John Savage Movies

Ernie Reyes Jr. stars in this dramatic foray into the bloody world of mixed martial arts fighting. Real-life fighter Reyes (son of legendary martial artist Ernie Reyes Sr.) portrays convict Johnny Sanchez, who battles in prison tournaments run by his corrupt warden, Harbin Rask (John Savage). Johnny is given a chance at freedom -- and redemption -- when Rask recruits him to compete against the world's toughest fighters in a professional event sponsored by the evil Krang (Star Trek's George Takei). The film's hard-hitting action sequences are choreographed by Reyes Sr., and feature cameo appearances by some of the biggest names in mixed martial arts, including Frank Shamrock, Dan Severn, and Tyson Griffin. ~ All Movie Guide

A man fascinated with the process of ending one's own life meets some rather disturbing kindred spirits in this dark comedy. Erik (Andreas Wilson) is a commercial photographer and would-be screenwriter who has left his native Sweden to come to Hollywood in hopes of selling his latest script. Erik quickly discovers there isn't much of a market for stories about suicide in Tinseltown, and he's looking for new inspiration when he meets Lola (Lolita Davidovich), a beautiful but wildly unpredictable woman who lures him into joining her on a road trip to Las Vegas. As it happens, Lola is drawn to Vegas by the presence of Dr. Bangley (John Larroquette), a psychologist and television chat-show host who is publicizing his latest book in Sin City -- "Stay Alive," a guide for those contemplating suicide. As part of the book launch, Bangley is arranging for a number of his more colorful patients to meet him in Las Vegas, where they'll take part in a television reality show hosted by the doctor. The clients include Katherine (Julie Benz), who has been suffering from depression since losing custody of her son; Geert (Alexander Skarsgård), a troubled cross-dresser; and Ella Toscana (Terry Moore), an elderly former movie star with remarkable mood swings. Bangley also has to deal with his teenage daughter, Sunshine (Skye McCole Bartusiak), who is willing to do anything to get her busy dad's attention. As Erik crosses paths with Bangley's entourage, he's confronted with people who are even more obsessed with killing themselves than the average Swede, and feels as if he fits in until gangster and part-time limo driver Omar (Fares Fares) reveals his sinister side. Kill Your Darlings received its North American premiere at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Terrence Malick, the universally acclaimed American filmmaker responsible for the key 1970s features Badlands and Days of Heaven, returns for a rare directorial outing with the sweeping period piece The New World -- an epic dramatization of Pocahontas' relationships with John Smith and John Rolfe. Malick's story opens at the dawn of the 17th century, just prior to the colonization of the United States -- when the North American population consisted of an interconnected series of native tribes. In April 1607, three maritime vessels approach the unfamiliar continent, with 103 sailors on board. As members of the Virginia Company, these adventurers carry a royal charter to mount a society on the edge of the new continent. John Smith (Colin Farrell) sits chained below one of the decks. He is a 27-year-old loose cannon, who, for his persistently rebellious acts, has been sentenced to death by hanging as soon as the ships dock. Nevertheless, Captain Christopher Newport (Christopher Plummer) acknowledges Smith's ability to aid with exploration and consents to pardon him as a result. Upon landing, Smith seeks assistance from local Native American tribes with colonization, but runs into the unexpected -- he falls desperately in love with Pocahontas, or "Playful One" (Q'orianka Kilcher), the daughter of the omnipotent Chief Powhatan (August Schellenberg). Needless to say, this does not sit well with Powhatan or the rest of the tribe. Moreover, the oft-bellicose Smith enters a head-to-head conflict with his fellow Britons when he finds his tempestuousness calmed by the tranquility of the new landscape, as the anger and violence of his shipmates concurrently build in the face of the Native Americans. Later, Smith temporarily returns to England; believing that Smith is dead, Pocahontas accepts the hand of plantation owner John Rolfe in marriage (with her father's blessing) and follows Rolfe back to the old country. When Smith returns to America, his intended is nowhere to be seen, and the entire community teeters on the brink of a British-Indian war. Malick shot the production on location in Virginia; it co-stars Jonathan Pryce, John Savage, and David Thewlis. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

Matt Farnsworth wrote and stars in the independent drama Iowa, which also marks his feature directorial debut. Farnsworth and associate producer/co-star Diane Foster had previously worked on Poor Man's Dope, a documentary about tweaked-out Midwestern methamphetamine addicts and dealers, and that inspired them to make this feature. Farnsworth plays Esper, whose father, a meth addict, dies as the film opens. Esper stands to collect on an insurance policy, but as executor Irv (John Savage) tells him, only if drug tests on his father come back clean. Esper is involved in a serious relationship with Irv's daughter, Donna (Foster), and plans to marry her with or without the money. But Esper's scheming mother, Effie (Rosanna Arquette) has other plans. She's teamed up with corrupt parole officer, Larry (Michael T. Weiss from television's The Pretender), in a vicious plot to get Esper out of the way and collect the insurance money herself. Larry busts Esper and assaults Donna while he's in jail, but Donna finds a way to bail Esper out before Larry can have him killed. Together with their junkie friends, Nick (David Backus) and Dominique (Amanda Tepe), Esper and Donna start up their own meth lab. But Larry is still after Esper, and the methamphetamine business turns out to be more dangerous than any of them had imagined. Iowa had its world premiere in competition at the 2005 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide

When an ancient alien life force that has lain dormant for centuries awakens with a hunger for human life, it's up to an elite SWAT team lead by a fierce but beautiful assassin to save humankind from a fate beyond pain and death. For centuries, the extraterrestrial menace has waited for the moment when the evolution of human knowledge would unlock its deadly potential, and when a brilliant scientist finally breaks the genetic code, a horde of mutant creatures begins to spawn the ultimate killing machine. Deep within the confines of a top-secret military installment, a small army of determined soldiers attempts to exterminate the bloodthirsty beast, but with each life it takes, the creature grows ever more powerful. Is it possible that humankind's position on the evolutionary food change has finally been challenged? ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

A man is forced to examine his headlong dive into chemically induced oblivion when he starts dragging someone else along with him in this independent drama. Dorian (Kirk Harris) is a gifted surgeon who has a severe problem outside the operating room -- he is an alcoholic and cocaine abuser who is quickly losing his grip on his habit. Stumbling from all-night benders and reckless sexual escapades into surgery, Dorian's habits have begun to worry his on-and-off girlfriend, Megan (Laurie Baranyay), and even his drug dealer, Teddy (Eric Roberts). Megan introduces Dorian to her close friend Anna (Camilla Overbye Roos), who recently lost her son in an auto accident. Anna immediately falls for Dorian and willingly follows him into his netherworld of decadence, but before long, Dorian begins to see where his lifestyle is taking both Anna and himself, and he realizes they both need to change before it's too late. Intoxicating was scripted by leading-man Kirk Harris and was adapted from a story written by Harris and director Mark David. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A burnt out college professor finds his quest for vitality leading him into the arms of disaster in this seriocomic tale of love and desperation starring Julian Sands, John Savage, Katherine Towne, and Jim Belushi. Packard Schmidt (Sands) is having a mid-life crisis. Unfulfilled by his job as an English professor at an inconsequential college, and longing for a sense of unpredictability in his monotonous daily routine, Schmidt sets his sights on the bright lights of Las Vegas. When a series of impulsive romantic encounters lead him into the arms of his best friend Frank (Savage)'s daughter Sallu (Towne), his obsession with the younger girl send both his personal and professional lives careening towards disaster. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

A so-called anarchist gets an unexpected crash-course in living on the edge in this independent comedy drama. Puck (Devon Gummersall) is a college dropout and self-styled political radical who lives with a handful of friends in an anarchist commune near Plano, TX. Puck's roommates and fellow semi-revolutionaries include aging hippie Johnny Red (John Savage), man-crazy feminist Karla (Gina Philips), DJ and ladies' man Sweeney (Johnny Whitworth), and cheerful mischief maker Double Dee (Steve Van Wormer). While Puck and his pals enjoy engaging in occasional acts of creative vandalism, their sense of anarchy is more a matter of personal choice than a genuine threat against the larger standing order. That begins to change when the mysterious Johnny Black (Dylan Bruno) ingratiates himself into the commune. Johnny Black's political agenda is significantly more aggressive than that of Puck and his friends, and his willingness to use violence to achieve his ends disturbs Puck, as Black not only takes control of the group, but adds guns, explosives, and sabotage to their formula. Puck also finds himself torn between his commitment to his ideals and his infatuation with Jody (Katherine Towne), whose sexual appetites run counter to her public reputation as a Christian and Young Republican organizer. Taking its title from William Powell's infamous book of the same name (which the author has since come to repudiate), The Anarchist Cookbook was the first feature film from writer and director Jordan Susman. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Young Mike (Zachary Quinto) has never been able to pry the truth from his mother Allison (Annie Corley) about his long-missing father. Allison insists that Mike's dad had been a lawyer named Simon K. Miller, but this information would seem to be misleading when Monica (Roma Downey) and the angels confirm the existence of Simon K. (John Savage), a once-famous jazz musician who is now a shabby street person. Sure enough, the derelict Simon K. is Mike's real father--but this doesn't necessarily mean that Allison was lying to her son! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A mutant African cockroach infests a remote Maine island just as young Dr. Ben Cahill (Thomas Calabro) goes there to shake off the effects of his heavy drinking. His first encounter is with Jack Wolk (John Savage), a local who resents Cahill buying his family's dilapidated house. The resentment turns violent and Sheriff Hobbs (Dean Stockwell) is called in to cool things off. When his house turns out to have problems he can't fix, Cahill meets handywoman Nell (Kristen Dalton), who helps him out. But meanwhile, beneath the surface, those cockroaches begin reaching critical mass, attacking first animals and then humans as their numbers increase. The bugs use carcasses in which to breed, and soon they not only cover the ground, they also begin to fly. ~ Buzz McClain, All Movie Guide

John Cusack plays Myrl Redding, a horse trader who locks horns with a rancher who has callously mistreated two of his horses, as well as their handler, a Crow Indian. When the law gives Myrl no justice, he is forced to take matters into his own hands, leading to a cycle of violence and chaos. The Jack Bull was written by Cusack's father, Dick, who also plays a small part as the jury foreman in the film. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide