom he owes money. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi
- 2013
Robert Rodriguez returns to direct this follow-up to Sin City from a script by Frank Miller and William Monahan based on preexisting stories along with new ones written for the big screen. osh Brolin stars in the adaptation of the comic mini-series (Sin City: A Dame to Kill For), which tells the backstory of Clive Owen's Dwight character as he is wrapped up in the thralls of femme fatale, Ava (Eva Green). Also new to the series is Joseph Gordon Levitt, who plays Johnny, a mysterious gambler set on taking down his sworn enemy in a high stakes game of life and death. Mickey Rourke, Rosario Dawson, Jessica Alba, and Jaime King return for the Dimension Films release, with Jamie Chung and Dennis Haysbert stepping into roles left by Devin Aoki and the late Michael Duncan Clarke. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi
- 2013
- PG13
- Add Oblivion to Queue
A solitary drone repairman working on a war-ravaged planet Earth becomes humanity's last hope for survival in this ambitious sci-fi epic from Tron Legacy director Joseph Kosinski, and Rise of the Planet of the Apes producer Peter Chernin. In the distant future, Earth has been decimated by an intergalactic battle against an alien race known as the Scavs. The majority of mankind has been evacuated, leaving just a few solitary drone repairmen remaining on the planet's surface. Their job is simple -- stand guard over the ruins of a once-great empire by patrolling the skies, and ensuring the drones continue to function. Jack Harper (Tom Cruise) is nearing the end of his mission to extract resources essential to the survival of the human race when he witnesses a spacecraft fall from the sky. Upon investigating, Jack discovers the capsule contains a mysterious woman. With mission control watching his every move from high up above the clouds, Jack embarks on a spectacular adventure that will not only challenge everything he's been taught about mankind's most defining battle, but perhaps alter the entire course of human history as well. Olga Kurylenko and Morgan Freeman co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- 2012
Academy Award-winning director Martin Scorsese re-teams with The Departed scribe William Monahan for this sweeping tale about the lifelong friendship between two music industry insiders. From the early days of R&B to the turbulent world of contemporary hip-hop, these two friends become part of musical history over the course of 40 arduous yet rewarding years. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 2010
A law-student grad (Shia LaBeouf) is thrown into the world of high-stakes lawsuits when he's hired by a reputable law firm in this John Grisham thriller. Lorenzo Di Bonaventura handles producing duties on the William Monahan-scripted Paramount Pictures production. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
Casino Royale's Martin Campbell returns to familiar territory with this adaptation of his own 1985 BBC miniseries -- a mystery starring Mel Gibson as a detective looking into his political-activist daughter's death and uncovering layers of governmental conspiracies in the process. William Monahan (The Departed) provides the screenplay for the GK Films production, co-starring Ray Winstone and Danny Huston. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi
- Starring:
- Mel Gibson, Danny Huston, (more)
A South London gangster emerges from three years in prison and becomes a bodyguard for a famous actress, only to be sucked back into the shady underworld by a ruthless crime lord in this gritty crime drama starring Colin Farrell. Mitchel (Farrell) served his time in Pentonville Prison. Now that he's a free man, he's determined to keep it that way. His resolve not to fall back on his criminal past is weakened, however, when his longtime friend Billy (Ben Chaplin) offers him a place to stay in exchange for help with a quick and dirty job. But just as it seems like the past won't let Mitchel go, a promising new opportunity arises; high-profile actress Charlotte (Keira Knightley) is hiding out from the paparazzi in a Holland Park mansion, and she needs a man who can help keep them at bay. Little does Charlotte realize that Billy has set his sights on her classic cars and valuable art collection, and that Mitchel is the only thing preventing him from robbing her blind. But just as Mitchel and Charlotte fall in love and make plans to move to Los Angeles, notorious mob heavy Gant (Ray Winstone) presents the cunning ex-con with an offer he can't refuse: Gant wants Mitchel in his gang, and he won't take no for an answer. Before Mitchel can flee, Gant has got him under his thumb, revealing that Mitchel will die before he ever has a chance to take flight. Upon realizing that any refusal to follow Gant's orders will endanger not only himself, but his sister Briony (Anna Friel) and Charlotte as well, Mitchel prepares to strike back with a vengeance. Consequences be damned, Mitchel will do whatever it takes to protect the ones he loves, and prove that no man owns him. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Keira Knightley, Colin Farrell, (more)
- 2008
A police detective and a private eye find that nothing is what appears to be when they team to capture the murderer who killed the cop's father-in-law in a thriller that reunites The Departed star Leonardo DiCaprio with Academy Award-winning screenwriter William Monahan. As with The Departed, Confessions of Pain takes its cue from an original film by powerhouse Hong Kong trio Alan Mak, Andrew Lau, and Felix Chong. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Leonardo DiCaprio
Fresh off of their success with director Martin Scorsese's The Departed, star Leonardo DiCaprio and screenwriter William Monahan team with director Ridley Scott for this screen adaptation of David Ignatius' novel Body of Lies. When CIA operative Roger Ferris (DiCaprio) uncovers evidence indicating that a major terrorist leader may be operating out of Jordan, he enlists the aid of CIA veteran Ed Hoffman (Russell Crowe) in infiltrating the elusive saboteur's vast underground network. During the course of his dangerous mission, Ferris gradually comes to question how much he can trust his presumed allies -- who include not just Hoffman, but the outwardly helpful head of Jordanian intelligence as well. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe, (more)
Legendary director Martin Scorsese takes the helm for this tale of questionable loyalties and blurring identities set in the South Boston organized crime scene and inspired by the wildly popular 2002 Hong Kong crime film Infernal Affairs. As the police force attempts to reign in the increasingly powerful Irish mafia, authorities are faced with the prospect of sending in an undercover agent or seeing their already frail grip on the criminal underworld slip even further. Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a young cop looking to make a name for himself in the world of law enforcement. Collin Sullivan (Matt Damon) is a street-smart criminal who has successfully infiltrated the police department with the sole intention of reporting their every move to ruthless syndicate head Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson). When Costigan is assigned the task of working his way into Costello's tightly guarded inner circle, Sullivan is faced with the responsibility of rooting out the informer before things get out of hand. With the stakes constantly rising and time quickly running out for the undercover cop and his criminal counterpart, each man must work feverishly to reveal his counterpart before his identity is exposed by the other. Martin Sheen, Alec Baldwin, and Ray Winstone co-star, and writer William Monahan adapts a screenplay originally penned by Alan Mak and Felix Chong. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, (more)
Ridley Scott directed this epic-scale historical drama inspired by the events of the Crusades of the 12th century. Balian (Orlando Bloom) is a humble French blacksmith who is searching for a reason to go on after the death of his wife and children. Balian is approached by Godfrey of Ibelin (Liam Neeson), a fabled knight who has briefly returned home after serving in the East. Godfrey informs Balian that he is his true father, and urges the blacksmith to join him as he and his forces journey to Jerusalem to help defend the holy city. Balian accepts, and he and Godfrey arrive during the lull between the Second and Third Crusades, in which the city is enjoying a fragile peace. Both Christian and Muslim forces are temporarily in retreat, thanks to the wisdom of the Christian monarch King Baldwin IV (Edward Norton), his second-in-command Tiberias (Jeremy Irons), and Muslim potentate Saladin (Ghassan Massoud). Violent agitators on both sides are foolishly eager to end the peace in a bid for greater power, and Saladin bows to pressures from Muslim factions; Godfrey is one of a handful of brave knights who has thrown his allegiance behind Baldwin IV and his community of diversity, and Balian joins him as they use their skills as warriors in a bid to build a lasting peace. Kingdom of Heaven also stars Eva Green as the princess Sibylla, David Thewlis as Hospitaler the priest, and Brendan Gleeson as Reynald. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Orlando Bloom, Eva Green, (more)
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