Anne Bancroft Movies
A dark-haired, earthy beauty and a versatile actress, Anne Bancroft has actually had two film careers. The first, which took place during the 1950s, was generally undistinguished and featured her in films that usually failed to fully utilize her talents. The second, which began in the early '60s, established her as an actress of great acclaim in films like The Miracle Worker and granted her screen immortality with roles such as that of the iconic Mrs. Robinson in The Graduate.A first generation Italian-American hailing from the Bronx, Bancroft (born Anna Maria Louisa Italiano) was four years old when she began taking acting and dancing lessons. Billing herself as Anne Marno, she began appearing on television in 1950. Two years later she signed a contract with Fox and launched a six-year career in second-string Westerns and crime dramas that began with Don't Bother to Knock in 1952. By 1958, Bancroft had enough of Hollywood and turned her attentions to Broadway, where she spent the next five years. She proved her mettle as a serious dramatic actress by winning a Tony for Two for the Seesaw in 1958. Two years later, she won her second Tony and a New York Drama Critics Award for her portrayal of Annie Sullivan in The Miracle Worker. Armed with these triumphs, Bancroft returned to Hollywood to appear in the movie version of The Miracle Worker (1962), reprising her role opposite Patty Duke who played Helen Keller. Her performance earned her an Oscar for Best Actress; unable to attend the ceremony because she was performing on Broadway in Mother Courage, she was presented with the award by Joan Crawford a week later on the Broadway stage.
Bancroft followed this victory with a string of emotional dramas that included The Pumpkin Eater, which was released in 1964, the same year she married filmmaker/comedian Mel Brooks. Just when it would look like she would be typecast in such dramas, Bancroft showed up in Mike Nichols' seminal comedy The Graduate, playing Mrs. Robinson, the ultimate "older woman," to Dustin Hoffman's confused Benjamin Braddock. Her role in the landmark film won her an Oscar nomination, to say nothing of a permanent dose of notoriety. Although Bancroft seemed destined for a stellar career and she remained one of the more well-respected actresses in Hollywood, a long string of so-so films kept her from reaching major stardom. Still, Bancroft turned in a number of memorable performances in films such as The Turning Point (1977), The Elephant Man (1980), To Be or Not to Be (her 1983 collaboration with husband Brooks), Agnes of God (1985), 84 Charing Cross Road (1986), and Torch Song Trilogy (1988). In 1980, Bancroft made her debut as a director/screenwriter in the darkly comic Dom DeLuise vehicle Fatso.
Throughout the 1990s and into the new millennium, Bancroft continued to be visible onscreen, appearing in films like How to Make an American Quilt (1995), Home for the Holidays (1995), and Keeping the Faith (2000). Sadly, she became stricken with uterine cancer and succumbed to the disease in 2005. Her last performance would come postumously with a voice-role in the animated adventure Delgo. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
Freddie Prinze Jr., Jennifer Love Hewitt, Anne Bancroft, and Val Kilmer all lend their voices to this animated fantasy adventure set in a magical world divided by fear. As two dueling civilizations prepare to unleash the dogs of war, it's up to one troubled adolescent and his unlikely friends to save their world from unspeakable destruction. Chris Kattan, Malcolm McDowell, Michael Clarke Duncan, Eric Idle, Burt Reynolds, Kelly Ripa, and Sally Kellerman co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Freddie Prinze, Jr., Jennifer Love Hewitt, (more)
- 2003
- R
- Add The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone to Queue Add The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone to top of Queue
Tennessee Williams' 1958 novella The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone was first filmed in 1961, with Vivien Leigh as the middle-aged title character and Warren Beatty as the callow gigolo with whom she falls in love. Since the "shocking" aspects of a May-December romance in which the woman is December have lost their punch over the years, it is perhaps wise that this 2003 made-for-cable remake is a period piece, set in the mid-'50s. Helen Mirren stars as Karen Stone, a former Broadway actress who has given up her career in favor of a secure and somewhat boring marriage to a wealthy American (Brian Dennehy). When her husband dies unexpectedly during a vacation to Italy, the widowed Mrs. Stone is desperate for companionship and affection. Through the auspices of a glamorous but somewhat seedy procurer named The Contessa (Anne Bancroft), Mrs. Stone is paired off with the studdish Paolo (Olivier Martinez), who is several years Karen's junior. What begins as merely a passionate physical attraction quickly deepens into true love -- but Mrs. Stone may be far more enamored of the mercenary Paolo than he is of her. Watching this spectacle from the sidelines is author Williams' alter ego, a wispy journalist named Christopher (Roger Allam, whose flamboyant Tennessee-isms handily steal the show). Filmed on location in Dublin and Rome, The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone debuted May 4, 2003, on the Showtime cable service. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Helen Mirren, Olivier Martinez, (more)
After the little white lies of Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997), director David Mirkin focuses on scheming of a different sort in Heartbreakers. Sigourney Weaver and Jennifer Love Hewitt play Max and Page Conners, a mother and daughter who share everything with each other: relationship advice, hair and makeup hints, and the money they win in costly divorce settlements with rich men. When the film opens, the Conners are putting the finishing touches on conning Dean (Ray Liotta), an auto-body shop owner. When the dust from that scam clears, Page announces she's ready to move away from her mother and set up shop on her own -- but in order to clear an outstanding debt, Max insists they bankrupt one more bachelor together. They settle upon phlegmatic Palm Springs widower William B. Tensy (Gene Hackman), a chain smoker with a heart of gold and a similarly bountiful bank account. Only two things stand in their way: Tensy's Teutonic caretaker Miss Madress (Nora Dunn) and beachfront bartender Jack (Jason Lee), a wry stargazer with whom Page becomes unexpectedly smitten. Heartbreakers is the third collaboration from writers Steven Mazur and Paul Guy, whose previous screwball comedy was 1997's international hit, Liar Liar. ~ Michael Hastings, Rovi
- Starring:
- Sigourney Weaver, Jennifer Love Hewitt, (more)
- 2001
- Add In Search of Peace Part One: 1948-1967 to Queue Add In Search of Peace Part One: 1948-1967 to top of Queue
The difficult birth of the nation of Israel is the subject of this documentary feature, the first in a projected three-part series that explores how the nation came to be formed in the wake of World War II, and the frequent skirmishes between Arab and Israeli forces, leading up to the Six-Day War of 1967. Combining rare newsreel footage with interviews from a number of participants in Israel's struggle for peace, In Search of Peace Part One: 1948-1967 also features narration from actor Michael Douglas. Edward Asner, Richard Dreyfuss, Anne Bancroft, and Michael York also contribute readings of historical documents to the soundtrack. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- 2001
- PG13
- Add Haven to Queue Add Haven to top of Queue
An American journalist takes on the dangerous responsibility of rescuing nearly a thousand refugees from a Nazi concentration camp in this two-part made-for-TV movie based on a true story. In the early days of America's involvement in World War II, Ruth Gruber (Natasha Richardson) is a reporter who has been giving particular attention to a recent story: President Franklin D. Roosevelt, in violation of United States policies of the day, has announced he will grant asylum in America to 982 European refugees from Nazi labor camps. But someone needs to escort the prisoners to the U.S.; Gruber, of European ancestry and Jewish faith, volunteers for the assignment over the objections of her parents (Anne Bancroft and Martin Landau). Gruber travels to Italy on behalf of Secretary of the Interior Harold Ickes (Hal Holbrook), where she helps the refugees board the U.S.S. Henry Gibbins. But Gruber discovers that the American sailors manning the ship regard their passengers as little better than their Nazi jailers, and the State Department declares, upon their arrival in the United States, that all the refugees are to be housed in a camp in Oswego, NY -- even those who have families willing to sponsor them in America. Gruber realizes her work with the refugees is far from done, and she bravely battles against both bureaucracy and prejudice to win both dignity and fair treatment for the new settlers. Haven was originally broadcast on the CBS television network on February 11 and 14, 2001. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Natasha Richardson, Hal Holbrook, (more)
A woman left alone by the death of her husband finds her love life has become suddenly and dangerously complicated in this drama. Mary Panton (Kristin Scott Thomas) is a British woman living in Italy in 1938 who has been financially ruined by the death of her husband. Edgar (James Fox), an aging diplomat, asks Mary for her hand in marriage, and while she doesn't love him, she longs for the security of a husband and asks for a few days to consider the proposal. The next evening, Mary is invited to a party by an American socialite known as the Princess (Anne Bancroft); there, Mary meets Rowley Flint (Sean Penn), a rough-hewn and cocky American who is intrigued by her. Mary also feels drawn to Rowley, but their personalities clash, and they end the evening in an argument. Mary impulsively spends the night with Karl (Jeremy Davies), a young musician who played at the party. In the cold light of day, Mary decides that her fling with Karl is best left as a one-night stand, but Karl insists that he's fallen in love with her, and he melodramatically kills himself. Mary, desperate, calls upon Rowley to help her hide the body; he agrees, and soon they are both being questioned by local fascist leader Leopardi (Massimo Ghini) about Karl's disappearance. Up at the Villa was adapted from a novella by W. Somerset Maugham. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Kristin Scott Thomas, Sean Penn, (more)
- 2000
This video is part of a PBS series, hosted by Anne Bancroft, that visits some of the most beautiful and remote places on the planet. This episode travels to Costa Rica, where the rainforests contain more species of birds than anywhere else in the Western Hemisphere. Abundant exotic wildlife inhabits the rainforests and coastal areas. The camera catches the nesting habits of the elusive sea turtle and the wild antics of monkeys. ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, Rovi
- 2000
This video is part of a PBS series, narrated by Anne Bancroft, which showcases some of the most remote and beautiful places on earth. This volume visits the Anamalai Mountains in India. The verdant forests of this mountainous region are inhabited by elephants. The program examines the religious traditions of India that hold elephants in a sacred place, and live film footage shows elephants roaming in their native habitat. ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, Rovi
Actor Edward Norton debuts as a director with this comedy-drama about love, friendship, and faith. Priest Brian Finn (Norton) and rabbi Jacob Schram (Ben Stiller) have known each other since childhood. When Anna Reilly (Jenna Elfman), whom they both knew as children, returns to New York, both men find themselves infatuated with her, sparking both rivalry and personal dilemmas: Brian has taken a vow of celibacy, and Jacob is allowed to marry only within his faith. Award-winning director Milos Forman appears in the supporting cast, alongside Anne Bancroft, Ron Rifkin, and Eli Wallach; the screenplay marks the debut of writer Stuart Blumberg, whom Norton met when they were both undergraduates at Yale. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Edward Norton, Ben Stiller, (more)
Anne Bancroft narrates this 52-minute documentary, a 3-D Imax view of 19th-century America as seen from the viewpoint of author Mark Twain. Writer/director Stephen Low combined black-and-white photographs of the humorist, historic 19th century stereo photographs, and contemporary color footage of Twain's Hannibal, MO, hometown (including the annual Hannibal frog-jumping contest and parade). The chronological coverage of Twain's life and career is intercut with regional square dancing, reenactments of Civil War battles, and modern-day Mississippi River steamboats. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi
Given up for adoption in infancy, 34-year-old Barbara Ann Williams (Gloria Reuben) launches a desperate search for her biological mother when she is diagnosed with a severe medical condition. Painfully assembling the pieces of her fragmented life, Barbara learns that her mom, a white woman named Gerry Cummins (Anne Bancroft) had been raped by a black man in 1961. With the social barriers of the time banning her from keeping a mixed-race baby, and her own religious convictions prohibiting her from having an abortion, Gerry farmed out her daughter for adoption. Barbara's first home was with black foster mother Corinne Burrell (Lynn Whitfield), but she ultimately wound up adopted by a dysfunctional white family in Wisconsin, with Annalise Jurgenson (Alice Krige) as her "official" mother. Thereafter, Barbara's life would be tainted with the onus of being a loser and an "outsider", no matter where she turned. With all this in mind, it seems incredible to even imagine that Barbara's lifelong misery will be purged by a happy denoument. Produced for the CBS network, the fact-based TV movie Deep In My Heart originally aired February 14, 1999. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Alfonso Cuaron (The Little Princess) directed this Mitch Glazer screenplay, a modernization of the 1860-61 classic by Charles Dickens. Some situations in the film are presented as memories -- the way the central figure, Finnegan Bell (Ethan Hawke) recalls events many years later. At a Florida fishing village, eight-year-old orphan Finn Bell (Jeremy James Kissner), talented at art, is left in the care of his sister and her husband, Joe (Chris Cooper). One day, Finn helps a chained, escaped convict who appears in the surf. On other days, he visits Paradiso Perduto, where he plays with young Estella (Raquel Beaudene), niece of the mansion's colorful, flamboyant, and extremely wealthy owner, Ms. Dinsmoor (Anne Bancroft), who parallels the novel's tragic Miss Havisham, a woman jilted at the altar and left emotionally scarred and mentally imbalanced. As Ms. Dinsmoor watches Finn draw a portrait of Estella, she plots to mold Estella into a hard woman capable of destroying men. In a flash forward to the '90s, Finn (Hawke) and Estella (Gwyneth Paltrow), now in their late teens, re-create the water-fountain kiss of their childhood, but Estella vanishes, breaking Finn's heart to such a degree that he doesn't draw or paint for seven years, choosing to eke out a marginal existence with his uncle Joe (after Finn's sister abandons the two). Then Manhattan art representative Jerry Ragno (Josh Mostel) turns up with a startling offer -- if Finn will return to painting and relocate in New York, Ragno will give him a one-man show. With an apparent assist from Ms. Dinsmoor, Finn makes the move and begins his new life with great expectations and a deadline of 10 weeks to complete the necessary paintings. When Finn next encounters Estella, she has a wealthy boyfriend, Walter (Hank Azaria). As Finn once again becomes entranced by Estella, he also begins to question exactly how his life is being manipulated. Francesco Clemente did the paintings and drawings seen in the film. Shown at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ethan Hawke, Gwyneth Paltrow, (more)
DreamWorks and Pacific Data Images collaborated on this all computer-animated comedy-adventure about the ant angst of misfit worker ant, Z (voice of Woody Allen), who feels trapped by the conformist confines of his totalitarian ant civilization and eventually sets forth in search of Insectopia. After DreamWorks began animating Prince of Egypt June 1, 1995, the company launched Antz in Palo Alto a year later (5/20/96), the same month the DreamWorks/PDI partnership was announced. The screenplay by Chris and Paul Weitz and Todd Alcott has uncredited input by Woody Allen (who matched dialogue to fit his usual style of verbal delivery). The story suggests the possible influence of Yevgeny Zamatin's classic novel We (1923) and Ayn Rand's similar-themed Anthem (1936), filmed in the early '70s in a rarely seen unauthorized film adaptation (which Rand never allowed to be shown commercially). Following the 1995 Toy Story (1995), Antz is the second fully computer-animated feature, preceding the release of Disney's all-CGI A Bug's Life by seven weeks. Antz begins with worker ant Z discussing his feelings of insignificance with a shrink (voice of Paul Mazursky) before heading off to his tunnel-digging job, work supervised by General Mandible (Gene Hackman) and Colonel Cutter (Christopher Walken). Mandible has big dreams of conquest, and he convinces the Queen (Anne Bancroft) an attack is necessary to prevent a termite invasion. Her daughter is Princess Bala (Sharon Stone), who's not overly enchanted by her engagement to Mandible. The Princess goes slumming, visiting the bar where Z hangs out with his friend Weaver (Sylvester Stallone). To the tune of "Guantanamera," Bala dances with Z -- in a scene with allusions to the dance in Pulp Fiction (1994). Entranced by the encounter, Z convinces Weaver to swap places, so a military parade will allow him to see Bala in the reviewing stand. Befriended by soldier ant Barbatus (Danny Glover) during the parade, Z nervously realizes he's actually marching into battle. Attacked by termites, the troops experience horrors highly reminiscent of the Starship Troopers (1997) bug battles. The dying Barbatus tells Z, "Don't follow orders all your life." As the only survivor of the slaughter, Z returns home a war hero. Threatened by Mandible, Bala and Z are thrown together in a journey into the outside world, and they travel toward the legendary Insectopia. Major city newspaper critics were almost unanimous in their praise of Antz. Shown at the 1998 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi
- Starring:
- Woody Allen, Sharon Stone, (more)
- 1998
Narrated by Academy Award-winning actress Anne Bancroft, this video serves as an inspiration for anyone battling cancer. There are more than ten million Americans currently suffering from cancer, and this documentation aims to provide comfort and solace in its portrayal of a few ordinary people's successful battle over the disease. This video focuses on the idea of treating cancer as a challenge instead of a death sentence. A Message of Hope is just that. ~ Laura Mahnken, Rovi
- Starring:
- Anne Bancroft
Sidney Lumet filmed this hospital satire at a Canadian studio. Alcoholic Dr. Butz (Albert Brooks in old-age makeup) advises younger Dr. Werner Ernst (James Spader) to only treat patients with much insurance. "When the lawyers start crawling all over you," says Butz, "that's when you know you're a doctor." Ernst, a second-year resident working in the ICU with head nurse Stella (Helen Mirren), winds up in the middle of a dispute between two sisters (Kyra Sedgwick and Margo Martindale). One wants to pull the plug on their wealthy father; the other demands that he remain alive (at a cost of $112,800 a month). Soon events swivel from the money-mad medical mire to equally murky legalistics. Steven Schwartz's screenplay was adapted from the novel by Richard Dooling. Shown at the 1997 Chicago Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi
- Starring:
- James Spader, Kyra Sedgwick, (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, Rovi
- Starring:
- Demi Moore, Viggo Mortensen, (more)
- 1996
- R
Michael Cimino, the director of The Deer Hunter and the ill-fated Heaven's Gate, helmed this bizarre New Age action picture in 1996. Based on a screenplay by Charles Leavitt, the film stars Woody Harrelson as Dr. Michael Reynolds, a rich, young L.A. physician who worries more about promotions and buying a $2 million home for his family than about his patients. Reynolds is assigned a 16-year-old convicted murderer, Brandon Monroe (Jon Seda), as his new patient. Brandon is a half-Cherokee gang member who killed his own stepfather, has terminal cancer, resents his privileged doctors, and has beaten up several pediatricians who've tried to care for him. Brandon gets a gun while going to the bathroom at the hospital and kidnaps Reynolds, stealing a car. While constantly threatening his doctor's life, Brandon takes him on a trip to an Arizona Indian reservation with the aim of immersing himself in a magic lake which native tradition says has healing powers. Along the way, the pair meet up with motorcycle gang members, rattlesnakes, and several New Age philosophers. Eventually, the materialistic doctor and the young tough gain a grudging respect for each other's values, and Reynolds even steals money to buy Brandon medicine. ~ Michael Betzold, Rovi
- Starring:
- Woody Harrelson, Jon Seda, (more)
- 1996
- PG
In this tender made-for-TV drama, four children are effectively orphaned when they are deserted by their mother. With nowhere else to go but some institution, the kids manage to locate their estranged grandmother. A bitter, and seemingly cold-hearted loner, the woman reluctantly takes the waifs into her farmhouse. They then do their very best to ingratiate themselves and make her love them. Unfortunately, this grandmother has a very tough outer shell and it will take plenty of hard work on the part of the kids. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Anne Bancroft, Kimberlee Peterson, (more)
It's been said that while most people love their families, they don't always like them very much, and that emotional dividing line is the heart of this comedy directed by Jodie Foster. Claudia Larson (Holly Hunter) usually approaches family reunions with a certain trepidation, but as she prepares to fly from her home in Chicago to her parent's place in Baltimore for Thanksgiving, she is more apprehensive than usual. Claudia has just lost her job, she's not feeling at all well, and her teenage daughter, Kitt (Claire Danes), who is staying behind, informs Claudia on the way to the airport that she plans to use the weekend to lose her virginity with her boyfriend. The family festivities are already under way when Claudia arrives at the home of her mother, Adele (Anne Bancroft), and father, Henry (Charles Durning). Claudia's brother, Tommy (Robert Downey Jr.), whose homosexuality is tolerated without being discussed on a practical basis, has brought along his new friend Leo Fish (Dylan McDermott). Tommy doesn't get along well with his fussbudget sister, Joanne (Cynthia Stevenson), who wears her self-sacrifice like a badge of honor, and he simply hates her husband, Walter (Steve Guttenberg), who has often been the target of Tommy's barbed sense of humor. While the siblings and in-laws struggle to remain civil, their quite eccentric aunt Gladys (Geraldine Chaplin) arrives; she insists on discussing her digestive problems, and after a few drinks, she confesses her long-ago lust for Henry. Home for the Holidays was Jodie Foster's second film as a director, and the first in which she didn't also star. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Holly Hunter, Robert Downey, Jr., (more)
- 1995
- PG13
- Add How to Make an American Quilt to Queue Add How to Make an American Quilt to top of Queue
A young woman at a crossroads in her life finds herself receiving plenty of advice from her older and wiser counterparts in this drama. Finn Dodd (Winona Ryder) is a graduate student trying to finish up her doctoral thesis on women's folk art while deciding if she should marry her fiancé Sam (Dermot Mulroney); she's not sure if she's ready to settle down, and suspects that Sam is unfaithful to her. Needing time to sort things out, Finn chooses to spend the summer with her grandmother Hy (Ellen Burstyn) and great aunt Gladys Jo (Anne Bancroft). Hy and Gladys Jo are avid quilters, and with a group of their friends, they work on a special quilt for Finn's wedding; as the women work together, they share stories of their lives, and Finn finds herself learning as much from hearing them talk as she does from her schoolwork. Finn also receives a visit from her free-spirited mom Sally (Kate Capshaw) and finds herself infatuated with a good looking young man who lives nearby. Maya Angelou plays one of the quilters, as do Kate Nelligan, Jean Simmons, and Alfre Woodard. How to Make an American Quilt was the directorial debut of Jocelyn Moorhouse, and was based on a novel by Whitney Otto that itself began as a doctoral thesis. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Winona Ryder, Maya Angelou, (more)
- 1994
- Add Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All to Queue Add Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All to top of Queue
Originally a television mini-series, this drama chronicles the painful and lively reminiscences of a 100 year old woman. Much of the story centers on her tumultuous marriage to a Civil War vet. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Diane Lane, Donald Sutherland, (more)
Director John Badham's remake of French action thriller La Femme Nikita moves the action to the U.S., where Maggie (Bridget Fonda) is a strung-out Washington, D.C. drug addict who kills a policeman in a pharmaceutical-induced haze. Sentenced to death, Maggie is rescued by a shady operative, Bob (Gabriel Byrne), who offers to save her life if she'll become a covert government assassin. Maggie agrees and trains for a life as a professional killer under a new name, Claudia. Her classes include weaponry, martial arts, explosives, and even social graces under the tutelage of Amanda (Anne Bancroft). Claudia is transformed into a classy sophisticate and is assigned to Venice, California, where she falls for J.P. (Dermot Mulroney), an attractive photographer who lives downstairs. Claudia's highly dangerous job soon interferes when she's ordered to carry out a series of clever assassinations, including a hit in a restaurant and a hotel bombing. When one particular killing goes horribly wrong, she gets some assistance from Victor the Cleaner (Harvey Keitel), a disposal artist who may have also been ordered to get rid of Claudia. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi
- Starring:
- Bridget Fonda, Gabriel Byrne, (more)
The title character, a manic depressive prone to very irrational behavior (Richard Gere), is hospitalized for treatment. While there, the psychiatrist responsible for his rehabilitation (Lena Olin) becomes involved with him and cannot stand to allow his check-out. ~ John Bush, Rovi
- Starring:
- Richard Gere, Lena Olin, (more)
Rating Systems
Blockbuster
BLOCKBUSTER name, design and related marks are trademarks of Blockbuster L.L.C.
© 2013 Blockbuster L.L.C. All rights reserved.
Portions of Content Provided by Rovi Corporation. © 2013 Rovi Corporation.