Rod Steiger

The American film industry took it upon itself to act as a cheerleader for United States and Allied military interests during World War II, but Hollywood was initially reluctant to directly condemn Nazi anti-Semitism, and it wasn't until years after the war ended that American filmmakers began offering a realistic, dramatic look at the horrible toll of Hitler's "final solution." Imaginary Witness: Hollywood and the Holocaust is a documentary which examines how filmmakers reacted to German scapegoating of Jews before, during, and after the war, ranging from the boldness of Confessions of a Nazi Spy and The Mortal Storm (both of which were produced before America entered the war) to more oblique statements during the war itself, and then finally leading to an honest portrayal of the full consequences of the Holocaust beginning in the '50s. Produced for the cable television network American Movie Classics, Imaginary Witness: Hollywood and the Holocaust was premiered at the 2004 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A small-time pool shark with dreams of the big time seeks revenge against the mentor who did him wrong in this drama. Johnny Doyle (Mars Callahan) was a teenaged orphan when Joe (Chazz Palminteri) took him under his wing and taught him everything there is to know about shooting pool. Johnny became a genius with a cue, but while he dreamed of becoming a respected professional billiards player, Joe preferred to keep him working along the lower rungs of pool hustling. When Johnny learns just how far Joe has gone to keep him down, Johnny breaks away from him, but Joe and his thugs take revenge against Johnny by breaking his wrists. Tara (Alison Eastwood), Johnny's upper-crust girlfriend, urges him to get out of the pool racket, and Johnny grudgingly agrees, though he feels empty without the excitement of the table. Johnny renews ties with his younger brother Danny (Michael Rosenbaum), and begins to fear he's going to fall into the same sort of traps that snared him -- especially when he finds out that Joe has his eyes on Danny. Johnny decides to give pool playing another go, and teams up with Mike (Christopher Walken), who bankrolls hustlers and would like to take Joe down a notch or two. But Joe has found a new player, Brad (Rick Schroder), whose talent rivals Johnny's, and he's not sure if he knows a way to beat him on the green felt. Poolhall Junkies also features Rod Steiger in one of his final roles; the film didn't see theatrical release until nearly nine months after his death. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

In this bizarre comic fantasy, Duke Osso (Rod Steiger) is the leader of a strange underground nation. Osso's spouse Hera (Malgorzata Potocka) has designs on usurping her husband's rule, and with the help of court jester Balthasar (Dieter Meier), she intends to seize power with the use of a magical crystal that can heal the sick and bring the dead back to life. But in order for the crystal to work, Hera and Balthasar need music, so they try to lure Rumo (Zbigniew Zamachowski), a poor fiddle player, into the underground world by using the affections of Mira (Cornelia Grolimund), Osso's beautiful daughter, as bait. Lightmaker was directed by Dieter Meier, who (in addition to playing Balthasar) is also the leader of the electronic dance/pop group Yello; Boris Blank, his creative partner in the band, composed the film's musical score. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Frozen in Fear stars Eric Roberts as Sean, a deeply disturbed but talented artist. When an East Coast art dealer (Catherine Oxenberg) becomes intrigued by Sean's work, she travels to his small Montana hometown to meet him. Sean suffered a horrific moment as a child when he witnessed the murder of his own mother. Now there are women missing from his usually sleepy hometown. The art dealer discovers the truth about the missing people, but may become the next subject of Sean's more personal, and deadly, work. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

Reeling from the news of his sister's suicide, Beau McCammon returns home to his family after a long absence. His father, who has just barely won another term as senator, doesn't take things well when Beau approaches him with the sinking suspicion that the suicide may have actually been a murder. Determined to solve the mystery, Beau uncovers a plethora of family secrets, deception, and implications of unspeakable political wrongdoings. Cypress Edge was directed by Serg Rodnunsky, and stars Damian Chapa, Rod Steiger, Ashley Laurence, Brad Dourif, and Charles Napier. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide

Almost half the world's species lives in Amazonia, where conditions are nearly perfect for their continuing survival. Food sources abound for carnivores and herbivores alike. The film crew for this series records harpy eagles big enough to carry monkeys, whose acrobatic skills cannot always save them from being prey. They record the infamous tree sloths, whose extreme inactivity can trigger algae growth on their bodies. Journey into Amazonia, Episode 3: The Big Top examines the life and death drama that occurs daily in the canopy more than 100 feet above the forest floor. ~ Alice Day, All Movie Guide

The adventures of a boy and his beagle continue in this sequel to 1997's Shiloh. Marty Preston (Zachary Browne, replacing Blake Heron, who played the role in the first film) is a well-meaning 12-year-old who adopts Shiloh, a beagle who was treated cruelly by his first master, a bitter alcoholic named Judd (Scott Wilson). However, when Judd is hurt in an auto accident, Marty realizes Judd may have lost one of the only friends he had, even if he did mistreat Shiloh. With help from his parents (Michael Moriarty and Ann Dowd), Marty tries to help Judd get back on his feet both physically and emotionally. Rod Steiger also joins the cast returning from the first film as the crusty but lovable Doc Wallace. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

In 1966, Rubin "Hurricane" Carter was a top-ranked middleweight boxer whom many fight fans expected to become world champion. When three people were shot to death in a bar in Paterson, New Jersey, Carter and his friend John Artis, driving home from another club in Paterson, were stopped and questioned by police. Although the police asserted that Carter and Artis "were never suspects," a man named Alfred Bello, himself a suspect in the killings, claimed that Carter and Artis were present at the time of the murders. On the basis of Bello's testimony, Carter and Artis were convicted of murder, and Carter was given three consecutive life sentences. Throughout the trial, Carter proclaimed his innocence, saying that his African-American race and work as a civil rights activist were the real reasons for his conviction. In 1974, Bello and Arthur Bradley, who also claimed that Carter was present at the scene of the crimes, recanted their testimony, but Carter and Artis were reconvicted. In the early 1980s, Brooklyn teenager Lesra Martin worked with a trio of Canadian activists to push the State of New Jersey to reinvestigate Carter's case; in 1985, a Federal District Court ruled that the prosecution in Carter's second trial committed "grave constitutional violations" and that his conviction was based on racism rather than facts. Carter was finally freed, and he summed up his story by saying, "Hate got me into this place, love got me out." The Hurricane is based on Carter's incredible true story and stars Denzel Washington as Carter, Vicellous Shannon as Lesra Martin, and John Hannah, Liev Schreiber and Deborah Unger as the Canadian activists. Veteran filmmaker Norman Jewison directed. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

David Hasselhoff trades the beach for the battlefield in this drama, in which he plays Jack Scott, a photojournalist specializing in combat photography. Scott encounters a young woman whose has never met her father -- an American soldier who was stationed in the Philippines -- and is desperate to find him; her search has led her back to the land of her birth, and Scott offers to help her. However, they soon discover that their investigation had put them on a trail fraught with danger and intrigue. Legacy also stars Rod Steiger, Corin Nemec, and Vicky Pratt. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Former boxing great Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini brings years of experience in the ring to his role in this drama. Charlie (Mancini) is an up-and-coming boxer who decides he needs to move to the big city if he wants to be a contender. With his best friend and manager Tiny (Michael Chiklis) in tow, Charlie heads to Reno; en route, Charlie falls for Gina (Jennifer Beals), an attractive hitchhiker, though Tiny is certain she's up to no good. In Reno, Charlie's skills as a fighter attract the attention of Johnny (Rod Steiger), a veteran trainer who thinks Charlie has what it takes to be a champ. Johnny is able to arrange a meeting for Charlie and Tiny with Dumas (Joe Mantegna), a boxing promoter who controlls the fight game in Reno. Charlie soon learns that fame and fortune could be his for the asking, but is he willing to give up his principles and betray the people he cares about in exchange for a shot at the big time? Body and Soul is a loose adaptation of the 1947 classic starring John Garfield, though beyond the fact the lead characters are boxers named Charlie, the two films have little in common. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Originally produced for the Discovery Channel in 1997, the 50-minute documentary Breakout: Island Escapes examines daring inmate breakouts from some of the world's most isolated island prisons. Highlighted are Rene Belbenoit's clever escape over the "Dry Guillotine" at Devil's Island in French Guyana and Roy Gardner's breakout from Seattle's McNeil Island Prison. The unsolved 1962 breakout from "The Rock" by Frank Morris and the Anglin brothers is a special feature of the film. The inmate "Breakout" series includes two other films: Fortress Escapes and Prisoner of War Escapes. ~ Kathleen Wildasin, All Movie Guide

Rod Steiger stars in this story about Jimmy, a young man who has both talent and enthusiasm for boxing, and an elderly trainer and former fighter who sees in Jimmy the makings of a champion. However, Jimmy's parents don't approve of his ambitions as a pugilist, and he finds himself leading a double life in order to follow his own dreams without betraying his family. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide