Peter Berg Movies
Onscreen from the late '80s, actor Peter Berg first made a memorable impression in A Midnight Clear (1992), playing one of a group of soldiers stationed in Germany during World War II. The muscular, strong-jawed actor had his real screen breakthrough with John Dahl's critically acclaimed The Last Seduction (1994), a neo-noir that cast him as Linda Fiorentino's unwitting, hormonally misguided accomplice. Berg's subsequent roles tended to be in films of middling quality, and it was for his work on the popular TV series Chicago Hope that he received the most recognition.In 1998, Berg made his feature directorial debut with Very Bad Things, a black comedy starring Jon Favreau, Christian Slater, Jeremy Piven, Daniel Stern, and Leland Orser as a group of men behaving badly. The film, which was shown at the Toronto and San Sebastian Film Festivals, received a fairly mixed critical reception. Nonetheless, Berg continued to be a presence behind the camera. In 2000, he created Wonderland, an edgy dramatic television series set in an asylum. While the ABC show recieved rave reviews and garnered a cult following, it failed to deliver ratings and was quickly cancelled.
Berg finally found himself with a hit on his hands in 2003 with The Rundown. Starring The Rock and Seann William Scott, the Berg-helmed action comedy was well-received by critics and managed to score well at the box-office. In 2004, Berg began work on his third directorial effort, Friday Night Lights, a football film he also scripted. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
- 2012
Filmmaker Peter Berg adapts Radical Publishing's comic series Hercules: The Thracian Wars for Universal Pictures with this big-screen adventure. Ryan Condal provides the script, with Berg handling producing duties. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- 2012
Frank Herbert's Dune gets adapted once again with this Paramount Pictures production. The sci-fi epic details an intergalactic feud over the control of the melange spice -- which provides the power to travel through the galaxy, as well as opening up psychic abilities for the user. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- 2012
The team behind the box-office hit Hancock regroups for this follow-up that sees the return of the hard-drinking lush superhero (Will Smith) and his eternally bound goddess (Charlize Theron) as they face a foe that only the two can defeat. Jason Bateman returns to co-star, with Peter Berg once again helming the action comedy feature. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- 2011
Milton Bradley's strategic board game gets a sci-fi facelift with this Universal Pictures production from director Peter Berg (Hancock). The action will pit a small fleet of naval ships against an alien force intent on enriching Earth's valuable assets to ensure their survival. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- 2010
Director Phillip Noyce teams with screenwriters Kurt Wimmer (Equilibrium) and Brian Helgeland (Mystic River) to craft this thriller starring Angelina Jolie as dedicated CIA officer Evelyn Salt, who is accused by a defector of being a Russian spy. With each attempt Salt makes to prove her innocence, her mentor, Winter (Liev Schreiber), only grows more suspicious of her true motivations. The longer she eludes capture by ambitious CIA agent Peabody (Chiwetel Ejiofor), the higher the stakes get. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Angelina Jolie, Liev Schreiber, (more)
- 2010
A group of black mercenaries plan their revenge against the government that set them up for death in the Legendary Pictures/Warner Bros. adaptation of the Vertigo comic. Stomp the Yard's Sylvain White directs from a script by James Vanderbilt (Zodiac). Watchmen's Jeffrey Dean Morgan heads up the cast, which also includes Chris Evans, Zoe Saldana, and Idris Elba, with Jason Patric handling the villainous duties in the film. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jason Patric
- 2009
A spaceship from Earth is equipped with a virtual-reality device to help those aboard cope with their 10-year mission. But when the system malfunctions, it puts the Phaeton's crew -- and the fate of their planet -- in jeopardy. ~ Joe Friedrich, All Movie Guide
- 2009
Inspired by the remarkable story of 2006 Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro -- a horse that seemed to be a serious Triple Crown contender before fatefully shattering one of his hind legs in the Preakness -- Peter Berg's docudrama focuses on the noble efforts made by owners Roy and Gretchen Jackson, trainer Michael Matz, and veterinary surgeon Dean Richardson to humanly stabilize the injury and keep the animal alive against all odds. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 2009
Friday Night Lights director Peter Berg writes, directs, and produces this true-life tale of survival set in Afghanistan and involving a Navy Seal whose entire squadron was killed in a Taliban ambush. Marcus Luttrell was a Navy Seal who led a team of soldiers into Afghanistan on a dangerous mission to kill a Taliban leader. One day, while preparing for their mission on the side of a mountain, the team was surprised to encounter an Afghan man, a farmer, and a young boy. Subsequently struggling with the decision whether to kill them and violate the military rules of engagement or to let them go and risk blowing their cover, the team took a vote and found themselves deadlocked at an even split. As the leader of the team, it was up to Luttrell to make the final call. Determining that the three were simple civilians, Luttrell made the call to release them. An hour later, his entire team was wiped out by dozens of heavily armed Taliban. When the smoke cleared, Luttrell was clinging to life -- the sole survivor of the brutal ambush. In the following days Luttrell would use his military experience to stay alive in a hostile landscape and avoid detection by the Taliban. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
A hard-drinking lush finds himself thrust into superhero mode in director Peter Berg's unconventional look at the private life of a crime-fighter. Will Smith stars as the embittered do-gooder whose lifestyle is more akin to a rock star than a role model, and who has grown as disillusioned with his once-admiring public as they have of him. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Will Smith, Charlize Theron, (more)
- 2006
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First-time writer/director Scott Burns spins this suspenseful yarn about a nuclear technician who has a curious encounter with a notoriously violent Russian gangster (Nikolaj Lie Kaas). The year is 1995, and Timofey (Paddy Considine) is a nuclear power-plant worker in post-Soviet Russia. After being exposed to dangerous levels of radiation while working to avert a disaster, Timofey discovers that the authorities have deliberately misled him about the severity of his exposure, and that he will likely die in just a few days. Determined to provide for his wife (Radha Mitchell) and young son before he succumbs to the effects of radiation, Timofey absconds with a small amount of weapons grade plutonium, straps the vial to his body, and makes his way to Moscow in hopes of making a quick and profitable sale in the criminal underground. This is the "new Russia," where everything has its price, and Timofey is determined to secure his family's future even if he himself has none. Oscar Issac and Jason Flemyng co-star in a film produced by Section Eight and Beacon Pictures for HBO Films, and distributed by Picturehouse. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paddy Considine, Radha Mitchell, (more)
- 2006
One of two football-themed series of the 2006-2007 TV season (the other was The Game, the NBC dramedy Friday Night Lights was based on the H.G. Bissinger book and the 2004 theatrical film of the same name. Like its predecessors, the series took place in a small Texas town (Odessa in the film and book, Dillon on the show), where high school football was not merely a game but a "religion"--or more succinctly, a matter of life and death, with literally every person in the community having a personal stake or a heated opinion of the weekly game. Kyle Chandler headed the large cast as Eric Taylor, the newly hired coach of the Dillon Panthers (the role played by Billy Bob Thornton in the film). Also seen were Connie Britton, recreating her film role as Eric's wife Tami; Scott Porter as star Panther quarterback Jason Street; Minka Kelly as Jason's cheerleader girlfriend Lyla Garrity; Gaius Charles as running back Brian "Smash" Williams; Zach Gifford as perennial benchwarmer Matt Saracen, forced by fate to take over as quarterback during the playoffs; and Adrianne Palicki as high-school vamp Tyra Collette. Unfolding in a semi-serialized fashion, Friday Night Lights kicked off on October 3, 2006. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2002
In Vienna on the trail of "The Man," who may or may not have information pertaining to her late mother, Sydney (Jennifer Garner) is unexpectedly reunited with her ex-lover, fellow SD-6 agent Noah Hicks (Peter Berg). Meanwhile, Syd's father, Jack (Victor Garber), consults with CIA psychiatrist Judy Barnett (Patricia Wettig) about his nagging premonition that his wife (and Syd's mom) may still be alive. And what of the Rambaldi Prophecy -- and who will crack the secret behind that prophecy first? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2002
Sydney (Jennifer Garner) returns to America with her ex-lover and fellow SD-6 agent Noah (Peter Berg), who offers her a way out of the spy game once and for all. But Sydney has to take care of unfinished business: Now convinced that her mother, KGB agent Irina Derevko, is still alive, she will not rest until she finds the woman. Meanwhile, Vaughn (Michael Vartan) puts a tail on an assassin known as "The Snowman" in hopes of tracking down the elusive Khasinau, who may or may not be "The Man" behind all the skullduggery occurring in previous episodes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2000
This series is a gritty hard-driving look at an insane asylum. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Billy Burke, Joelle Carter, (more)
- 1999
Dill Scallion is a mock-documentary that chronicles the fast rise and even faster fall of a country singer whose IQ appears to equal the waist measurement of his jeans. Billy Burke plays a school bus driver in a small Texas town who becomes a Country and Western superstar overnight thanks to songs like "I Found Love At A Family Reunion" and his unique dancing skills; unfortunately, his dance style is the result of an injured foot, and Dill has to keep hurting himself to keep giving his audience what they want. The film includes cameo appearances from actual country stars (including Willie Nelson and LeAnn Rimes) and supporting performances from Jason Priestley and Henry Winkler; rocker Sheryl Crow contributed an original music score. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Billy Burke, Peter Berg, (more)
- 1994
Elizabeth Pena and Christina Applegate play Carmen and Kathy, two women from Los Angeles with practically nothing in common. Carmen is a working-class Latina and single mother from the East Side barrio, while Kathy comes from a wealthy family in Beverly Hills. However, both of their boyfriends, Richie (Tony Dean Fields) and Lyle (Peter Berg), have ended up in a jail in the Mojave Desert as part of a confidence scheme. Carmen and Kathy want to be near the men they love to show their support, so they head out to the desert in Kathy's convertible to wait out their stay in jail as they share living quarters in an old trailer home. Across the Moon was the second feature film for director Lisa Gottlieb, who previously helmed the cult favorite Just One of the Guys and episodes of the TV series Dream On. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elizabeth Peña, Christina Applegate, (more)
- 1994
This inspiring made-for-television drama tells the true story of how Dennis Byrd -- professional football player for the New York Jets -- rebounded from a terrible game injury that left him paralyzed. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Berg, Kathryn Morris, (more)
- 1994
A man trying to escape his criminal past becomes involved with a woman born under a bad sign in this crime drama. Frank T. Wells (Mickey Rourke) has just been released after spending ten years in prison, the result of a manslaughter conviction stemming from an act of self-defense. Frank wants to rebuild his life and start his own ranch; to raise the money, he begins riding on the rodeo circuit. While on the road, Frank meets a woman named Scarlet Stuart (Lori Singer), who has "F.T.W." tattooed on her hand (though it doesn't stand for "Frank T. Wells," but "F--k The World"); Scarlet was both partner in crime and unwilling lover to her brother Clem (Peter Berg), who recently died after shooting four people in a bank holdup. When Scarlet discovers Frank's initials are F.T.W., she believes it means that they were meant to be together, and they quickly fall into a relationship as Scarlet supports herself the way she knows best, armed robbery. Musicians Aaron Neville and Charlie Sexton appear in supporting roles. F.T.W. was also released as The Last Ride. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mickey Rourke, Lori Singer, (more)
- 1994
An American embassy official convinces a beautiful tourist in Morocco to risk her life in order to act as bait for an internationally feared serial killer. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lisa Zane, Nick Chinlund, (more)
- 1989
Valerie Breiman and Claudia Christian play the two sisters of the title. Containing very little dialogue, the film details the ambitions and sensual yearnings of the two heroines. The whole production has the rhythm and texture of a poem--and for good reason. Tale of Two Sisters was based on a poem written Charlie Sheen, which, like most of his verse, has made the Hollywood rounds several times without ever actually being published. Sheen also "stars" in Tale of Two Sisters, albeit only as offscreen narrator. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Valerie Breiman, Claudia Christian, (more)
- 1988
This is the true story of Los Gatos (California) high school football coach Charlie Wedemeyer (Michael Nouri). At 31, onetime football pro Wedemeyer is living the American dream; a winning team, a happy marriage and public adulation. Then in 1977, Charlie is diagnosed as suffering from ALS, a degenerative neurological ailment better known as Lou Gehrig's disease. Given only one year to live, Charlie determines to continue leading his Los Gatos Wildcats to a state championship -- which he eventually does, despite losing all powers of speech and movement. Several notches above the usual "disease of the week" TV movie, Quiet Victory: The Charlie Wedemeyer Story was directed by Roy Campanella II -- himself the son of a physically disabled pro athlete, baseball star Roy Campanella. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Nouri
In the aftermath of a deadly attack on American forces in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, diplomats are slow to act, but meanwhile, FBI special agent Ronald Fleury (Jamie Foxx) assembles a secret team of U.S. counter-terrorism investigators to enter the city and find the criminal behind what has quickly become an international incident. The crew, however, finds their attempt to capture the perpetrators stalled by bureaucracy and their presence unwelcome. Desperate to gain the trust they need to accomplish their mission in just five days, the team enlists the aid of a Saudi Arabian police officer (Ashraf Barhoum), but as the agents infiltrate the dark and complex world of the Saudi crime scene, they find that the perpetrator's next target may be them. Directed by Peter Berg, The Kingdom also stars Jennifer Garner, Chris Cooper, and Jason Bateman. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jamie Foxx, Chris Cooper, (more)
