Joe Spinell Movies

In this Vietnam War drama, a courier gets lost in the jungle. He carries with him a highly classified document that could change the outcome of the war. A platoon of soldiers is sent in after him and upon finding the missing messenger discover that his document is a plan for selling weapons to the enemy to prolong the fighting. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Michelle Pfeiffer is Married to the Mob in this comedy. The wife of Mafia hitman Alec Baldwin, Pfeiffer regularly chastizes her husband for his underhanded line of work. Baldwin refuses to entertain any thoughts of quitting the mob-and besides, he's got a good thing going with Nancy Travis, the promiscuous girl friend of gang boss Dean Stockwell. When Stockwell catches on to Travis' peccadilloes, he murders both his mistress and the unlucky Baldwin. At Baldwin's funeral, Stockwell is overwhelmed by Pfeiffer's beauty, and immediately begins plying her with expensive gifts. But Pfeiffer is through with this sort of thing, and with her young son in tow, she leaves town, hoping to start life anew. Upon making the acquaintance of bumbling, seemingly sincere Matthew Modine, Pfeiffer is convinced that Modine is just another mob flunkey. But it's even worse: Modine is an FBI agent, ordered to get to Stockwell by using Pfeiffer as bait. Reluctantly (he's grown quite fond of her himself), Modine blackmails Pfeiffer into setting up a rendezvous with Stockwell. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A gumshoe gets in deep kim-chi when he agrees to murder a fellow's wife in exchange for $25,000 up front. No sooner does he accept the money than he is running off to his intended victim to first warn her and then sleep with her. As soon as they finish making love, he learns that she was not the wife and that the real one has been killed. Now the detective finds himself framed for murder and must somehow avoid the determined police detective who constantly dogs him while continuing his own investigation of the circumstances. His search leads him into the fashion-model world where he encounters more deception, double-crossing and danger. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

This enjoyably sleazy action film stars Fred Williamson as Jake Turner, a burglar who also happens to be an ex-con and a former Green Beret. When Turner's drug-addicted wife dies, he begins murdering the dealers and mobsters whom he holds responsible, including genre favorite Joe Spinell (Maniac). Turner does a bit more traveling than the usual revenge-movie hero, spilling blood in Chicago, Las Vegas, and Italy as well as Los Angeles. Christopher Connelly co-stars with crime-movie veterans Val Avery and Cameron Mitchell. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi

In this comedy, a relocation to Florida throws lowlife New Yorkers Barney (Paul Rodriguez) and Jake (Michael O'Keefe) into a dilemma when Jake falls for a beautiful schoolteacher, Olivia Farragut (Lucinda Jenney), who is struggling to find enough money to keep her school open. However, when they discover that Olivia stands to inherit a fortune, if only she will marry a true gentlemen, Jake decides to transform himself into the epitome of good breeding. ~ Iotis Erlewine, Rovi

In this action-crime drama, Jason Walk, an L.A. cab driver, suffers a luckless life. He not only has marital woes at home, he is unable to collect the money from the people he runs numbers for. One day the luck changes when the gun-toting Christine enters his hack. She is out to get revenge upon the man who murdered her husband and son, but the cab driver doesn't know this as he takes her to her fateful appointment with the killer. Soon he finds himself hopelessly entangled in the mess and is pursued by both the police and crooks. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Trackdown: Finding the Goodbar Killer is a TV movie inspired by the same real-life 1982 murder that formed the basis of the Judith Rossner novel (and 1977 movie adaptation) Looking for Mr. Goodbar. George Segal plays the diligent detective who tries to rout out the murderer of a "swinging" schoolteacher, played by Diane Keaton in the 1977 film. The print ads for Trackdown imply that Segal's costar Shelley Hack takes over the Keaton role. In fact, Ms. Hack is merely around to portray Segal's totally extraneous love interest. George Segal's lukewarm performance is matched by the noncommittal direction of sitcom veteran Bill Persky. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Fred Williamson produced and directed The Last Fight, but he didn't take the starring role. That honor is reserved for singer Ruben Blades, playing a chronic gambler who turns to prizefighting to pay off his debts. He rises to the top of the pugilistic world, disregarding the warnings of his doctor and the admonitions of his girlfriend. He then meets his match in the form of real-life boxer Salvador Sanchez (who died in an auto accident not long after this film was completed). Controversial boxing promoter Don King also plays a cameo in this agreeable Rocky wannabe. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

An ambitious priest discovers that honoring the Ten Commandments isn't as easy as he imagined in this drama. Father John Flaherty (Christopher Reeve) is a Catholic priest who was ordained during World War II, and soon found himself forced to fight enemy forces while serving as a chaplain in the Army. As his life and career in the church moves on, Flaherty finds himself frequently torn between his duty and devotion to the church and his ambitions, appetites, and the notion that the ends can justify the means. Flaherty eventually rises through the church hirarchy to win an appointment at the Vatican, where he helps to manage the church's finances. When the Vatican's books reveals a major cash flow crisis, Flaherty suggests a rather unusual plan to Cardinal Santoni (Fernando Rey) -- buy hard-to-find American goods at a discount, and then sell them at a profit to mafia kingpins, who will then sell them on the black market at premium prices. As Flaherty and Santoni debate the ethics of this scheme, Flaherty meets and finds himself becoming attracted to Clara (Genevieve Bujold), a postulant nun. Posing as an American businessman, Flaherty romances and seduces Clara, until she discovers his secret. Monsignor also stars Jason Miller, Robert Prosky, and Joe Patoliano. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

This violent martial-arts film features a galaxy of the blaxploitation genre's best known stars, including Jim Kelly (Black Eliminator) in his final role. Richard Roundtree stars as a tournament promoter who gets shaken down by an evil gangster (Joe Spinell) and must call on his three friends (Kelly, Fred Williamson and Jim Brown) for help. Kelly is the "one down" of the title, as he gets put into a coma fairly early in the proceedings. The usual murder and mayhem ensues, and fans of gritty low-budget action films should be pleased with both the cast and Williamson's crowd-pleasing direction. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi

Deke DaSilva (Sylvester Stallone) and Matthew Fox (Billy Dee Williams) are New York police officers specially assigned to a special multi-national team dedicated to tracking down terrorist Wulfgar (Rutger Hauer). Wulfgar planted a bomb in a London department store, killing several children and he is now an outcast, hunted by both the police and his fellow gang members. He has extensive plastic surgery and resumes his activities aided by Shakka (Persis Khambutta), a completely psychotic fellow outcast. Soon DaSilva and Wulfgar are engaged in a violent battle of wits as Wulfgar resumes his terrorist activities and threatens New York . This very effective thriller features a chilling performance by Rutger Hauer as the handsome, ruthless cold-blooded killer who charms women into helping him and then kills them. Sylvester Stallone gives an unusually understated emotionally vulnerable performance as a man trying to save lives while he saves his own marriage. The film makes excellent use of New York locales, particularly during a terrifying hijacking of a cable car where Wulfgar coolly decides which of the hostages will live or die. ~ Linda Rasmussen, Rovi

A reclusive, unhappy gold magnate finds his isolated tropical paradise threatened by the intrusion of organized criminals in director Nicolas Roeg's convoluted, arty drama. Gene Hackman stars as Jack McCann, a one-time gold prospector who his parlayed the discovery of a rich deposit in the Canadian wilderness into an immense fortune. Instead of satisfaction, McCann's wealth leads to depression and paranoia, and he moves to a remote island and withdraws from the world. The bulk of the film centers on what has become of McCann some thirty years later, as he attempts to deal with a troubled daughter (Theresa Russell) and the attentions of the Mafia, who want to build a new casino on his tropical home. As the pressures increase, his efforts to protect his property and maintain his family become increasingly desperate, culminating in an extended public trial. Even stranger and more stylized than most of Roeg's work, the disjointed Eureka will seem incomprehensible and painfully pretentious to those with little patience for his indirect narratives and purposefully exaggerated approach. Devoted fans, however, will find further proof of the director's impressive visual sense, especially during the film's earlier sequences. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi