Bo Svenson Movies

Having spent much of his directorial career emulating Don Siegel and John Ford, Clint Eastwood borrows a page from the catalogue of Sam Fuller in Heartbreak Ridge. Eastwood casts himself as an old-fashioned Marine Corps sergeant who is out of step with the new-fashioned military. He returns to his old outfit as a gunnery sergeant, where he runs afoul of 1980s-style superior officers to whom the words "Gung Ho" are foolish anachronisms. But through his tough tutelage, Eastwood's lackadaisical platoon is whipped into a first-rate fighting machine, favoring teamwork over such New Age gobbledygook as "self-fulfillment." Eastwood's men prove their mettle during the invasion of Grenada. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this violent drama, an artistic hitman must kill his best friend and finds he cannot bring himself to do it. He is then ordered to kill a rival mobster. Unfortunately, he kills the wrong fellow thus beginning a deadly conflict. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Director and former stunt coordinator Chuck Bail takes the help for this fast-paced action thriller about a Harvard-graduate physicist whose efforts to create a safe source of energy are thwarted by nuclear waste-dumping baddies. David Lowell (Stephen Collins) has discovered the secret to clean energy, and he's ready to share his gift with the world. In just a few days, Hayley's Comet will pass over the Grand Canyon, and David will capture the energy from the high-frequency sound waves emitted from the enormous space rock. Unfortunately, there are those who would rather continue to profit from conventional forms of energy, and they're not afraid to use force to get their way. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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, Rovi

This crime drama features a computer expert who is bilking the casinos in Vegas by hacking into the computers that run the slot machines. This way, he's able to tell when each machine is about to spit out a jackpot. His girlfriend Kathy (Marcia Clingan) goes to Vegas, plays the machines, and brings home a tidy sum each week-end. Before he can start enjoying the good life, the hacker is tortured and killed and Kathy is kidnapped by the murderers. Then a crooked cop (Bo Svenson) and his buddy (Fred Williamson) get involved and the competition for the illicit software is on. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

In the conclusion of Magnum, P.I's two-part Season Three opener, Magnum (Tom Selleck), and Rick (Larry Manetti) swear vengeance against their old enemy Col. Ivan (Bo Svenson), whom they hold responsible for the death of Magnum's navy friend Mac. Meanwhile, Lt. Maggie Poole (Jean Bruce Scott in her first series appearance) is determined to get to the bottom of an assassination plot, involving both Ivan and a brainwashed T.C. (Roger E. Mosley). The episode's shattering final scene is arguably the most famous moment in the entire eight-year run of Magnum, P.I--and also one of the most chillingly cold-blooded finales in TV history! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In the first half of Magnum, P.I.'s Season Three opener (originally telecast as a single two-hour episode). T.C.'s old war buddy Nuzo (James Whitmore Jr.) shows up in Hawaii with a dire warning for T.C. (Roger E. Mosley) and his comrades-in-arms Magnum (Tom Selleck) and Rick (Larry Manetti). It seems that the evil Soviet torture specialist Col. Ivan (Bo Svenson), who made life hell for Magnum et. al. during their time in Viet Cong POW camp, is still at large--and determined to kill his former prisoners. Unfortunately, Magnum isn't around at first to hear Nuzo's warnings, which fact proves fatal for one of his closest associates. This episode marks the final regular appearance of Jeff MacKay) as Magnum's Navy pal "Mac" MacReynolds (but not by any means the final appearance of MacKay himself!) ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Premiering January 17, 1981, on NBC, the hour-long crime drama Walking Tall was based on a extremely popular series of theatrical features -- which in turn, were inspired by the real-life exploits of relentless Tennessee sheriff Buford Pusser (Pusser's story also served as the basis of a 1978 TV movie, A Real American Hero). Dedicated to smashing the political corruption all around him, Pusser was not averse to driving his points home with brute force, usually with the home-made club that he wielded at every opportunity. Naturally, the local bad guys did everything they could to put Pusser out of the way, including a number of assassination attempts -- one of which had claimed the life of the sheriff's wife, making his crusade against crime personal as well as professional. Starring as the TV version of Buford Pusser -- here in charge of McNairy County, TN -- was Bo Svenson, who had previously played the role in two of the three theatrical films, succeeding the original Walking Tall's star Joe Don Baker (the real Pusser had died in a highly suspicious car crash just before he was to star in one of the films himself). Others in the cast included Walter Barnes as Buford's dad Carl Pusser, Rad Daly and Heather McAdam as the sheriff's children Mike and Dwana, and Harold Sylvester, Jeff Lester, and Courtney Pledger as loyal deputies Aaron Fairfax, Grady Spooner, and Joan Lytton. Ultra-violent even by the standards of its era, Walking Tall remained on NBC's nighttime docket until June 6, 1981. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In a society in which major league sporting events have replaced Sunday worship as the religion of choice, North Dallas Forty appears like a desecration at the altar. In this film, directed by Ted Kotcheff (The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz), the National Football League is revealed to be more about the money than the game. Nick Nolte is North Dallas Bulls pass-catcher Phillip Elliott, whose cynicism and independent spirit is looked upon as troublesome by team coaches Johnson (Charles Durning) and Strothers (G.D. Spradlin) and team owner Conrad Hunter (Steve Forrest). Elliot, at the end of his career and wise to the way players are bought and sold like cattle, goes through the games pumped up on painkillers conveniently provided by the management. His teammates include savvy quarterback Maxwell (Mac Davis) and lunk-headed defensive lineman Jo Bob Priddy (Bo Svenson), who deal with the impersonality and back-biting of the game through off-field diversions. When the Bulls management benches Elliot after manipulating him to help train a fellow teammate, Elliot has to decide whether there is more to life than the game that he loves. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

Convicted of crimes while in France during World War II, five soldiers are imprisoned by the Army. They later escape to try and make a difference in a crucial battle. ~ John Bush, Rovi

The Inglorious Bastards was the alternate title for the Italian adventure yarn Counterfeit Commandos. The main characters are five soldiers facing court-martial in World War II France. The quintet consists of Bo Svenson, Fred Williamson, Peter Hooten, Michael Pergolami, and Jackie Basehart. The men escape, heading to the safety of the Swiss border; along the way, they pull off several random acts of above-and-beyond heroism. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this made-for-television chiller, an enormous and angry Bigfoot launches a campaign of death and destruction against the skiers who have disturbed its home. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi