Terry O'Quinn Movies
Character actor Terry O'Quinn's film career began (and almost ended!) with a role as Captain Minardi in the notorious Michael Cimino failure Heaven's Gate (1980). O'Quinn rose to prominence in Joseph Ruben's 1987 sleeper The Stepfather, as the ostensibly mild-mannered title character (of multiple names), who has this irksome habit of going psychopathic and slaying families who don't meet his exacting standards. Though O'Quinn went on to play leads in other films, he quickly became a television circuit staple (and an instantly recognizable face), in regular series and made-for-TV movies. His weight was more effectively felt in showy supporting roles like Howard Hughes in Disney's The Rocketeer (1991). On TV, O'Quinn became a regular on the daytimer The Doctors and the prime-timer Jag (1995). O'Quinn struck gold in 2004 as a member of the ensemble cast in the hit prime-time adventure drama Lost, on ABC. As Locke, an enigmatic character with a hidden personal attachment to the Pacific Island on which his plane crashes, O'Quinn managed to convey an ambiguous and understated sense of menace. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 2003
Evidence found on a victim in an elevator accident leads to the elusive Sloane (Ron Rifkin), who is poised to steal yet another precious Rambaldi manuscript. Irina (Lena Olin) suggests that a sting operation be set up to capture Sloane, thereby enabling her daughter, Sydney (Jennifer Garner), to finally quit the spy business. Meanwhile, circumstantial evidence leads Syd to suspect that Vaughn (Michael Vartan) has stolen Xenon, a forbidden description program, and is prepared to sell it to the highest bidder; after much soul-searching, Dixon (Carl Lumbly) elects to join the CIA; and Francie's evil lookalike (Merrin Dungey) attempts to extract valuable information from Will (Bradley Cooper). Comedian Richard Lewis guest stars in a dramatic role as the CIA counterintelligence analyst, Mitchell Yager, who is investigating Vaughn for possible disloyalty. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2003
With the Alliance in tatters and Sloane (Ron Rifkin) still MIA, new college graduate Sydney (Jennifer Garner) is more determined than ever to give up the spy game. But CIA director Kendall (Terry O'Quinn) insists that Sydney tackle a case which seems to prove that the Alliance is still a force to reckon with. Cal Tech mathematician Neil Caplan (Christian Slater) and his family have been kidnapped and whisked off to Switzerland, where the fugitive Sloane demands that Caplan help him assemble the Rambaldi artifacts, which when completed will morph into a deadly WMD, capable of destroying a large city. Elsewhere, Dixon (Carl Lumbly) may have to choose between the love of his wife and his dedication to his espionage duties; while Marshall (Kevin Weisman) cheerfully enlists his photographic memory in the good fight. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2003
Sydney (Jennifer Garner) believes that computer wonk-turned-spy Marshall Flinkman (Kevin Weisman) is safely ensconced in CIA headquarters. In truth, however, Marshall has been captured and is being tortured by a bespectacled interrogator (Ric Young) who is determined to retrieve the Echelon Satellite code that Marshall has committed to memory. Once she realizes how much danger her co-worker is in, Sydney teams with Dixon (Carl Lumbly) for a daring escape plan. And back at SD-6's Credit Dauphine headquarters, Alliance counterintelligence head Ariana Kane (Faye Dunaway) revokes Jack's (Victor Garber) security clearance, part of an effort to link Jack with a murder and an extortion plot. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2002
Now that Sark (new series regular David Anders) is in charge of the cartel formerly headed by Sydney's mother, Irina (Lena Olin), he launches a Russian satellite spy camera that will help him corrupt the world's security systems. It is up to Sydney (Jennifer Garner) to tap into the images projected by that camera, thereby enabling her to locate a Rambaldi-designed music box containing valuable scientific equations. Though Irina insists she wants to help Sydney in her mission, Irina's ex-husband, Jack (Victor Garber), warns that the woman can still not be trusted -- and by the episode's end, it looks like Jack may be right. Elsewhere, investigative journalist Will (Bradley Cooper) finally meets Syd's CIA contact, Vaughn (Michael Vartan), and sinister SD-6 chieftain Sloane (Ron Rifkin) begins to suspect that his wife, Emily, isn't dead. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2002
Defying the wishes of her father, Jack (Victor Garber), Sydney (Jennifer Garner) insists upon pumping her KGB-agent mother, Irina (Lena Olin), for information necessary to topple SD-6 -- and, incidentally, to allow Syd to quit the spy game for good. On other fronts, a rattled Sloane (Ron Rifkin), convinced that he has seen his wife (whom he was ordered to kill) alive and well, sends Dixon (Carl Lumbly) to investigate; the Rambaldi music box containing the vital numerical equation is now secreted at Sark's (David Anders) Falkland Islands retreat; a clue to the location of "The Bible" containing information on Irina's former cartel has been traced to a Moscow military library, which Sydney must infiltrate; and Will's ongoing exposé of SD-6 is aided by drug-addled conspiracy theorist Rebecca Martinez (Marisol Nichols). And topping things off, Vaughn (Michael Vartan) comes face to face with his father's murderer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2003
After CIA agent Emma Wallace (Olivia D'Abo) is killed in full view of a nationwide TV audience, Sydney (Jennifer Garner) and Vaughn (Michael Vartan) are assigned to take over Emma's mission. They must determine if a new gene-splicing technology called Helix is actually some sort of weapon -- and they must also locate Emma's CIA partner, Jim Lennox (Ethan Hawke). What they do not know (but the viewer does) is that the man calling himself Lennox is a double agent. Meanwhile, the evil lookalike of the murdered Francie (Merrin Dungey) -- one of the earliest "customers" of the Helix -- makes her first move. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2003
After threatening to destroy an entire city block with a super-explosive, the fugitive Sloane (Ron Rifkin) slips through the fingers of the CIA, sparking a heated argument between Sydney (Jennifer Garner) and Kendall (Terry O'Quinn). Meanwhile, Marshall (Kevin Weisman) uses his photographic memory to track down a CIA security leak, little imagining that the trail will lead to the assassin who is posing as Sydney's murdered roommate, Francie (Merrin Dungey). In the climax, Sloane prepares to use the completed Rambaldi device for a terrifying demonstration of wholesale destruction and murder -- while Dixon (Carl Lumbly), feeling betrayed by Sydney and the CIA, refuses to take necessary measures to rescue Syd from the clutches of Sloane's sadistic confederates. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2002
In the first episode of a two-part story, Sydney's perennial nemesis Sark (David Anders) has ostensibly mended his ways and joined the staff of SD-6. Sark's former confederate Irina (Lena Olin) suspects that he is up to no good -- and she turns out to be right on target when Sark delivers the highly volatile Uzbek communication codes into the hands of insurgents. Inasmuch as these codes have the capability of activating half a dozen nuclear warheads, Irina is in a position to negotiate a 48-hour release from CIA custody so that she, her daughter, Sydney (Jennifer Garner), and her ex-husband, Jack (Victor Garber), can head to Pakistan in the guise of vacation tourists. Upon arrival, this "happy family" begins to track down the codes, their efforts compromised by Syd and Jack's inability to thoroughly trust Irina. Meanwhile back in the U.S.A., Will (Bradley Cooper) is astonished by the CIA's indifference to his findings concerning Project Christmas. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2002
In the conclusion of a two-part story, Sydney (Jennifer Garner), her father, Jack (Victor Garber), and her mother, Irina (Lena Olin), are still in Pakistan, still searching for the code that will enable a group of rebels to activate half a dozen nuclear warheads. Despite Irina's protestations of good intentions, Syd and Jack still doubt her sincerity. Sure enough, Irina reverts to type by handing her family over to her villainous former ally Gerard Cuvee (Derek de Lint) -- but is this betrayal all that it appears to be? And back in the U.S., Sloane (Ron Rifkin) is blackmailed by an unknown party regarding his role in the attempted assassination of his wife, Emily. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2003
Originally telecast right after Super Bowl XXXVII, "Phase One" was the most controversial and talked-about episode of Alias' second season -- and not only because of the notorious segment in which star Jennifer Garner appears clad only in a skimpy bra and panties. With Sloane (Ron Rifkin) having disappeared, SD-6 has a new head man in the form of Anthony Geiger (Rutger Hauer). The CIA orders Sydney (Garner) and Jack (Victor Garber) to get into Geiger's good graces so that they can find out his plans. But Geiger, whose feelings toward the Bristows are nowhere near as affectionate as Sloane's, would just as soon fire them both -- and even worse, since he has taken a peek at Sloane's confidential files on the mysterious Server 47, he is now armed with information that could result in the deaths of both Syd and Jack. The episode is climaxed by the abrupt and wholly unanticipated death of one of the series' most likeable characters -- thereby hurtling the carefully established Alias second-season story line into an entirely different direction. The CIA takedown of SD-6 in this episode also changes Alias' plot structure forever, eliminating the double-agent aspect of Sydney's actions and allowing her and Vaughn (Michael Vartan) to finally be together. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2002
Taken into custody by the FBI, Sydney (Jennifer Garner) is relentlessly grilled about her own espionage activities and her involvement in the Rambaldi prophecies. What follows is essentially the "backstory" of Sydney's entire life, complete with painful memories of Daniel's murder, SD-6's duplicity, and the horrible truth about her double-agent mother. Meanwhile, Jack (Victor Garber) and Vaughn (Michael Vartan) race against time to rescue Sydney before she becomes completely expendable in the eyes of the SD-6 higher-ups. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2003
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, All Movie Guide
- 2002
Infected with the virus unleashed by Irina's successor Sark (David Anders), Vaughn (Michael Vartan) has but a few days to live. In order to find an antidote for the virus, Sydney (Jennifer Garner) is forced to place her trust in the highly unreliable Irina (Lena Olin). Ultimately, Syd finds herself at the deserted Paldinski nuclear-sub training base in Estonia, where she is confronted by Sark. With surprising expansiveness, Sark offers to spare Sydney and give her the antidote -- but only if Sloane (Ron Rifkin) is delivered into the hands of assassins. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2003
Convinced that Alliance counterintelligence head Ariana Kane (Faye Dunaway) plans to frame him on a murder-extortion rap, Jack (Victor Garber) is forced to rely upon Irina (Lena Olin) to turn the tables on Kane and clear his name. Meanwhile, while on assignment in France to retrieve the prototype for the Triad's missile-guidance system, Sydney (Jennifer Garner) and Vaughn (Michael Vartan) decide to take time out for a romantic rendezvous. Their passion is rudely interrupted by two of Ariana Kane's henchmen, who know that Vaughn is a CIA operative -- and intend to kill him on the spot. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2003
In the conclusion of a two-part story, Sydney (Jennifer Garner) manages to clear Will (Bradley Cooper) of espionage charges, but she must still deal with the fact that her mother, Irina (Lena Olin), has betrayed her. The situation changes radically when Irina shows up, claiming that she was only pretending to conspire with Sloane (Ron Rifkin) to make sure that all portions of the deadly Rambaldi device would be turned over to the CIA. But can this "explanation" merely be Irina's way of luring Sydney into another trap? Whatever the case, this final episode of Alias' second season provides a whopper of a cliffhanger finale, with Sydney, emerging from unconsciousness after a fight with Francie's evil double (Merrin Dungey), discovering to her astonishment that she has been "out" for two whole years -- and that's only for starters! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2002
Irina (Lena Olin) turns herself in to the CIA, insisting that her main purpose in life is "Defeating Arvin Sloane. SD-6. The Alliance." She also offers to help track down "The Bible," the elusive operations manual for the evil cartel which she formerly headed. But her ex-husband, Jack (Victor Garber), and daughter, Sydney (Jennifer Garner), are extremely skeptical about Irina's sincerity, even after she provides Sydney with the safety measures needed to retrieve a computer disk used by Irina to blackmail other secret agents into complicity -- an assignment given to Sydney by the sinister Arvin Sloane (Ron Rifkin), as yet unaware of Irina's surrender. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2003
Vaughn's (Michael Vartan) security clearance is downgraded pending investigation of accusations that he has been double-crossing the CIA. This, however is only one of two emotional crosses for Sydney (Jennifer Garner) to bear: the other is the escape of her double-agent mother, Irina (Lena Olin), who has betrayed her in the process. Meanwhile, Irina has apparently linked up with the sinister Sloane (Ron Rifkin) to steal files from a genetic database in Germany. This places Sydney in the unenviable position of having to hunt down and possibly kill her own mother -- but the embittered Syd doesn't seem to have a problem with this. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
High school athlete Tom Cruise would do anything to escape the dull provincialism of his home town. Cruise's bullying coach Craig T. Nelson cajoles Cruise into seeking an athletic scholarship to a major university. Inevitably, the boy begins to question his goals in life, and soon his soul is the object of a tug of war between Nelson and Cruise's girlfriend Lea Thompson. The first directorial effort for cinematographer Michael Chapman, All the Right Moves was photographed by Jan DeBont, who'd later direct such box-office bonanzas as Speed and Twister. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Cruise, Craig T. Nelson, (more)
This loosely fact-based oater attempts to mimic the youthful heartthrobs in Western garb formula of Young Guns (1988), as well as the cheeky humor and some plot elements of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969). Colin Farrell stars as Jesse James, who returns home from the Civil War to his small hometown to find that a crooked railroad baron (Harris Yulin) has been illegally forcing the residents from the homesteads to make way for a new rail line. Enraged, James leads a band of outlaws including his brother Frank (Gabriel Macht), Cole Younger (Scott Caan), and Younger's brothers Bob (Will McCormack) and Jim (Gregory Smith) on a criminal spree of bank robbing. Although their Robin Hood-style tactics soon make them local heroes, the James-Younger gang members find themselves pursued by the dogged Allan Pinkerton (Timothy Dalton), the world's first "private eye." Along the way, Jesse also finds romance with Zee Mimms (Ali Larter), the daughter of a local doctor (Ronny Cox). ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Colin Farrell, Scott Caan, (more)
This tired, pointless sequel (the sixth in the creatively bankrupt series) continues the premise explored in both Amityville: The Evil Escapes and later used in Amityville 1992: It's About Time, in which the demonic forces occupying the infamous haunted Long Island spook-house reside within various household items that subsequently haunt their unsuspecting new owners. This time the curse inhabits an antique mirror from the house -- passed on to a photographer (Ross Partridge) by one of his subjects -- whose reflection presages the violent death of nearly everyone who gazes into it. Inane plot twists abound, leading Partridge to discover his own connection to Amityville's dark heritage, while his pretentious friends die in messy and uninteresting ways. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
Originally telecast November 11, 1985, An Early Frost was the first TV movie to deal with the subject of AIDS. Aidan Quinn plays a personable young gay lawyer who is stricken with the HIV virus. As his health deteriorates, Quinn finds that his physical agony is secondary to his mental anguish. Ben Gazzara and Gena Rowlands play Quinn's parents, who must not only come to grips with their son's impending death, but with their own long-standing fears and prejudices concerning homosexuality. No easy answers are offered in this realistic drama, which also stars Sylvia Sidney as Quinn's grandmother and John Glover as a fellow AIDS victim. Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman won Emmys for their pioneering teleplay. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Aidan Quinn, Gena Rowlands, (more)
- 1986
The old reliable movie title Between Two Women was activated once more for this made-for-TV film. Farrah Fawcett and Colleen Dewhurst star as, respectively, a domineering ex-opera star and a shy schoolteacher. The ads for the film suggested that Michael Nouri played the apex of a romantic triangle between the older Dewhurst and the younger Fawcett. In truth, he plays Dewhurst's son, incurring his mother's wrath when he marries Fawcett. Dewhurst's unwarranted interference destroy her son's marriage--but it is Fawcett who compassionately rushes to her mother-in-law's bedside when the older woman suffers a debilitating stroke. First telecast March 10, 1986, Between Two Women was based on Gillian Martin's novel Living Arrows. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Farrah Fawcett, Colleen Dewhurst, (more)
Black Widow bears no relation to the 1954 film of the same name--beyond its characterization of the female as the deadlier of the species, that is. Debra Winger stars as a federal agent who has sworn to bring Theresa Russell to justice. Ms. Russell has married several millionaires who have all died mysterious deaths, for which she has remained undetected because she has assumed a number of different identities. Ms. Winger is the only person in her department who suspects that all of the deceased millionaires' widows are the same person. Finally tracking down Russell, Winger finds herself inexorably becoming friends with the charming murderess. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Debra Winger, Theresa Russell, (more)
Rutger Hauer plays a blinded Vietnam vet who also happens to be an expert swordsman. Twenty years after the war, Hauer finds himself waist-deep in gangsters when he tries to help the son (Brandon Call) of an old army buddy. Along the way, he reforms an ex-comrade in arms (Terrance O'Quinn) who was responsible for the accident that blinded him. Based on a series of Japanese films about a blind samurai (released under the blanket title of Zatoichi). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rutger Hauer, Brandon Call, (more)
- 1993
In this domestic drama a young couple's life and relationship is nearly shattered after the wife gives birth three months early. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Moriarty, Pamela Reed, (more)
