Vincent Spano Movies
Since his 1983 breakout role as an Irish-Catholic misfit nicknamed "The Sheik" opposite Rosanna Arquette in Baby It's You, Vincent Spano has proved himself a versatile and skilled actor to those who have followed his career. Spano had begun acting in a professional capacity by the age of 14, when he starred in a 1977 theater production of The Shadow Box, and landed a small Broadway role two years later in The Double McGuffin. Though audiences had expected Spano to rise along with the other budding stars of his time, particularly after a critical nod for his role in Francis Ford Coppola's Rumble Fish (1983) and appearances in several popular 1980s teen films, Spano opted against the high-profile stardom he could have easily pursued in favor of taking on a variety of unique but decidedly less flashy roles.Unfortunately, most of those roles ended up buried within otherwise unremarkable movies; this was the case with his portrayal of a bewildered graduate assistant in Creator (1985), as was his performance in Russian director Andrei Konchalovsky's first American film, Maria's Lovers (1984). Luckily, Spano received no small amount of praise for his contribution to Good Morning, Babylon (1987), an Italian/American/French collaboration that chronicled the efforts of an Italian cathedral builder's (Spano) complicated emigration to the United States. After filming several foreign features, Spano turned in a solid performance as the good-hearted but emotionally lost New Jersey native in John Sayles' urban drama City of Hope (1991), and went on to star alongside Ethan Hawke in the hotly anticipated cannibalistic docudrama Alive (1993).
Though significant mainstream recognition continued to elude him, Spano nonetheless continued to exhibit an admirable willingness to try anything when it came to selecting roles. Whether it was as a rogue government agent (1996's Downdraft) or the excruciatingly macho brother of an AIDS victim (1998's The Unknown Cyclist), Spano continued to impress fans with his wide-ranging capabilities. After filming several horror films and psychological thrillers during the early 2000s, Spano was given a warm reception for his performance as a "justice fighter" in the Sci-Fi channel's feature-length pilot Deathlands: Homeward Bound. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
The reclusive former head of a Fortune 500 company descends ever deeper into the abyss of insanity, ultimately becoming unable to discern whether his paranoia concerning his estranged wife is founded in fact, or just the bitter delusion of a fractured psyche. Jonathan Hollis (Judd Nelson) used to be an influential business magnate; these days he's withdrawn into his childhood home, a social recluse seemingly intent on dragging his wife down into the darkness, too. He's forced his wife Lydia to say goodbye to the New York social scene in favor of withering away in his crumbling castle, and when Jonathan begins to suspect that her resentment has turned malicious, he recruits his old pal Devlin to discern whether Lydia is attempting to make him look insane so she can abscond with his fortune. Has Jonathan's deep-seated greed finally gotten the best of him, or is Lydia really the manipulative mastermind that he's come to see her as? A Devlin goes to work sorting the facts from the paranoid delusions, Jonathan begins to question the loyalties of everyone around him while being drawn ever deeper into a deadly game of cat and mouse. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
An honored soldier returns home attempting to pick up his life where he left off before the war, only to find that his oldest friend is his newest enemy in this western starring Lou Diamond Phillips. Bobby Hathaway (Phillips) served his country with pride; now all he wants is to rest easy while enjoying the company of friends and family. Upon realizing that his childhood friend (Vincent Spano) has grown up to become a ruthless land baron intent on swindling regular folks out of their rightful properties, Bobby vows to protect both his land and his family even if it means putting his own life on the line to do so. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lou Diamond Phillips, Vincent Spano, (more)
- 2007
Armand Mastroianni, the gifted director of the legendary 1980 horror sleeper He Knows You're Alone, returns to helm the three-hour, all-star medical miniseries Pandemic. The program explores the lethal consequences that can unfurl when a deadly plague, with an unknown cure and an even more mysterious source, worms its way through the denizens of a terror-stricken metropolis. 90210's Tiffani-Amber Thiessen stars as Dr. Kayla Martin, an epidemiologist at the Center for Disease Control. When the news arrives of a plague victim on board a flight from Australia to LAX Airport in Los Angeles -- who promptly dies amid body-racking convulsions and a record-high fever -- Dr. Martin makes the pivotal decision to quarantine all passengers at LAX, sending the city, and the mayor (Eric Roberts), into an uproar. Meanwhile, the plague concurrently begins to appear in other areas of the city -- suggesting a beast that no one can even begin to contain. In time, the disease becomes known as "The Riptide Virus." As a thoughtless ACLU attorney schemes to wage war against Dr. Martin for an unlawful quarantine, Martin, her associate Carl Ratner (French Stewart), and FBI Agent Troy Whitlock (Vincent Spano) race to find a solution before time runs out. Faye Dunaway also co-stars. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tiffani-Amber Thiessen, French Stewart, (more)
- 2005
Originally titled Echoes, this made-for-cable drama is set in Napa Valley wine country, sometime in the 1980s. Patricia Heaton (who also produced the film) stars as Sara, the daughter of strong-willed vineyard owner Alicia Anselmi (Lainie Kazan). Hoping to arrange a merger between Alicia and rival vintner Nick Di Cenzo (Tony Lo Bianco), Sara must first overcome the bitter 40-year-feud between ex-sweethearts Alicia and Nick, which began when each seemingly jilted the other during WW2. The delivery of a long-lost engagement ring proves beyond doubt that Nick had intended to marry Alicia, but evidently this does little to alleviate their mutual animosity. And when it appears that Sara intends to dump her fiancé Brian (David Hunt) in favor of Nick's nephew Tony (Vincent Spano), Alicia and Nick are all the more convinced that any merger between the Anselmi and DiCenzo families--even a merger that never comes to fruition--will result only in heartache for all concerned. The Engagement Ring originally aired over the TNT cable network on November 28, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Patricia Heaton, Lainie Kazan, (more)
The earth has opened up and mankind must find out what is causing the destruction before it's too late in the one disaster film that offers no safe haven and no place to run to. An entire mountainside is transformed into a grinding field of rock, soil, and timber in a matter of minutes, and that's only the beginning of the chaos. As hikers run for their lives and ancient, monolithic trees are shredded into splinters, destruction sweeps across the landscape with no apparent cause, and no end in sight. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vincent Spano, Alexandra Paul, (more)
- 2003
A feature-length pilot for a possible cable TV series, Deathlands: Homeward Bound was inspired by a series of novels and audio-books written by James Axler (actually a joint pseudonym, shared by several prominent science-fiction authors). Sort of a "Mad Max Meets the A-Team," the film is set in a post-apocalyptic future, where crime and destruction is the norm and law-and-order is in the hands of a few courageous mavericks. Vincent Spano stars as justice-fighter Ryan Cawdor, who travels the scorched countryside in his "SecWag," or military security wagon. Cawdor's hearty band of cohorts include his half-mutant girl, an angry Albino teenager, and a geeky weapons specialist called the Armorer. Not surprisingly, the original "Deathlands" book series was incredibly popular with long-distance truck drivers, presumably the audience to whom this ultra-macho thriller is geared. Deathlands: Homeward Bound debuted May 17, 2003, on the Sci-Fi Channel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vincent Spano, Jenya Lano, (more)
- 2000
Bored with her dead-end existence in a small Iowa town, neurotic Janet Flanders (Jordan Ladd) retreats into the rarefied world of romance novels. Her dreams of being swept off her feet by a handsome young prince seem to come true when Chicago businessman Brett Becker (Vincent Spano) enters her life. Alas, Brett already has a bride -- but this won't stop the unhinged Janet from dreaming, or from taking violent action to fulfill those dreams. What starts out as something fine and beautiful degenerates into a sordid murder trial, with attorney Evelyn MacInnis (Holland Taylor of The Practice fame) taking a pivotal hand in the matter. Made for cable, The Deadly Look of Love originally aired July 10, 2000 on the Lifetime network. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jordan Ladd, Vincent Spano, (more)
- 1998
Bernard Salzmann made his directorial debut with this comedy-drama set in West Hollywood where a wake is held for community center founder Christopher Cavatelli, who leaves behind his lover Doug (Stephen Spinella), his ex-wife Melissa (Lea Thompson), friend Gaetano (Danny Nucci), and his macho heterosexual twin brother Frank Cavatelli (Vincent Spano). After Frank arrives from New York, this offbeat group sets out to distribute Chris' ashes and fulfill his last wish -- a five-day, 450-mile charity trip up the California coast on an AIDS bike-a-thon. Shown at the 1998 Seattle Film Festival and the 1998 San Francisco Lesbian & Gay Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lea Thompson, Vincent Spano, (more)
- 1997
The double trauma of seeing his wife Vivian (Gail O'Grady) walk out on him and having his government funding eliminated causes nuclear scientist Rogers Henry (John Glover) to go off the deep end. But Vivian doesn't know about her husband's insanity when she agrees to deliver what she thinks is his model of a thermonuclear device called Medusa to the Pentagon. Nor do charter pilot Scott Nash (Vincent Spano) and researched Linda McCoy (Lori Laughlin) suspect anything amiss when Vivian boards Scott's plane en route to Washington. Only when the plane is aloft is it discovered that the "model" is a genuine bomb that has armed itself and will explode should it be taken any more than fifteen feet away from Vivian, whose pacemaker is the bomb's "control." Even worse: There's a hurricane threatening Washington, and the plane is unable to land--and someone on board requires emergency heart surgery! Based on the best selling novel by John J. Nance (who appears in a cameo role), the two-part TV movie Medusa's Child first aired November 16 and 20, 1997, on ABC. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1994
The most notable thing about this Italian drama, set in British East Africa (Kenya) during WW II, is it's scenery. It follows the factual adventure of an Italian POW, Franco Distassi, interred in a British camp run by African subjects. The camp is close to Mount Kenya, one of the most challenging peaks for mountain-climbers. The chief officer, Major David Farrell, a recent widower and unambitious officer, wants to climb Mount Kenya. He is also interested in a lovely local widow. He has failed in his attempts for both the mountain and the woman. POWs Franco Distassi challenges Maj. Farrell to a climb. He and a partner, Enzo, create a plan, which may involve an escape, to place the Italian flag at the summit and then sneak back to camp. Franco dislikes the notion of planting the flag, but persists in the endeavor after Enzo must quit. He is pursued by the enraged and envious Major. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vincent Spano, Ben Cross, (more)
- 1988
This historical drama and murder mystery concerns the efforts of playwright Carlo Goldoni (Vincent Spano) to figure out who killed his patron and benefactor Spinoza. The lively action involves everyone who is anyone in 1735 Venice's high society. The mystery escalates when everyone of Goldoni's potential backers is killed. The Grand Inquisitor (Victor Lanoux) even suspects the playwright himself. Eventually the mystery is solved, and Goldoni is once again free to produce his groundbreaking plays and court his beloved Nicoletta (Isabel Russinova). One highlight of the movie is the spirited performance given by Wojtek Pszoniak as the composer Antonio Vivaldi. Goldoni (1707-1793) broke with centuries-long Italian and European tradition by replacing the unscripted comedies performed by improvisational commedia del arte troupes with fully written out plays. He is considered to be a key figure, along with Shakespeare and Moliere, in the development of modern drama. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vincent Spano, Wojciech Pszoniak, (more)
French director Roger Vadim pillages his own grave in this nominal re-make of his 1956 creamy sensation And God Created Woman -- the film that made Brigitte Bardot an international star. Unfortunately, he is unable to do the same thing for the cool and cryptic Rebecca DeMornay in this version. DeMornay plays an escaped convict who lands in the limousine of New Mexico gubernatorial candidate Frank Langella and seduces him. For some inexplicable reason, she turns into a hot singing act. DeMornay also seduces innocent stud carpenter Vincent Spano along the way and suckers the poor guy into marrying her so that she can get an early parole. But the joke is on him when she announces that their marriage does not include sexual relations. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rebecca De Mornay, Vincent Spano, (more)
- 1986
Blood Ties began life as a 4-hour Italian TV movie. The American version, which premiered December 14, 1986 on the Showtime Cable network, runs 125 minutes, and "runs" is the right word. Brad Davis plays an American naval engineer with familial ties to Sicily. Before he can offer a protest, Davis is sucked into the murderous machinations of the mafia. He is expected to win the confidence of his crimefighting Sicilian cousin Tony Lo Bianco-and then murder him. If Davis fails, his own father's life is forfeit. Don't expect any last-minute rescues or easy outs in this one. Featured in the cast are Maria Conchita Alonso and Ricky Tognazzi, son of Ugo. Blood Ties was honored with the "best television production" Grand Prize at the Venice Film Festival. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brad Davis, Tony Lo Bianco, (more)
- 1984
Russian director Andrei Konchalovsky's first American film is a romantic tale about an American war veteran whose dreams of his childhood sweetheart are countered by a less sunny reality. John Savage stars as Ivan Bibic, who has returned home to a small town in Pennsylvania, having suffered a nervous breakdown as a P.O.W. During the war, he would dream about his fiancee back home, Maria Bosic (Nastassja Kinski), imagining their forthcoming perfect marriage. At one point, Ivan is told, "You dreamed about her too long. She lives in your dreams, not in your body." And it's true -- his dreams do not equal his reality. Maria and Ivan marry, but Ivan finds that he cannot make love to the flesh and blood Maria. Knowing she was actively pursued by men in town during the war, Ivan courages her to take lovers. Maria does so, having affairs with another GI, Al Griselli (Vincent Spano), and a passing drifter named Clarence Butts (Keith Carradine). But after spending the night with Clarence, Maria becomes pregnant, and Ivan's love for her is sorely tested. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nastassja Kinski, John Savage, (more)
Only Kelly Reno and Teri Garr from the cast of the original Black Stallion make appearances in The Black Stallion Returns. In the first film, young Reno rescued his beloved stallion from its cruel Arab owner. This time around, the stallion is abducted by Moroccan henchmen and bundled back to Africa. This paves the way for a repeat of all the salient action from the first Black Stallion. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kelly Reno, Vincent Spano, (more)
In the early 1960s, two very different New Jersey high schoolers share their first love in this bittersweet romantic drama, an early feature by writer/director John Sayles. Jill Rosen (Rosanna Arquette) is a sweet, overachieving Jewish girl heading for college to become an actor; "Sheik" Capodilupo (Vincent Spano) is a mysterious, confident Italian guy who pushes his way into Jill's already busy life. Sheik successfully woos Jill, and the story follows their ups and downs as teenage romantics. While that introduction is lighter fare than most Sayles material, the film trails off into some unexpected plot developments, providing an original take on the "different sides of the track" genre. Sayles directs the high school scenes with a combination of reminiscence and reality, balancing the excitement of cars and the prom with the heartache, anxiety, and classwork that goes along with it. The movie is injected with a mostly 1960s soundtrack, yet the videocassette lists that "some music has been changed" for home video -- the note apparently refers to four Bruce Springsteen cuts. Matthew Modine and Tracy Pollan appear in small parts, and Robert Downey Jr. also has a tiny role. This was the fiercely independent Sayles' first film to be made with a major studio (Paramount), and he claims it will be his last, as he lost final editing control. ~ Norm Schrager, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rosanna Arquette, Vincent Spano, (more)
- 1981
The final made-for-TV movie of the calendar year 1981 (it was originally telecast on December 30), Senior Trip combines music, comedy and pathos to tell the story of a group of graduates from a staid Ohio high school. Though tightly chaperoned on their titular trip to New York City, the kids intend to cut loose and go crazy, or at least to pursue their hearts' desires (in fact, the only two students who actually want to do some sightseeing before returning home are treated like social pariahs). Among the principal characters are would-be business tyro, Roger (Scott Baio); wannabe singer, David (Randy Brooks); aspiring actress, Judy (Liz Callaway); budding artist, Jon (Jeffrey Marcus); and self-styled Lothario, Fred (James Carroll). It takes a few run-ins with the seamier denizens of the Big Apple to convince the teens that maybe the old high school wasn't so bad. Part of the film is an extended plug for the then-current Broadway smash, Sugar Babies, with Mickey Rooney showing up as himself in one of the sequences. Buried among the minor players are two promising young actors named Jason Alexander and Robert Townsend. Senior Trip was a CBS presentation. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1981
Made for television, The Gentleman Bandit stars Ralph Waite as a popular priest whose life is shattered by a case of mistaken identity. Waite is fingered by a witness as a holdup man; during a lineup, several other witnesses confirm this. Despite his protestations, Waite cannot account for his actions during the crime, and is vilified by the newspapers and by his own superiors. Only the priest's parishioners believe him--but that may not be enough to keep him out of prison. Based on the real-life ordeal of Baltimore priest Fr. Bernard Pagano, Gentleman Bandit was filmed under the title The Bandit Priest. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Initially titled The Colony, this made-for-TV thriller offers the nightmarish scenario of thousands upon thousands of verminous rats swarming over a posh Manhattan department store. Inevitably, the dirty rodents threaten the entire city, and it is up to such hardy souls as hero Jack (Vincent Spano) and heroine Susan (Madchen Amick) to prevent this catastrophe. As The Rats, the film was originally slated for broadcast on September 17, 2001. For reasons that should be obvious, the Fox Network felt it would be more diplomatic to shelve the film for a while--for 367 days, to be exact, so it would not appear to be a tasteless exploitation of the first "9.11" anniversary. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Daveigh Chase, Shawn Michael Howard, (more)
In the third installment of the series that began with The Prophecy, the Angel Gabriel (Christopher Walken) has taken up residence on Earth, where he's learned to enjoy the simple pleasures of life among humans, such as frosted doughnuts and driving a convertible. One night, he witnesses Danyael (Dave Buzzotta), a heretic preacher with a storefront church who tells his flock that God doesn't care much for the people who tend the Earth. A blind man (Brad Dourif) who claims to hear the voice of God shoots Danyael several times in the chest. However, several hours after he's pronounced dead, Danyael rises from his slab at the morgue and heads out into the street. Maggie (Kayren Ann Butler), his understandably upset girlfriend, is then approached by Zouhael (Vincent Spano), a fallen angel who needs Danyael for his own evil purposes. It seems that Danyael is half human and half angel, and both Gabriel and Zouhael want his help. A Spirit of genocide and destruction is about to rise on a Native American reservation, and if Gabriel is going to stop it -- or Zouhael is going to bring it forward -- they will need Danyael's guidance. Prophecy 3: The Ascent marked the directorial debut of Patrick Lussier, who has often worked as an editor for horror director Wes Craven. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
For the past two decades, small-time gangster Al (Vincent Spano) has been deeply troubled by the murder of his father and secretly desires to go straight. Al and his volatile partner Nicky (Ricky Aiello) work for crooked real estate developer Frank Parente (Danny Aiello). One day, Al's Aunt Rose (Morgana King) lets a room to Gabriella (Maria Grazia Cucinotta), a young filmmaker who has come to document Brooklyn life in her newest film. As enigmatic as she is beautiful, Al can't help but fall for her. Trouble brews when Parente gets suspicious of her and orders Nicky to dig around in Gabriella's room. He finds that Gabriella is not telling the whole truth and that her documentary is really a video dossier on Parente, something he promptly shows to Al. In confronting Gabriella, he learns that he and she have a lot more in common than he previously suspected and that their bond stems back to the murderous Parente. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1996
- R
In this exciting effort, the designer of a powerful supercomputer is threatening to launch World War III and only one maverick agent and a Russian computer hacker have the skills to stop him. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vincent Spano, Kate Vernon, (more)
A reporter discovers both his writing and his sexual appetites can have deadly consequences in the thriller No Strings Attached. Vincent Spano plays Mark Demetrius, a journalist who is pressuring his editor, Elliot (Michael McKean), to run an investigative piece he's written on a psychiatrist with some very nasty habits. It seems one Dr. Singer (David Ackroyd) has a history of getting female patients addicted to drugs and then abusing them sexually. Elliot is reluctant to run the story, fearing legal reprisals, but agrees under the condition that Mark help him out by writing a puff piece on women's sexual fantasies. The magazine has set up a phone line for women to call in and discuss their desires, and one day Mark takes a call from Nicole (Cheryl Pollak). Mark becomes fascinated with Nicole, and is obsessed with meeting her, despite a happy, long-term relationship with his fiancée Sarah (Traci Lind). Mark eventually meets Nicole and she seduces him (not that he minds), but Mark soon discovers Nicole is not all she seems to be as his life and career are both placed in grave danger. Displaying a bit more style and smarts than the average erotic thriller, No Strings Attached was directed by Josef Rusnak, who later went on to make The Thirteenth Floor. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vincent Spano, Cheryl Pollak, (more)
Produced by the same team that bankrolled the hit The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, this violent domestic thriller is often compared to that mega-hit. Screenwriter Wesley Strick made his directorial debut with this script by Michael Auerbach. Vincent Spano and Moira Kelly are Russell and Dana Clifton, a successful but childless yuppie couple who adopt a mesmerizing young girl named Janie (Julia Devin). Janie has suicidal tendencies, however -- she walks out into crowded streets, keeps a butcher knife under her bed, and sometimes cuts herself. She also has psychotic white-trash parents, John and Leann Netherwood (Keith Carradine and Daryl Hannah). The Netherwoods are crooks forced to give up their daughter, but once released from jail, they are intent on getting her back. They kill an adoption agency worker and a police officer as part of their vendetta, terrorizing the suburban town as they target the Cliftons in their all-out war for the return of Janie. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Daryl Hannah, Keith Carradine, (more)
