Bruce McGill Movies

Jimmy Nickerson, fight coordinator on such films as Raging Bull and Rocky, takes the directorial reins for this tale of a self-destructive amateur boxer seeking to follow in his father's footsteps by making a name for himself in the ring. Hector Villa (Kuno Becker) may have the spirit of a winner, but his better judgment is consistently clouded by his anger. Though Hector picks fruit on the Texas ranch of Big Al Stevens during the daylight hours, nightfall finds the migrant laborer earning more than a day's pay by fighting for cash in local bars and converted barns. When Hector's mother, Rosa, falls ill, her loyal son takes as many fights as possible in order to pay for her expensive heart medication. But Big Al's son Robert is the undefeated champ of the local boxing scene, and when Big Al learns that Hector may be capable of delivering the blow that could dethrone his son, he has his henchmen beat Hector and leave him for dead in the Mexican desert. Now homeless and penniless on the desolate streets of Mexico, Hector is forced to literally fight for his life. When Hector learns that his mother has died, he seeks out local fighting legend Billy Jenkins in hopes that the grizzled former boxer and trainer will help him develop the skills needed to settle the score with Big Al and Robert. The man who once served as Robert's coach before learning that the unscrupulous young fighter was "on the juice," Billy knows that there is no way Hector could beat an opponent with such an unfair advantage. Upon learning that Big Al has accepted Hector's challenge to take on his son Robert thanks to the persuasive efforts of the migrant community, Hector and Billy begin training for the fight that could make or break Hector's future career in the ring. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Jamie Foxx stars as an assistant DA who finds himself at the mercy of a spiteful vigilante (Gerard Butler) hell-bent on avenging the death of his wife and daughter, whose murderers are set free due to legal loopholes. F. Gary Gray (The Italian Job) directs from a script by Frank Darabont and Kurt Wimmer. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide

Forest Whitaker, Dennis Quaid, William Hurt, and Matthew Fox star in director Pete Travis' Rashomon-style thriller in which an assassination attempt on the president of the United States is detailed from five unique perspectives. As the president arrives in Salamanca, gunshots ring out. An American tourist (Whitaker) has captured footage of the would-be assassin on videotape, and now, as the stories of the other four witnesses unfold, each essential piece of the puzzle quickly falls into place. Only when all of the stories are told will the chilling truth to this shocking crime finally emerge. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

William Dear (Timerider: The Adventure of Lyle Swann) helms the period baseball drama The Perfect Game, a cinematization of real-life events that transpired in 1957. Clifton Collins Jr. stars as Cesar Faz, a 1950s baseball player who immigrated from Mexico to the U.S. with the intent of making it as a Major League player. After encountering racism and hostility that stand squarely in the way of his success, Faz high-tails it south of the border and decides instead to coach a Little League team, ultimately guiding it all the way to the Little League World Series. The film co-stars Emilie de Ravin (Lost); W. William Winokur authored the script. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

A remake of the popular 1970s fantasy/adventure series of the same name, NBC's Bionic Woman starred Michelle Ryan as Jaime Sommers, the character originally played by Lindsay Wagner. In the earlier series, Jaime was a professional athlete; in the new version, she was a bartender and soon-to-be unwed mother. No matter: In both instances, Jaime was involved in a terrible accident which required emergency surgery--and a complete electronic overhaul. At the behest of her boyfriend Dr. Anthros (Chris Bowers), the first of several characters created for the remake, Jaime was rushed to a secret research lab, where she was outfitted with a pair of bionic legs and a bionic right arm, both of which provided super-strength and the ability to run in slow motion (representing extraordinary speed). She also was endowed with super-hearing skills--and, in an improvement over the original series, a new bionic eye (needless to say, the bill for all this retooling was considerably higher than the six-million-dollar price tag in the earlier show). Whereas the 1970s edition of Bionic Woman was, for all its gimmickry, a fairly straightforward action-adventure offering, the remake bore the heavy influence of 24 and Lost, accommodating a plethora of mysterious conspiracies and sinister secrets which weaved their way through the proceedings, with bits and pieces of vital information revealed on a "need-to-know" basis. There was also a soupcon of the Spiderman movie formula, with a dash of Smallville folded in, as Jamie slowly, awkwardly and sometimes painfully adjusted to her new and awesome powers, and to the responsiblities and consequences attached to them. The cast of characters in the new Bionic Woman included Jonas Bledsoe (Miguel Ferrer), the enigmatic (and slightly satanic) head of the Bionics research program; Ruth Truewell (Molly Price), Bledsoe's slightly more scrupulous assistant; maverick "program advisor" Antonio Pope (Isaiah Washington), the resident "I know more than I'm letting on" guy; and Jaime's computer-hacker sister Becca (Lucy Hale), who was always in trouble with the cops. This Bionic Woman joined NBC's Wednesday-night lineup on September 26, 2007. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The great nephew of famed outlaw Butch Cassidy sets out to redeem the family name and discover his distant uncle's true fate in this Wild West adventure for the entire family. Legend has it that Cassidy died during a late night gunfight in Bolivia, but some historians remain convinced that the elusive outlaw eventually managed to make his way back to the United States - where he was rumored to have lived well into old age. When inquisitive teen Roy Parker discovers an antique belt buckle that once belonged to his notorious uncle, he makes it his mission to uncover the truth about his Great Uncle Leroy and finally lay the legend to rest. But dispelling old rumors isn't Roy's only motivation, because Great Uncle Leroy was said to have hidden a rather substantial buried treasure before his death as well. Now, as Roy, his best friend, the girl of his dreams, and his arch nemesis set out to solve the greatest mystery of the Old West, they quickly find themselves forced to outrun a dastardly varmint who is intent on claiming the treasure as his own. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

A former high-school hockey star handicapped in a tragic car accident becomes an unlikely ally to a crack team of determined bank robbers in this thriller starring Jeff Daniels and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. When his promising career on the ice is suddenly cut short, former athlete Chris Pratt (Gordon-Levitt) goes to work as a janitor in a local bank. Cleaning floors soon gives way to criminal enterprise when the onetime puck-slinger is recruited to help clean out the very bank that employs him. Screenwriter Scott Frank (Out of Sight and Minority Report) makes his directorial debut, working from his own original screenplay. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

A young man in need of a fresh start gets one under highly unexpected circumstances in this emotionally resonant comedy drama from writer and director Cameron Crowe. Drew Baylor (Orlando Bloom) is considered the big success story in his family, having moved away from the small Kentucky town where he was born to California, where he works as a designer for Mercury, the nation's biggest athletic shoe company. But success has begun to elude Drew -- his most recent design was a resounding flop that has cost him his job, and his girlfriend, Ellen (Jessica Biel), has given him his walking papers. Drew is contemplating suicide when he gets word that his father has died, and that he's needed back home in Elizabethtown, KY, to help organize the funeral. With his mother, Hollie (Susan Sarandon), deep in denial about her husband's passing, Drew comes home to discover no one knows about his recent poor fortune, and he's greeted like a conquering hero. As Drew reconnects with his family and helps his sister, Heather (Judy Greer), look after Hollie, Drew gets a new lease on life and is reminded about what's really important to him. Helping him learn these valuable lessons is Claire Colburn (Kirsten Dunst), a pretty and optimistic flight attendant Drew meets on his flight home who has her own philosophies about positive thinking and the curative powers of travel. Elizabethtown also stars Alec Baldwin, Paul Schneider, Bruce McGill, Loudon Wainwright III, and Paula Deen. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

The true story of an athlete who achieved his greatest success against the most daunting odds of his life is brought to the screen in this historical drama. In the 1920s, James Braddock (Russell Crowe) from Bergen, NJ, was a promising contender in professional boxing; he had strength, spirit, and tenacity, but the combination of a serious hand injury and a 1929 defeat in a bout with light heavyweight champ Tommy Loughran sent his career into a serious tailspin. As Braddock's career in the ring dried up, the Great Depression put a stake through the heart of America's economy, and Braddock found himself working at the New York docks for pitiful wages as he tried to support his wife, Mae (Renée Zellweger), and three children. Desperate for money, Braddock turned to his former trainer and manager Joe Gould (Paul Giamatti), who was unexpectedly able to scare up a bout for him, battling John Griffin at Madison Square Garden. While conventional wisdom had it that Braddock was too old, out of shape, and out of practice to have any chance of winning, he defeated Griffin, and continued beating his opponents with a powerful left hook that had been intensified by years of punishing dock work. In a nation desperate for good news, Braddock's surprising comeback became a tonic to struggling workers and unemployed people, and all eyes were on Braddock when in 1935 he took on powerful heavyweight champion Max Baer (Craig Bierko) in what was both literally and figuratively the fight of his life. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the release of the classic "raunch comedy" National Lampoon's Animal House, the Spike TV cable channel offered this behind-the-scenes special on the making of the film. Amidst a sea of anecdotes concerning the mercurial behavior of the film's star, John Belushi, the documentary offers a number of hitherto unknown factoids. Though filmmakers John Landis and Ivan Reitman, National Lampoon editors Matty Simmons and Chris Miller, and Animal House stars Tim Matheson, Peter Riegert, Karen Allen, and Bruce McGill are among the noteworthy interviewees, the real "star" of the documentary is the original film's script, which spoke more eloquently to its generation than many another more serious efforts of the era. Also featured are outtakes, alternate scenes, and clips from the dead-at-birth TV series spin-off, Delta House (which co-starred a very young Michelle Pfeiffer). The original telecast of Unseen + Untold: Animal House coincided with the DVD anniversary edition of the film, which contains even more bonus material. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Three people attempt to bend justice for their own purposes in this drama based on the best-selling novel by John Grisham. After a man dies in a shooting incident, his wife files a lawsuit against the company that manufactured the gun, with her lawyer, Wendell Rohr (Dustin Hoffman), arguing that the firm in question knew the shop which sold the weapon was not following federal regulations pertaining to the sale of firearms. As the case goes to trial, the firearm manufacturer is taking no chances on the outcome of a potentially devastating case, and they hire as part of their legal team Rankin Fitch (Gene Hackman), a "jury consultant" who makes it his business to see that he knows enough about the jurors to be able to guarantee the result of the trial. Fitch and his team have learned incriminating secrets about nearly everyone hearing the evidence, but Fitch discovers two factors he wasn't counting upon -- Nick Easter (John Cusack), the jury member who appears to have an agenda all his own, and Marlee (Rachel Weisz), a mysterious woman who has her own plans regarding bending the jury to her will. Bruce Davison, Jeremy Piven, and Bruce McGill round out the supporting cast. Incidentally, in John Grisham's original book, the case was filed against a cigarette manufacturer, but the producers opted to adjust the story after several real-life trials against tobacco companies. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

In the first episode of a two-part story, peacekeepers in the Middle East unearth "The Black Heart," a lunar gemstone with awesome powers. It turns out that the stone is possessed by an evil alien spirit, bent on destroying everyone on earth. The Justice League is drawn into the story when Wonder Woman accidentally lays hands upon the Black Heart -- and immediately transforms from virtuous heroine to sinister villainess! ~ All Movie Guide

The successful franchise of Paramount motion pictures based on novelist Tom Clancy's techno-thrillers featuring heroic CIA intelligence analyst Jack Ryan stages a much-publicized "do-over" with this action-adventure that recasts the character of Ryan as a rookie to the complex game of geopolitical warfare. Ben Affleck takes the reins from Harrison Ford as Ryan, a greenhorn CIA historian and analyst who finds himself thrust front and center into the spy community's spotlight when Nemerov (Ciaran Hinds), a Russian politician on whom Ryan is an expert, suddenly becomes the leader of the former Soviet Union upon the current president's unexpected demise. Attached to the director of the CIA, Cabot (Morgan Freeman), Ryan insists -- contrary to the opinions of many high-ranking White House officials -- that Nemerov is not a warmonger. Meanwhile, a cadre of neo-fascists, led by Dressler (Alan Bates), plots the detonation at the Super Bowl in Baltimore, MD, of a nuclear device recovered from a long-ago Israeli fighter jet crash, a terrorist incident they intend to spark a war between the super powers, leaving them to conquer the world in the conflict's post-apocalyptic vacuum. The Sum of All Fears co-stars James Cromwell, Bridget Moynahan, and Liev Schreiber as covert operative John Clark, a character central to another series of Clancy's best-selling tomes. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide