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, All Movie Guide

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

A Chicago cop is wrongly accused of theft and dismissed from the force. In order to clear his name, he goes after the real culprits -- without the extra baggage of police regulations that might have made his task more difficult if he were still active in the department. This script was originally intended for a Dirty Harry vehicle, but was never realized. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide

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, All Movie Guide

Jan-Michael Vincent plays a self-destructive beach bum to whom surfing is a Zen experience. We first meet Vincent in the devil-may-care 1960s, in the company of his carefree buddies William Katt and Gary Busey. The boys reunite ten years later, after one has served time in Vietnam. The beach is still there, the waves still break upon the shore, and towards the end of the film, the characters become people that we truly care about. Barbara Hale, the real-life mother of costar William Katt, makes a piquant supporting appearance. Cut from 129 minutes to 104 for its pay-cable release, Big Wednesday is also known as Summer of Innocence. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Originally made as a pilot for a failed television pilot, this action crime drama centers on the exploits of a special strike force that is comprised of a Federal agent, a state trooper (a very young Richard Gere), and a New York City police officer who busted up a ring of drug dealers. The film, a typical detectives-find-the-crooks drama, is appropriately authentic with plenty of the grit, language, and concern for then neighborhood that we have come to expect from New Yorkers. Straight-ahead drama, moderate action, and solid acting mean that this film will not disappoint. Although the recent release on DVD features Richard Gere on the cover, this was one of his very first film appearances, and in a minor role at that. The DVD release does nothing to improve on what appears to be a direct transfer of an older, quite grainy film. ~ Michael Erlewine, All Movie Guide

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, All Movie Guide

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, All Movie Guide

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, All Movie Guide

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, All Movie Guide

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, All Movie Guide

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, All Movie Guide