Jürgen Prochnow Movies
An actor since the age of 14, Berlin-born Jürgen Prochnow was firmly established on stage and TV when he was featured in his first film, Zoff, in 1971. Prochnow has been able to harness his well-modulated voice, versatile facial features, and athletic frame to portray both the most admirable of heroes and the most despicable of villains. It was for his portrayal of a character in the former category that the actor achieved international fame. He appeared as the stern but humanistic submarine commander in the 1981 Oscar-winning Das Boot. In the latter category, Prochnow all but entreated hisses and tossed tomatoes with his portrayal of the sadistic South African secret police captain in 1989's A Dry White Season. Prochnow's career has subsequently had its fair share of highs and lows, with his appearances in such high profile projects as The English Patient (1996), Air Force One (1997), and The Replacement Killers (1998) helping to sustain him as a fixture in international cinema. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 2007
Helmer Michael Schorr's comedic follow-up to his arthouse hit Schultze Gets the Blues unfurls in a depressing, steel-skied Eastern Europe where strip mines and dilapidated buildings litter the Earth. In a little-known piece of land called the "Silesia" region, sandwiched snugly in between Russia, Poland, and the Czech Republic, a pie-in-the-sky dreamer named Frank Schröder (Peter Schneider) hatches an outrageous plan to turn the area into a Caribbean-themed tropical resort. He has financial backing, from a wealthy U.S. industrialist of Russian extraction named John Gregory (Jürgen Prochnow of Das Boot) -- but not the practical day-to-day support, for Gregory only wants to hunt wolves in the region and refuses to commit any time or solid attention to the project. Meanwhile, Schröder has bigger problems afoot when he realizes that he has no idea how to actually execute his plan, and then butts heads with a number of demanding dignitaries from the surrounding nations, including his own dad. A plethora of local eccentrics -- everyone from a nationalist called Uncle Wigbert to a taciturn and defiantly unamused groundskeeper -- only serve to complicate the situation. Per Cat Ballou and other films, Schorr has the picture's composer, Bernd Begemann, turn up from time to time with a guitar to sing humorous ballads commenting on the events of the story. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Schneider, Karl-Fred Mueller, (more)
This made-for-cable biopic recounts the incredible career of Arnold Schwarzenegger, who after a hardscrabble childhood in Austria came to America in the pursuit of the three goals: to be a champion bodybuilder, a popular film actor, and a mover and shaker in the world of politics. It goes without saying that he succeeds in all three endeavors -- spectacularly so -- and, as a bonus, enjoys a happy and enduring marriage to Maria Shriver, one of the many well-publicized offshoots of the influential Kennedy family (who, ironically, are Schwarzenegger's political polar opposites). The film parallels Schwarzenegger's dizzying campaign for the governor's office in California with his strenuous efforts to be chosen as "Mr. Olympia" some three decades earlier. Jürgen Prochnow stars as the Arnold Schwarzenegger of 2003, Roland Kickinger is seen as the younger Schwarzenegger, and Mariel Hemingway is cast as Maria Shriver. While the film doesn't really take sides, it is entertaining and good-humored enough to please both fans and detractors of Schwarzenegger alike. Based on the book by Nigel Andrews, See Arnold Run ran on the A&E Network on January 30, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jürgen Prochnow, Roland Kickinger, (more)
In an era when at-sea disasters have grown increasingly rare thanks to "foolproof" naval technology, the September 28, 1994 wreck of the ferry boat M/S Estonia raised more than a few eyebrows. En route from Talinn to Stockholm, via the Baltic Sea, the craft capsized and 852 civilians never reached their destination. In recounting this tale cinematically, writer-director Reuben Leder (brother of Mimi "Deep Impact" Leder) adapted German reporter Jutta Rabe's conspiracy thriller about the event. The picture - like its source - suggests that classified weapons were being smuggled on board the vessel, and that Russia - after learning of this secret - deliberately torpedoed the craft. The picture recalls Costa-Gavras's Z, Alan Pakula's The Parallax View, and other conspiracy thrillers by unfurling most of its story after the fatalistic event; in the vein of those earlier films, it has a suspicious character (here Jurgen Prochnow, as accident survivor and Swedish attorney Erik Westermark) teaming up with investigative reporter Julia Reuter (Greta Scacchi) to determine the truth behind the inferred political cover-ups. Screen vet Donald Sutherland co-stars. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Greta Scacchi, Jürgen Prochnow, (more)
Uwe Boll's Heart of America: Homeroom is a drama about a massacre on the final day of the school year. The last day of school contains many problems for teachers and students alike. The principal must discipline an English teacher (Michael Paré) who has let his professional frustrations get the better of him, student Dara needs to score from the drug dealing Wex (G. Michael Gray), and a foursome of cruel athletes continues to torment the losers and nerds. Unbeknown to everyone else at the school, the eternally picked upon Daniel (Kett Turton) and Barry (Michael Belyea), as well as a third accomplice, are extensively armed and plan to unleash their fury on the school right after final bell. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jürgen Prochnow, Elisabeth Rosen, (more)
Real-life supermodel Angie Everhart stars in this action-thriller about two cops hot on the trail of a white slavery kidnapping ring. Jurgen Prochnow and Gotz Otto also star. ~ Jessica Frost, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Götz Otto, Angie Everhart, (more)
A woman finds herself reliving a terrifying moment from her past -- only to discover her tormentor's past goes back much further in this horror story. Molly (A.J. Cook) is a college student who, after escaping uninjured from the clutches of a serial killer who claimed the lives of several of her friends, has devoted herself to the study of the murderous mind as a criminology major. While doing research for a class project, she makes the terrifying discovery that the madman who killed her friends is back on the loose -- and that his methods and actions bear a striking resemblance to that of Jack the Ripper, the bloodthirsty killer who terrorized London over a century ago. Ripper: Letter From Hell also features Bruce Payne, Emmanuelle Vaugier, and Jurgen Prochnow. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- A.J. Cook, Bruce Payne, (more)
One man's insatiable appetite for sex begins upending his life in this biting independent comedy. Jack (Nestor Carbonell) is a photographer known to his friends as "Jack the Dog," thanks to his compulsive womanizing; Jack seems incapable of staying with one partner for long before he finds himself attracted to someone else, and given his good looks and easy charm, Jack doesn't have much trouble convincing the women he meets to spend the night with him. Deep inside, Jack wants to change, and he tries to put himself on the straight and narrow by marrying Faith (Barbara Williams). Jack and Faith soon have a son, Sam (Andrew J. Ferchland), whom Jack dotes upon, but Faith turns out to be a poor advertisement for long-term monogamy; she's not especially warm or forgiving, and she's started to show her age, which only intensifies Jack's taste for younger women. Jack soon slides into chronic infidelity, and Faith leaves him, relocating to London and leaving Sam behind. This is good news as far as Jack's concerned, but as he tries to watch over his son, while also seducing an endless parade of beautiful women, Jack finds himself increasingly puzzled by the opposite sex, and he wonders if he might have a problem he hasn't learned to deal with. Jack the Dog received its world premiere at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nestor Carbonell, Barbara Williams, (more)
In this claustrophobic thriller, Jason (Adam Beach) is a State Trooper who has found himself stranded in a cabin in the Colorado Rockies when a severe snowstorm hits the area. Waiting out the storm with Jason are his former girlfriend Nancy (Rose McGowan), the owner of the cabin, Fritz (Jurgen Prochnow), and a handful of travelers they've never met before. While the blizzard rages outside, Fritz makes a shocking discovery. Hidden in the cabin is a bloody corpse and a bag full of money. Jason figures that the murder must have been committed since they arrived at the cabin, so whoever the culprit is, they're patiently waiting with him for the storm to die down. But he's not sure how to figure out who the killer might be -- especially since they may very well be willing to kill again to hold onto the cash. The Last Stop was filmed on location in Vancouver, British Columbia. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Adam Beach, Jürgen Prochnow, (more)
The tenth in a series of made-for-TV movies based on stories from the Bible, this drama stars Louise Lombard as Esther, a common Jewish woman who rose to wealth and power when she captured the heart of the King of Persia. Eventually, Esther opted to use her influence to win freedom and a better life for her people. Esther also stars F. Murray Abraham as Mordecai, Jurgen Prochnow as Haman, Ornella Muti as Queen Vashti, and Thomas Kretschmann as King Ahasuerus. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Louise Lombard, F. Murray Abraham, (more)
- 2000
The titular "final ascent" in this made-for-cable thriller begins as a group of inexperienced backpackers are shepherded through a particular treacherous stretch of the Rockies by an experienced pair of guides. Among the "greenhorns" is a pack of thieves who are searching for money they had stolen and lost. Once the villains are revealed, it becomes obvious that they aren't about to allow the guides or the other tourists to return from the mountain alive, and thus a deadly cat-and-mouse game develops between two of the main characters, played by Antonio Sabato Jr. and Patrick Muldoon. The striking similarities between this film and the Sylvester Stallone theatrical feature Cliffhanger are underlined by a subplot involving a climber who cannot get over the fact that he caused the death of his daughter in previous ascent. Hampered by too much dialogue and too many blatantly obvious studio "exteriors", Final Ascent was first telecast November 11, 2000 on the Lifetime network, where it has since been rerun under the all-purpose title Final Descent. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Former federal agent Dean McConnell (Eric Roberts) and his teenaged son, Jeremy (Kag-Erik Eriksen), stop by the high-rise building in Seattle where Dean used to work to pick up his girlfriend, Fiona (Cali Timmins), and her daughter, Aimee (Lisa Marie Caruk), to go to a basketball game. Their timing is pretty bad; a helicopter has landed on the roof of the building, releasing a small band of heavily armed thieves, lead by Quentin Darby (Jurgen Prochnow), with the intention is to steal 120 million dollars worth of U.S. Treasury plates used to print 100 dollar bills. Dean catches onto the plot, and mayhem erupts as bullets fly and the building catches fire, capturing innocent visitors as well as Jeremy, Fiona, Aimee, and, as it happens, Dean's ex-wife between burning floors. But the bad guys are still intent on getting away with their heist, and they don't look kindly upon potential witnesses. ~ Buzz McClain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eric Roberts, Jürgen Prochnow, (more)
Location filming in Budapest adds to the realism of this tense thriller. An expatriate American author (Craig Sheffer) is held hostage by a disturbed woman carrying a razor and willing to use it (Helen de Fougerolles). The wordsmith must quickly decide if the woman is a violent psychotic or if her claims of being threatened by a Communist stooge turned free-enterprise advocate (Jurgen Prochnow) could possibly be the truth. This international co-production was shown as part of the 1999 Hungarian Film Week Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Craig Sheffer, Hélène de Fougerolles, (more)
- 1996
British soldiers force a recently captured IRA terrorist to cooperate with them and then assign him to go undercover with a gang of terrorists and prevent them from killing the U.S. President. But the spy isn't in long before he realizes that the first plot is but a ruse for a more sinister scheme that could result in trouble between China and Great Britain. The operative then learns that somewhere a crucial agreement between the countries exists but that it has been lost. Now it is up to him to locate it before the terrorists. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rob Lowe, Jürgen Prochnow, (more)
- 1995
In this tale of drama and adventure based on a novel by James Oliver Curwood, a man becomes obsessed with revenge after his wife is sexually assaulted by another man. He kills the rapist, but soon finds he's wanted by the law, and spends the next ten years hiding out in the wilderness with his young son. Shortly before his wife died, the man promised her that their son would receive an education, and in time the man turns his son over to a close friend, who will now raise the boy and send him to school. However, the boy soon learns that one of his classmates is the son of the man his father killed, and the young man pledges to some day take his life in exchange for that of his late father. The Other Side of the Law stars Jurgen Prochnow and Yves Renier. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jürgen Prochnow, Yves Renier, (more)
- 1994
Two former Confederate officers (a father and son) dispatched to Mexico to issue pardons to rebels in hiding become caught up in the Mexican struggle against the French. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
This ecological drama, set in 2017, presents a world where pollution has generated ever more unpredictable weather and rendered large chunks of the planet into disaster zones. After a hurricane destroys everything they've built for themselves, Louisiana shrimp fisherman Drew Morgan (Craig T. Nelson) and his family, including wife Suzanne (Bonnie Bedelia), flee through a series of refugee camps to upstate New York, where Drew's estranged former business partner Larry Richter (Jurgen Prochnow) -- who has designs on Suzanne -- lives in comfort and affluence. Along the way, Drew loses his daughter, Linnie (Ashley Jones), to an agrarian doomsday cult; watches his elderly father (Richard Farnsworth) suffer a stroke; and almost drives away his confused oldest son, Paul (Justin Whalin). When Larry offers to shelter Drew's family if Drew himself will leave, Suzanne and the kids rally behind him. Things go awry, however, when an attempt to smuggle themselves across the border ends with Craig washed up on Canadian shores and the rest of the family stranded and penniless back in America. Originally presented as a two-part miniseries, The Fire Next Time premiered on CBS on April 18 and 20, 1993. The movie has no connection to the James Baldwin book of the same name. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Craig T. Nelson, Bonnie Bedelia, (more)
Madonna plays Rebecca Carlson, a sex bomb who parades naked in front of the open windows of her houseboat at all hours while the lobstermen catch crabs. This entry in the Basic Instinct sweepstakes poses the question: If love hurts, does sex kill? The judge and jury certainly want to find out when Rebecca's latest conquest, a multi-millionaire, dies of a heart attack while making love to her. Eight million dollars was bequeathed to Rebecca in his will, and District Attorney Robert Garrett (Joe Mantegna) is convinced that Rebecca, knowing that her rich lover had a weak heart, killed him with wild sex so that she could get her mitts on the money. Rebecca's lawyer, Frank Dulaney (Willem Dafoe), thinks differently, suspecting the millionaire's private secretary Joanne Braslow (Anne Archer) of the crime, since she was dumped by the millionaire for Rebecca. Besides which, Frank is attracted to Rebecca himself and throws legal ethics out the window as he starts a sadomasochistic affair with her. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Madonna, Willem Dafoe, (more)
- 1993
It is the year 2009, and civilization has almost perished on the planet, choked to death by pollution. The only place it survives is in the frigid far north. There, the few survivors are governed by a harsh military government, and dissenters quickly find themselves rounded up by the murderous Duke (Jurgen Prochnow). The picture opens as Jake (Jolyon Baker), a captive of Duke's, manages to escape. He helps rescue a peddler (Matti Pellonpaa) from the aftereffects of a motorcycle accident, and in gratitude the merchant helps Jake get free of his handcuffs. Another escapee is an amnesiac but capable woman (Fanny Bastien), who becomes a romantic partner of sorts, as they almost inadvertently manage to bring down the murderous enforcer. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jolyon Baker, Fanny Bastien, (more)
When an American socialite's husband dies, she is faced with running the business the two have successfully created--a vast jewelry empire--together with staving off the petty jealousies and rivalries she has with her siblings. Of course, there is also romance off in the wings, or it wouldn't be a Danielle Steel novel, would it? ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
Initially conceived as a theatrical feature, but originally aired on television in the United States, Robin Hood puts slight, but effective, twists on the legendary tale. Starring Patrick Bergin in the title role, the film follows Robin and his group of bandits as they fight Prince John and save Maid Marion (Uma Thurman). This version is a little grittier than both Errol Flynn's classic movie or the contemporary extravaganza starring Kevin Costner, since Bergin is quite down-to-earth and Thurman makes Marion into a brat, not a helpless maiden. However, these qualities and the stately photography make the film quite entertaining, and it easily equals Costner's version, even if it can't match Flynn's timeless movie. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Patrick Bergin, Uma Thurman, (more)
- 1987
Escher (Jurgen Prochnow) wanders through the South Sea islands after his partner Quinn (Tony Doyle) is murdered in this drama taken from a novel by Joseph Conrad. When he checks into the Grand Pacific Hotel, Escher encounters a variety of memorable guests. Included are the perverted Mr. Jones (Sam Waterston), the sinister innkeeper Schomberg (Mario Adorf), and Julie (Suzanna Hamilton), a saxophone player in an all-female band. Escher helps Julie escape from the lecherous intentions of the philandering Schomberg. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jürgen Prochnow, Sam Waterston, (more)
- 1986
This uneven science fiction road race combines European motorcross with football. Gus (Karen Allen) is the driver of a behemoth vehicle named Monster. The computer-controlled car runs off course, with Gus being captured and tortured. Before she dies, she turns the driving gloves over to fellow cellmate and former trucker Stump Manchot (Johnny Halladay). Stump agrees to take her place and stops the illegal plans of a fetus-smuggling doctor (Jurgen Pronchow). ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Johnny Hallyday, Karen Allen, (more)
