Benny Urquidez Movies
An assassin posing as a trade-show producer fixes his crosshairs on a Middle Eastern oil minister while maintaining his cover by organizing a high-profile wedding in this satirical action comedy starring John Cusack, Hilary Duff, and Marisa Tomei. A private American corporation run by a former U.S. vice president (Dan Aykroyd) is occupying the war-torn nation of Turaqistan, but a powerful Middle Eastern oil minister is preventing them from taking total advantage of the situation. In order to gain a monopoly on the lucrative opportunities that Turaqistan has to offer, the CEO of the corporation hires an evenhanded hitman named Hauser (Cusack) to take the oil minister out of the picture. Now, in order to carry out the contract without a hitch, Hauser will pose as the corporation's trade-show producer. The stakes are high and the potential for disaster is evident, though if Hauser can successfully organize the wedding of Central Asian pop-star Yonica Babyyeah (Duff), he's got a good chance of pulling it off. But sexy and resourceful left-wing reporter Natalie Hegalhuzen (Tomei) is determined to uncover the truth about what's happening in Turaqistan, and the moment she does, this carefully constructed scheme will crumble like a house of cards. Joshua Seftel directs a screenplay co-written by Mark Leyner, Jeremy Pikser, and producer/star John Cusack. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Cusack, Hilary Duff, (more)
- 2002
In hopes of flushing out the elusive Khasinau (who may or may not be the criminal mastermind "The Man") -- and, incidentally, to ascertain the whereabouts of her mother, Irina Derevko -- Sydney (Jennifer Garner) teams with Vaughn (Michael Vartan) to arrange the illicit sale of a Rambaldi artifact. Unfortunately, the scheme is scuttled by a counterplot hatched by SD-6. Meanwhile, Sloane (Ron Rifkin) is forced into a difficult decision involving his terminally ill wife, Emily (Amy Irving) -- who knows the whole truth about her husband's activities. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Jimmy Smits returned to the big screen after a career-reviving stint on the TV series NYPD Blue with this emotional drama about the difficult relationship between a father and his sons. Smits plays Arturo Ortega, a man with lifelong dreams of being a contender in professional boxing. While Arturo had the knowledge, drive, and ambition to be a champ, his career proved short-lived, and, after a brief fling with success, he's a forgotten man. However, Arturo has instilled his passion for boxing in his three sons, who grow up learning the fine art of prizefighting. All three boys begin competing in the ring, with Arturo as their manager and coach, but Johnny (Jon Seda) quickly shows so much promise that other managers and promoters want to take over his contract and put him on the fast track to the championship. Arturo feels betrayed when Johnny wants to work with another manager, while his other two sons resent Johnny for turning his back on his father and wish Arturo had the same belief in their talents in the ring. The debut feature from director Carlos Avila and screenwriter Phil Berger, Price of Glory also features Maria Del Mar, Ron Perlman, Paul Rodriguez, and Clifton Collins Jr.. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jimmy Smits, Jon Seda, (more)
Most people have trouble deciding what to say when they're asked what they've been doing with their lives at a High School reunion, but Martin Blank (as played by John Cusack) has a different problem than most -- he has to make his career sound less interesting than it actually is. Martin is a former CIA operative who is now a freelance hit man, making good money for killing people he doesn't know. However, Martin's game has been a bit off lately; he's no longer happy in his work, and both his secretary Marcella (Joan Cusack) and his psychiatrist, Dr. Oatman (Alan Arkin), who is more than a bit nervous about having a hired assassin as a patient, think that Martin should accept an offered assignment in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, his old home town, which would conveniently coincide with his ten year high school reunion. While in Grosse Pointe, Martin discovers that his high school sweetheart, Debi Newberry (Minnie Driver), is still living in town, and still holds a grudge against him for standing her up on prom night. While Martin tries to sort out his past and tie up loose ends with Debi (whom he still loves), he discovers someone in Grosse Pointe is out to kill him; he's also confronted by the highly unstable Mr. Grocer (Dan Aykroyd), a fellow hit man who wants Martin to join forces with him and form a union and isn't keen on taking no for an answer. Grosse Pointe Blank was a pet project for star John Cusack, who co-wrote the screenplay and also served as co-producer. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Cusack, Minnie Driver, (more)
In this comedy, a charming con man teams up with a boxer fallen on hard times in hopes of making some quick money. After doing time for selling art that turned out to be forged, Gabriel Caine (James Woods) and his partner Fitz (Oliver Platt) set their sights on a village called Diggstown; Fitz arrives first and takes several well-heeled locals in a high-stakes poker game, and then Gabriel follows to make a sporting proposition to John Gillon (Bruce Dern), the city's wealthiest citizen. Gabriel tells Gillon he has a boxer that can beat any ten opponents Gillon can line up, in the same day. Gillon takes the challenge and places a big enough wager to make matters even more interesting, but now Gabriel has to convince Honey Ray Palmer (Louis Gossett Jr.), a middle-aged former boxer who has been taken for a ride by Gabriel in the past, to go along with this scheme. In the meantime, Gabriel works out a deal with gangster Victor Corsini (Orestes Matacena) to back his bets while romancing Emily (Heather Graham), the sister of a large and ill-tempered fighter Gabriel met while behind bars. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Woods, Louis Gossett, Jr., (more)
- 1991
Five years after his kickboxing champion brother was set up and killed, a martial artist goes on a brutal rampage/investigation to find--and pulverize--the guilty parties. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- 1989
- R
In this comedy, defense lawyer Vic Scalia (Andrew Stevens) teams up with the criminals he defends in order to pull off a lucrative robbery. However, Scalia's accomplices are less-than-honorable as they backstab and steal from each other on the way to deliver the loot. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- 1988
Hefty martial arts star Sammo Hung directs this wacky kung-fu-comedy featuring Jackie Chan and Yuen Biao. Jackie Lung (Chan) is a philandering attorney who has been hired by ruthless gangster Hua Hsien-wu (Yuen Wah), who thwarts a lawsuit brought about by the wealthy and angry Miss Yip (Deanie Yip Tak-han). Her complains center around Hua's chemical factory, which she claims is polluting the local drinking water. Hua -- who is making illegal drugs in the factory -- isn't about to give up this lucrative franchise and resorts to all manners of less-than-legal means to defend it. Jackie gets his buddies Wong Fei-hung (Hung) and Tung Tak-biao (Yuen) to convince Miss Yip to sell her fish farm. When Fei-hung moves in next to Miss Yip, he starts to seduce her while Jackie tries to attract Yip's comely lawyer (Pauline Yueng Po-ling). Of course, the scheme falls flat when Jackie and Fei-hung realize that they have actually fallen for their marks while realizing that Hua is a very evil man. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- 1981
- R
In this martial arts film, a twisted cult lead by the evil Reverend Rhee (Bong Soo Han) has kidnapped a young girl, and it is up to renegade Jerry Martin (Joe Lewis) and his friends to rescue her before it is too late. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joe Lewis, Pam Huntington, (more)
