Andre Braugher Movies
Gaining notice in the early '90s for his Emmy-winning portrayal of Detective Francis Xavier "Frank" Pembleton on the popular television police drama Homicide: Life on the Street, tireless Chicago native Andre Braugher remained with the show through 1998 while simultaneously building a feature career with roles in such theatrical releases as Primal Fear (1996) and City of Angels (1998). A graduate of Stanford University who also received a M.F.A. from the prestigious Juilliard School, Braugher claims to have originally taken up acting to meet girls. He later changed his major after realizing his true calling during a production of Hamlet, and his first professional role came in a performance at the Berkley Shakespeare Festival. Making the leap from stage to screen with the 1989 civil war drama Glory proved an eye opening experience, and following numerous appearances as Detective Winston Blake in a series of made-for-TV Kojak features, Braugher held onto his badge by joining the cast of Homicide in 1993. Later alternating successfully between film and television, Braugher was voted one of the "50 Most Beautiful" people in a 1997 issue of People magazine; the following year, the handsome actor turned down a prominent role in the sci-fi drama Sphere in order to spend more time with his family. Jumping back into features in 2000, roles in Frequency, Duets and A Better Way to Die proved that Braugher was still in top form, and, in 2002, he turned back to the small screen with the made-for-TV feature Hack (and later reprised his role when the feature was turned into a weekly series).
Following a role in the made-for-TV feature A Soldier's Girl (2002), Braugher joined the cast of the television remake of the Stephen King vampire chiller Salem's Lot (2004), then returned to television - and changed camps to tap into the underground element - on the weekly crime drama Thief. As Nick Atwater, one of the most genial and principled of all television criminals (!), Braugher evoked an unusual ethical balance in his character and tapped into the fence's deep-seated devotion to his family, even as he drummed up a fiery intensity from episode to episode. Successive years found the actor moving into supporting roles in Hollywood A-listers with a heightened emphasis on effects-heavy action, adventure and fantasy-themed material; projects included Poseidon (2006), Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007) and Stephen King's The Mist (2007). ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
In the 1920s, the rights of American workers to join a labor union was still considered an open question, and African-Americans were routinely denied their civil and economic rights. So in 1925, when journalist and political activist Asa Philip Randolph and railway car porter Ashley Totten formed the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, it was a bold gesture which proved to have a major impact in both labor and race relations in America. 10,000 Black Men Named George is a made-for-cable feature which dramatizes the struggle of Randolph (played by Andre Braugher) and Totten (Mario Van Peebles) to organize railway porters -- a demanding and sometimes dangerous job which was held almost exclusively by black men, who were paid low wages for demanding hours -- against the staunch opposition of Barton Davis (Kenneth McGreggor), head of the Pullman railway company and a fierce opponent of both unionization and civil rights initiatives. 10,000 Black Men Named George (the title refers to the fact Pullman porters were often called "George" by white passengers, which was considered a racial slur) also features Charles S. Dutton as Milton Webster, a veteran porter who joined the fight to organize; Carla Brothers as Lucille Randolph, Asa's wife who would play a major role in the early years of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters; and Brock Peters as Leon Frey, an early member of the who would in time betray their cause. Directed by Robert Townsend, the film was produced for the Showtime premium cable network, where it first aired on February 24, 2002. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Andre Braugher, Charles S. Dutton, (more)
In this thriller, a policeman decides to quit the force so he can settle down with his girlfriend, but his idyllic new life becomes a nightmare when he's robbed and beaten within an inch of his life. The attack turns out to be only the beginning of his problems; when he tries to report the crime, he's mistaken for a federal agent who has disappeared. The FBI believes the phantom agent has run away with important information, while the Mafia know that he's learned enough about their operations to shut them down; wanted by both the law and the underworld, an innocent man must fight for his survival. A Better Way to Die stars Andre Braugher, Lou Diamond Phillips, Scott Wiper, and Natasha Henstridge. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Andre Braugher, Joe Pantoliano, (more)
- 2003
In August 1955, Emmett Till, a 14-year-old black youth from Chicago, was visiting relatives near the town of Money, MS. Leaving a small grocery store, Emmett allegedly whistled at the white woman behind the counter. Though he didn't know it at the time, the teenager had broken a cardinal rule in the Jim Crow South -- and within a few days, his battered and mutilated body was found in the Tallahatchie River. After an all-too-speedy trial, the white men accused of murdering Till were acquitted, but a few years later unashamedly "confessed" to their crime in a national magazine. Emmett's mother Mamie Till Mobley had known all along that a black person could not expect fair treatment in the lily-white South, but she was not about to bury the incident along with her son's body. Grimly and defiantly, Mamie insisted that Emmett's body not be cosmetically altered by the undertaker, but that the boy's ravaged and befouled corpse be displayed in an open coffin for all to see. Photographs of this grisly site were widely distributed by the leading black-oriented publications of the period, eliciting nationwide outrage from blacks and whites alike. As an end result of Emmett's horrible death, the comparatively dormant Civil Rights movement of the late '40s and early '50s was suddenly jump-started back to life. The winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, the 60-minute documentary The Murder of Emmett Till made its public-TV debut as part of the American Experience anthology in January 2003 -- a scant few weeks after the death of Mamie Till Mobley. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Andre Braugher
- 2003
This PBS documentary addresses the ethical questions raised by modern science's newest life technologies. Genetic testing, fertility drugs, combining human and animal cells, animal-organ transplants, sperm donations...Are all of these beneficial to humankind, or do they create more problems than they solve? The documentary details specific matters of legalities, covert experimentation and "mutated" lab results arising from these scientific advances. Narrated by Andre Braugher, Bloodlines: Technology Hits Home was funded in part by the Ethical, Legal, and Social Issues division of the U.S. Department of Energy Human Genome Program. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Andre Braugher
An angel must decide if love is more important than eternal peace in this Americanized adaptation of Wim Wenders' modern classic Wings of Desire. Seth (Nicholas Cage) is an angel who hovers over the city of Los Angeles, listening to people's thoughts, observing their lives, and guiding them to the next world when they die. While Seth and his fellow angels try to offer comfort to people as they can, they are discouraged from direct contact with humans and are usually invisible to them. While at a hospital, Seth sees Maggie (Meg Ryan), a dedicated heart surgeon who attempts to save the life of a patient Seth was to call upon. Maggie is distraught after the patient passes, and her agony touches something inside the reserved Seth; he finds himself falling in love with her, and he decides to make himself visible so he can communicate with her. As Maggie gets to know the strange visitor in black who has suddenly appeared in her life, she finds herself torn between her new feelings for Seth and her attachment to her fiancé Jordan (Colm Feore), a fellow doctor. Seth, on the other hand, has a serious choice to make -- between immortality and giving it up in order to know both the pleasures and pains of being a human being. City of Angels also stars Dennis Franz as Messinger, a patient at the hospital who has some important advice for Seth. The film's soundtrack featured two Top Ten hits, "Iris" by the Goo Goo Dolls and "Uninvited" by Alanis Morissette. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nicolas Cage, Meg Ryan, (more)
- 1993
The titular year refers to the class of 1861, and the implied school is the venerable West Point Academy. This made-for-television drama centers on one of that classes most illustrious students, George Armstrong Custer, and tells how the Civil War affected his friendship with two classmates, one who supported the Union and the other a staunch believer in the Confederate cause. Custer himself stood between, wrestling with his own convictions. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dan Futterman, Clive Owen, (more)
Director Bruce Paltrow teams with his Oscar-winning daughter Gwyneth Paltrow for this road comedy with music. Paltrow plays Liv, a struggling professional singer whose meets her father, Ricky Dean (Huey Lewis), for the first time at the funeral of her mother. As it turns out, both Liv and Ricky supplement the income from few-and-far-between gigs by singing in karaoke contests, and soon father and daughter are competing on the same circuit. Meanwhile, Todd Woods (Paul Giamatti), a salesman who has grown disenchanted with his job, his family, and his life, picks up a hitch-hiker named Reggie Kane (Andre Braugher), and during a stop at a tavern, they discover they make a good duet team while belting out a version of "Try A Little Tenderness." And waitress Suzi Loomis (Maria Bello) sweet talks Billy (Scott Speedman), a cabbie, into driving her to Omaha, where the national karaoke finals will determine who does the best job of singing along with the records, as the lives of these six characters begin to intersect. Duets also features Angie Dickinson as Blair, Liv's grandmother who was once a showgirl in Frank Sinatra's Las Vegas floorshow; Brad Pitt was originally cast in Speedman's role but withdrew after he and Paltrow announced the end of their off-camera relationship. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Maria Bello, Andre Braugher, (more)
- 2007
- PG
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The world's most famous team of astronauts-cum-superheroes returns in the effects-heavy sequel Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. As the story opens, Sue Storm (aka The Invisible Girl [Jessica Alba]) and Reed Richards (aka Mr. Fantastic [Ioan Gruffudd]) prepare for their upcoming, superhero-studded wedding celebration. But Reed cannot stay focused on the nuptials -- he's distracted by wire reports of a bizarre, comet-like object hurtling toward the Earth with tremendous force, triggering brownouts, blackouts, tropical storms, and various other climatological disasters. When the said object hits the island of Manhattan, destroying much of the city in its wake, its identity becomes resoundingly clear. "It" is actually a "he" -- a psychotic villain known as The Silver Surfer (voice of Larry Fishburne) who intends, for some unascertainable reason, to destroy much of the Earth, just as he obliterated dozens of planets before it. Feeling compelled to rally their old gang and save the day, Sue and Reed summon Ben Grimm (aka The Thing [Michael Chiklis]) and Johnny Storm (aka The Human Torch [Chris Evans]) to take on the Surfer -- and end up battling not only him, but an obnoxious Army general (Andre Braugher) and the cantankerous Victor Von Doom (Julian McMahon), who has broken out of his icy prison that held him captive at the end of the first movie. Tim Story returns to direct this sequel. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, (more)
Known more for his dark, psychological crime thrillers Primal Fear (1996) and Fallen (1998), director Gregory Hoblit surprisingly created this Frank Capra-meets-Rod Serling-style fantasy that mixes several genres of storytelling into a likable stew. James Caviezel stars as John Sullivan, a New York police detective who has never recovered from the death of his father Frank (Dennis Quaid), a firefighter who died heroically when John was a boy. Experimenting with his dad's beloved ham radio one summer night, extreme sunspot activity allows John to contact Frank 30 years in the past. Since he's able to warn Frank away from danger, his father's death never occurs. Then the unthinkable happens: John's altered future is one in which his mother Julia (Elizabeth Mitchell) has been murdered by a serial killer. Now John in the present and Frank in the past must try to solve the riddle of the killer's identity and change the time line again. Frequency was written by Toby Emmerich, the brother of actor Noah Emmerich, who appears in a supporting role created specifically for him. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dennis Quaid, James Caviezel, (more)
Released one year to the day after the 1995 Million Man March, in which a million African-American men marched peacefully in Washington, D.C. in a bid for greater unity and understanding, Spike Lee's Get On the Bus follows a group of black men who take a charter bus from Los Angeles to the rally in the nation's capital and watches as they interact and air their personal issues and concerns. George (Charles S. Dutton) is the organizer of the trip and de facto leader of the group. Evan Thomas (Thomas Jefferson Byrd) is a truck driver who travels to the march with his son (De'Aundre Bonds) chained to his belt by court order after the boy was arrested for petty theft. Kyle (Isaiah Washington) and Randall (Harry Lennix) are gay lovers who take no small amount of abuse from their fellow passengers. Gary (Roger Guenveur Smith) is the product of a mixed-race marriage who could pass for white but sees himself as black; he's also a cop, which does little to endear him to his peers. Flip (Andre Braugher) is an actor who seems more concerned with getting his next film role than the larger issues of the march. Jamal (Gabriel Casseus) is a good-natured young Muslim trying to lead a righteous life to make up for his violent past as a gang member. A film student (Hill Harper) is capturing the trip on videotape, and Jeremiah (Ossie Davis) sits in the back, reflecting on the struggles of African-Americans in the past and present. Financed by a private group of 15 black American men (among them Will Smith and Wesley Snipes), Get On the Bus speaks less of a single political goal than of the need for black men to set aside their differences to work for their common good. While the film falls short of openly criticizing Million Man March organizer Louis Farrakhan, it does present debate about Farrakhan's ideals and statements, ultimately coming to the conclusion that whoever brought this group together is less important than the fact that they came together in peace and brotherhood. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Belzer, Ossie Davis, (more)
Glory is a celebration of a little-known act of mass courage during the Civil War. Simply put, the heroes involved have been ignored by history due to racism. Those heroes were the all-black members of the 54th Regiment of the Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, headed by Col. Robert Gould Shaw (Matthew Broderick), the son of an influential abolitionist (played by an uncredited Jane Alexander). Despite the fact that the Civil War is ostensibly being fought on their behalf, the black soldiers are denied virtually every privilege and amenity that is matter of course for their white counterparts; as in armies past and future, they are given the most menial and demeaning of tasks. Still, none of the soldiers quit the regiment when given the chance. The unofficial leaders of the group are gravedigger John Rawlins (Morgan Freeman) and fugitive slave Trip (Denzel Washington), respectively representing the brains and heart of the organization. The 54th acquit themselves valiantly at Fort Wagner, SC, charging a fortification manned by some 1,000 Confederates. Glory was based on Lincoln Kirstein's Lay This Laurel and Peter Burchard's One Gallant Rush; the latter book was founded on the letters of Col. Robert Gould Shaw, the real-life character played by Matthew Broderick. The film won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for co-star Denzel Washington, and additional statuettes for Best Cinematography (Freddie Francis) and Sound Recording. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, (more)
- 2002
Hack was essentially The Equalizer as Cab Driver. The protagonist was divorced, disgraced ex-Philadelphia cop Mike Olshansky (David Morse). At the end of his financial rope, Mike found steady employment as a cabbie, though he was never completely successful in suppressing his strong sense of justice. Thus, he frequently became involved in the problems of his passengers, usually rounding up and clobbering bad guys in vigilante fashion. Though the series never overlapped into Travis Bickle territory, it did tend to resemble a Western with a ticking meter. So over-the-top that many viewers tuned in just for the (unintentional) laughs, Hack made its CBS debut on September 27, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Morse, Matthew Borish, (more)
- 1993
Still frustrated by the unsolved Watson murder, Bayliss (Kyle Secor) and Pembleton (Andre Braugher) are in no mood to tackle the murder of a police dog -- but they must, since the Baltimore municipal code dictates that any police killing in the line of duty must be given first priority. Meanwhile, Howard (Melissa Leo) and Felton (Daniel Baldwin) go after a sadistic drug dealer who has ritualistically murdered his victim -- and in so doing, they find a link to a case being handled by Lewis (Clark Johnson). And on the domestic scene, Bolander (Ned Beatty) meets the teenage son (Stiv Paskoski) of his current amour Dr. Carol Blythe (Wendy Hughes); and Crosetti's (Jon Polito) wife is pregnant. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Daniel Baldwin, Ned Beatty, (more)
- 1995
When a ten-year-old is rendered brain-dead by a random shooting in a mall, Pembleton (Andre Braugher) and Bayliss (Kyle Secor) are assigned to investigate the child's "murder." Not unexpectedly, both detectives become emotionally involved in the plight of the youngster's anguished family. Meanwhile, the rest of the Baltimore police force prepares for a visit by the Pope. Watch for a brief and unheralded crossover with the TV series Chicago Hope. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Belzer, Andre Braugher, (more)
- 1994
Hoping to make Bolander (Ned Beatty) less self-conscious about their first date, Linda (Melissa Leo) agrees to double-date with Howard (Melissa Leo) and Danvers (Zeljko Ivanek) -- but the jealous Munch (Richard Belzer) messes things up. Back on the job, Bayliss (Kyle Secor) investigates when a phone-sex operator is found strangled, clutching a note that seems to point directly to her killer. And Lewis (Clark Johnson) and Crocetti (Jon Polito) look into a murder at the library, committed by an "ink-pen fetishist." This was the final episode of Homicide's very brief second season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Daniel Baldwin, Ned Beatty, (more)
- 1994
The serial killer responsible for the recent spate of "white glove" murders sues Pembleton (Andre Braugher) for violating her civil rights -- but that's only the beginning of his troubles. Elsewhere, Munch (Richard Belzer) is forced to attend an alcohol awareness seminar; Felton's (Daniel Baldwin) wife and children move out; activist Sam Thorne (Joe Morton) proposes a "gun for toys" exchange to stem the rising tide of violence in Baltimore; and Lewis' (Clark Johnson) budding romance with an eccentric artist is complicated by the presence of Bayliss (Kyle Secor). This is the episode in which the audience learns the sorry fate of former homicide detective Steve Crosetti. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Daniel Baldwin, Ned Beatty, (more)
- 1993
Worn out by the dead-end investigation of the Watson killing, Bayliss (Kyle Secor) turns on the obstreperous Capt. Barnfather (Clayton LeBouef) and calls him a "butthead." As his ex-partner Thormann (Edie Falco) recovers from her wounds, Crosetti (Jon Polito) closes in on the man whom he thinks pulled the trigger -- and who seems eager to confess whether he's guilty or not. While investigating a double murder, Munch (Richard Belzer) becomes fed up with being constantly compared to Bolander's (Ned Beatty) former partner. And Pembleton (Andre Braugher) and Felton (Daniel Baldwin) search for a car that may be crucial to the outcome of a case. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Daniel Baldwin, Ned Beatty, (more)
- 1998
Falsone (Jon Seda) is the primary investigator when a four-year-old boy is abducted from a merry-go-round right under his mother's nose. Before long, the precinct gets a call from a man claiming to be the kidnapper -- and another call from the publicity-conscious host of the crime-solving TV show "This Week's Wanted." The key to the solution of this case ends up in the hands of a professional hypnotist. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Belzer, Andre Braugher, (more)
- 1994
Christmas is just another day on the calendar for the acerbic Munch (Richard Belzer), especially when he is handed a case involving the murder of a man in a Santa Claus suit. Elsewhere, Lt. Russert (Isabella Hoffman) decides to get back into the hands-on aspects of detective work by joining Lewis (Clark Johnson) in his latest investigation -- only to discover that she has prior knowledge of the persons involved in the case. And as Felton (Daniel Baldwin) wearily prepares to spend his first Christmas without his wife and children, Bayliss (Kyle Secor) seeks out a friendly Yuletide game of Hearts -- at five dollars a hand. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Daniel Baldwin, Ned Beatty, (more)
- 1997
While investigating the possibility that an HIV-positive man was murdered by an embittered AIDs victim, Ballard (Callie Thorne) and Gharty (Peter Gerety) inadvertently dig up more information on the Luther Mahoney shooting. Elsewhere, the Waterfront Bar gears up for a big Christmas party, to which Bayliss (Kyle Secor) invites Cox (Michelle Forbes). And Munch (Richard Belzer) is unexpectedly reunited with his ex-wife, Gwen (Carol Kane), who is in town for the funeral of her mother, a much-despised literary agent. Author Peter Maas makes a cameo appearance as himself. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Belzer, Andre Braugher, (more)
- 1993
Lewis (Clark Johnson) and Crosetti (Jon Polito) run afoul of the Feds while investigating the murder of a Chinese student, who turns out to have been one of the leaders of the Tiananmen Square protest. Elsewhere, Munch (Richard Belzer) and Bolander (Ned Beatty) investigate when a body is found in the park; Howard's (Melissa Leo) testimony against sadistic drug dealer Pony Johnson (Geoffrey Ewing) may be inadmissible; and Pembleton (Yaphet Kotto) may get a promotion -- if anyone can find him. This episode marks the first appearance of Pembleton's wife Mary, played by Yaphet Kotto's real-life spouse, Ami Brabson. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Daniel Baldwin, Ned Beatty, (more)
- 1995
A gas leak at homicide headquarters forces the detectives to temporarily pitch camp at an old bank building, where several bad moods are quickly exacerbated. The many story developments this evening include the negative effect that Howard's (Melissa Leo) promotion has on her colleagues, and Giardello's (Yaphet Kotto) inadvertent dismissal of a key piece of evidence in the murder of an elderly woman. Meanwhile, Pembleton (Andre Braugher) continues to fret over his wife's pregnancy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Belzer, Andre Braugher, (more)
- 1997
This episode of Homicide: Life on the Street is the conclusion of a two-part story begun on its "sister" series Law & Order. The man accused of stalking Brittany Janaway (Rachel Jane Sacrey), a teenaged model who'd been raped in Baltimore before dying of toxic shock syndrome in New York City, insists that he witnessed her attack. This brings Law & Order detectives Rey Curtis (Benjamin Bratt) and Lennie Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) to Baltimore, where they team with the Homicide sleuths to determine if Brittany's father (Tom Tammi) -- the same man who posted a 250,000-dollar reward for the capture of her rapist -- is actually the guilty party. In the ensuing jurisdictional battles both in and out of the courtroom, the facts of the case are all but sacrificed in the interests of a speedy conclusion. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Belzer, Andre Braugher, (more)
- 1996
Both Pembleton (Andre Braugher) and Kellerman (Reed Diamond) have been exiled to desk duty -- Pembleton because he has not fully recovered from his stroke, and Kellerman because he is one of the targets of a federal grand jury's investigation of corruption in the arson unit. In other developments, Lewis (Clark Johnson) ends up being teamed with "downtown" narcotics detective Terri Stivers (Toni Lewis, in her first series appearance) while trailing a suspect in a series of homicides. A seemingly airtight case against elusive drug kingpin Luther Mahoney (Erik Todd Dellums) is dashed to bits. And the temporarily homeless Brodie (Max Perlich) moves in with Bayliss (Kyle Secor). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Belzer, Andre Braugher, (more)
