Michael Madsen Movies
Michael Madsen, who admits to being more interested in delivering a good performance than the perks of fame, formerly worked as a gas station attendant in his hometown of Chicago, IL. The older brother of actress Virginia Madsen, Michael's first acting experience took place inside of Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre, where he studied under the direction of fellow actor John Malkovich. This stage training provided him with the background needed to land a host of small roles, beginning with a bit part in the 1983 film WarGames. After relocating to Los Angeles, Madsen made several television and film appearances, including NBC's Emmy-winning Special Bulletin (1983), and The Natural (1984), director Barry Levinson's celebrated sports drama. Madsen continued to build credibility, gradually going on to land larger parts. Though his profile was raised substantially after appearing in the 1991 film Thelma & Louise, it was his 1989 performance as a psychotic killer in John Dahl's Kill Me Again that caught the attention of Quentin Tarantino, who would later give Madsen his true breakthrough opportunity in 1992's Reservoir Dogs. This ear-splitting performance earned Madsen critical acclaim, as well as further cementing his reputation for playing psychopathic murderers. Sure enough, Madsen would go on to perform in several decidedly evil roles. From the kitten-loving sociopath in The Getaway (1994), to mafia tough guy Sonny Black in Donnie Brasco, Madsen proved himself more than capable of playing a good bad guy. Rather than allowing himself to be typecast, however, Madsen readily accepted the role of a loving foster parent in Free Willy (1993), a seasoned alien assassin in Species (1995), and CIA Agent Damon Falco in director Lee Tamahori's Die Another Day (2002). Over the course of the next decade, however, the veteran actor largely stuck to his tough-guy image, though his reflective role in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill films displayed a sense of depth that most filmmakers fail to coax out of him. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi
An enormous crocodile terrorizes a Thai beach resort in this tale of terror in the water starring Michael Madsen. As the local begin to mysteriously disappear and various appendages are found floating in the swamps, the locals offer $5000 to anyone able to capture the beast responsible for all the bloodshed. While local crocodile hunter Hawkins (Madsen) is ready and willing to track down the man-eating monster, he begins to suspect that he's dealing with a more powerful force than he ever imagined as the body count continues to rise, and the blood-curdling screams of the locals echo eerily through the treacherous swamps. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michael Madsen, Peter Tuinstra, (more)
Prolific hardcore/punk music video director Darren Doane writes and directs this brutal thriller starring Michael Madsen and Christopher Stapleton as two remorseless killers from disparate backgrounds. One of the two killers is a family man who suddenly snaps, and longs for redemption after murdering his wife, while the other is a methodical madman who stalks the streets in search of his next victim. Bound by blood and locked on a path of certain destruction, but men must struggle to make sense of their lives in a world gone mad. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michael Madsen, Christopher Stapleton, (more)
A medical student with mounting debts draws on her formidable poker skills in order to stay afloat in this gambling drama starring Dominique Swain and Michael Madsen. As a young girl, Alicia "Ace" Anderson (Swain) frequently accompanied her card shark father (Madsen) to clandestine gambling rooms for tense rounds of Texas Hold 'Em. As a result of her childhood spent watching her father fleece his opponents, Alicia became a fairly exceptional card player herself. These days Alicia has left behind the world of gambling in order to focus on medical school, but education doesn't come cheap and the tuition fees are fast piling up. Of course the one way that Alicia knows how to make a quick buck is to fall back on her old skills, and now with a bottomed out bank account and few options on the table the savvy student gambler enlists the aid of some fellow students in hitting it big at the local casino. Though her cohorts may be well schooled in the art of the bluff, this team will need much more than a good poker face if they truly intend to win out over some of the world's best card players. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Dominique Swain, Michael Madsen, (more)
DMX, Michael Madsen, Paul Sorvino, and David Carradine star in first-time feature filmmaker Kobé's thriller concerning a man who is summoned to a remote house in China by his deceased father, only to discover upon arriving that he isn't the only person on the guest list. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- DMX, Michael Madsen, (more)
U.S. military experts engage in a paranormal battle for survival while attempting to rescue a fellow soldier who was left behind in Afghanistan. When Pepper (Steve Bacic) left a man behind in Afghanistan, he didn't realize that decision would linger with him for the rest of his days. Now, Pepper has a chance to make good on that decision by venturing behind enemy lines to save his captured comrade. In order to esure that their mission is a success, Pepper organizes a rescue squad comprised of the best soldiers in the military. But even the most seasoned combat soldiers are no mach for the evil that awaits them in the formidable Afghan mountains. Michael Madsen, Gary Stretch, and Chris Kramer co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michael Madsen, Steve Bacic, (more)
Beneath the bright lights of Hollywood, the city of Los Angeles is teeming with crime and corruption. Though the majority of people never see the dark side of this city, it still festers just beneath the surface. Michael Madsen, Neal McDonough, and James Russo star in a crime film that isn't afraid to expose the true nature of this simmering, sinful cesspool. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michael Lazar, Michael Madsen, (more)
Four desperate bank robbers are forced to abandon their lucrative heist plans and become the reluctant heroes when two of their hostages turn out to be psychotic killers who won't stop until everyone in the bank has been ruthlessly slaughtered. As the police surround the building and the killers begin methodically executing the hostages, the robbers enter into a deadly game of cat and mouse with their murderous criminal counterparts. Edward Furlong, Michael Madsen, Arnold Vosloo, and Bai Ling star in a thriller from Suburban Nightmare director Jon Keeyes. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Edward Furlong, Michael Madsen, (more)
The Eisner Award-winning comic series Sin City comes to life in this live-action feature adaptation from director Robert Rodriguez and creator Frank Miller. Interweaving multiple storylines from the series' history, this violent crime noir paints the picture of the ultimate town without pity through the eyes of its roughest characters. There's the street thug Marv (Mickey Rourke), whose desperate quest to find the killer of a prostitute named Goldie (Jaime King) will lead him to the foulest edges of town. Inhabiting many of those areas is Dwight (Clive Owen), a photographer in league with the sordid ladies of Sin City, headed by Gail (Rosario Dawson), who opens up a mess of trouble after tangling with a corrupt cop by the name of Jackie Boy (Benicio Del Toro). Finally, there's Hartigan (Bruce Willis), an ex-cop with a heart problem who's hell-bent on protecting a stripper named Nancy (Jessica Alba). Featuring a who's who supporting cast that includes Elijah Wood, Brittany Murphy, Devon Aoki, and Nick Stahl, Sin City promises to be one of the most direct translations from page to screen of a comic series, with shots and dialogue adapted straight from the original comic's panels. Rodriguez quit the Director's Guild when they refused to let Frank Miller co-direct the film, a deal hashed out after the two collaborators developed and shot the opening scene utilizing a green-screen process to harness the stark, black-and-white look of the books as a litmus test for the rest of the production. Quentin Tarantino was brought in and reportedly paid one dollar to direct an extended scene between Del Toro and Owen that amounts to one issue of The Big Fat Kill miniseries. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jessica Alba, Devon Aoki, (more)
A pair of wise cracking cops competes with a group of detectives to see who can become the first to break big in Hollywood. In the City of Angels everyone wants to be a star, even the police. Now, as the competition heats up to find out who will ascend to stardom and who will stick to the street beat, an all-seeing psychic with a keen eye for the future sends the quest for fame spiraling totally out of control. Michael Madsen and Erik Palladino star in an arresting showbiz satire from director Dean Alioto. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- 2005
The nine-episode inaugural season of the ESPN poker drama Tilt was heralded by a preview special, taking viewers behind the scenes of the production and detailing various important plot points (without giving away any significant twists or turns). The series proper, which lasts nine episodes, begins with professional gamblers Eddie (Eddie Cibrian), Clark (Todd Williams), and Miami (Kristin Lehman) tensely prepping for their high-stakes showdown with poker king Don "The Matador" Everest (Michael Madsen) at the World Poker Championships, which will be held at Las Vega's Colorado Casino, owned by the fiercely (one could say maniacally) honest Bart "Lowball" Rogers (Don McManus). Before the big game, Eddie tries to infiltrate The Matador's inner circle, hoping to pick up the great man's arsenal of strategies. The Matador likes Eddie's style and invites him to join his entourage, which sets Miami and Clark to worrying that their master plan to topple The Matador will be schneidered before it begins. Adding to the intrigue is the hot romance between Eddie and The Matador's daughter, Dee Everest (Amelia Cooke), and a murder investigation conducted by vengeful out-of-town sheriff Lee Nickel (Chris Bauer). Meanwhile, outside the poker arena, such unpleasantries as deceit, duplicity, and death constantly rear their ugly heads. And, can it be possible that the above-suspicion Lowball has actually allowed some cheating to pass by undetected in his establishment? Matters continue to develop in this same hectic pace until the final confrontation between The Matador and...who? ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michael Madsen, Christopher Bauer, (more)
In the midst of a bold military strike designed to end World War II before Christmas, a skilled team of special operatives are assigned the task of locating a hidden cache of Nazi gold in this tense wartime adventure starring Michael Madsen and Billy Zane. With 35,000 United States troops dropped behind enemy lines in German-occupied Holland, the top-secret team, code-named "Matchbox," sets out to claim the valuable booty and bring it back to aid the U.S. war effort. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Billy Zane, Roden Karel, (more)
When a weary detective on the verge of retirement begins receiving ominous messages from a sadistic serial killer determined to stir up the past, the stage is set for a deadly confrontation in an all-star crime drama featuring Michael Madsen, Gary Busey, Meat Loaf, and Michael Rooker. Years on the job have shown Detective Harrison (Michael Madsen) more horror than most normal folks would experience in two lifetimes. As Detective Harrison prepares to pass the baton on to the up-and-coming rookie poised to take his place in the police force, the murder of numerous underworld heavies leave the befuddled veteran and his younger protégé grasping for clues. When the killer begins taunting Detective Harrison with a variety of stealthy clues and grisly photographs left behind at the crime scenes, an unsolved case from the past threatens to bring the sins of the past out of the shadows and into the light of the present. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michael Madsen
From Jan Kounen, the French director of the violent cult actioner Dobermann, comes this loose adaptation of Jean "Mobius" Giraud's comic series Blueberry. Vincent Cassel stars as Mike Blueberry, a lawman whose past comes back to haunt him when his town is invaded by the nefarious Blount (Michael Madsen), the man responsible for his first love's murder. Led by a German con man by the name of Prosit (an unrecognizable Eddie Izzard), Blount and his crew search for an ancient treasure buried deep within Indian tribal grounds, while Blueberry and his Indian friend Runi (Temuera Morrison) race to keep the land sacred and stop the thieves by any means possible. Featuring Juliette Lewis and her father, Geoffrey Lewis, in supporting roles, the film sports a solid American cast that boasts an additional performance by Colm Meaney and a rare appearance by none other than Ernest Borgnine. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi
- Starring:
- Vincent Cassel, Juliette Lewis, (more)
Quentin Tarantino's sprawling homage to action films of both the East and the West reaches its conclusion in this continuation of 2003's ultra-violent Kill Bill Vol. 1. Having dispatched several of her arch-enemies in the first film, The Bride (Uma Thurman) continues in Kill Bill Vol. 2 on her deadly pursuit of her former partners in the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad, who, in a furious assault, attempted to murder her and her unborn child on her wedding day. As The Bride faces off against allies-turned-nemeses Budd (Michael Madsen) and Elle Driver (Daryl Hannah), she flashes back to the day of her deadly wedding, and we learn of how she was recruited to join the DiVAS, her training under unforgiving martial arts master Pai Mei (Liu Chia-hui), and her relationship with Squad leader Bill (David Carradine), which changed from love to violent hatred. Originally planned as a single film, Kill Bill grew into an epic-scale two-part project totaling more than four hours in length; as with the first film, Kill Bill Vol. 2 includes appearances by genre-film icons Sonny Chiba, Michael Parks, Larry Bishop, and Sid Haig; Wu-Tang Clan producer and turntablist RZA and filmmaker and composer Robert Rodriguez both contributed to the musical score. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Uma Thurman, David Carradine, (more)
This made-for-cable Frankenstein was originally intended as the pilot for a weekly series based on Frankenstein: The Prodigal Son, a novel by Dean Koontz and Kevin J. Anderson. The story is set in modern-day New Orleans, the home of demented scientist Dr. Victor Helios (Thomas Kretschmann). Helios is in fact the original Dr. Victor Frankenstein, who has kept himself alive these past 200 years by a series of diabolical genetic experiments. During the same two centuries, Frankenstein has managed to keep alive the original Frankenstein's monster, and has also created dozens of other synthetic humans capable of reinvigorating themselves whenever they are "killed." Of course, the doctor's experiments require that a number of innocent people unwillingly give up their own lives -- and when the bodies start piling up in the Big Easy, detective Carson O'Connor (Parker Posey) and Michael Sloane (Adam Goldberg) start putting the clues together. Ironically, in this story it is Frankenstein who is the villain (in standard serial-killer fashion he tantalizes the cops by planting cryptic clues), while the doctor's main monster is the nominal hero, and a good-looking one at that. Dissatisfied with the finished product, Koontz and Anderson took their names off Frankenstein, as did the project's original executive producer, Martin Scorsese. The unsold pilot film made its USA network bow on October 10, 2004. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Parker Posey, Vincent Perez, (more)
Perhaps the most highly anticipated film of 2003, Kill Bill Vol. 1 marked the return of renowned filmmaker Quentin Tarantino after a six-year hiatus. Re-teaming the director with Uma Thurman for the first time since 1994's Pulp Fiction, the film was originally the first half of what was to be a three-hour-plus movie before being split into two films. Thurman stars as The Bride, one-fifth of a team of assassins called DiVAS. When The Bride opts to leave the outfit for a life of marital bliss, it doesn't sit well with her boss, Bill (David Carradine), so he has her former cohorts, played by Lucy Liu, Vivica A. Fox, Daryl Hannah, and Michael Madsen, show up at the nuptials, leaving behind a blood bath. Miraculously, The Bride survives a bullet to the head and, four years later, she sets out for revenge against her four assassins and their employer. The story is concluded in Kill Bill Vol. 2, released six months later. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi
- Starring:
- Uma Thurman, Lucy Liu, (more)
Anarchic comedy veteran David Zucker directs hot young thing of 2003 Ashton Kutcher in the fast-paced romantic comedy My Boss's Daughter. Kutcher plays rookie executive Tom Stansfield, who wants to impress his demanding boss, Jack Taylor (Terence Stamp), and win the heart of said boss' conventionally attractive daughter Lisa (Tara Reid). In order to achieve these ends, he agrees to housesit at their palatial mansion for one night. Chaos ensues throughout the evening as rowdy houseguests show up with various means of disruption. Molly Shannon plays Jack's former employee Audrey and Andy Richter appears as Lisa's brother Red, who's on the run from nasty drug dealers. Cameos come from Carmen Electra, Ever Carradine, and the like. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ashton Kutcher, Tara Reid, (more)
- 2003
Action! is a 90-minute amalgam of choice clips from popular action films, peppered with interviews of the actors and filmmakers involved. Among the blockbusters represented herein are The French Connection, 48 Hours, Alien, Die Hard, Independence Day, Speed, and the "Indiana Jones" trilogy. Interviewees include Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sigourney Weaver, Keanu Reeves, Harrison Ford, and Jackie Chan, while topics of conversation include the "politics" of the ratings system and the copycat mentality of many Tinseltown action-flick producers. Narrated by actor Michael Madsen, Action! was unveiled on New Years' Day 2003 by the AMC cable service. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michael Madsen
- 2003
- R
- Add 44 Minutes: The North Hollywood Shootout to Queue Add 44 Minutes: The North Hollywood Shootout to top of Queue
On February 28, 1997, a pair of heavily armed and heavily armored outlaws named Larry Eugene Phillips Jr. and Emil Matasarenu, who had previously cut a crooked swath throughout the Los Angeles area as "The High Incident Bandits," botched the robbery of a bank in North Hollywood. The confrontation that followed has been described as the "most intense shootout in LAPD history," with the police and several SWAT teams trading gunfire with Phillips and Matareanu for three quarters of an hour. The made-for-cable 44 Minutes: The North Hollywood Shootout is an intense reenactment of this bloody incident, with Andrew Bryniarski and Oleg Taktarov as the bandits, and Michael Madsen, Ron Livingston, and Mario Van Peebles representing the forces of law and order. The final moments of the film includes on-the-spot video coverage of the actual incident. 44 Minutes: The North Hollywood Shootout originally aired over the FX network on June 1, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michael Madsen, Ron Livingston, (more)
Vince Vassar, an infamous Hollywood producer, thinks that the power he wields is limitless. But when he shuts his employee Sammy out of the multi-million dollar movie deal that Sammy brought him, the scorned assistant decides to eliminate Vince from the deal, and from every future one. Unfortunately, Vince's wife already has a plan for her husband's life and his money. Now a deadly web has been woven in which no one know who can trust whom. ~ Cammila Collar, Rovi
Pierce Brosnan makes his fourth appearance as suave super-spy James Bond in this espionage thriller, the 20th film in the official Bond series. While on assignment in North Korea, Bond is captured by government agents, where he's imprisoned and tortured for over a year. When Bond finally wins his freedom, not everyone is certain 007 is still capable of doing the job, but after Zao (Rick Yune), the North Korean operative who snared Bond, is discovered to be in cahoots with unscrupulous entrepreneur Gustav Graves (Toby Stephens), Bond is back on the case, and he finds the two men have sinister plans which could decide the fate of the world. As Bond hops from England to Cuba to Korea to Iceland in pursuit of his quarry, he (as usual) makes the acquaintance of two beautiful and mysterious women, Jinx (Halle Berry) and Miranda Frost (Rosamund Pike). Judi Dench and John Cleese return in Die Another Day as, respectively, Bond's superior M and gadget-master Q; Madonna contributes the film's theme song and makes a cameo appearance as a fencing instructor. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Pierce Brosnan, Halle Berry, (more)
- 2001
- R
- Add L.A.P.D.: To Protect and to Serve to Queue Add L.A.P.D.: To Protect and to Serve to top of Queue
A group of dirty cops are forced to cover for one another when a new officer joins the force in this police drama. Captain Ellsworth (Dennis Hopper) has to deal with Sam Steele (Marc Singer), an over-eager new cop who decides to move in on a bank robbery, rather than wait for backup as instructed. Thanks to Steele, the robbery quickly turns into a bloodbath. While Ellsworth and his men are working out how to discipline Steele, the new cop runs across some incriminating information -- a lieutenant on the force (Michael Madsen) is the ringleader of a gang of crooked policemen who are involved with a robbery scheme. Steele allows his silence to be bought, but the underhanded doings don't stay quiet for long. L.A.P.D. also features Charles Durning and Steve Bacic. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Marc Singer, Dennis Hopper, (more)
Navy SEAL Brascoe (Dan Andersen), is forced out of the service in disgrace after being framed by his partner Cody (Olivier Gruner) regarding a conflict gone wrong. Now a civilian without direction, Brascoe learns that his bad luck hasn't run out yet: His young son is dying from cancer and Brascoe needs $5 million to finance a radical new treatment that may save his life. Brascoe asks an arrogant billionaire, Baker (Michael Ironside), for a donation, but is stiff-armed by burly body guards. Desperate for the money, Brascoe rounds up a gang of crack thieves -- including Sparks (Michael Madsen) and Brady (Grand L. Bush) -- to steal the cash from Baker. The heist completed, Brascoe's men are slaughtered one at a time -- but it's not by a vengeful Baker. ~ Buzz McClain, Rovi
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