Scott Wilson Movies
Menacingly handsome American actor Scott Wilson was chosen for his first important film role in In Cold Blood (1967) because of his chilling resemblance to real-life murderer Dick Hickok. In Cold Blood helped to revitalize the career of Wilson's costar Robert Blake, but Wilson found himself typecast as sociopaths for the next few years. In The Great Gatsby (1974), for example, Wilson portrays the cuckolded garage owner who ends up shooting Gatsby (Robert Redford) in the latter's expensive swimming pool. Since then, Scott Wilson has alternated between likeable and hissable in such films as The Right Stuff (1981), The Aviator (1984) and On the Line (1987). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The Polish Year of the Quiet Sun is set in the years following World War II. In a small Polish town, a United Nations war-crimes investigation is taking place. While the courtroom battle rages on, American soldier Scott Wilson takes advantage of a few precious r-and-r opportunities. He falls in love with Maja Komorowska, a war widow. Despite obvious political and ideological differences, the romance flourishes--at least until it's time for the Americans to pack up and leave. More cerebral than carnal, Year of the Quiet Sun was originally release in Poland as Rok Spokojnego Slonca. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Maja Komorowska, Scott Wilson, (more)
Heather Morgan (who also scripted the film) portrays a dog-walker who has decided to stop talking and begins to act like the animals she tends to. The film is concerned mostly with her husband Peter (Lee Tergesen) and his attempts to help his wife. The supporting cast of this whimsical comedy includes Hank Azaria as Peter's most trusted friend, Vincent D'Onofrio as a psychiatrist who is in need of some mental health care, and Friends co-star Lisa Kudrow as a veterinarian. Kasia Adamik, the child of famed director Agnieszka Holland, helms this quirky comedy that played at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lee Tergesen, Heather Morgan, (more)
- 2006
- R
- Add Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon to QueueAdd Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon to top of Queue
A small-town serial killer with a curious penchant for self-promotion unleashes a blood-soaked frenzy of terror in his violent effort to become the best-known slasher in horror history. On the surface, Leslie Vernon (Nathan Baesel) is just your average, everyday guy whose lofty dreams for the future drive him to excel at his chosen profession. But Leslie's chosen career path is a far cry from that of your typical middle-class wage earner; his ultimate goal is to follow in the footsteps of his mentor, notorious serial killer Eugene (Scott Wilson). He's not shy about his malevolent ambitions either. In fact, in order to better document his impending murder spree, Leslie has offered budding filmmaker Taylor Gentry (Angela Goethals) and her dedicated crew unprecedented access to his life as he sets into motion a plan designed make to make the formidable feats of Jason Voorhees, Freddy Krueger, and Michael Myers look like a mere warm-up for the homicidal hysteria that's about to unfold. Along the way, Leslie will even be so cordial as to teach Taylor and her crew the tricks of the trade while candidly deconstructing the many myths and archetypes of his murderous occupation. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nathan Baesel, Angela Goethals, (more)
Deuce Bigalow star Rob Schneider writes and stars in this comedy about a nerdy con man whose swindling ways ultimately land him a stiff prison sentence. Terrified at the prospect of being raped while serving time, the diminutive convict-to-be enlists the aid of a respected kung-fu expert in teaching him how to properly defend himself. Once inside, however, he finds his kung-fu serving as a catalyst for peace between the many warring factions. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rob Schneider, David Carradine, (more)
When prodigal son Billy Turner (Judd Nelson) returns to his Florida home town, he's caught in a brawl and thrown in jail. He tells the guards to call his father, the mayor, who will have him released; however, he soon discovers his father has been killed. After Turner finally gets out of jail, he starts to hunt down his father's murderer, with the eventual help of Annie Rayford (Ally Sheedy) and her brother Joey (David Caruso). Their nemesis is the nasty crime boss Perry Kerch (Scott Wilson) and his henchmen, though the slow-witted police chief (Paul Winfield) is not much help, either. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy, (more)
- 2001
Having resolved the series' first-season cliffhanger with the life-saving gesture of CSI second-in-command Catherine Willows (Marg Helgenberger) (the life saved was that of Catherine's boss, Gil Grissom [William L. Peterson]), CSI: Crime Scene Investigation was able to go off on a new tangent for its second-season opener. The case at hand: the drug-related death of Las Vegas casino executive Tony Braun. Early evidence suggests that Braun OD'ed on heroin, but further investigation reveals that the victim was bound with duct tape just before his demise. Grissom's conclusion: Braun was forced to literally drug himself to death. Originally slated to air on September 20, 2001, "Burked" was moved back one week due to ongoing network coverage of the 9/11 tragedy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2003
Detective Lockwood (Jeffrey D. Sams), longtime friend and colleague of the CSI team, is killed during a daylight bank robbery. Grissom (William L. Petersen) determines that the fatal shot was fired from outside the building -- and that the three masked, high-tech bandits may not have been after the money in the safety deposit box that they stole. The trail of evidence leads to casino owner Sam Braun (Scott Wilson) -- an old and trusted friend of the CSI's Catherine Willows (Marg Helgenberger). This final episode of the series' third season ends as Grissom faces a daunting challenge regarding his hereditary hearing loss. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
This decidedly different war movie follows Maj. Abraham Falconer (Burt Lancaster), a tired, one-eyed Army officer, as he leads eight men into Belgium where they hope to take a much-needed rest at a 10th century castle. The master of the house, Henri Tixier (Jean-Pierre Aumont), welcomes them with a surprising degree of enthusiasm. Tixier is married to his young niece, Therese (Astrid Heeren), and the couple would like to have a child, but since Tixier is impotent, he has been unable to father one. He encourages Falconer to see if he can have better luck with Therese. The men under Falconer's command have more than a few escapades of their own, as Sgt. Rossi (Peter Falk) seduces the wife of a local baker, an art historian among them tries to protect the treasures of the castle, and a car buff becomes fascinated by his first encounter with a Volkswagen. Amidst the surreal fun and games at the castle, the soldiers make the most of their well-deserved vacation until an invasion of German troops puts them back on the firing line. Directed by Sydney Pollack, Castle Keep was based on a novel by William Eastlake. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Burt Lancaster, Patrick O'Neal, (more)
David Dobkin made his feature directorial debut with this comedy thriller about an ordinary guy mistakenly viewed as a serial killer by the FBI. In small-town Mercer, Montana (population 1,536), easy-going gas station attendant Clay Bidwell (Joaquin Phoenix) endures a comical nightmare that gets underway when Clay's best buddy Earl (Gregory Sporleder) learns Clay slept with Earl's wife Amanda (Georgina Cates). Earl commits suicide as a horrified Clay watches. Amanda would rather see Clay in prison than have the local gossipers chatting about their affair, so to cover-up, Clay puts Earl's body into a faked auto accident. Clay then finds comfort with waitress Gloria (Nikki Arlyn), but Amanda kills Gloria, leaving Clay to dispose of another body. At the local bar, Clay is befriended by trucker Lester Long (Vince Vaughn), and they go fishing, hooking a corpse. Lester asks Clay to tell the cops he found it alone. The next victim is Amanda, stabbed 40 times. Clay tries to explain what's going on to the law -- Sheriff Mooney (Scott Wilson) and FBI agents Dale Shelby (Janeane Garofalo) and Reynard (Phil Morris) -- but he becomes the main suspect and is arrested, while serial killer Lester is on the loose. Clay manages an escape from jail and goes in search of Lester. David Dobkin, a Ridley Scott protégé, is an award-winning director of music videos (including the Coolio clips that won MTV's "Best Dance Video of 1996") and commercials, many helmed under the auspices of Ridley and Tony Scott's production companies. Shown at the 1998 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vince Vaughn, Janeane Garofalo, (more)
Victor Nuñez's Coastlines centers on Sonny (Timothy Olyphant), who is returning home after his release from prison. When he asks for money owed to him by local crime boss Fred Vance (William Forsythe), Vance responds by blowing up Sonny's home (causing the death of Sonny's father). Sonny moves in with old friends Dave and Ann (Josh Brolin and Sarah Wynter), even though Dave is now a policeman. Ann, who has grown bored by her husband's conversion from wild man to cop, begins an affair with Sonny. Nuñez wrote this script before his breakthrough films Ruby in Paradise and Ulee's Gold, but directed it after making those movies. Coastlines was screened at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Timothy Olyphant, Josh Brolin, (more)
A Southern beauty whose habit of waking up in strange beds with head-ringing hangovers is beginning to wear thin determines to uncover her secret shrouded family past in hopes of discovering the truth about the woman she has become in the feature filmmaking debut of actor-turned-director Joey Lauren Adams. Lucy (Ashley Judd) is a small town thirtysomething who seems to have fallen into a downward spiral of alcohol-fueled benders and spontaneous one-night stands. In order to begin the transformation necessary to help her overcome her self-destructive ways, however, Lucy will have to look deep into her familial past and seek out the true weight of the burden that has led her down the darkened path she currently walks. Diane Ladd, Tim Blake Nelson, and Laura Prepon co-star in an intimate personal drama that made its premiere at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ashley Judd, Jeffrey Donovan, (more)
Tim Robbins' second directorial effort (after the political satire Bob Roberts) was this drama based on a true story, which explores the issue of capital punishment. Sister Helen Prejean (Susan Sarandon) is a nun and teacher living in rural Louisiana. One day, she receives a letter from Matthew Poncelet (Sean Penn), who is scheduled to be executed soon for the rape and murder of two teenagers. After meeting Matthew, Sister Helen agrees to serve as spiritual counselor and see what she can do to stay the execution. However, Matthew's claims of innocence seem shaky at best, and it's clear he's a reprehensible, amoral racist. When it becomes obvious that Matthew's sentence will be carried out, Sister Helen offers what comfort she can to Matthew, but also tries to guide him to an open admission of the extent of his crimes and an acceptance of divine forgiveness, telling him "I want the last face you see to be the face of love." Susan Sarandon won an Oscar for her performance as Sister Prejean, and Sean Penn was similarly nominated for Best Actor as Matthew. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Susan Sarandon, Sean Penn, (more)
- 2002
Written and directed by Max Myers, Don't Let Go reflects on the musical past of siblings Jimmy Ray (Scott Wilson) and Billy Joe (Justin Shilton), who headed a rockabilly band called "The Texas Tumbleweeds" in the late '50s. Unfortunately, Jimmy Ray (Wilson) leaves the band for the bottle after his brother is murdered in a dispute over a woman. Forty years down the line, Jimmy Ray is an alcoholic and a distant father to his two children, young Billy Joe (Levi Kreis), and Johnny Blue (Brad Hawkins). At first, Jimmy Ray refuses to attend the concerts of his sons, who are burning up the rockabilly circuit themselves as leaders of "The Texas Two-Tones." The young band decides to hold a fundraiser in honor of the late Billy Joe (Shilton), and as a tribute to the 40 year anniversary of their father's former band. Though it seems that there is no chance of their father attending, Jimmy Ray happens upon his brother's old guitar in a junk shop and slings it over his shoulder in spite of himself. Don't Let Go also features Katharine Ross and Irma P. Hall. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Scott Wilson, Katharine Ross, (more)
- 1994
Desire, the fleeting pleasures of casual sex, and the difficulty involved with keeping passion alive are the focus of this unusual Canadian drama. The film, which was shot alternately in black and white, and color, is set in modern Toronto days before a solar eclipse is to occur. For his high school project, Angelo is filming a documentary on eclipse fever. His work is presented in color as he interviews people about the eclipse. Interspersed between Angelo's film is a series of sexual scenes, shot in black and white, involving gay and straight encounters between 10 friends, lovers, and acquaintances. What makes the film unique is that a connected progression occurs as one character from a preceding sexual encounter always appears in the subsequent one. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Von Flores, John Gilbert, (more)
- 1993
This NBC-TV movie, which premiered around the time of the issuance of the famous Elvis Presley postage stamp, chronicles the relationship between Elvis and his manager, "Colonel" Tom Parker (Beau Bridges). Contrary to the prevailing view of Col. Parker, this film does not show him as a villain (although it does portray him as somewhat uncouth and vulgar). Oddly enough, the film is narrated "from beyond the grave" by Elvis himself (Rob Youngblood). ~ Brian Gusse, All Movie Guide
- 1993
Poor Maddalena (Sophia Diaz). She's so beautiful and sexy that men in her native Italy could not stop trying to romance her. She could have gone to a convent and she would have had trouble with the priests. There was no place that she could think of that she wouldn't be constantly subject to sexual and romantic demands by men. At some point, though, she remembered what she had heard about the stodginess, even the natural puritanism of the British. And British men are famous for their lack of sexual prowess. In this British-made comedy (penned by the very witty Simon Gray), Maddalena has moved to the British countryside and married a perfectly pleasant British man. Unfortunately, instead of inspiring lust in her new homeland, her great beauty inspires cardiac arrest in those who inopportunely view too much of it on the not infrequent occasions when her breasts break free of their moorings. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Simon Callow, Donald Pleasence, (more)
- 1990
- R
An independent American thriller of identity and personality. Joe Prince (Colin Firth) is a park ranger and an artist who falls deeply in love with Cynthia (Lisa Zane), a mysterious woman he meets in his park. They are (too) hastily married, and the day before the honeymoon Joe finds Cynthia's wedding ring holding down a goodbye note that simply says "I don't know who you are." Joe tracks his reticent bride to nearby Los Angeles, and the trail leads deeper into the underground of the city. Helped in his research by his friend Elijah (Billy Zane, Lisa's brother), Joe starts to learn some pretty unsavory things about Cynthia. Available in PG and R-rated versions. ~ John Voorhees, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Colin Firth, Lisa Zane, (more)
Small-time Texas businessman Arlis Sweeney (Dennis Quaid) can never shake the memory of his father's (James Caan) wasted life. What particularly sticks in his craw is the murder committed years earlier by his father and a teenaged accomplice. While going through the by-rote motions of his job (he supplies vending machines), Arlis strikes up a friendship with hardcase hitchhiker Kay Davies (Meg Ryan). Slowly, Kay helps Arlis put his life in order. And then, Arlis suddenly realizes where he's seen Kay before. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dennis Quaid, Meg Ryan, (more)
Ridley Scott directed this flawed but involving study of Lt. Jordan O'Neil (Demi Moore), a Navy topographic analyst who is chosen as a test case for the presence of women in combat. Aware that she is making history and knowing that 60% of all male trainees will fail the rigorous training, Lt. O'Neil struggles to prove herself physically and mentally worthy of becoming a Navy SEAL. What she doesn't know is that she is being sold out by hardbitten Texas senator Lillian DeHaven (Anne Bancroft in an amusing turn), who is being blackmailed by the Defense Department with politically fatal base closings unless O'Neil fails the program. The complicated political subplot, however, only distracts from the film's real virtues -- the wonderfully staged scenes of CRT selection training -- and fizzles at its climactic moment. The training scenes are wonderful, however, as the central recruits are pushed to their physical limits by a grueling weeding-out process. Viggo Mortensen is outstanding as Master Chief John James Urgayle, a steely-eyed, tough-as-nails instructor who somehow finds time to quote D.H. Lawrence when he isn't making people eat garbage and beating O'Neil senseless as part of a training exercise. Mortensen and the believably-buffed Moore are terrific, and their scenes of confrontation are the film's high points. Unfortunately, the screenplay by David Twohy and Danielle Alexandra falls down every time it attempts to sidestep a cliche, and the climactic mission (involving a downed satellite in the Libyan desert) positively wallows in a predictable Top Gun muddle. Still, the characters are engaging and those looking for an enjoyable variant on the basic-training subgenre of high-octane modern action films should be pleased. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Demi Moore, Viggo Mortensen, (more)
Walter Hill directs John Milius's script (co-written by Larry Gross) depicting a revisionist perspective on the "Geronimo Campaign" and how Geronimo, with 34 men, managed to elude 5000 U.S. cavalry men between 1885 and 1886 before his surrender at the Canyon of the Skeletons in September 1886. The film centers upon Charles Gatewood (Jason Patric), the U.S. Cavalry lieutenant who is charged with capturing the elusive Apache leader. Gatewood is torn by a grudging respect for Geronimo and his people and his duty to his country. But then all the white men in the film have a respect for Geronimo, even as they are trying to hunt him down and kill him. General Charles Crook (Gene Hackman), charged with overseeing the forced settlement of the Apaches on reservations, has nothing but admiration for Geronimo. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jason Patric, Gene Hackman, (more)
Richard Brooks wrote and directed this stark black-and-white (with brilliantly evocative cinematography by Conrad Hall) study of two drifters who murder a family, based on Truman Capote's non-fiction novel In Cold Blood. The film takes place in Holcomb, Kansas, where four members of the Herbert Clutter family are roused from their sleep and brutally murdered. The killers, Perry Smith (Robert Blake) and Dick Hickock (Scott Wilson), are two ex-cons who plan to rob the Clutters of $10,000 kept in a safe in their home. But Dick and Perry find no safe and no $10,000 and end up leaving the murder scene with only $43. The police, led by Alvin Dewey (John Forsythe) of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, try to track down the killers. Meanwhile, Dick and Perry take off to Mexico, where Perry has fantasies of prospecting for gold. But when his dreams of prospecting come to naught, Dick insists that they return to the United States. Confident that they have left no clues, they cash bad checks, and the police track them down in Las Vegas. During questioning, their alibis are broken when they are separated and tell conflicting stories. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Blake, Scott Wilson, (more)
The winner of the 1967 Oscar for Best Picture (as well as four other Oscars), In the Heat of the Night is set in a small Mississippi town where an unusual murder has been committed. Rod Steiger plays sheriff Bill Gillespie, a good lawman despite his racial prejudices. When Virgil Tibbs (Sidney Poitier), a well-dressed northern African-American, comes to town, Gillespie instinctively puts him under arrest as a murder suspect. Tibbs reveals himself to be a Philadelphia police detective; after he and Gillespie come to a grudging understanding of one another, Tibbs offers to help in Gillespie's investigation. As the case progresses, both Gillespie and Tibbs betray a tendency to jump to culture-dictated conclusions. Still, the case is solved thanks to the informal teamwork of the two law officers. Based on the novel by John Ball, In the Heat of the Night inspired two sequels, both starring Poiter as Virgil Tibbs. In 1987, a TV series version of In the Heat of the Night appeared, with Carroll O'Connor as Gillespie and Howard Rollins as Tibbs. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sidney Poitier, Rod Steiger, (more)
- 1988
- PG
This fact-based TV movie is an account of a small-town nurse who is arrested for caring for her desert neighbors without a medical license. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lee Remick, Scott Wilson, (more)
Small-time crook Mickey Rourke is mockingly named Johnny Handsome because of his grotesquely deformed face. While in stir on a robbery rap, Rourke is knifed by convicts in the employ of his former partner--and now bitter enemy--Lance Henriksen. While in the prison hospital, Rourke is cared for by a kindly doctor (Forrest Whitaker), who believes that the key to Rourke's rehabilitation might be a literal change of face. Undergoing plastic surgery, Rourke emerges as virtually unrecognizable to everyone but the audience. Paroled, Rourke seems to be willing to follow a straight and narrow path. Seems to be. Only Morgan Freeman, playing a hard-bitten law officer, sees through Rourke's "new leaf." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mickey Rourke, Ellen Barkin, (more)
A violent, effects-heavy science fiction adventure, Judge Dredd depicts a nightmarish future in which overcrowded cities are terrorized by brutal gun battles and policed by "Judges," law officers who act as judge, jury, and executioner. Sylvester Stallone stars as Judge Dredd, a punishing enforcer with an unswerving dedication to law and order. Little does Dredd know that a nasty villain (Armand Assante) and a corrupt Judge (Jurgen Prochnow) are plotting to take over the city and plan to frame Dredd for murder in order to prevent him from interfering. Dredd winds up in prison, but he fights back with the help of Judge Hershey (Diane Lane), his partner and romantic interest, and Fergie (Rob Schneider), his friend and comic relief, developing a plan to clear his name and stop the bad guys. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sylvester Stallone, Armand Assante, (more)
