Robert Forster Movies
Describing his career as a "five-years upwards first act and a 25-year sliding second act," actor Robert Forster finally got to settle into a satisfying third act when Quentin Tarantino worked his '70s resurrection magic by casting Forster in Jackie Brown (1997).Born and raised in Rochester, NY, Forster was a high school and college athlete, and occasional school thespian. After graduating from the University of Rochester (his third college) with a degree in psychology, Forster opted for acting over law school. Honing his craft in local theater, Forster subsequently moved to New York City where he landed his first Broadway role in 1965. After garnering attention in a 1967 production of A Streetcar Named Desire opposite Julie Harris, Forster made his movie debut in John Huston's Reflections in a Golden Eye (1967) as the au natural horseback-riding private who ignites military officer Marlon Brando's desire. Holding out for interesting offers after Reflections, Forster retreated to Rochester with his wife and worked as a substitute teacher and manual laborer.
Enticed back into movies with a role opposite Gregory Peck in Robert Mulligan's Western The Stalking Moon (1968), Forster impressed cinephiles with his third film, Haskell Wexler's seminal counterculture work Medium Cool (1969). As a TV cameraman forced to confront the implications of the tumultuous events he so coolly records, Forster and his co-star, Verna Bloom, were thrust into the real-life turmoil surrounding the 1968 Chicago Democratic Convention, while Forster's nuanced performance illuminated his narcissist's metamorphosis. Despite its timely subject, however, Medium Cool made little impression at the box office. Though he continued to work in such varied films as George Cukor's widescreen spectacle Justine (1969) and the location-shot Indian reservation drama Journey Through Rosebud (1972), Forster attempted to move to potentially greener TV pastures as the eponymous '30s detective in the series Banyon (1972). Banyon, however, lasted only one season, as did Forster's subsequent TV stint as a Native American lawman in the series Nakia (1974).
Forster's slide into B-movie oblivion was hardly stanched by his forays into TV. Though he managed to acquit himself well onscreen in different kinds of parts, Forster professed no illusions about the quality of such movies as The Don Is Dead (1973), Stunts (1977), Disney's sci-fi The Black Hole (1979), and the Rock Hudson disaster flick Avalanche (1978). The smartly comic, John Sayles-scripted creature feature Alligator (1980) failed to thrive beyond its schlock status; Vigilante (1983), starring Forster as a, well, vigilante, was described by one critic as "truly distasteful." Trying his hand behind the camera, Forster produced, wrote, directed, and starred in, alongside his daughter, Katherine Forster, the detective spoof Hollywood Harry (1986), but he got more mileage that same year out of his performance as an Arab terrorist embarking on jihad in Delta Force (1986). Playing a host of bad guys as well as the occasional not-so-bad-guy, Forster put his four children through college from the late '80s into the early '90s with such video fodder as The Banker (1989) and Peacemaker (1990), as well as the TV series Once a Hero (1987) and the well-received indie 29th Street (1991).
His career languishing by the mid-'90s, Forster taught acting classes between occasional roles and maintained an optimistic hope that, "some kid who liked me when he was young was going to turn into a filmmaker and hire me." Two casting near-misses for Reservoir Dogs (1992) and True Romance (1993) later (Lawrence Tierney and Christopher Walken respectively got the parts), the by then agent-less Forster finally got his wish when Banyon and B-movie fan Quentin Tarantino cast him in Jackie Brown (1997). Beating out bigger names for the part, Forster proceeded to steal the film from flamboyant co-stars Robert De Niro and Samuel L. Jackson with his subtle performance as weathered, rueful bail bondsman Max Cherry. Though stellar co-star Pam Grier got more attention as Tarantino's latest career rescue, Forster garnered Jackie Brown's sole Oscar nomination. After his Jackie Brown triumph, Forster's image of low-key, regular guy authority kept him steadily employed. Along with playing the de facto voice of sanity in the TV remake of Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window (1998) and Gus Van Sant's retread of Psycho (1998), Forster faced down space (and production) chaos in Walter Hill's ill-fated Supernova (2000) and played the straight man as Jim Carrey's commanding officer in Me, Myself & Irene (2000). Though his brief appearance suggests David Lynch had more in mind for Forster's role in the aborted TV series, Forster's performance as a deadpan police detective still made it into the critically acclaimed film version of Mulholland Drive (2001). ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide
- 1993
- R
In Maniac Cop (1988), we were introduced to a disfigured psycho law enforcement officer. It wasn't enough that this revenge-driven fiend killed and mutilated his victims: he also kept their pelts and scalps as trophies. The part was play by Robert D'Zar in the first two Maniac Cop flicks; D'Zar is back for Badge of Silence: Maniac Cop 3, in which he continues his reign of terror, as the good cops endeavor to put an end to his activities. By way of a plot, a hush-hush conspiracy is thrown into the proceedings. The slash-and-gashfest was written by Larry (It's Alive!) Cohen, while the musical score was by no less than Jerry Goldsmith. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Davi, Caitlin Dulany, (more)
A hybrid cross-pollination of a Martin Scorsese and Frank Capra film, this feel-good comic fantasy is loosely based on the real-life story of a New York lottery winner. Anthony LaPaglia stars as Frank Pesce Jr., a New Yorker with a good-luck streak that is unmatched in his Little Italy neighborhood. When Frank throws a pair of dice in a game of chance, he doesn't just toss a winning hand, the dice land on top of each other. When he's stabbed in the chest by a girlfriend's brother, his doctors find a pre-cancerous tumor. Although he tries again and again to get rid of a vehicle he no longer wants, it is retrieved every single time by the authorities. So when New York announces its first statewide lottery in 1976, Frank buys one ticket and immediately becomes everybody's best friend. Unfortunately, Frank's good luck is matched by the equally bad luck of his hard-working father, Frank Sr. (Danny Aiello), who has run up a gambling debt to a local mobster. The wise guy is willing to forgive the note if Frank Jr. will just hand over his sure-to-be lucky ticket, leaving the city's luckiest Italian-American in a bit of a moral quandary. The real Frank Pesce Jr. executive produces and co-stars in 29th Street as his own police officer brother, Vito. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Danny Aiello, Anthony LaPaglia, (more)
One of Fred Williamson's more unusual efforts as both actor and director, this one features the action star as a cigar-smoking detective named Mac Derringer. He is enlisted by his ex-wife (Vanity), a phone-sex operator, to catch the masked psychopath who murdered her co-worker. With the aid of partner Gary Busey and friend Peter Fonda, Derringer closes in on the maniac, but is soon framed for murder. Williamson has an interracial love scene, there's a stoolie who raps, and a subplot involves blackmail and pornography. The Jeffersons' Isabel Sanford appears as Derringer's mother, and the familiar genre cast features Stella Stevens, Robert Forster, and Henry Silva. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gary Busey, Peter Fonda, (more)
- 1992
- PG
In this fantasy-drama, three people who have never met before find themselves trapped in a strange house, with no idea of where they are or why they're there. In time, they come to the shocking realization that they've died, and they're stuck in limbo between Earth and the next world. In-Between stars Robert Forster, Alexandra Paul, and Wings Hauser. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alexandra Paul, Robert Forster, (more)
- 1992
When a decorated New York City policeman voiced his opposition to an accused cop killer's death sentence, his co-workers ostracized him in this true story. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1991
- R
Bruce Boxleitner plays a second-rate Rambo in the action film Diplomatic Immunity. Boxleitner is grizzled and tight-lipped Vietnam veteran and U.S. Marine instructor Cole Hickel. When his daughter Ellen (Sharon L. Case) begins to date Paraguayan nationalist Klaus Hermann (Tom Breznahan), Cole looks askance at the couple. His suspicions prove correct when Ellen is murdered by Klaus, who uses her body as a subject for his sado-masochistic paintings. The police arrest Klaus but, because of his aristocratic descent, the government refuses to bring him to trial. Cole takes the law into his own hands and, with arms-dealer pal Cowboy (Billy Drago), Cole heads back into Paraguay as a one-man army to exact vengeance upon Klaus and any other Paraguayan who stands in his way. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bruce Boxleitner, Billy Drago, (more)
- 1990
- R
A woman is caught in the middle of a cat-and-mouse game between fugitive aliens in this sci-fi thriller. A mysterious man named Townsend (Lance Edwards) attempts to steal a gun from a police car; an altercation results, and Townsend is repeatedly shot by the cops. Medical Examiner Dori Caisson (Hilary Shepard) is performing an autopsy on Townsend's seemingly dead body when his wounds suddenly heal, and Townsend forces Caisson to help him escape. Townsend and Caisson are soon approached by Yates (Robert Forster), who attempts to kill them and sends them on a high-speed chase. The next morning, Townsend tells Caisson that he is actually a law enforcement officer from another world, and that Yates is a criminal from his planet whom he is assigned to apprehend. Townsend's ability to resist bullets and heal himself convince her that he is indeed from another world, but she's not so sure who is the good guy. Peacemaker also features Robert Davi as a cop involved with Caisson, and Bert Remsen as Doc. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Forster, Lance Edwards, (more)
- 1990
- R
The princess here is a lesbian demon woman running a modeling agency where she "tries out" the models before setting them up on their gigs. A former police officer sets himself up as a private detective and takes a missing-person case, trying to find a young teen-aged girl. The missing girl is found working for the demon woman who preys on snoopy detectives. ~ All Movie Guide
John Garfieldesque leading man Robert Forster plays a cop in The Banker. The title character is above-suspicion financier Duncan Regehr, whom Forster suspects of being a serial killer of prostitutes. Such is the banker's power that Forster is threatened with unemployment, or death, or both if he acts upon his suspicions. The detective is forced to use the "give him enough rope" ploy-and nearly ends up with his own neck in the noose. Old favorites Richard Roundtree, Leif Garrett, Jeff Conaway, and E. J. Peaker dot the supporting cast of this contemporary Jack-the-Ripper chiller. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Forster, Duncan Regehr, (more)
A police detective (Don Johnson), whose job is the only thing he has left in his life, must investigate the murder of a fellow officer. He follows the trail and is shocked to find a white-supremacist conspiracy in the process. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Don Johnson, Penelope Ann Miller, (more)
- 1988
In this fantasy, a comic-book hero, worried that he will simply fade away because of his dwindling fans and a burned-out creator, decides to enter the real world and see if he can bolster his flagging reputation while simultaneously cleaning up crime. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1987
- R
In this actioner, a crack unit of elite mercenaries must protect a recently deposed Middle Eastern leader and his family from assassination. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1986
This episode marks the first appearance of Calhoun Fletcher (Peter Bonerz), the troublesome--and trouble-prone--distant cousin of mystery writer Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury). At the behest of her Aunt Mildred (played in a delightful cameo by filmdom's former "Blondie" Penny Singleton), Jessica agrees to look up Calhoun in New Orleans, where the Mardi Gras celebration is in full swing. It turns out that Jessica's sleuthing talents are desperately needed: Cal has been accused of murdering a famous--and famously crooked--professional poker player. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
Adapted from television's Crossbow series, the archer of renown legend battles a tyrannical governor with a hastily regrouped "Four Horsemen." Only William Tell can rescue his land and his son from the harsh ruler. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Will Lyman, Jeremy Clyde, (more)
Menahem Golan melds a Chuck Norris action spectacle with the disaster film genre in The Delta Force. The story is based upon the June, 1985 hijacking of a TWA jet, where passengers were held at gun-point by terrorists in Beirut, Lebanon. The film re-enacts various real life incidents from the crisis -- an American serviceman is beaten to death, a terrorist holds a gun to the pilot's head as the pilot is being questioned by reporters -- while depicting the tension aboard the plane and the agony of the passengers, held under the threat of death by the terrorists. The Delta Force, a crack anti-terrorist commando group, is preparing to rescue the passengers. Colonel Nick Alexander (Lee Marvin) is the grizzled commander of the task force; his best soldier is Major Scott McCoy (Chuck Norris), who was planning to retire but is called back into action for one last heroic stand against terrorism. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chuck Norris, Lee Marvin, (more)
- 1985
With loads of super-low budget erotic (sans nudity, sex or foul language) sci-fi thrills Panther Squad is the name of a crack team of mini-skirted operatives working for the world-uniting New Organizations of Nations, an international group determined to explore outer space. The trouble begins when a radical bunch of ecology freaks, steal the organization's newest space craft and take it to a small country run by a dictator who wants to control the entire planet. Only the Panther squad can stop him before it is too late. "Exploitation-film queen" Sybil Danning leads them to victory. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sybil Danning, Karin Schubert, (more)
- 1985
In the conclusion of a two-part story, Magnum (Tom Selleck), T.C. (Roger E. Mosley), Rick (Larry Manetti) and Higgins (John Hillerman) have managed to sneak into Cambodia to rescue a former war buddy from the clutches of ruthless Vietnamese torturer Major Thieu (Seth Sakai). Alas, things don't go as planned, and soon several of the "good guys" have themselves been captured. Eluding Thieu's minions, T.C. (Roger E. Mosley) assumes the task of saving his comrades--providing he can avoid betrayal at the hands of duplicitous soldier-of-fortune Tyler McKinney (Robert Forster). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1985
In the first episode of a two-part story, Magnum (Tom Selleck) is asked by soldier-of-fortune Tyler McKinney (Robert Forster) to help him rescue a mutual friend from his Vietnamese captors in the jungles of Cambodia. Though Magnum has no reason to trust the disreputable McKinney, he ends up accompanying him on his mission, with T.C. (Roger E. Mosley), Rick (Larry Manetti) and even Higgins (John Hillerman going along for the ride. Only upon arrival does Magnum discover McKinney's true motives--and it might mean instant death for at least one of the series' regulars. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1985
- PG13
Written, directed by, and starring Robert Forster and his daughter Katherine, Hollywood Harry is a routine detective/human interest story about a low-end P.I. who sleeps with women at a rate of $5.00 each (they pay him) and is drinking his way into oblivion when his niece (Katherine Forster) arrives on the scene to snap him into shape. A client also comes in with a case Harry has to accept; money is running low. And so as the profligate detective is ready to hunt down his client's daughter, roped into porno films against the irate wishes of her father, his niece Danielle comes into the office indicating that her parents may be dead, while Harry's sharp secretary appears to have come into some sudden wealth. The plot lurches forward in several directions at once, as Harry's niece gets him out of the doldrums and into work. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Forster, Kathrine Forster, (more)
In this action-crime drama, Jason Walk, an L.A. cab driver, suffers a luckless life. He not only has marital woes at home, he is unable to collect the money from the people he runs numbers for. One day the luck changes when the gun-toting Christine enters his hack. She is out to get revenge upon the man who murdered her husband and son, but the cab driver doesn't know this as he takes her to her fateful appointment with the killer. Soon he finds himself hopelessly entangled in the mess and is pursued by both the police and crooks. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Forster, Joe Spinell, (more)
The excessive violence in this action thriller makes New York City look like the site of a civil war -- or rather, a nauseatingly uncivil war fought between factory workers allied with neighborhood citizens against their enemies: drug pushers and other low-lifes. At first the worker Eddie Merino (Robert Forster) refuses to join a vigilante movement, but when his wife is stabbed and his son killed by a Puerto Rican gang, Eddie eventually opts for his own right to kill. His decision is not allowed to come quickly, he is made to agonize a bit longer. When the gang leader (singer Willie Colón) who killed Eddie's son is caught and brought up for trial, he gets off with a suspended sentence because of a corrupt defense lawyer and an inept judge. Eddie attacks the judge in court and is sent to jail for contempt. When he gets out of jail, he becomes a vigilante, out to kill the guilty or those he sees as protecting the guilty in the death of his son. From then on, a non-stop bloodbath takes over as the star of the film. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Forster, Fred Williamson, (more)
Mark Warren's comedy Heartbreak High concerns the antics taken by students and faculty of rival high schools attempting to sabotage the other the week before their annual battle on the football field. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- 1981
- PG
Though it strains credibility to the breaking point, the made-for-TV Goliath Awaits proved a ratings success when it was first syndicated via "Operation Prime Time" on November 16, 1981. Mark Harmon plays oceanographer Peter Cabot, who intends to salvage valuable treasures from the ocean liner Goliath, which was sunk by a German U-boat during World War II. Descending into the ocean depths, Cabot stares into one of the portholes of the Goliath--only to see someone staring back at him! Through a fluke, the submerged Goliath's air supply has remained intact for nearly forty years, and a tiny group of survivors (and their progeny) live in an idyllic society ruled by benevolent despot John McKenzie (Christopher Lee). But when Cabot announces that he intends to rescue the denizens of the Goliath, McKenzie's benevolence quickly evaporates. Originally telecast in two 2-hour installments, Goliath Awaits was also made available as a ten-episode miniseries. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
