Richard Roundtree Movies

Four troubled, inner city kids get a western-style shot at redemption when a cowboy pastor invites them to his country ranch and offers them a chance to put their lives in perspective. Korina, Rey, Anthony, and Marcus all grew up on the streets. Every decision they make in that volatile environment could affect the rest of their lives. Pastor John Gunn (John Schneider) runs the Power Company Kids' ministry, an organization dedicated to giving at-risk kids the tools they need to build brighter futures. He's convinced that the four teens would benefit from going back to the basics and experiencing the cowboy lifestyle, and with a little help from ranch owners Randy and Heidi Gunn, Pastor Gunn shows the kids that there's much more to life than hustling on the streets. Though reluctant to participate at first, the kids quickly adjust to their new surroundings as their eyes are opened to a whole new world of opportunity. When a rival gang strikes back with a vengeance, however, Kornia, Rey, Anthony, and Marcus must put the lessons they learned in the country to use in a whole new environment if they ever hope to truly start a new life. Co-starring Richard Roundtree. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

The Matrix masterminds Andy and Larry Wachowski usher anime icon Tatsuo Yoshida's classic 1960s-era hit into the new millennium with this family-friendly story of a young racecar driver who takes on the mysterious Racer X in a custom-made, gadget-loaded speed machine named the Mach 5. Speed Racer (Emile Hirsch) is the kind of driver that every wheelman wishes he could be: a born winner whose unbeatable combination of aggression, instinct, and fearlessness always finds him crossing the checkered flag with a comfortable lead. In Speed Racer's mind, the only driver who could present him with any real challenge is his late brother -- the legendary Rex Racer. Rex died in a heated cross-country rally known as The Crucible many years ago, and now his younger sibling is driven to fulfill the legacy that Rex left behind. To this day, Speed Racer is fiercely loyal to family. It was Speed Racer's father, Pops Racer (John Goodman), who designed the unbeatable Mach 5, and even a lucrative offer from racing giants Royalton Industries isn't enough to get the young ace to break his family ties.

Upon turning down Royalton's (Roger Allam) astronomical offer, Speed Racer makes the shocking discovery that the outcomes of the biggest races are being predetermined by a handful of powerful moguls who pad their profits by manipulating the drivers. Realizing that his career would be ruined if word of the fix gets out, Royalton vows that the Mach 5 will never make it to another finish line. Now, the only way for Speed Racer to save the family business and beat Royalton at his own game will be to win the very same race that claimed his brother's life so many years ago. In order to accomplish that formidable feat, however, Speed Racer will not only have to rely on his family and the aid of his longtime girlfriend, Trixie (Christina Ricci), but form a tenuous alliance with his longtime rival -- the mysterious Racer X (Matthew Fox) -- as well. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Two sets of crooks -- one of beginners, the other old hands at the game -- are lured by the promise of the big heist in a comedy drama from writer and director James Hausler. Wilson (Robert Forster) has just been released from prison after serving 25 years for armed robbery. While Wilson is edging into retirement age, he still has an old score to settle with Mackey (Robert Loggia), a career criminal who helped put Wilson behind bars. Wilson teams up with Marvin (Richard Roundtree), a fellow ex-con who also has a beef against Mackey, and together they set up a heist in order to hit their rival where it hurts. Meanwhile, Buckely (James Hausler) is a slacker who thinks a life of crime might be easier than holding down a real job. With the help of his pals, Buckley maps out a robbery that should earn him a sizable payday, though it doesn't take long for his inexperience to become an issue. Also featuring Lucie Arnaz and Christopher Clark, Wild Seven received its world premiere at the 2006 Los Angeles Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Surprisingly, it is Bailey (Chandra Wilson) who is the loudest voice as the staffers try to persuade Izzie (Katherine Heigl) not to give up medicine. Meanwhile, Mark Sloan (Eric Dane) scores again, and Addison (Kate Walsh) is once more the prize; Cristina (Sandra Oh) has an uncomfortable meeting with the parents (Richard Roundtree, Diahann Carroll) of the convalescing Burke (Isaiah Washington); Meredith remains torn between Derek (Patrick Dempsey) and Finn (Chris O'Donnell); and Webber (James Pickens Jr.) confronts Callie (Sara Ramirez) over her quirky behavior, just as George (T.R. Knight) walks in. And on the "patient roster" front, a lung cancer victim (Roxanne Hart) decides to throw caution to the winds, with wide-ranging results. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

What sinister scheme can George Williams (Roger Bart) have in mind to steal Bree (Marcia Cross) away from Rex (Steven Culp)? Will Lynette (Felicity Huffman) suffer from the presence of her husband Tom's former girlfriend Annabel Foster (Melinda McGraw) when Annabel is hired by Tom's firm? Does Susan's daughter, Julie (Andrea Bowen), have anything to fear from the increasingly obsessive Zach (Cody Kasch)? How will Edie (Nicollette Sheridan) explain away her illegal home invasion? And here's a question we can answer without any problem at all: will Gabrielle (Eva Longoria) be lonely during the eight months that Carlos (Ricardo Antonio Chavira) is in jail? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Based on a comic book series created by Joe Quesada and Jimmy Palmiotti, the made-for-cable Painkiller Jane stars Emmanuelle Vaugier as Jane Elizabeth Browning, a young Marine captain who is the sole survivor when her Special Ops force is exposed to a biochemical "retrovirus" weapon after raiding an illegal lab. It turns out that the retrovirus has endowed Jane with miraculous self-healing powers, making her virtually invulnerable. Unfortunately, she isn't given much of an opportunity to exercise this unique gift before she is locked up in a military hospital on orders from government shrink Lucas Knight (Tate Donovan). Unwilling to act as guinea pig for an upcoming series of medical experiments, Jane escapes her confines and becomes a fugitive, not only from the government but also from a secret conspiratorial cartel which numbers Dr. Knight (aka Lucas Insley) among its members! She spends the rest of the film thwarting villains and writing wrongs (usually in Bionic Woman-style slow motion action scenes), with the help of her new cohort, handsome thief Nick (Eric Dane). Former Shaft star Richard Roundtree is seen as Jane's Marine mentor Col. Watts, who reluctantly assumes the "Inspector Javert" role in tracking her down on behalf of the authorties. Billed as an "original event" when it first aired December 9, 2005 on the Sci-Fi Channel, the entertaining but highly derivative Painkiller Jane has "two-hour series pilot" written all over it. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Sin City becomes the sight of a horrific vampire plague when a gang of vicious bloodsuckers descend upon the gambling paradise and soak the dry desert sand with warm wet blood in director Fred Williamson's two-fanged shocker. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Carlos, the wealthy husband of the wandering Gabrielle (Eva Longoria) strongly suspects that she's cheating on him; trouble is, he suspects the wrong guy. Meanwhile, Mrs. Huber (Christine Estabrook) wants Susan (Teri Hatcher) to pay her hush money to keep her from telling Edie (Nicolette Sheridan) who was responsible for torching Edie's house. Lynette (Felicity Huffman) uses a method of her own to deal with her twin sons' attention deficit disorder. And the true odious nature of young Andrew Van De Kamp (Shawn Pyfrom) makes itself known. Richard Roundtree makes his first series appearance as the enigmatic Mr. Shaw. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Susan (Teri Hatcher) begins to fear that Mike (James Denton) may have had darker motives for moving to Wisteria Lane when she snoops around his house. Lynette (Felicity Huffman) tries to break her dependence upon her twins' medication. Edie (Nicollette Sheridan) has what she thinks is a real estate meeting with the enigmatic Mr. Shaw (Richard Roundtree) -- who in turn may know something about Paul Young's strange behavior. The accident that put Gabrielle's mother-in-law, Juanita (Lupe Ontiveros), in the hospital is taking its toll on Gabrielle (Eva Longoria) as well -- as witness her confession of her past peccadilloes. And the snoopy Mrs. Huber (Christine Estabrook) leaves the scene in a decisive -- and violent -- fashion. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Two guys looking for a respite from their bumpy romantic lives find themselves in the midst of a very confusing situation in this broad comedy. Jerry (Cuba Gooding Jr.) is a guy who thinks he's found the love of his life in Felicia (Vivica A. Fox), his beautiful longtime girlfriend. Jerry decides to propose to Felicia, and arranges for a hot-air balloon ride in order to create the ideal setting to pop the question. However, Felicia not only turns him down, she announces that she's leaving him for another man. Jerry sinks into a deep depression, until his best friend Nick (Horatio Sanz), who has been having his own romantic problems, suggests they take a vacation cruise on an ocean liner, forgetting their troubles while they make time with bikini-clad babes. Jerry is game, but after an angry misunderstanding with a travel agent, Nick and Jerry discover they've been booked on a tour specifically for gay men. Jerry and Nick are forced to pose as lovers to ward off the indefatigable advances of aging playboy Lloyd (Roger Moore), which cramps their style when the ship's captain rescues a boatload of buxom Swedish swimsuit models. Jerry's spirits rise when he meets Gabriella (Roselyn Sanchez), a beautiful dancer who is part of the ship's entertainment staff. Jerry, however, now has to walk a fine line between maintaining his cover and convincing Gabriella that despite outward appearances, he's not gay. Boat Trip was the first feature film from director Mort Nathan, best known for his work as a writer for television. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

This PBS documentary miniseries sheds new light on an unfortunate period in American history, when the country's black citizens were legally -- and often violently -- kept "in their place" by the white hierarchy. Though promised full freedom and certain reparations after the Civil War, African-Americans soon found themselves being suppressed by organizations like the Ku Klux Klan and such odious legislation as the "lynch laws." With the Plessy vs. Ferguson case of 1896, even the American government conspired to reduce blacks to second-class citizen status, declaring that legalized segregation was perfectly acceptable, so long as it was "separate but equal," a phrase that quickly became a bitter joke. Thanks to such tireless black civil libertarians as Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. DuBois, Ida B. Wells, Walter White, and Charles Hamilton Houston, persistent efforts to assure racial equality (notably the NAACP) were set in motion -- often with tragic and bloody repercussions -- but it was not until the Brown vs. Board of Education case of 1954 that the repressive "Jim Crow" laws truly began to disintegrate. The series is divided into four hour-long episodes: "Promises Betrayed (1865-1896)," "Fighting Back (1896-1917)," "Don't Shoot Too Soon (1918-1940)," and "Terror and Triumph (1940-1954)." The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow made its first PBS appearance on October 1, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

At the end of the Civil War in 1865, African-Americans, recently freed from slavery, were promised the right to vote and a place in American society. While the military maintained order in the South during Reconstruction, the North withdrew its support following the election of 1876. Southern leadership began to reassert its domination of African-Americans by enacting Jim Crow laws that segregated the white and black population. Violence was also used to intimidate African-Americans and anyone deemed sympathetic to their cause. Black leaders met this challenge in a variety of ways. Booker T. Washington founded the Tuskegee Institute and advocated a non-confrontational strategy for white and black relationships. Journalist Ida B. Wells struggled to bring attention to the practice of lynching. Episode one ends in 1896, the same year the Supreme Court upheld Jim Crow segregation in Plessy v. Ferguson. "Promises Betrayed" unfolds as an affecting oral history. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr., All Movie Guide