Patrick Stack Movies
A community in desperate need of direction receives a special blessing in this inspirational family drama starring Crystal Bernard, Brian Dennehy, and Brad Stine. Paradise is a troubled small town in which the citizens have turned their backs on the people who need their support the most, and without the help of their neighbors the poor and destitute who dwell in this community are sure to suffer. Debbie Laramie (Bernard) is a big city preacher who has recently relocated to the town of Paradise with her son Hayden (Bobby Edner). When Debbie begins to become aware of the problems that plague Paradise, she finds out just how difficult it can be to lift the weighty veil of indifference as she attempts to form a congregation in which all are accepted and none are rejected. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Crystal Bernard, Bobby Edner, (more)
- 1990
- R
Four cops make the painful discovery that not everyone on the force is upholding the law in this crime drama. Frank Daly (Brian Dennehy), Wayne Gross (Joe Pantoliano), Ricky Rodriguez (Jeff Fahey), and Howard Jones (Bill Patxon) are four undercover cops with the Los Angeles Police Department who work as a team to solve the cases that their colleagues consider too tough to handle. Under Daly's supervision, the four are trying to get the goods on a drug dealing operation working out of a meat packing plant. However, a raid on the plant uncovers little practical evidence, and Daly, a moody and hard-drinking loose cannon, is sharply criticized by his superiors for planning the bust without the input from the department heads or the FBI. Convinced that there's more to the case than they've been able to find so far, the four men begin looking into the matter on their own time. The deeper they dig, the more shocking the evidence becomes, as they learn that the police, the FBI, and even the Federal Government are involved in the smuggling operation, and the parties involved are perfectly willing to use violence and murder to keep troublemakers out of their way. After Jones is murdered while collecting evidence on a businessman in on the operation, the other three quit the police force, determined to see justice done even if they have to overstep the boundaries of the law to do it. Last of the Finest was also released under the titles Blue Heat and Street Legal. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brian Dennehy, Joe Pantoliano, (more)
A man who simulates death for a living finds himself unwittingly tied into the real thing in this New York-based suspense drama. Special effects man Rollie Tyler (Bryan Brown) makes his living simulating gory mayhem and photogenic violence for movies such as "I Dismember Mama." Tyler is given a chance to expand his professional horizons when he's approached by Lipton (Cliff DeYoung), who introduces himself as an FBI agent and makes an unusual proposal. Mob kingpin Nicholas DeFranco (Jerry Orbach) is willing to testify against his fellow gangsters, but the investigators are worried about his safety. Lipton wants Tyler to help him and his staff fake DeFranco's assassination; if everyone is convinced DeFranco is dead, people will be a lot less likely to look for him. Tyler grudgingly takes the assignment, and while he's able to realistically simulate DeFranco being shot in a crowded restaurant, after the "gag," he discovers that he's been double crossed, and he's wanted for the murder of the man he just "shot." Tyler hides out with his girlfriend Ellen (Diane Venora), but he realizes that whoever set him up wants him dead after she's killed by a bullet meant for him. With the help of fellow effects artist Andy (Martha Gehman), Tyler goes underground and tries to unravel the truth behind the Lipton murder. Meanwhile, police detective Leo McCarthy (Brian Dennehy) is convinced that something is not right when he's called to the scene of DeFranco's murder and is certain that the dead body is not the gangster. F/X was followed by a sequel, and later a short-lived TV series. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bryan Brown, Brian Dennehy, (more)
- 1985
- PG13
In a slapstick spoof of hitmen and crime stories, the head of a security systems company (Hamid Dana) is bumped off by two gonzo exterminators (Brion James and Paul L. Smith) who have gone from stomping out pesky varmints to stomping out human targets, and one of them does so with gusto. Now the exterminators go after the partner who hired them and his blatantly obnoxious wife (Louise Lasser) and in the meantime frame a poor security guard (Reed Birney) for the murder of the company boss. The tale is told in flashbacks, as the security guard has been tried and convicted and is shown at the beginning, about to be executed. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Reed Birney, Sheree J. Wilson, (more)
- 1984
Assigned custody of a squirrely pickpocket (Paul Eiding), Rick Hunter (Fred Dryer) and DeeDee McCall (Stepfanie Kramer) are forced to temporarily stash their prisoner in a small town jail presided over by Sheriff Jake Cutter (Bo Svenson). Neither detective had counted upon the presence of a duplicitous deputy who manages to frame the pickpocket for a murder that the deputy himself has committed--and taking another life in the process. As a result, Rick, Dee Dee, and a terrified waitress caught up in the intrigue may never get out of town alive. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1983
Now that Sam (Ted Danson) and Diane (Shelley Long) are an "item," a jealous Carla (Rhea Perlman) accuses Diane of keeping her job only because she's the boss' favorite. Outraged, Diane quits Cheers, determined to prove that she can get a better job on her own merits. Alas, it turns out that even the prestigious publishing industry has its share of sexual predators. Meanwhile, Norm (George Wendt) walks out on wife Vera and prepares to play the field. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
First Blood is the Sylvester Stallone film that unleashed "Rambo" onto an unsuspecting world. Wandering into a small, hostile town, ex-Green Beret John Rambo (Stallone) is targeted for persecution and abuse by potbellied Sheriff Will Teasle (Brian Dennehy). When he can stand no more, Rambo goes bonkers, killing a deputy and heading into the surrounding hills, armed to the teeth. Only after Rambo has picked off practically every law enforcement officer within a radius of 50 miles do the local authorities bring in his former commanding officer, Trautman (Richard Crenna), for advice. Trautman's response -- that the locals had better get a lot of body bags ready -- is hardly encouraging. First Blood proved to be one of Stallone's biggest non-Rocky hits. Kirk Douglas had originally been cast as Trautman, but he quit the project when the producers refused to cave in to his demand that Trautman kill Rambo in the finale. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sylvester Stallone, Richard Crenna, (more)
