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Michael Rooker Movies

Raised in Chicago by his divorced mother, Michael Rooker lived a hand-to-mouth existence until his teens. Rooker successfully auditioned for the Goodman School, and upon graduation, appeared in Chicago-area stage productions. He made a spectacular film debut in the sociopathic title role of Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, which was filmed in 1986 but not given a general release until four years later. Henry established Rooker as a gifted purveyor of "don't screw with me" roles, such as chief "Black Sox" conspirator Chick Gandil in Eight Men Out (1988). Michael Rooker's more rugged film assignments of the 1990s included Cliffhanger (1993) and Tombstone (1994). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
 
2010  
R  
Add Super to Queue Add Super to top of Queue  
An average guy reacts to the frustration of losing his wife by adopting a crime-fighting persona known as the "Crimson Bolt," and targeting any criminal who crosses his path -- no matter how minor their infraction may be. Frank (Rainn Wilson) is husband to former alcoholic and drug addict Sarah (Liv Tyler), and he loves her with all his heart. Their wedding day was one of but two perfect moments in this Frank's life, but when Sarah runs away with charismatic drug dealer Jacques (Kevin Bacon), the loss was just too much for her mild-mannered husband to take. Subsequently transforming himself into the Crimson Bolt, Frank reasons that if he can take down Jacques along with the rest of the city's scum, his beloved wife will soon come running back. With his homemade suit and his handy pipe wrench, Frank goes to work cleaning up the streets and starts making headlines. But just as the Crimson Bolt becomes the talk of the town, sociopathic comic-store clerk Libby (Ellen Page) reinvents herself as "Boltie," and makes a play to become the controversial street hero's trusted sidekick. Perhaps by working together, the Crimson Bolt and Boltie can make an example of Jacques, and keep the streets safe for average citizens. But real life isn't like comic books, and sometimes when an average person tries to be a superhero, things can go very bad, very fast. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Starring:
Rainn WilsonLiv Tyler, (more)
 
2010  
PG13  
Add Blood Done Sign My Name to Queue Add Blood Done Sign My Name to top of Queue  
Author Timothy Tyson's acclaimed novel is adapted for the screen in this sweeping civil rights drama from director Jeb Stuart. Set in Oxford, NC, in the 1970s, Blood Done Sign My Name tells the tale of Civil Rights leader Dr. Ben Chavis (Nate Parker), who played a pivotal role in desegregating North Carolina's public school system, and who would go on to become the youngest-ever executive director and CEO of the NAACP. The film centers on the racial tensions that flared after a white father and son were charged with murdering a black man, and were subsequently acquitted of the crime despite the fact that it took place in full view of the public. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Starring:
Rick SchroderNate Parker, (more)
 
2010  
R  
Director Dan Pritzker takes the helm for this silent film centered on a life-changing experience in the childhood of famed jazz musician Louis Armstrong. Young Louis (Anthony Coleman) longs to become a famous trumpet player. Louis' life takes an unexpected twist, however, when the ambitious young musician has a chance encounter with the beautiful Grace (Shanti Lowry) and her infant daughter, Jasmine. It seems that Grace has gotten involved with the malevolent Judge Perry (Jackie Earle Haley), a local politician on the road to becoming governor. Should word of their relationship get out, Judge Perry's political ambitions will go up in flames. As Judge Perry attempts to intimidate Grace into silence, young Louis finds his passion for jazz growing. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Starring:
Anthony ColemanJackie Earle Haley, (more)
 
2009  
 
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Christopher Lloyd has played a scientist before in the Back to the Future series, but in this end-of-the-world disaster film, the stakes are much higher. With the help of his young assistant (Marla Sokoloff, The Practice), Dr. Lehman (Lloyd) must stop an enormous meteor from striking Earth and killing everyone on the planet. However, the size of the meteor isn't Dr. Lehman's only problem; he must move past a government conspiracy and bureaucracy as the clock continues to tick out humanity's final moments. Meteor also stars Stacy Keach, Billy Campbell, Jason Alexander, and Michael Rooker. ~ Kimber Myers, Rovi

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Starring:
Jason AlexanderBilly Campbell, (more)
 
2008  
PG  
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A wannabe superhero joins a team of bumbling heroes-in-training on a time-traveling mission to thwart an evil plot in this high-flying comedy featuring Clint Howard, Adam West, Tom Sizemore, and Doug Jones. Ed Gruberman (Justin Whalin) may not possess any actual superpowers, but his passion for fighting crime rivals that of even the greatest comic-book do-gooders. When Ed becomes a member of The Super Capers, an oddball team of aspiring superheroes, it seems as if his dream of fighting crime for real is about to come true. Upon discovering evidence of an evil plot involving gold bullion, an alluring femme fatale, and a powerful criminal mastermind, Ed travels back in time to prevent a disaster the likes of which the world has never seen. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Starring:
Justin WhalinAdam West, (more)
 
2008  
PG13  
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Following up his blockbuster action hit Mr. and Mrs. Smith, director Doug Liman turns to an entirely new genre -- sci-fi -- for this tale of an underground world of teleporters. Based on the novel by Steven Gould, Jumper concerns David (Hayden Christensen), a young man who quite literally wills himself away from his grim family life by teleporting to another place with the power of his mind. Years later, David is using his powers to raid bank vaults, seduce girls in London, lunch on the pyramids, and surf in Fiji. But he soon discovers that he is not the only one bestowed with this unique gift, and all is not well in the world of jumpers. There are people out there, such as Roland (Samuel L. Jackson), who view jumpers as a threat to all humankind, and have made it their mission in life to eliminate them. After jumping back to Michigan to get reacquainted with his long lost love, Millie (Rachel Bilson), David makes the acquaintance of experienced jumper Griffin (Jamie Bell). Informed by Griffin of a secret between jumpers and a shadowy group that seeks to destroy them, the pair soon finds themselves facing off against a legion of murderous opponents who won't stop fighting until every last jumper has been eliminated. ~ Michael Hastings, Rovi

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Starring:
Hayden ChristensenJamie Bell, (more)
 
2007  
 
Michael Rooker and Rance Howard star in co-directors Terry Leonard and Thadd Turner's take on the adventures of a legendary old-west gunfighter and his quick-draw compatriots. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Starring:
Michael Rooker
 
2007  
R  
The time has come for five lifelong friends to leave their familiar hometown and part ways for college, but in their final summer together these lifelong friends will grow closer than ever as they band together to protect and redeem the reputation of one of their own in director Jason Wiles' feature film debut. Though their current actions may have negative repercussions on each and every one of their futures, the bond of friendship drives these close-knit friends to drastic measures in maintaining their good name. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Starring:
William BaldwinMichael Beach, (more)
 
2007  
R  
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An ex-con looking to start life anew with his loving fiancée resorts to extreme measures as a means of funding his lifelong dream in director Stewart Hendler's dark supernatural thriller. Max Truemont (Josh Holloway) has served his debt to society, and now he is ready to make a fresh start alongside his faithful fiancée, Roxanne (Sarah Wayne Callies). When the bank takes umbrage to Max's manslaughter conviction and refuses to approve his loan application, the desperate recidivist soon joins forces with a pair of shady associates to carry out what promises to be a lucrative kidnapping. Upon abducting the eight-year-old son of the richest woman in the state, Max, Roxanne, and their criminal collaborators travel to a secluded and abandoned summer camp to await further instruction. Now, as loyalties begin to shift, suspicions arise, and the deteriorating situation appears to go into a menacing downward spiral, Max gradually begins to suspect that their young hostage may not be quite as innocent as outward appearances suggest. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Starring:
Josh HollowaySarah Wayne Callies, (more)
 
2006  
 


After years of upholding law and order on the cop drama Homicide: Life on the Street, Andre Braugher crossed over to the criminal side as the title character in the FX network weekly Thief. Set in post-Katrina New Orleans, the series cast Braugher as Nick Atwater, who supplemented his income as a vintage-car dealer by masterminding a team of thieves. Although Nick tried to keep his personal and professional life secret, this proved difficult when he was forced to shoulder the responsibility for his resentful and trouble-prone stepdaughter, Tammi Deveraux (Mae Whitman), after his wife, Wanda (Dina Meyer), was killed in a car accident. (In the first episode, Nick was arranging to get Tammi out of a jam with the New Orleans cops even as he and his cohorts were in the middle of pulling off a jewel heist in San Francisco!) Further complicating his life was a botched assignment in which Nick's team wound up with money stolen from a particularly vicious band of Chinese gangsters -- not to mention our "hero"'s ongoing struggle to play on both sides of the legal fence in order to keep his head above water. Also in the cast was Michael Rooker as Nick's nemesis and verbal sparring partner John Hayes, a corrupt police detective to whom extortion was second nature; Linda Hamilton as Rosalyn, Nick's fence, who like many TV-series outlaws had her own peculiar code of ethics; Clifton Collins Jr. as Nick's confederate Jack "Bump" Hill, the obligatory "crook with a conscience"; Yancey Arias as Gabriel "Gabo" Williams, the equally obligatory loose cannon of the gang, who also had a hit-and-run romance with Detective Hayes' wife; Malik Yoba as comedy-relief character Elmo "Mo" Jones, who like his boss Nick did his best to be a good family man; and Will Yun Lee as irascible Chinese hit man Vincent Chan, who was willing to let Nick live only long enough to get his mob's money back. By the time the series had concluded its initial six-week run, Nick and company were neck-deep in a scheme to steal govnerment money originally intended to pay off local authorities in the Colombian drug war. Based loosely on the 1981 James Caan theatrical feature of the same name, the weekly, hour-long Thief premiered March 28, 2006. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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Starring:
Andre Braugher
 
2006  
R  
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A mysterious meteor infected with a deadly alien plague brings chaos to a small hunting town in the feature-length directorial debut of screenwriter James Gunn (Scooby-Doo, Dawn of the Dead). Booted out of bed by his young, trophy-wife Starla (Elizabeth Banks), and in desperate need of some female companionship, wealthy Grant Grant (Michael Rooker) picks up bar local floozy Brenda (Brenda James) and heads into the woods for a hedonistic night of extramarital excitement. When a flaming meteor lights up the sky before crashing to the ground nearby, Grant's curiosity gets the best of him and he sets out to find the space rock. Subsequently infected with a rampaging space virus, which he passes along to Brenda, Grant transforms into a horrific, cow-munching monster and begins terrorizing the town. As thousands of squirmy space slugs burrow into the brains of the unsuspecting Wheelsy denizens creating an ever-amassing horde of mindless space zombies, panic grips the small town and it's up to Starla, Sheriff Bill Pardy (Nathan Fillion), and gung-ho mayor Jack MacReady (Gregg Henry) to put an end to the infection and save the planet. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Starring:
Nathan FillionElizabeth Banks, (more)
 
2005  
R  
Add Chasing Ghosts to Queue Add Chasing Ghosts to top of Queue  
When a weary detective on the verge of retirement begins receiving ominous messages from a sadistic serial killer determined to stir up the past, the stage is set for a deadly confrontation in an all-star crime drama featuring Michael Madsen, Gary Busey, Meat Loaf, and Michael Rooker. Years on the job have shown Detective Harrison (Michael Madsen) more horror than most normal folks would experience in two lifetimes. As Detective Harrison prepares to pass the baton on to the up-and-coming rookie poised to take his place in the police force, the murder of numerous underworld heavies leave the befuddled veteran and his younger protégé grasping for clues. When the killer begins taunting Detective Harrison with a variety of stealthy clues and grisly photographs left behind at the crime scenes, an unsolved case from the past threatens to bring the sins of the past out of the shadows and into the light of the present. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Starring:
Michael Madsen
 
2004  
R  
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An ancient Native American spirit in the form of a cloaked skeleton on horseback is hunted by a group of soldiers in this made-for-cable Predator knock-off. Michael Rooker stars as the captain of an elite squad of government assassins that are sent to bring down a deadly and mysterious force that has been decapitating oil refinery workers throughout a nearby chunk of wilderness. Needless to say, when they are faced with the teleporting skills of thier opponent, they soon find that all the training and firepower are nothing when compared to the sword-wielding fury of the Skeleton Man! ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

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Starring:
Michael RookerCasper Van Dien, (more)
 
2004  
R  
Add The Eliminator to Queue Add The Eliminator to top of Queue  
An ex-Navy SEAL faces his riskiest mission yet when he's forced to compete for his life in this modern variation of the classic survival tale The Most Dangerous Game. The odds may be stacked against him, but when Dakota Varley is drugged, kidnapped, and thrown into the jungle with the singular goal of surviving a brutal human hunt, he has no other choice than to fight for survival. If Varley is the last man standing, he'll take home a 10 million dollar prize, but if he fails, he'll die a lonely death in the jungle. With surroundings that are as deadly as the men who track his every move, it will take more than training for Dakota Varley to survive this twisted game of death. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Starring:
Michael RookerBas Rutten, (more)
 
2003  
 
NBC wasted precious little time in offering up a TV-movie adaptation of one of the first truly uplifting stories of the Iraq War. Saving Jessica Lynch stars Laura Regan as the title character, a 19-year-old army private with the 507th Ordinance Maintence Company. On March 23, 2003, Jessica is captured by Iraqi insurgents after the rest of her platoon is wiped out in a roadside bombing not far from Al Nasiryah. Curiously, Jessica doesn't get all that much screen time: The primary focus is on the rescue efforts mounted by a group of Army Rangers and Navy SEALS, with special emphasis bestowed upon Mohammed Al-Raheif (Nicholas Guilak), the courageous Iraqi man who shielded the captured woman from harm while she lay wounded in an enemy hospital (it should surprise no one that the script is based on Al-Raheif's own book, Because Each Life Is Precious. An inordinate amount of poetic license is taken with the events surrounding Jessica's rescue, with a plethora of ridiculous coincidences and serial-like thrills and chills thrown in to pep up the story. To her credit, the real Jessica Lynch herself neither authorized nor promoted the film, which first aired November 9, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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Starring:
Laura ReganNicholas Guilak, (more)
 
2003  
 
Diane Keaton could not be further removed from Annie Hall if she'd taken a rocket to Mars in this gut-wrenching made-for-cable drama. Keaton is cast as widowed mother Patsy McCartle, who finds herself totally unable to support her two sons--the youngest of whom desperately needs medication for his asthsma--when she loses her waitress job. In a highly vulnerable state, Patsy succumbs to an offer made by a shady character named Roger Hopkins (Michael Rooker) and begins dealing crystal methamphetamine. At first the job seems easy, but the more she deals, the deeper she becomes involved in a deadly drug cartel--and worse, she becomes a meth addict herself. It is up to her sons to come to Patsy's rescue, if her criminal cohorts don't get to her first. At the time this film was made, the woman on whom the main character is based was in the Witness Protection Program. Executive-produced by star Keaton, On Thin Ice debuted November 3, 2003 on the Lifetime channel. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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2002  
R  
Add Undisputed to Queue Add Undisputed to top of Queue  
Director and screenwriter Walter Hill returns to one of his favorite themes -- desperate and violent men using force to escape from an unforgiving environment -- in this action drama set behind bars. Monroe Hutchen (Wesley Snipes) was once a promising heavyweight contender until he was convicted of murder and sentenced to life without parole at the Sweetwater maximum security prison in California. Now, Hutchen boxes behind bars, and he's become the champion of a loosely organized prison fighting circuit. When heavyweight champion James "Iceman" Chambers (Ving Rhames) enters Sweetwater after being convicted of rape, Hutchens finds the serious competitor in the same lockup for the first time, though Chambers scoffs at the jailhouse champ. After Hutchens challenges the arrogant Chambers to a bout, aging mafioso Emmanuel "Mendy" Ripstein (Peter Falk) swings a deal that will earn Chambers an early release from prison and pull in a million dollars in bets from guards and inmates if the two men will meet in the ring for a last-man-standing bout without referees. Undisputed also features Michael Rooker, Fisher Stevens, rapper Master P, and former Yo! MTV Raps host Ed Lover. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Starring:
Ving RhamesWesley Snipes, (more)
 
2001  
R  
Add Replicant to Queue Add Replicant to top of Queue  
This $17 million direct-to-video production by Hong Kong director Ringo Lam is the story of a fire-obsessed serial killer (Jean-Claude Van Damme) and the recently retired cop (Michael Rooker) intent on stopping him. After finding his hair follicle at a crime scene, a secret government agency clones the killer in the hopes that the replicant will aid in the search. Although he's full-grown, the clone (also played by Van Damme) has the emotional and mental capacity of a young child. Soon the naïve replicant begins to have visions of past murders and an abusive mother, leading him to escape and seek the killer on his own. ~ Skyler Miller, Rovi

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Starring:
Jean-Claude Van DammeMichael Rooker, (more)
 
2000  
R  
Add Table One to Queue Add Table One to top of Queue  
Film producer Michael Scott Bregman makes his debut as a writer/director with the straight-to-video crime comedy Table One. Jimmy (Stephen Baldwin), Rowdy (Michael Rooker), Xavier (Luis Guzman), and Norman (David Herman) are four friends struggling to make it in New York City. They pool their resources together to open a restaurant, hoping it will increase their chances of meeting women. When they come up a little short on money, they unwittingly take out a loan from a mobster (Burt Young). When the restaurant fails, the mob owners decide that a nudie bar would be more profitable. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

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Starring:
Stephen BaldwinMichael Rooker, (more)
 
2000  
PG13  
Add The 6th Day to Queue Add The 6th Day to top of Queue  
In this science-fiction thriller set in the very near future, DNA cloning has been perfected and has become an accepted part of everyday life -- cattle and fish are cloned for sale at the market, genetically engineered fruit and vegetables are found in most family's kitchens (nacho-flavored bananas, anyone?), and if your pet dies, you can even order a cloned replacement. But laws have been passed that strictly forbid the cloning of human beings. However, helicopter pilot Adam Gibson (Arnold Schwarzenegger), who believes people should live and die the old-fashioned way, discovers that someone has been violating these regulations. After Adam luckily avoids being on a copter that crashes, he comes home to discover someone has duplicated him. Now Adam is on a mission to find out who cloned him and why, as he struggles to take back his life from a scientifically created impostor, his boss Michael Drucker (Tony Goldwyn), and a pair of thugs (Sarah Wynter and Rod Rowland) who have been cloned into near-indestructibility. The 6th Day also stars Robert Duvall as cloning expert Griffin Weir, Michael Rooker as Drucker's right-hand man Robert Marshall, and Michael Rapaport as Adam's partner, Hank Morgan. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Starring:
Arnold SchwarzeneggerTony Goldwyn, (more)
 
2000  
PG13  
Add Here On Earth to Queue Add Here On Earth to top of Queue  
In this romantic drama, a young man must make some difficult decisions when he discovers that his girlfriend's future is almost used up. Kelley (Chris Klein) and Samantha (Leelee Sobieski) are waiting out the summer after their high school graduation before moving on to college. Although Kelley comes from a wealthy family and Samantha's folks are working class, they soon find that they have more in common than they imagined, and they fall in love. However, Samantha's parents (Annette O'Toole and Bruce Greenwood) soon learn that their daughter has only a few more months to live. When Kelley learns the awful truth, he must decide if he should stay by the side of the first girl he's ever loved or obey his father's wishes and go to college. This was the second feature film for director Mark Piznarski, who has directed episodes of the TV series E.R., My So-Called Life, and Relativity, as well as the TV miniseries The 60s. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Starring:
Leelee SobieskiChris Klein, (more)
 
2000  
R  
Add Newsbreak to Queue Add Newsbreak to top of Queue  
In this thriller, John McNamara (Michael Rooker) is an investigative reporter whose desire to root out a juicy story has not endeared him to many of the people he's written about, and he's lost a few jobs in the process. John wants to hold on to his latest job, but when he's assigned to write about a nuclear power plant that has recently opened, he discovers the plant's manager, Jake McCallum (Judge Reinhold), is the center of a web of corruption that has ensnarled the city's government -- including John's father (Robert Culp). Now John is determined to bring the story to the people, but McCallum's forces are just as determined to stop him. Newsbreak also stars Kelly Miller, Kim Darby, Greg Mullavey, and David Proval.
~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Starring:
Michael RookerJudge Reinhold, (more)
 
1999  
R  
Add Wicked Ways to Queue Add Wicked Ways to top of Queue  
A couple's jealousy and infidelity turns violent, with another man caught in the middle, in this adult-themed thriller. Ruth (Rebecca DeMornay) and Matt (Michael Rooker) do not have the healthiest relationship of any married couple you might meet. While their sexual passion for each other runs strong, they also have just as deep a reserve of murderous hatred; Matt keeps hiding his gun in different parts of the house in case he feels like using it against his wife, and Ruth keeps setting up complicated booby traps to kill Matt that don't ever work quite right. Matt's job selling pharmaceuticals to veterinary hospitals keeps him on the road much of the time, but what Ruth doesn't know is that Matt has other reasons for being away -- Matt has another wife in a small town in the country, and he shuttles back and forth between his two families with neither knowing of the other's existence. Ruth, in an effort to simultaneously punish Matt and make him jealous, turns her attentions to Tom (Mark Rolston), her next door neighbor, and she soon snares him in a dangerous web of sexual gamesmanship. Wicked Ways, which Rooker and DeMornay co-produced, was also released under the title A Table for One. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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1999  
R  
Add The Bone Collector to Queue Add The Bone Collector to top of Queue  
Filmed on location in Montreal and New York, The Bone Collector is a suspense thriller that combines Rear Window and Seven. Two cops on the trail of a brutal serial killer must see as one, act as one, and think as one before the next victim falls. Lincoln Rhyme (Denzel Washington) is an intelligent forensics detective who was paralyzed in the line of duty. The author of several books, he has a keen eye for detail and nose for clues that have made him a legend in the law enforcement community. Amelia Donaghy (Angelina Jolie) is a street-smart policewoman in her twenties. On her last day as a street cop, before being transferred to a desk job, Amelia discovers a badly mutilated corpse. Rhyme is asked to investigate the case, but he declines. To him, it is an open-and-shut case not worth his time. But when he takes a close look at the evidence, he is intrigued, as the photos reveal complex messages in their details. The lunatic, who might be a taxi driver (a Scorsese allusion), amuses himself by paying homage to legendary murders in his own gruesome acts. Amelia is assigned to assist Rhyme, and she must be the eyes and ears of the quadriplegic detective. And they must capture the killer before he strikes again. Written by Jeremy Iacone and based on a book of the same title by Jeffrey Deaver, The Bone Collector was directed by the Australian thriller specialist Phillip Noyce, who directed such films as Clear and Present Danger and Dead Calm. ~ Gönül Dönmez-Colin, Rovi

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Starring:
Denzel WashingtonAngelina Jolie, (more)