Martin Landau Movies
Saturnine character actor Martin Landau was a staff cartoonist for the New York Daily News before switching to acting. In 1955, his career got off to a promising beginning, when out of 2,000 applicants, only he and one other actor (Steve McQueen) were accepted by Lee Strasberg's Actors Studio.Extremely busy in the days of live, Manhattan-based television, Landau made his cinematic mark with his second film appearance, playing James Mason's henchman in Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest (1959). In 1966, Landau and his wife Barbara Bain were both cast on the TV adventure/espionage series Mission: Impossible. For three years, Landau portrayed Rollin Hand, a master of disguise with the acute ability to impersonate virtually every villain who came down the pike (banana-republic despots were a specialty). Unhappy with changes in production personnel and budget cuts, Landau and Bain left the series in 1969. Six years later, they costarred in Space: 1999 a popular syndicated sci-fi series; the performances of Landau, Bain, and third lead Barry Morse helped to gloss over the glaring gaps in continuity and logic which characterized the show's two-year run. The couple would subsequently act together several times (The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island (1981) was one of the less distinguished occasions) before their marriage dissolved.
Working steadily in various projects throughout the next few decades, Landau enjoyed a career renaissance with two consecutive Oscar nominations, the first for Francis Ford Coppola's Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988), and the second for Woody Allen's Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989). Landau finally won an Academy Award for his portrayal of Bela Lugosi in Tim Burton's 1994 Ed Wood; his refusal to cut his acceptance speech short was one of the high points of the 1995 Oscar ceremony. He would continue to work over the next several years, appearing in movies like City of Ember and Mysteria, as well as on TV shows like Without a Trace and Entourage. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1989
Novelist/journalist Pete Hammill was responsible for the screenplay of the two-part TV movie The Neon Empire. Ray Sharkey stars as a Bugsy Siegel-like New York gangster. It is Sharkey's dream to turn the sleepy Nevada town of Las Vegas into the gambling capital of the world. Part One, running 105 minutes details Sharkey's "blueprinting" of his vision. In the concluding 85-minute chapter, having transformed sedentary little Las Vegas, Nevada, into a gambling mecca, Sharkey finds that his ambitions have made him a pariah to his New York mob colleagues. Linda Fiorentino, Gary Busey, Dylan McDermott and Martin Landau costar in this "a clef" drama. Neon Empire premiered over the Showtime Cable Network; later on, both portions of the film were melded into one three-hour "special." Neon Empire was first telecast on the Showtime Cable network on December 3 and 4, 1989. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Soviet radicals upset with the thawing of the Cold War explode a nuclear weapon in Russia, setting off a series of events that may very well trigger World War III. The president (Martin Landau) has been isolated after a helicopter accident and must outwit government and military officials who are attempting to go forward with the war. The film centers on the relationship between a pair of American pilots who have been ordered to bomb the U.S.S.R. and the attempts by some factions to bring them home before global Armageddon. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi
Woody Allen spent most of the 1980s and '90s veering between comedy and drama, and he rarely combined the two with greater success than in Crimes and Misdemeanors, in which he weaved together two stories, one deadly serious, one often funny, both ending in sadness. Martin Landau plays Dr. Judah Rosenthal, a prominent ophthalmologist with a successful practice, a loving family, and a reputation for generous charity work. But Rosenthal also has a secret: his mistress, Dolores (Anjelica Huston). What began as a casual fling has become uncomfortably intimate, and as he tries to break off the relationship, Dolores threatens to expose his infidelity to his wife and some unorthodox financial arrangements to his colleagues. Fearful that Dolores will make good on her threats, Judah confesses his secret to his brother Jack (Jerry Orbach), who has ties to organized crime and offers to "make the problem go away." Meanwhile, Cliff Stern (Woody Allen) is a filmmaker working on his pet project, a documentary about philosopher Prof. Louis Levy (Martin Bergmann). However, films about philosophers don't pay the rent, so Cliff's wife Wendy (Joanna Gleason) arranges for him to make a documentary for public television about her brother Lester (Alan Alda), a famous TV comedian whose vapidity is exceeded only by his arrogance. While Cliff tries to bite the bullet and finish the film, he finds himself falling in love with PBS producer Halley Reed (Mia Farrow). ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Martin Landau, Woody Allen, (more)
- 1989
- R
In this Hitchcockian thriller, a wealthy and naive young sculptor learns that people are not always nice and helpful. His first mistake is to fall for the seductress who runs the gallery that has an exclusive on his work. He then hooks up with an insane art collector who gets jealous of the gallery owner's hold on the artist and commits murder, leaving the sculptor to take the blame. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Rick Rossovich, Sally Kirkland, (more)
- 1988
- PG
- Add Tucker: The Man and His Dream to Queue Add Tucker: The Man and His Dream to top of Queue
History tells us that would-be automobile mogul Preston Tucker was a silver-tongued con man, who misappropriated his investors' money and played fast and loose with ethics and legalities in the pursuit of his dream. Filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola isn't buying this: to hear Coppola tell it, Tucker was "Mr. Smith Goes to Detroit," a sincere visionary who tried and failed to buck the Big Three auto manufacturers. Moreover, he was a staunch defender of family values, as witness his inseparable relationship with his loyal wife (Joan Allen) and adoring children. It was for his family's sake, rather than any dreams of financial gain, that Tucker created the oddball three-headlight vehicle which he envisioned as the "car of the future". Naturally, the corporate fat cats of 1947 can't abide competition from a rugged individualist; thus, with several politicos in their pockets, they crush the Tucker and the man who built it. We'd have been more inclined to believe the story had Coppola adopted a straightforward Capraesque approach and not utilized all sorts of complicated camera trickery. Somehow, by presenting Tucker in so showoffy a directorial manner, the character comes off more as a sleight-of-hand artist than a bastion of sincerity. Even so, Jeff Bridges does a nice job as Tucker, as does Martin Landau as Tucker's incongruous business partner. Jeff's dad, Lloyd Bridges, appears in an uncredited role as a "bought" senator. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jeff Bridges, Joan Allen, (more)
- 1987
- R
When a rapist avoids conviction several times in a row, his past victims join together to exact vigilante justice. ~ John Bush, Rovi
- 1987
- R
In this gritty thriller, a woman who suffers the pain and humiliation of sexual assault is appalled to discover the man who raped her has gone free. Enraged, she joins forces with a number of other women who have survived rape and together they set out to meet out justice on their own terms. Released on video as I Will Dance on Your Grave: Lethal Victims, the cast of W.A.R.: Women Against Rape includes Martin Landau, Frank Stallone, Jack Carter, Terry Moore, and Jerry Van Dyke. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- 1987
- R
A man investigates the disappearance of his friend from an East End pub in this low-budget crime drama. The trail starts at a club where male prostitutes are the popular flavor and leads to the uncovering of a shady real estate deal in New York. Martin Landau plays the American real estate developer who makes enemies when he pulls the plug on the deal. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- Starring:
- Cathryn Harrison
- 1987
- PG
In this movie sequel to the two popular sci-fi adventure TV series, the bionic couple are reunited to stop a group of radicals from using Steve's bionic son to take over the United States. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1987
- R
Here's another cop thriller with a terrified witness, a determined assassin, and a highly untrustworthy supporting cast. Run if You Can is all about a young woman who turns on her TV for a little entertainment and relaxation, only to tune in on a real-life murder in progress. This one works best when the plot convolutions are ignored; otherwise, the viewer will be at a complete loss as to what the heck is going on. Actors Martin Landau, Yvette Nipar and Jerry Van Dyke look as confused as we are. Director Virginia Lively Stone is not the same Virginia Stone who used to coproduce "actuality" movies like Ring of Fire and Last Voyage with husband Andrew Stone. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1987
- R
In this fast-paced actioner, a brave young woman must deliver a specially designed, top-secret super-destructo armored motorcycle that runs on oxygen to the US military after the man assigned to deliver it, her lover, is murdered by enemy agents. Soon after finding his body, the woman finds a video he made that tells her how to work the machine and where she must take it. Unfortunately for her, the enemy is out there waiting and determined to steal the bike for themselves. Part of the fun in this film is looking for popular B movie stars from years' past. Such stars include Huntz Hall, Troy Donahue, and Michael Reagan. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Heather Thomas, Jeffrey Combs, (more)
- 1987
- R
Jillian Grey (Nancy Allen) is a television reporter who investigates the disappearance of young women in this routine action drama. She is kidnapped with three other woman from the streets of Los Angeles and sold into slavery in Southeast Asia. Martin Landau plays Cicero, the villainous head of the white slave trade, with Ted Shackelford as the heroic soldier of fortune Boone. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- Starring:
- Nancy Allen, Ted Shackelford, (more)
- 1986
This 2-hour revival of the old David Carradine TV series was originally titled simply Kung Fu. Set in the west of the late 19th century, the film stars Carradine as Caine, the mystical Chinese-American priest who wanders the countryside seeking spiritual fulfillment-and occasionally busting a few bad-guy heads. Stopping over in a small town, Caine learns that an opium ring holds the townsfolk in thrall. Before the sun sets, Caine is engaged in a fierce martial-arts duel with a mysterious young man (played by Brandon Lee, son of Bruce). It comes as quite a jolt to Caine when he learns that his opponent is his own flesh and blood. Though Kung Fu: The Movie, originally telecast February 1, 1986, did not immediately result in a series, David Carradine would star in an updated version of the property, Kung Fu: The Legend Continues, in 1992. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- David Carradine, Brandon Lee, (more)
- 1984
This disjointed action film concerns a renegade security company which takes over the United States' computer defense system. CIA agent Barnes (Michael Durrell) and his sister must avoid World War III by defusing the plot. Mark Sobel's direction is lacklustre, and entire scenes appear to be missing, as many speeches are completely unrelated to anything in the finished film. Macdonald Carey, Martin Landau, and Michael Ansara are the requisite down-on-their-luck guest stars. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi
- 1984
Jessica (Angela Lansbury) arrives in San Francisco to attend the wedding of her niece Victoria Brandon (Genie Francis) to a handsome but rather secretive young man named Howard Griffin (Jeff Conaway). Her first meeting with Howard occurs under strange circumstances, as he scrambles over her table at a nightclub, dressed in female drag--after having stumbled across the body of club owner Al Drake (Martin Landau). Naturally, Howard is accused of the murder, obliging Jessica to investigate the situation herself. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Director Jackie Kong, who later made the cult favorite Blood Diner (1987), directed this terrible monster movie for exploitation pioneer Bill Osco, who stars under the pseudonym "Rexx Coltrane." The plot concerns a mutant child who has become a monster after being exposed to toxic waste in a small Idaho town. Mortimer (Osco) wants to investigate a series of disappearances, only to have his efforts stymied by the town's mayor (José Ferrer), who is worried about the potential economic impact on the local potato industry. This abysmal horror film was made in 1980 and shelved for three years despite a cast which includes Oscar winners Ferrer and Dorothy Malone, Martin Landau, and Kinky Friedman. Other featured performers are Ruth Buzzi, Murray Langston ("The Unknown Comic"), and Kenny Rogers' wife (at the time), Marianne Gordon. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi
- Starring:
- Martin Landau, José Ferrer, (more)
- 1982
A maddened Roderick Usher (Martin Landau) and his dying sister Madeline (Dimitra Arliss) are the only surviving members of the ancient race of the Ushers in this rendition of the classic Edgar Allen Poe tale. ~ Iotis Erlewine, Rovi
This is a very enjoyable tongue-in-cheek horror film about some homicidal maniacs who break out of an asylum and terrorize a psychiatrist's family on a dark and stormy night. Martin Landau and Jack Palance are particularly funny, but there are some genuine scares as well. One scene, in which a frightened woman is menaced on her bed by a maniac thrusting a butcher-knife up through the mattress, is a clever send-up that will nevertheless linger in the memory. The coda, in which the crazy Palance has a bizarre encounter with a spaced-out punk chick in a nightclub, is a real gem. Recommended. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jack Palance, Donald Pleasence, (more)
- 1981
The seven stranded castaways find comical chaos when an insane scientist, his trusty sidekick and the title basketball tricksters, playing robots visit their tropic island nest in this third in a series of made-for-television films based on the enduring early '60s sitcom. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1980
- PG
Danny Travis (Richard Harris) is a kindly Irish inventor and widower whose projects leave his family in a constant state of near poverty. He takes on the system when the city slates his apartment building for demolition. Danny uncovers a plot hatched by the scheming Governor Davis (Biff McGuire) that will line the politician's pockets under the false pretense of an urban renewal project. Danny holds a sheriff hostage as television reporter Paula Herbert (Karen Black) leads to a media frenzy that sparks public sympathy for Danny and his fellow residents. The always dependable Martin Landau plays Captain Garrity. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- Starring:
- Richard Harris, Karen Black, (more)
The bottom-drawer science fiction cheapie was originally released as The Return. In a dusty New Mexico town, two children and an old man witness the arrival (via poor special effects) of an alien spacecraft. The phenomenon has such a profound effect on the lives of the witnesses that they anxiously await the return of the extraterrestrials--whom, it is suggested, have visited here several times before. When the big-name cast (Jan-Michael Vincent, Cybill Shepherd, Martin Landau, Raymond Burr and Neville Brand) failed to sucker customers into seeing The Return, the film was repackaged as The Alien's Return. If we are indeed visited by aliens someday, one hopes they aren't as dull as the creatures in this sorry little film. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jan-Michael Vincent, Cybill Shepherd, (more)
- 1980
This goofy sci-fi/horror nonsense plays like '50s-style alien-invasion schlock with a dollop of '80s-style blood and gore. The invasion -- such as it is -- is perpetrated on various backwoods hunters and campers by a scarcely-seen alien that looks like a menacing Star Trek guest star in a glam-rock outfit. The alien's rather simple frontal attack employs an arsenal of toothy, pulsating frisbees that glow in the dark and glom onto the necks and backs of various flannel-clad denizens of the woods. That's about it... oh, and there's a few reliable character actors on hand to spout silly dialogue. Jack Palance plays a crusty hunter who fancies the alien stuffed and mounted, not caring that it plans to do the same to him (now there's a trophy); Martin Landau turns in an eye-rolling performance as the local lunatic, whose paranoid ravings presage those of his character in the feature film The X-Files. Also known as It Came Without Warning. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jack Palance, Martin Landau, (more)
The Soviets and Americans combine forces to save the world from a meteor in this science fiction disaster adventure. Bradley (Sean Connery) is an American scientist who teams up with Dubov (Brian Keith), and his translator-assistant Tatiana (Natalie Wood) later falls in love with Bradley. Hong Kong and New York are hit hard by tidal waves as the scientists race against time to prevent global disaster. Although a fine cast is assembled, nobody stands out, and the real star of the film is the special effects. This 18-million-dollar feature faced real economic disaster at the box office, although four engineers received an Oscar nomination for "Best Sound" for this forgettable film. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- Starring:
- Sean Connery, Natalie Wood, (more)
Rating Systems
Blockbuster
BLOCKBUSTER name, design and related marks are trademarks of Blockbuster L.L.C.
2013 Blockbuster L.L.C. All rights reserved.
Portions of Content Provided by Rovi Corporation. 2013 Rovi Corporation.