John Savage Movies
While attending the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, John Savage helped organize a children's theatre troupe, giving non-profit performances at various housing projects. When next heard from, Savage had won a Drama Circle award for his starring performance in a Chicago-New York revival of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. In films and television from 1972, Savage reached a watershed in 1975, starring as cub reporter Jim Malloy in the TV series Gibbsville and both starring in and composing the music for the theatrical feature Sister-in-Law. His career continued to flourish as the 1970s drew to a close: he played paraplegic war veteran Steven in the Oscar-winning The Deer Hunter (1978), hippie convert Claude in Hair, guilt-ridden police officer Karl Hettinger in The Onion Field (1979) and the suicidal, physically challenged Roary in Inside Moves (1980). For reasons unknown, Savage's star began fading in the 1980s, despite such choice roles as a cynical photojournalist in Oliver Stone's Salvador (1986). Most of John Savage's footage as Andrew Hagen in 1990's The Godfather III unfortunately wound up on the cutting room floor. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
John Savage and Mary Catherine Stewart star in Pet Sematary director Mary Lambert's foreboding tale of a mysterious Victorian home, and one particularly vengeful doppelganger. Shortly after moving into a sprawling Victorian home with her controlling father (Savage) and former beauty-queen mother Stewart), frightened teen Emma (Elisabeth Moss) begins seeing ghastly visions of her deceased twin sister. As the visions become increasingly vivid Emma begins to wonder if she is slowly going insane, eventually confiding her dark secret in her mentally handicapped older brother Frankie (Tom Malloy). When Frankie proves unable to comprehend the true depth of his sister's fear, Emma gradually begins to suspect that her parents have begun practicing a diabolical form of Wicca in order to resurrect their deceased child. Now the only one who will listen to Emma is kindly local police detective John Trevor (Jason Lewis, yet while the attic of the her picturesque Victorian home may finally provide an answer to all of Emma's questions, it could also prove the very place she meets a grim demise. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jason Lewis, John Savage, (more)
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
- Starring:
- Lolita Davidovich, Andreas Wilson, (more)
- 2005
Following up an anonymous tip, Detective Benson (Mariska Hargitay) finds the remains of Jeffrey Ronson, a seven-year-old who vanished in 1980. Subsequent clues suggest that Jeffrey was raped and murdered by Lucas Biggs (John Savage), an ex-ballplayer currently awaiting execution for a string of similar crimes. Problem is, though Biggs has vivid memories of all his victims, he has absolutely no recollection of Jeffrey. As the case progresses, Benson and her boss Captain Cragen (Dann Florek) begin to suspect that the tip to Jeffrey's whereabouts was somehow planted by Biggs as a means of delaying execution--but then another murder neatly explodes this theory. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
As the final war between Good and Evil looms two powerful avatars divided by fate share one mission. For Ben Hawkins and Brother Justin, the race is on to find the elusive Henry Scudder--and the fate of the world depends on who finds him first.
- Starring:
- Nick Stahl, Clancy Brown, (more)
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
- Starring:
- Matt Farnsworth, Diane Foster, (more)
- 2004
Life on the streets is never easy, and when a disparate group of homeless teens attempt to mold a hopeful future from nothing more than cardboard and food dredged out of the local dumpster a street-smart counselor does her best to ensure that their efforts aren't made in vain. Genevieve Bujold, Joey Dedio, Burt Young, and Domenica Scorsese star in a gritty urban drama set in a world where every move you make could be your last. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joey Dedio, Geneviève Bujold, (more)
Acclaimed filmmaker Spike Lee makes the leap from the big screen to the small screen for this Showtime drama concerning the battle waged between black, white, an Asian gangs for control of the San Francisco streets. A modern-day melting pot that has become home to some of the vicious street-gangs in the country, San Francisco is a city teeming with racial tension. When each gang lays claim to the streets in a desperate bid to establish their turf, the simmering tensions soon boil to the surface in a violent eruption of murder and chaos. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ben Crowley, Ken Leung, (more)
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
- Starring:
- Devon Gummersall, Dylan Bruno, (more)
When an escaped convict is discovered hiding in a barn by two young children, he convinces the kids that he is a ghost while learning an important lesson in paying penance for his crimes. Witt Hampton was a convicted embezzler sentenced to year behind bars for his greedy transgressions. Eventually, Witt grows tired of prison life and stages a daring escape. Later, while seeking refuge in an old barn, Witt is discovered by two young boys. In order to avoid being sent back up the river, the frightened convict convinces the kids that he is actually a friendly ghost, and soon joins them on a series of fantastic adventures. Gradually, the once unrepentant criminal becomes inspired by the innocence of the children he has befriended, making a pledge to redeem himself before making the inevitable trip back to the big house. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Diane Ladd, John Savage, (more)
- 2001
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
- Starring:
- Thomas Calabro, Dean Stockwell, (more)
- 2000
Actor Bill Pullman made his directorial debut with this third screen adaptation of the classic Western novel by Owen Wister. The Virginian (Pullman) leaves the state of his birth to make a new life for himself on the frontier of the American West. He falls in love with Molly Stark (Diane Lane), a schoolteacher also new to Wyoming, and becomes the foreman of a successful cattle ranch, hoping to make good in her eyes. But he is forced to resort to violence when he must protect the ranch against the treacheries of a rival rancher and the betrayal of a former friend; Molly's stern opposition to eye-for-an-eye justice demands that he choose between his conscience and the woman he loves. The Virginian, which received its world premiere on the TNT cable network, co-stars John Savage, Dennis Weaver, and Colm Feore; James Drury, who played the title role in the 1960s TV series based on The Virginian, appears as Rider. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bill Pullman, Diane Lane, (more)
Not everyone likes houseguests, especially when they're uninvited (and serial killers to boot), as in this horror story. Christina Tarling (Allison Lange) is a teenage girl who lives with her unstable father James (John Savage) and her younger brother Bobby (Lorne Stewart) in the family's new home. While Christina is trying to sort out her feelings for both Eddie (Brendan Fehr), her boyfriend, and Howie (Brad Rowe), a handyman she's become infatuated with, she soon discovers she has bigger fish to fry: there is a stranger in the house who begins leaving messages and gifts for Christina -- and who isn't averse to the idea of killing people in order to make an impression. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brendan Fehr, Brad Rowe, (more)
- 1998
Although this made-for-TV chiller would seem to have been inspired by The Amityville Horror, it actually has a closer kinship to To Kill a Mockingbird. Moving his family into their new home, tech writer Victor Robinson (John Savage) can't shake the feeling that someone is already living there. Well, not exactly "living"; thanks to an ancient Edison invention activated by Victor's autistic daughter, the family begins picking up disturbing echoes of a murder that occurred there eight years ago. Even worse, one of the Robinsons' neighbors is a child killer, who will strike again unless the spirits of his past victims can make themselves known. First telecast November 12, 1998, Lost Souls was originally part of UPN's weekly "Nightworld" movie series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Savage, Barbara Sukowa, (more)
The animal movie Hollywood Safari features a case of mistaken identity. Kensho, a trained lion used on film sets, is mistaken for a mountain lion that has killed people after he becomes separated from his handlers and goes into the wild. Troy and Jane, the animal trainers who control Kensho, realize what is happening and must, with the help of their sons, stop an overly enthusiastic deputy from killing the wrong creature. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Savage, Ted Jan Roberts, (more)
- 1997
Connie May Fowler adapted her own novel for this dark drama about a dysfunctional family in northern rural Florida during the '60s. Alcoholic Billy (John Savage) reflects on his country-music career that never happened and beats his wife Glory Marie (Ellen Barkin), also a drunk. Grown-up son Hank (William Lee Scott) has moved away, but teenaged Phoebe (Julia Stiles) and sensitive nine-year-old Bird (Tina Majorino) have to live in the bleak alcoholic atmosphere. Problems escalate after Billy kills himself. The three females move into a trailer where the girls are subjected to a torrent of abuse from their mom. Fortunately, benign Miss Zora (Oprah Winfrey) appears like a guardian angel to lift their spirits. First of a half-dozen TV movies produced by Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Films for ABC, this was shot in Ojai, California, and premiered 11/2/97 on ABC. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ellen Barkin, Oprah Winfrey, (more)
- 1996
Ally Sheedy, John Savage and Nicholas Walker co-headline this barely released indie feature from 1996, which arrived just prior to Sheedy's shattering onscreen rebound in Lisa Cholodenko's High Art. Walker stars as Paul, a sleazy, philandering pastor in an American small town, married to the soft-spoken and backward Martha (Sheedy) but caught up in the throes of a torrid affair with Veronica (Dara Tomanovich), his stepson's teacher. The two have begun meeting up for illicit encounters at a motel run by the nutty Charlene (famed acting coach Sally Kirkland), where Paul regularly registers under a fake pseudonym - the name of a local boy who drowned in the area years earlier. Eventually, Paul grows so desperate to leave Martha and run away with Veronica that he decides to stage his own death at the lake, but at the last minute he falls, hits his head and slips into amnesia, left with no recollection of who he is. Meanwhile, a slimy insurance investigator named Tim (Savage) crops up with the stated intention of investigating Paul's death, and promptly decides to wheedle his way into Martha's bed. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nicholas Walker, Ally Sheedy, (more)
- 1996
This off-beat sports comedy follows the misadventures of a professional loser. Bruce "the Mouse" Strauss is proud that he holds the unofficial record for getting knocked out in boxing rings on every continent except Antarctica. He is a lousy boxer; he knows it and is happy to amuse audiences by taking elaborate dives during bouts. When not fighting, Mouse is managing the similar careers of a couple other con men. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
The dinosaurs are back, and they're getting hungrier by the minute in this sequel to the terror tale Carnosaur. There's been a call for help from a secret underground military facility deep in the Nevada desert, so a rescue team led by Maj. McQuade (Cliff De Young) and trouble-shooter Reed (John Savage) is sent out to investigate. When they arrive, the facility's staff are all dead -- the only living person they can find is a lost, disoriented teenager named Jesse (Ryan Thomas Johnson) who is wandering through the flats. As they investigate, McQuade and Reed make two terrifying discoveries. A cache of high-grade plutonium has been stored there, but the containment is faulty, and a cloud of deadly radiation is slowly but surely being released. To make matters worse, the Army had found a number of dinosaur eggs during a dig and had stashed them at the Nevada facility...and the radiation has caused them to hatch, with a pack of hungry velociraptors patrolling the area as a result. Carnosaur 2 also stars Don Stroud, Rick Dean, and Arabella Holzbog. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Savage, Cliff De Young, (more)
- 1995
Another Tom Clancy political thriller is put to film with this made-for-television movie. Harry Hamlin stars as Paul Hood, the new director of an obsolete government crisis management center. Hood is assigned to downsize the center, but during first day on the job some nuclear warheads are hijacked by terrorists. Hood has to rise to the occasion and prove himself as a leader in unfamiliar territory. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Harry Hamlin, Deidre Hall, (more)
