Nicholas Turturro Movies

A pair of corrupt INS Agents deport an Italian-American action star to Mexico, where he attempts to find his way back across the border with some help from a lovable gang or orphans. Gianni de Carlo (Nicholas Turturro) is in a bit of a pickle; despite being a legal American citizen, he's stuck in Mexico with no means of getting back to his family or career. Perhaps with the help of mischievous moppet Juan (Nicholas Turturro III) and friends, Gianni will find a way to outsmart small-town bullies Fernando (Paul Rodriguez) and Ernesto (Felipe Esparza) and the other local eccentrics blocking his escape route. Featuring Talia Shire, David Proval, Taylor Negron, and Michael Rapaport. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Cinematic heavyweight Ving Rhames steps into the boxing ring as controversial pugilist Sonny Liston in this sports biopic that begins as Liston realizes his talent for boxing as an inmate at a Missouri State Penitentiary, and follows his career to the moment it was effectively ended due to a devastating blow by powerful opponent Cassius Clay. Born into poverty, Liston was imprisoned as a teen for taking part in a gas station robbery, his skill for boxing uncovered by a Roman Catholic priest and helping the emerging athlete to secure an early release. Recurring bouts with racism, the mob, and the law ensured that Liston was never able to rest easy during his rise to become World Heavyweight Boxing Champion, with the notorious "phantom punch" delivered by Clay offering a painful capper to a turbulent career. Nicholas Turtutto, Bridgette Wilson-Sampras, and David Proval co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A real-life series of killings that held Los Angeles, CA, in the grip of fear during the late '70s provides the inspiration for this tense crime drama. Kenneth Bianchi (C. Thomas Howell) is a nebbishy security guard who lives with his mother in Rochester, NY, and dreams of becoming a police officer. After Bianchi's application to join the Rochester police is turned town, he takes his mother's advice and moves out to Glendale, CA, where she arranges for him to stay with his cousin, Angelo Buono (Nicholas Turturro), who works in auto repair. When he's unable to get a position with the Glendale Police Department, Bianchi steps outside the law and, claiming to have a degree in psychology and a license to practice, sets up shop as a counselor. While Bianchi never had much luck with women in Rochester, Buono gives him some advice and sets him up on a few dates; soon Bianchi has a string of girlfriends, though things become complicated when one of his steady girls, Claire Shelton (Allison Lange), becomes pregnant and moves in with him. As Bianchi becomes increasingly obsessed with sex, he and his cousin join forces to set up a prostitution ring, which quickly earns them the enmity of a group of career criminals. When Bianchi and Buono discover that they have been double crossed by one of the hookers in their stable, the two men rape and murder the woman in the back of a car; Bianchi discovers he enjoys the thrill of killing, and soon he and Buono begin committing a string of sexually tinged murders throughout the Los Angeles area, with the press soon dubbing the culprit "The Hillside Strangler." The Hillside Strangler was one of two identically titled films based on the same true story that were released in 2004; the other was directed by Chris Fisher and starred Clifton Collins Jr. and Tomas Arana as Bianchi and Buono. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Just as Jon Voight's on-target portrayal of controversial sportscaster Howard Cosell) in the 2002 biopic Ali was making the theatrical rounds, actor John Turturro offered his own spin on "Humble Howard" in the made-for-cable movie Monday Night Mayhem. Based on the book by Bill Carter and Marc Gunther, the film chronicles the creation of ABC Television's Monday Night Football telecast in 1970, then continues with the weekly telecast's rapid ascent to the top of the ratings. Reasoning that such a momentous undertaking needed a spectacular "star" lineup in the announcing booth, ABC's aggressive sports director Roone Arledge (John Heard) teams the highly opinionated, irritatingly erudite Cosell with not one but two charismatic ex-athletes, "Dandy Don" Meredith (Brad Beyer) and Frank Gifford (Kevin Anderson). The film makes much of Cosell's open disdain towards his "intellectually inferior" co-anchors and of Meredith and Gifford's reaction to their booth-mate's jibes, and also recreates many of Monday Night Football's highlights, notably Cosell's announcement in the middle of an important game that John Lennon has just been murdered. Monday Night Mayhem originally aired on January 14, 2002, not on ABC (surprise, surprise!) but as part of the TNT cable network's prime time lineup. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Based on a real-life 1994 scandal involving college basketball point-shaving, Big Shot: Confessions of a Campus Bookie stars David Krumholtz as the title character. Though a mere freshman on the campus of Arizona State University, Benny Silman (Krumholtz) is in charge of accepting all bets for the school's basketball games, under the watchful eye of his mentor, a high-rolling Las Vegas gambler (Nicholas Turturro). It isn't long before Benny is operating his own bookie ring, raking in big bucks at every turn. The beginning of the end for Benny occurs when A.S.U. basketball star Stevin "Hedake" Smith (Tory Kittles) suggests that he'd like a piece of the action, too. Although the Benny Silman depicted onscreen remains unrepentant and unapologetic, even when getting his just desserts at the hands of the authorities, the real Silman appears in the film's epilogue, equipped with an unexpected "Don't let this happen to you!" admonition. Filmed on location in California and Nevada (not surprisingly, the producers were unable to line up shooting dates in Arizona), the made-for-cable Big Shot: Confessions of a Campus Bookie debuted March 31, 2002 over the FX network. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Supernatural villain Pinhead finds himself on the wrong side of the law in this, the fifth film in the Hellraiser franchise. Joseph (Craig Sheffer) is a detective with the LAPD who one morning discovers he's no longer living in California -- he's been exiled to Hades, and the only way to escape is by solving the mystery of the all-powerful puzzle box. The box is now in the hands of the fearsome demon Pinhead (Doug Bradley), and Joseph finds himself in a life-and-death struggle with the demon for control of the puzzle box. Hellraiser: Inferno also stars Nicholas Turturro as Tony, Sasha Barrese as Daphne, Noelle Evans as Melanie, and James Remar as Dr. Paul Gregory. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

The key figure in this two-part TV mob miniseries is Mafia snitch Sammy "The Bull" Gravano (Nicholas Turturro). Gravano ratted on John Gotti (Tom Sizemore), who manipulated the 1985 murder of mob boss Paul Castellano (Abe Vigoda). Gravano is seen rising in the mob ranks through various blood-brother ceremonies, coercions, threats, family meetings, and confrontations over loyalties. In part two, informant Gravano blows the whistle on Gotti. Turturro, as Gravano, also narrates the drama, which manages to alter accuracy and bend history behind this disclaimer: "Certain events in this film that are based on fact are interpretive, certain characters are composites or have been fictionalized, and some names and locations have been changed." Premiered May 10, 1998 on NBC. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

In this combination caper comedy and offbeat romance, Emily (Alicia Silverstone) is a wealthy but petulant young woman desperate to get the attention of her millionaire father, Alexander Hope (Jack Thompson). In fact, she's so desperate that she decides to stage her own kidnapping; she sends a ransom note, ties herself up, and locks herself in the trunk of her BMW, waiting for daddy to come to the rescue; however, Emily's timing is a bit off, because ten minutes later, hunky car thief Vincent (Benicio Del Toro) steals the BMW with Emily still in it. Vincent and his partner in crime, Greg (Harry Connick Jr.), eventually discover the car's trunk has an unexpected surprise. When Emily is unable to convince them to help her with her scheme, she becomes a problem the carjackers can't get rid of, especially after Alexander refuses to pay her ransom, and his creepy right-hand man, Raymond (Christopher Walken), heads out to find her. Of course, losing 200,000 dollars in mob money is not making Vincent's life any easier, nor is having the emotionally problematic Emily fall in love with him. Excess Baggage was the first feature from Alicia Silverstone's production company First Kiss. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Presidential advisor Bobby Bishop (Charlie Sheen) is hunted by an unknown assailant in this political thriller. With the help of Chief-of-Staff Jake Conrad (Donald Sutherland) and the newspaper journalist Amanda (Linda Hamilton), he uncovers an assassination plot to kill the President and his most trusted advisors. Bobby battles forces in the government he has sworn to uphold, as his every move is monitored by high-tech surveillance cameras. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

Drew (Drew Carey) is lauded by his coworkers after 3000 uninterrupted days on the job. Unfortunately, this makes him feel like "Old Man Carrey" (the employees' new nickname for him), and he broods over the presumption that he has let life pass him by. To prove that he can be as spontaneous and impulsive as he was in his youth, Drew organizes a trip to New York's Yankee Stadium for himslef and his pals. Unfortunately, the big outing is quickly bogged down in a traffic jam with some curious participants, including Donald Trump, Carol Channing, and NYPD Blue's Detective Martinez (Nicholas Turturro). Disaster piles upon disaster, culminating in a misfire attempt to wallow in the Rocky Horror Picture Show experience--without The Rocky Horror Picture Show! This is the final episode of The Drew Carey Show's second season. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The made-for-TV Falling From the Sky: Flight 174 was based on a true story that occurred high over Canada in July of 1983. While en route from Montreal to Edmonton, a brand-new Boeing 767 runs out of fuel in mid-flight. With only a cursory knowledge of the jet's inner works, the crew is forced to desperately improvise a means of rescuing the passengers by gliding the aircraft to a runway in Winnipeg--35 miles away. Although the actual story has enough inherent drama for five TV movies, the producers felt the necessity to add a few overly melodramatic touches to heighten the suspense; also, aviation enthusiasts weren't too happy with the script's inaccuracies, nor were movie purists impressed by the surprisingly shoddy computer enhanced special effects. Nonetheless, the film boasts excellent performances, especially from William Devine as Captain Bob Pearson. First broadcast by ABC on February 20, 1995, Falling From the Sky was adapted from William and Marilyn Hoffer's book Freefall, and has since been retitled Freefall: Flight 174 for cable-TV play. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Like all good Steven Bochco projects, NYPD Blue continued to grow, evolve, and push the envelope throughout its third season. The year was a mixed one for the 15th precinct's most mercurial detective, Andy Sipowicz (Dennis Franz). Though he had found a measure of domestic tranquility with his new significant other, Sylvia Costas (Sharon Lawrence, one of three series actors promoted this season from recurring to regular-character status), Andy suffered a professional setback of his own making by sparking a racial crisis which required every diplomatic resource that his superior Lt. Fancy (James McDaniel) could conjure up to keep from getting completely out of hand. More tragically, Andy suffered the loss of his 18-year-old son from a previous marriage, rookie cop Andy Sipowicz Jr. (Michael DeLuise), who was mowed down in a street shooting. But after almost relapsing into alcoholism and losing his capacity to continue functioning on his job, Andy found renewed hope and strength in the love of Theo, his new son by Sylvia. As for the other main characters, Det. James Martinez (Nicholas Turturro) was, like Andy Jr., shot down in a street ambush, but despite a brief period of paralysis, he managed to return to active duty. Martinez also continued in his efforts to woo and win Det. Adrianne Lesniak (Justine Miceli, the second of three NYPD Blue actors promoted this season from recurring to regular status), but she remained hesitant to start up another romance with a fellow officer, and by the end of the third season, Lesniak would be gone -- but not before a curious relationship developed between her and gay cop John Irvin (Bill Brochtrup). And unhappily married Det. Greg Medavoy (Gordon Clapp) couldn't quite make a full commitment to his interdepartmental sweetheart, PAA Donna Abandando (Gail O'Grady), who like Adrianne would exit the 15th precinct this year, moving to California for a better-paying job with a computer firm. Kim Delaney, who as undercover detective Diane Russell also graduated to regular status after serving her recurring-character apprencticeship during the previous season, emerged as the most fascinating of the NYPD Blue regulars during season three. Struggling to overcome her alcoholism with the help of AA sponsor Andy Sipowicz, Diane experienced some rough sledding when her abusive father was shot to death and her long-suffering mother stood trial for murder. On a more positive note, it was obvious that Diane and Detective Bobby Simone (Jimmy Smits) were strongly and passionately attracted to one another -- a plot development that would carry far more weight in the seasons to come. Series star Dennis Franz won his second Emmy award for his continuing performance as Andy Sipowicz during NYPD Blue's 1995-1996 season. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi