Avi Lerner Movies

A hard-drinking, hard-living cop assigned the task of transporting a small-time criminal to the nearby courthouse finds that a simple, 16-block drive can be the longest ride of his life in director Richard Donner's urban action thriller. Hung-over, has-been cop Jack Mosley (Bruce Willis) has seen better days, and all that the force expects out of him these days is to stay out of trouble while he's on the clock. Eddie Bunker (Mos Def) is set to testify before a grand jury at 10:00 a.m., and it's up to Mosely to make sure that Bunker makes it to the courthouse in one piece -- a job that Mosely estimates will take a maximum of 15 minutes. A black van has been trailing the pair unnoticed, though, and after stopping off at a nearby liquor store to pick up some breakfast, Mosely emerges from the store just in time to save Eddie from the lethal bullet of a determined assassin. When backup arrives in the form of Detective Frank Nugent (David Morse), Mosely quickly realizes that the detective on Nugent's team is the same cop that Bunker is set to testify against. Now faced with the tough task of dodging bullets and eluding a massive onslaught of corrupt cops, Mosely must keep Bunker alive long enough to get him before the judge and ensure that justice is served. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

The emotional dysfunctions of two people suffering from an autistic disorder known as Asperger's syndrome threaten to derail the pair's emerging romance in director Petter Næss' affectionate tale of love among the mentally afflicted. For friendly taxi-driver Donald (Josh Hartnett), patterns and routines are of the utmost importance. In addition to his love for birds and his uncanny ability to process numbers, Donald does his best to give back to fellow Asperger's sufferers by leading an autism support group. When the lovely but intensely complicated Isabelle (Radha Mitchell) shows up at one of Donald's meetings, the good-natured cabbie finds that love can be as painful as it is elating. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Not to be confused with the 1987 Bob Rafelson/Debra Winger thriller of the same title, the 2005 Black Widow stars Giada Colagrande as Eleanora, a woman amorously involved with the shady and eccentric Karl. When Karl dies, Eleanora embarks on a trip to his bizarre home -- known as 'The Rubber House' -- in an aggressive attempt to uncover her paramour's darkest and strangest secrets. Once there, she becomes erotically involved with the residence's weird caretaker, Leslie (Willem Dafoe) -- little realizing that he harbors bizarre, hidden eccentricities to rival anything in Karl's life. Colagrande directs, from an original script that she and Dafoe (real-life husband and wife) co-authored. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

A fearsome samurai hungering for the ultimate challenge is forced to do battle with a powerful temple monk intent on preventing ultimate destruction in an action-packed swordplay adventure in which the fate of the world lies in a mysterious coffin. Grave (Tak Sakaguchi) is a samurai whose power is unequaled by mortal man. In his desperate quest to find a suitable foe with whom to do battle, Grave steals an ancient coffin from the Tougan Temple said to contain the mythical Goddess of Destruction. Now, as Grave drags the coffin across the countryside in search of a way to pry it open and unleash the power contained inside, a temple monk charged with the task of ensuring the safety of mankind sets out to stop Grave from freeing the Goddess of Destruction even if it means sacrificing his own life in the process. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

When you blow the whistle on police corruption, you'd better be ready to fight for your life, as honest cop Frank Gannon (Dolph Lundgren) learns in this action-packed effort from veteran director Sidney J. Furie. Though years of service on the Direct Action Task Force have earned honest cop Gannon the respect of his peers, it's every man for himself when Gannon reveals corruption that leads to the highest ranks and the Feds implicate him in a dangerous drug scam. With only rookie cop Billy Ross (Polly Shannon) to back him and less than 24 hours to prove his innocence, Gannon must survive the most grueling day of his life if he is to clear his name and make the guilty pay for their crimes. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

When a photographer teams with a ambitious journalist to break an eerie story about a fanatic cult, the duo underestimates the power their foes wield over the elements in this windblown tale of terror from filmmaker Alan Jakubowicz. Years ago, Josh Barnaby's father was killed by a deadly tornado. As an adult, Josh does battle with his demons as a photographer and storm tracker bent on capturing the brutal beauty of nature on film. Soon making the acquaintance of reporter Nickie Flynt, Josh agrees to help his newfound partner crack the case of a fanatic cult who seem to be on a first name basis with Mother Nature. As Josh and Nickie work feverishly to solve the mystery of the mysterious cult, a category F5 tornado threatens to blow the entire investigation to smithereens. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Following up the 2002 horror flick Wes Craven Presents: They, director Robert Harmon took on this cat-and-mouse thriller written by Craig Mitchell and Hans Bauer, the writing team behind 1999's Komodo. Jim Caviezel stars as Rennie, a man who suddenly finds his life destroyed by tragedy when his wife is murdered by a mysterious serial killer (Colm Feore). The culprit, it seems, is a psychopath with a penchant for hunting down and killing random women, using his green 1972 Cadillac El Dorado as his weapon. With revenge on his mind, Rennie sets out on the road in search of the elusive car and its homicidal driver. Along the way, Rennie meets a singer named Molly (Rhona Mitra) who suddenly finds herself embroiled in his unending quest for retribution. Frankie Faison also stars. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

When Kyle LeBlanc (Jean-Claude Van Damme) is prosecuted for killing the man who murdered his wife, he is sent to the most notoriously violent prison in Eastern Europe, where brutality is an understatement. Guards force the prisoners into death matches for their own personal profit, and the already violent inmates are provoked until they're barely recognizable as human beings. Though Kyle initially holds nothing but contempt for his fellow cell mates, it isn't long before their rage takes root in his own mind. When it's his turn to fight, channeling that rage may be the only chance he has at survival. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide

Ching Siu Tung directs the straight-to-video action thriller Belly of the Beast. Steven Seagal stars as ex-CIA agent Jake Hopper. He wants to retire peacefully, but is pulled back into the action when his daughter Jessica (Sarah Malakul Lane) is kidnapped by a terrorist group called Abu Karaf. While the rest of the CIA starts a routine investigation, Jake goes out on his own to find her. Seagal also co-wrote and co-produced. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide

The U.S. Seals are on the hunt for a deadly terrorist called Casper. When they learn that he plans on selling a cluster bomb to the Albanians, then double crossing them, a race against time ensues. Casper hasn't found the bomb yet, but if he does, it could spell the end of life as we know it. Will the toughest military force on Earth be able to get to the insidious device before the terrorist does? ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide

A good-old-boy small-town sheriff in a New Orleans parish happens upon a murder case that threatens to end his career in Behind the Badge, the embattled second feature of writer/director Robby Henson (Pharaoh's Army). Billy Bob Thornton stars as Darl, a divorced lawman first spotted sleeping in his truck outside his favorite bar. Darl gets a call about a truck accident, and happily hands out shoes from the ditched tractor-trailer to win over the locals for his re-election. But then the body of a beautiful woman is found in the mud near the wrecked truck. The "woman" turns out to be a transsexual with a .22 slug in her back. Prejudice reigns in the small community, and no one seems to be taking the murder too seriously. Local politicians, including a powerful judge (William Devane), are focused on the upcoming election, and are also angling to build a casino in town, and so they want to keep the sordid murder quiet. The victim's wife, Scarlet (Patricia Arquette), a New Orleans stripper, shows up. Despite Darl's own prejudices, he finds himself attracted to Scarlet, and starts to look into the case. Soon he learns that his investigation and his big mouth have cost him his slot on the ticket. When he presses on, he finds himself jailed on a trumped-up statutory rape charge. Struggling with his own family history of disgrace, Darl considers making a deal with the local bigwigs in order to keep his job. But when he learns that Scarlet is in danger, he's forced into action. Sela Ward and Jena Malone also star. Behind the Badge was heading for theatrical distribution before production company Propaganda Films went bankrupt. The film was unable to find a new distributor and premiered on Starz cable on September 7, 2002. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide

Director and screenwriter Walter Hill returns to one of his favorite themes -- desperate and violent men using force to escape from an unforgiving environment -- in this action drama set behind bars. Monroe Hutchen (Wesley Snipes) was once a promising heavyweight contender until he was convicted of murder and sentenced to life without parole at the Sweetwater maximum security prison in California. Now, Hutchen boxes behind bars, and he's become the champion of a loosely organized prison fighting circuit. When heavyweight champion James "Iceman" Chambers (Ving Rhames) enters Sweetwater after being convicted of rape, Hutchens finds the serious competitor in the same lockup for the first time, though Chambers scoffs at the jailhouse champ. After Hutchens challenges the arrogant Chambers to a bout, aging mafioso Emmanuel "Mendy" Ripstein (Peter Falk) swings a deal that will earn Chambers an early release from prison and pull in a million dollars in bets from guards and inmates if the two men will meet in the ring for a last-man-standing bout without referees. Undisputed also features Michael Rooker, Fisher Stevens, rapper Master P, and former Yo! MTV Raps host Ed Lover. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A runaway train barrels through the Mexican countryside, and the only hope for its passengers is a special agent with one gun and a whole bag of tricks in this pulse-pounding effort from low-budget action king Yossi Wein. A band of escaped prisoners have armed themselves and boarded a train, and it's only a matter of time before they begin to execute the frightened passengers. As the high-speed train thunders across the countryside, the safety of everyone on board lies in the hands on one man -- Special Agent Ryan (Bryan Genesse). ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide