Reviews (85)

Based on a true story....
Working undercover as a jewel dealer Joe Pistone (Johnny Depp) earns the trust of Lefty Ruggiero (Al Pacino). Lefty vouches for Joe and brings him into his mob family. What was supposed to be a three-month assignment for Joe turns into several years. Joe begins to drift away from his own family and deep into the mob. He and Lefty form a strong bond and a father son relationship. When the investigation is coming to an end Joe realizes that his only way out of the mob is to betray his friend.

The film is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. It is a very nice transfer the only flaw I noticed was a hint of grain occasionally. A Dolby Digital 5.0 audio track is provided. The surround speakers are hardly used. When they are its mostly only for music. With a movie like this that is mostly dialogue its understandable. This special edition DVD has several extras. The highlights are a director's commentary, two featurettes, deleted scenes and trailers. The featurette titled "Donnie Brasco: Out of the Shadows" was excellent. It gives a lot of background on the film and contains several interviews with the cast and crew. The deleted scenes are nice to see but I can understand why they were cut from the film.

For those of you thinking this is just another mob movie, you are wrong. Instead of showing the top of the crime family tree like many other films this one shows the bottom. It shows soldiers that are scraping at the bottom of the barrel and are just trying to make ends meet. This is a film that stands on its own on many levels. It was perfectly cast with Johnny Depp, Al Pacino, Michael Madsen and Anne Heche. If you like mob movies or just fine acting this is one film you need to see.

A Mobster Masterpiece Worth Watching Over and Over Again
Based on a true story that is so amazing and shocking, "Donnie Brasco" is a fantastic film that hooks you from start to finish. With stars like Al Pacino, Johnny Depp, Michael Madsen, and many more, this is a movie that should be seen by all.

FBI Joseph D. Pistone is an undercover agent who's goal is to get into the violent and unpredictable mob world. He goes the by name of Donnie Brasco. Soon he is discovered by Lefty Ruggiero, who sees potential in the kid, not aware of who Brasco really is. He brings him into the family and the world of the Mafia. It doesn't take long for Joseph to get so deep into the action that he starts to become one of them. This unforgettable picture shows us that sometimes you can become what you chase if you're in too long, and that in order to catch a monster you may become one yourself in the process.

I became addicted to this film in no time. It's one of my favorites that I have seen over and over again, and it hasn't gotten old yet. The acting and directing is all fantastic. Al Pacino really shines, as always, and Johnny Depp gives an Academy Award performance as the FBI agent. He actually spent time with the real Joseph Pistone to get his character down, as he did when he was working on "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas." Michael Madsen is also terrific and can once again send chills down our spines just as he did in "Reservoir Dogs."

This new special edition of the DVD is much, MUCH better than the original. First off, the sound and picture quality has really improved. Especially the picture; it looks a lot better than the first version that came out. There are also a lot of extras, including features such as director's commentary, and exclusive featurette, the original featurette, deleted scenes, trailers, and more. The featurettes are very interesting and makes the DVD that much more special. A very high quality special edition, if you ask me.

All in all, "Donnie Brasco" is an outstanding picture on all fronts. Filled with drama and suspense, this is a film that will take you deep into the world of the Mafia. The only question is how far would you go? And would you risk becoming one of them when it's all said and done? Excellent all the way!

More of the Same
There are so many great mafia/mobster movies out there. This aint one of them. Slow and preachy. Pacino plays a schmuck and Depp's character must have rocks in his head for going undercover. Kind of dull.

Finally we know what 'fuggedaboudit' means
Donnie Brasco is based on a true story but it is still gripping. Donnie Brasco is the alias of Joe Pistone, an undercover agent. He joins the mob as a help of Lefty played by Al Pacino. Pacino again plays a great mobster. This time as just a spoke, and sometimes not very smart.

But DB gets so involved that he does not know on which side he is, that is what loyalty does to him. Even his marriage is almost falling apart.

Depp and Pacino are of course brilliant as ever and this is another great maffia movie like Goodfellas are the Godfather.

Great Movie
Al Pacino learns what its like to be Fredo Corleone in this movie..being stepped on, stepped over, getting no respect, and finally getting killed by people he trusted...he plays a loser trying keep his head above water with great conviction. Johnny Depp holds his own on the screen and gives another great performance as well.. ... Read more

Reviews (601)

Seriously underrated horror film.
Watch this movie back-to-back with Brett Ratner's "Red Dragon" and you'll understand what separates a great director from a pedestrian one. Ridley Scott has crafted a classic horror film. A film that, despite justifiable complaints about the "easy way out" ending, leaves a surprising amount of the novel's surreal mayhem intact.

Dark cinema fans should embrace this one. It's not often you get a true horror film with a dazzling cast (Hopkins, Giancarlo Giannini are incredible, and Julianne Moore doesn't make us forget about Jodie, but makes the best out of a tough situation).

Oldman's portrayal of Mason Verger makes the film, however. Pathetically evil, obsessed with revenge -- it's impossible to take your eyes off him. The opening sequence of the movie (where Verger purchases Hannibal memorabilia) is a delightful intro. Verger's self-mutilation flashback is jarring and surreal.

The Grand Guignol gore style of the movie has been seen by some as laughable. I thought it was quite disturbing, the absurdity adding another dimension of terror to the film. Like all great horror films, as a viewer, you're not sure just how far into nightmare territory this one will go (particularly if you haven't read the book).

If only DeLaurentis had chosen a worthy successor to direct Red Dragon, the Lecter trilogy would've easily been the best horror cinema series ever.

While "Silence" is clearly the biggest crowd pleaser of the bunch, and a very sophisticated thriller, my heart is with Hannibal. It's absolutely beautiful to look at, holds up amazingly well under repeated viewings, and never shies away (until the very end) from the novel's most appalling elements.

Good horror flick. Bad Hannibal Lecter movie.
Hannibal is one of those sequels that continues from the original, but completely changes the story line. The Silence Of The Lambs was a drama about entering the mind of a serial killer with the help of a past one. Hannibal is just about tracking down a serial killer. This was definatly made to be a horror movie, not a suspense drama.

Hannibal picks up awhile after The Silence Of The Lambs. In the first film, Hannibal breaks out of prison torwards the end of the film not to kill again, but to retire and live a normal life. But now Dr. Hannibal Lecter(returning Anthony Hopkins), is about to come out of retirement to hunt again. But only Clarice Starling(Juliane Moore replacing Jodie Foster) knows enough about him to track him down and catch him.

The plot is simple, nothing near the plot of Silence Of The Lambs, the acting is not bad but definatly not at its best(Anthony Hopkins still plays his role rather well, but could have done better). The only thing I could say was rather good was the directing from Ridley Scott(Alien, Gladiator, Black Hawk Down). But other than that, fans of horror movies will probably enjoy this much much more than fans of The Silence Of The Lambs, like myself.

"Hannibal" runs for a little over 2 hours. It is rated R for very strong gore and gruesome violence(some may not even be able to handle the some of the extreme gore), some strong language, and disturbing images.

Disappointing, floundering follow up
When Thomas Harris wrote Hannibal, it was a safe bet that a film wouldn't be far along. Silence of the Lambs director Jonathan Demme and star Jodie Foster declined to take part in Hannibal claiming they found the story distasteful; so director Ridley Scott (Black Hawk Down, Gladiator, Alien) and actress Julianne Moore (replacing Foster as FBI Agent Clarice Starling) were brought into this disappointing follow up. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins reprising his Oscar winning role), now living the life of luxury in Italy, finds himself on the run from Mason Verger (an unrecognizeable and uncredited Gary Oldman), a former patient who at Hannibal's advice peeled off part of his face. Meanwhile, Clarice finds her career on the downward spiral as she as used as bait by Verger to lure Lecter out of hiding. The suspense can't hold up to that of Silence of the Lambs (movie or book that is) and Scott's direction, even though he gives it his own slick look, is disappointing. Moore, as good an actress as she is, can't hold a candle to Jodie Foster as we find the once strong willed but vulnerable Clarice be more of a victim here than anything else. Finally, Hopkins just isn't scary anymore as Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lecter. That alone is probably the worst part of the film, and while Hannibal isn't necessarily bad, it's one of the most disappointing films to be released over the past few years. The cast also includes Francesca Neri, Frankie Faison, and Ray Liotta in the film's most infamous scene.

Great, not completely accurate, but very good.
The film is based on Thomas Harris' third installment in the "Hannibal Lecter Series" (Although, Hannibal Lecter is only a major character in one book.) The movie's ending was completely different than that of the book. WARNING: IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE BOOK, AND WANT TO, DO NOT READ THE NEXT SENTENCE! In the book, Lecter basically brainwashes Starling and takes her as his wife and moves to South America. WARNING OVER

Hopkins' acting was not as good as it was in "Silence of the Lambs," but it's very good. Julianne Moore's performance was not as good as Jodie Foster's.

The movie excluded the character Margot, Mason Verger's lesbian sister. I think she greatly enhanced the story's progress. In the movie, anything Margot did that was pivotal to the story (basically, just pushing Verger into the pigpen) Verger's personal doctor did.

Basically, if you're just looking for an amazing movie, DON'T pick this up, if you're looking for a gory movie, pick it up. If you're looking for a good sequel to an amazing movie (Silence of the Lambs.)

Mediocre yet oddly satisfying
Let's face it: "Hannibal" is nowhere near as good as "Silence of the Lambs" (I'm talking movies, not books). To quote Charter, "Far-fetched and gory." Plus it fails to capture Lecter's true intentions toward Starling (as brotherly or fatherly, not romantic). Yet, somehow, the film is oddly satisfying, and I find myself draw to it whenever it's on. The mix of operatic score during chaotic scenes is strangely effective (similar to the ethereal tracks during intense scenes in the LOTR series of films). So, no, it's not a great movie, and Lecter's behavior is sometimes "out of character," but the movie is satisfying nonetheless. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Jonathan Harr's nonfiction bestseller was a shot in the arm for those seeking more than last-minute heroics akin to a John Grisham thriller. Here was a labyrinthine case involving industrial pollution by two highly regarded corporations,contaminated drinking water, and the deaths of innocent children in New England, circa 1981. The case has hundreds of twists and takes our hero--a steady, respectable lawyer named Jan Schlichtmann--and turns his life into personal disaster. Instead of celebrating the law, the story is a maddening and rewarding look at the elusiveness of the courtroom case.

Steven Zaillian, who won an Oscar for adapting Schindler's List and directed Searching for Bobby Fischer, boils Harr's 502-page book into a complete, satisfactory film experience. Book readers will no doubt jeer the streamlining Zaillian had to perform to make the movie flow. Most changes can be quickly defused with the exception of the film's portrait of Schlichtmann. The lawyer has been turned into a movie star, an ultra-slick, cold-hearted gentleman who finds his purpose in working the case. Casting a stalwart John Travolta again diverges from the book, which right from the opening pages showed us a Schlichtmann with feet of clay. As Schlichtmann's partners (including William H. Macy and Tony Shalhoub) descend into the case, the unbridled sense of power and money is abandoned. This case is ultimately about survival.

Zaillian provides an excellent narrative for the sordid facts of personal injury suits, in which money is the only reward for lost or broken lives (deftly introduced in the film's opening scene). Zaillian also stays away from dwelling on the illness of the children involved, focusing on the gaunt faces of the parents who survive (Kathleen Quinlan, James Gandolfini) in controlled anguish. His evil characters--an industrial plant's owner (Dan Hedaya) and a corporate lawyer (another fine acting spin by director Sydney Pollack)--are so human it's terrifying. Zaillian's final ace in the hole is Oscar-nominee Robert Duvall. Perfectly cast as Travolta's opposition, Jerome Facher, Duvall steals scenes with the abbreviated dialogue; he turns a fancy settlement meeting into a farce with one line. Facher is not a callous, love-to-hate-him lawyer like James Mason in The Verdict. Facher represents the law at its brilliant foundation: to best represent one's client. With a taped-together briefcase and dry humor, Facher, not Schlichtmann, is the character who captures us by the film's end. --Doug Thomas ... Read more

Reviews (58)

Riveting and Powerful Cinema - An Eye-Opener for All
This is the most incredible movie ever made about trying a wrongful death case and the accompanying emotional roller coaster the process generates for attorneys. The opening scene will plant you firmly in your chair as Jan Schlichtmann (played by John Travolta) explains the financial calculus behind accepting and declining potential clients with personal injury claims. Jerome Facher (played by Robert Duvall) is infuriating with his unending legal maneuverings designed to extract his corporate client from an untenable legal position permeated with liability. The traitorous conduct of Schlichtmann's partners will make you wretch with disgust as they scramble to save themselves at the expense of righting a terrible wrong evidenced by a dozen dead children. Engrossing, to say the least.

Yes, the movie isn't perfect. Travolta's portrayal of Jan Schlichtmann doesn't completely mesh with the character in the book, there isn't a practicing attorney alive who doesn't know Rule 11 (court-imposed sanctions for unethical conduct), and the legal proceedings aren't quite right. Who cares? If the director had included the day-to-day minutiae involved in getting a case to trial, the film would have been three years long! My fellow reviewers are unreasonable in their unrelenting critiques.

If you're involved in the legal profession, this film will make you step back and reassess your brand of client representation. Are you taking the right cases? Are you serving the needs of you clients - or yourself? Are you willing to give your all to the law? Interesting, and always stimulating, food for thought.

If you're a lay person, hold on - you're in for the ride of your life.

Well-adapted story with terrific acting
After recently reading Jonathan Harr's book A Civil Action, I eagerly awaited seeing the movie version of this sad and absorbing story. The film version condenses the story and leaves out several interesting portions of the book, but is fine nevertheless. John Travolta is a perfect choice to play Jan Schlichtmann, the egotistical, free-spending attorney who dives headfirst into a damages case against the corporate giants Beatrice and W.R. Grace, who are accused of poisoning the drinking water of Woburn, Massachusetts and causing a leukemia outbreak. William H. Macy, Tony Shalhoub, and Zeljko Ivanek co-star as Schlichtmann's partners in the firm, and one only wishes that they would have protested his actions, which led to the financial ruin of him and his firm.

Robert Duvall gives another terrific performance as Jerome Facher, Beatrice's attorney, who is the complete opposite of Schlichtmann. In a scene at a fancy hotel conference room, the frugal Facher is not impressed by any of the lawyers or their arguments, but the free pen that he can take home. It's a subtly funny scene that illustrates Facher perfectly. John Lithgow does a terrific job as Judge Walter Skinner, who Schlichtmann believes is siding with the enemy.

A Civil Action is a story where the winners and losers are unclear, and it must have been difficult for writer-director Steven Zaillian to condense Harr's technical-laden novel. The result is a solid drama with powerhouse acting. Highly recommended.

Intelligent and Compelling Courtroom Drama
Jan Schlichtmann (Travolta) is a Boston tort lawyer and something of an ambulance chaser who is initially reluctant to take on an industrial pollution case involving some children dead of leukaemia in rural New England. He changes his mind when he realizes the likely defendants are a couple of big companies with particularly deep pockets and smells the possibility of serious money. Over time, however his interest in the case becomes a moral obsession. The cynical becomes a crusader, refusing offers to settle as his company's finances spiral downwards towards bankruptcy.

If you like courtroom dramas, this is highly recommended. It's one of the best specimens of the genre to come out of America since 'The Verdict'. It's interesting to compare it to 'Erin Brockovich' released a couple of years later. EB is about how a heroic small timer takes on the big boys of corporate America and how her pluck and determination triumphs over all obstacles, something of a legal feelgood movie in other words. Which this, to its great credit, is not. Its central character, for starters, is far more amibivalently likeable: initially just out for a fast buck, moral seriousness has to creep up on him and take him by surprise (perhaps reminding writer/director Zaillian of Oskar Schindler whose story he scripted for Spielberg a few years earlier) and the story's development paints a significantly more ambivalent picture of what pluck and determination can accomplish. It's a highpoint of Travolta's acting career even if he is comprehensively upstaged by Robert Duvall, on brilliant form as his quietly cynical adversary, bigshot lawyer Jerome Facher who knows far better than to look for the truth in a courtroom...

The book is SO MUCH BETTER
The movie is fine... but the book is an amazing read. There is so much detail and nuance lost in the adaption to a visual medium.

A Civil Travolta
This is a really good film that didn't get near the attention it should have. A great story, a terrific premise and plot. And Travolta nails his performance as a man faced with the dilemna of doing the "right thing" at great personal expense, or walking away with what he has left. This is a morality play of sorts and Travolta is the conscience of us all. We're thrilled when he triumphs; we breathe a sigh of relief and unclench our fists. Yet, we probably wouldn't have blamed him if he had walked. A nice film. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Based on Thomas Harris's novel, Jonathan Demme's terrifying Silence of the Lambs really contains only a couple of genuinely shocking moments (one involving an autopsy, the other a prison break). The rest of the film is a splatter-free visual and psychological descent into the hell of madness, redeemed astonishingly by an unlikely connection between a monster and a haunted young woman. Anthony Hopkins is extraordinary as the cannibalistic psychiatrist Dr. Hannibal Lecter, virtually entombed in a subterranean prison for the criminally insane. At the behest of the FBI, agent-in-training Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) approaches Lecter, requesting his insights into the identity and methods of a serial killer named Buffalo Bill. In exchange, Lecter demands the right to penetrate Starling's most painful memories, creating a bizarre but palpable intimacy that liberates them both under separate but equally horrific circumstances. The Silence of the Lambs won 1992 Oscars^® for best picture, actor, actress, director, and adapted screenplay.

Ten years later in Hannibal, Dr. Lecter (Hopkins) is living the good life in Italy, studying art and sipping espresso. FBI agent Clarice Starling (Julianne Moore, replacing Foster), on the other hand, is now a quiet, moody loner. A botched drug raid results in her demotion--and a request from Lecter's only living victim, Mason Verger (Gary Oldman, uncredited), for a little Q&A. Little does Starling realize that the hideously deformed Verger is using her as bait to lure Dr. Lecter out of hiding. Taking the basic plot contraptions from Harris's baroque novel, Hannibal is so stylistically different from its predecessor that it forces you to take it on its own terms. Director Ridley Scott adeptly sets up an atmosphere of foreboding, but it's all buildup for anticlimax, as Verger's plot for abducting Dr. Lecter doesn't really deliver the requisite visceral thrills, and the much-ballyhooed climatic dinner sequence wobbles between parody and horror. Hopkins and Moore are both first-rate, but the film contrives to keep them as far apart as possible, when what made Silence so amazing was their interaction. When they do connect it's quite thrilling, but it's unfortunately too little too late. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Solid thriller combo.
The Silence of the Lambs-Probably the most genuinely disturbing psychological thriller ever made, Silence of the Lambs is a must see, but its dramatic power, dark insight into the human psyche, and ugly violence (most of which is implied) ensures it's unlikely you'll watch this film more than once. But on a first viewing, almost nothing matches this thriller's heart-pounding suspense, from Hannibal Lecter's attempted escape to the literally dark climax. Howard Shore's foreboding score adds nicely to the intense atmosphere.
**** 1/2 out of *****

Hannibal-This underrated sequel looks and feels quite different from its predecessor. It has no intention of excelling as a pyschological thriller, but neither is this a straight through-and-through gorefest. Certainly entertaining but hardly mind-blowing, Hannibal is at least visually stylish and unpredictable, if not also somewhat silly.
*** 1/2 out of *****

Two GREAT, GREAT movies on wonderful special edition DVDs!
While it is a bit sad that all four Hannibal the Cannibal classics will most likely never be released in a box set, I can understand it because of the different companies who have made the movies. This box set, however, is quite excellent. I myself feel that The Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal are both equally brilliant and deserve a place in any person who calls himself a movie buff's collection.

The Silence of the Lambs was director Jonathan Demme's academy award winning 1991 classic. The success of the film, however, should not only be attributed to the director, because it was the work of the cinematographer, editor, writer, set director and, most of all, brilliant actors. Jodie Foster -IS- FBI agent Clarice Starling, brilliant, young, attractive (well, not really) and tough. Foster perfectly displays the emotions that go through her character and her growth throughout the picture. Some of my favorite scenes were where she discovers Buffalo Bill (the way she yells "freeze" is great!) and when she stands up to a crowd of men and orders them out of the room where an autopsy is taking place. Anthony Hopkins completely deserved his academy award as Hannibal. His portrayal of Hannibal and his personality was quite interesting. The way I see it, Hannibal is quite a nice gentlemen, but has a very large problem, that being his love for the taste of human flesh. I think you can tell from his scenes with Clarice Starling what a polite person he is. He might ask some personal questions, but the way he talks is courteous and friendly, if a bit intense. The cinematography of the film is fabulous, too. Clarice's descent into Lecter's holding cell is expertly handled, and the near final sequence with Clarice and Buffalo Bill is almost unbearably intense, thanks also to some wonderful music by Howard Shore. All in all, The Silence of the Lambs is a classic thriller which will live forever and deserves a place in everyone's collection.

The controversial sequel, 2001's Hannibal, is really quite an underappreciated piece of brilliant cinema. Ridley Scott is in top form as director here. The movie is overloaded with style of every type. Slow motion, overhead views, stylish flashbacks, sped up film, intense action and a brilliant use of classical music all add up to create an extremely memorable viewing experience. As for actors, they are all perfect. I was surprised to not think once about how well Julianne Moore was doing in comparison to Jodie Foster, and that was because she was equal to Foster. Rather than copying Foster's performance in The Silence of the Lambs, Moore makes the character her own. The Clarice of this film is meaner, more cynical and has a much smarter mouth than Foster's Clarice. This is because Hannibal takes place ten years after The Silence of the Lambs, so naturally, she wouldn't be such a goody goody, follow-the-rules woman. Anthony Hopkins steals the show as Hannibal. He is just as great as in the previous movies. In this film, Hannibal is free and loose, and from Hopkin's great acting, you can tell how much he treasures his freedom. Just look at how he sips his brandy and his cappachino. I loved that Lecter was free to do what he wanted in this film. Critics like Roger Ebert didn't seem to, and felt it took away from his mystery and creepiness. As much as I love Ebert, I must disagree. Having Hannibal out of the mental home was a work of genius and added a ton of creepiness to the flick. I have read Thomas Harris' novels The Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal and feel that both movies do the books extreme justice, and, unbelievably, outdo them. In the case of The Silence of the Lambs, the movie version very accurately portrays the book version. Hannibal, however, was changed quite a bit. One part of the book I really liked that is nowhere in the film was Mason Verger's lesbian, body building sister, Margot. Also, Mason's love of terrorizing kids wasn't shown much in the film. The ending was suprmemely changed, but believe it or not, I liked the movie ending better. Hopkin's and Moore's performances in the finale are pitch perfect. Nothing removed from the book lowered my love for the film.

This set comes with two fantastic special editions. On The Silence of the Lambs, we find two documentaries, one old and one new, with the latter being quite fabulous. There are twenty minutes worth of deleted material. Some stuff was worthless and some stuff was very good, like one where Clarice is suspended by the FBI (Krendler's hate of her is set up for the sequel). There's also a rather funny phone message Anthony Hopkins left on his answering machine. Finally, posters, TV spots and a trailer are presented. The movie is in excellent 1:85:1 anamorphic ratio and has great 5.1 surround sound. The sequel is a fully laden two disc extravagenza which includes commentary by Ridley Scott, a very long documentary, 38 minutes of deleted and extended scenes, trailers and an "anatomy of a shootout" feature. Also presented in 1:85:1 anamorphic widescreen and with really good 5.1 surround sound. If there is any problem with these DVDs, it is the fact that the The Silence of the Lambs disc has almost none of the features found on the Criterion DVD, which included what I hear was an excellent audio commentary. It sounds like Criterion has a real problem with passing over any special features to a different company, so I can't blame MGM.

Overall, both of these films are masterpieces and the set is great. Also pick up Manhunter and Red Dragon on DVD from Anchor Bay and Universal.

If you found my review helpful, please vote for me. Thank you.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm having an old friend for dinner. Ta ta.

A Thrilling DVD Collection
1992: "Silence Of The Lambs" struck a chord with audiences, causing them to visit their therapists more often, it was said, and people became fans of Anthony Hopkins' portrayal as the elegant, intellectual, charming but psychotic cannibal ex-therapist Hannibal Lecter. Based on the novel by Thomas Harris, the movie won a host of awards, including best picture. Jodie Foster portrayed the novice FBI agent Clarice Starling, whose chemistry with Hopkins was what carried the weight of the film and made it an Oscar winner.

On DVD, the experience is very thrilling and state-of-the art. Silence Of The Lambs still sends chills down our spines, and engages us in a disturbing world of madness, tinged with cynical humor and engrossing conversations between Hopkins and Foster. Anthony Hopkins is Hannibal Lecter, the former therapist turned cannibal and criminal. It's undoubtedly Anthony Hopkins' trademark role and one that he will be remembered by. We are unnerved when Hannibal Lecter first meets Clarice Starling in the dungeon of the prison, where he confesses that he once "ate a man's liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti". To extract information revolving the transvestite skin-collector Buffalo Bill, Clarice must reveal deeply personal and traumatizing events from her childhood. She recalls running away from an abusive home only to witness the slaughter of innocent lambs in a farm house. The memory continues to haunt her and is reawakened by the hypnotic power of Dr. Lecter. The movie ends with the capture of Buffalo Bill and Clarice Starling's promotion. But Dr. Lecter manages to escape his cell and vanishes into Italy. Which brings us to the next film in the collection, the sequel, also based on the book by Thomas Harris. The follow-up "Hannibal".

2002: Ten years after the release of "Silence Of The Lambs", and ten years after the plotline of that particular film, we find Clarice Starling in a precarious situation. She has been demoted during a violent incident and is still haunted by memories of Dr. Lecter. A lonesome woman, she receives letters from Dr. Lecter, who (like old times) wishes to help Clarice get her career going again and capture another notorious psychotic killer. Dr. Lecter has been living a comfortable and reclusive life in Florence, Italy, a city which had always enchanted him. In Florence, Lecter attends operas, plays Bach's "Goldberg Variations", sips champagne and yes, still hungers for human flesh. Clarice and another agent (played by Ray Liotta) attempt to foil Dr. Lecter's machinations, but are captured and imprisoned in the dining room of Starling's home. In a disturbing sequence, Dr. Lecter, Starling and the FBI agent eat a dinner with the main course being the agent's own brain. Dr. Lecter manages to escape once again.

Most recently, the pre-quel to the events in "Silence Of The Lambs" was released, based also upon the successful Thomas Harris novel "Red Dragon". Red Dragon is still to be released on DVD. These films are the perfect "thriller" collection, each with its own striking features, plus interviews with the actors and director. For fans of the Thomas Harris novels and fans of the films, this is a genuinely superb gift.

Good Movie, Good guy Lecter
I honestly think this is a good movie, but their are a few things that bother me. For one, besides when he hung the one guy, Hannibal Lecter is more of one of the good guys in this movie. Lecter has some sort of skill to make people do what he wants, He even made Mason's helper throw Mason into a lair of boars and Clarice helps him escape.

Brilliant Anthology
Although Hannibal may not have been nearly as good as the first I still thought Ridley Scott did a great job of directing it and The Silence of the Lambs was also very very good and had great acting all around. Be sure to check out Red Dragon it's as good as The Silence of the Lambs! ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Life Everlasting
Whilst the final episode of the seventh season of Homicide: Life on the Street bookended the show - starting and ending in the same place - loose ends, or rather one very long loose end, was left dangling.

Homicide: The Movie picks up some months after the show ended and it's all change. Al Giadello want to be the Mayor of Baltimore, Gharty is the new shift commander, Bayliss uncertain of his future, is on a sabbatical. It's not giving away much to say that Gee gets shot and squad members past and present return to catch the shooter.

After the disaster of Season 7, the prospect of former cast members of the calibre of Andre Braugher, Ned Beatty and Melissa Leo was more than welcome. Sadly squeezing in so many past characters leaves many with little to do, whilst the main (and rather thin) plotline of Gee's shooting is just an excuse to get Braugher and the excellent Kyle Secor back on screen together. Not that that's a bad thing.

Watching familiar faces and listening to the long missed banter of the detectives reinforced the view that Homicide was strangely overshadowed by inferior, and less intelligent shows like NYPD Blue, and that it never quite got the credit it deserved.

Homicide: Life Everlasting
Homicide: Life Everlasting was the perfect way to wrap-up the show which lasted for 7 seasons on NBC. This two-hour movie originally aired during the month of February of 2000, reunites new and old member of the cast...some more than others in a very clever and subtle way.

The basic plot of the movie goes like this: Former Lt. Al Giardello of the Homicide Unit is running as a mayoral candidate for the city of Baltimore(or as pronounced in the actual city Bawlmer). Gee is shot while giving a speech at the Inner Harbor. He is rushed to the hospital and enroute to the hospital scenes are cut back and forth between each former or current Detective of the Homicide Unit who are informed of the incident including Andre Braugher(Det. Frank Pembleton)who has given up being a cop to teach and Kyle Secor(Det. Tim Bayliss)who had taken a leave-of-absence from the unit at the end of the series.

Other former members of the squad making appearances in the movie are Reed Diamond(Det. Mike Kellerman - now a P.I.),Melissa Leo(Sgt. Kay Howard), Richard Belzer(Det. John Munch), Clark Johnson(Det. Meldrick Lewis), Isabella Hoffman(Megan Russert), and Max Perlich(J.H. Brodie). Gee's son Mike Giardello also appears in the movie as a beat(street)cop after he left the FBI at the close of the series.

This movie is a must see for die-hard fans of the show longing to see former cast members that actually made the show great. And to leave you on an intriguing and interesting note: The ending is a complete SHOCKER!!! Don't miss out on getting this movie for anything in the world. It's the perfect thing for any die-hard Homicide fan and a movie no Homicide fan should be without.

Urban Tradgedy
This proved to be a worthy, if not tragic, ending for what diehard fans called "The Best D**n Show on Television." Being one of those fans, I was torn. On the one hand, I honestly felt "Homicide" didn't need a wrap-up movie. The ending of the televsion series, I thought, was about as satisfying as we fans were going to get under the circumstances.

On the other hand, well, it was my favorite show, for cryin' out loud! I wanted to see how the creators would put it to rest.

BTW, for those of you who didn't keep up with the televion series, this is NOT the DVD to start with! Start with "Seasons I and II" and work your way up!

Back to the review: The storyline is as follows: Al Giardello, former Homicide Unit L-T, is now running for Mayor of Charm City (On, if you can believe it, a drug legalization platform) and has a very impressive lead, that is until he's gunned down while giving a speech. All cast members are reunited as they struggle to investigate the shooting of their beloved "Gee" as he lies in intensive care.

At times, the writing is only mediocre and there are moments when the movie seemed preoccupied with giving every single reunited cast member a line or a scene. Nonetheless, the shocking and sad ending was worth every minute and has some incredible acting from Kyle Secor and Andre Braugher.

I wouldn't want to give anything away save this: the writers don't take the usual route and certainly do not wrap everything up with a "happily ever after" ending. And, looking back on the series, it makes all the sense in the world.

HOMICIDE
This is quite a good made for tv movie unlike the law and order movie (Exiled) WHICH SUCKED! i watched this show because it was a 2 part with law and order and i became as obsessed if not more than with law and order, there are NO bad not a 1, at least not the main characters. I wish this show hadn't been cancelled, i guess it was just to real and profit lacking, and not enough violence...i like how this show wasn't the solve the crime in an hr formula, and there is more than 1 set of detectives, with enough time for all, and still just enough time for sub-plots unlike NYPD which is 100% sub-plots...i cannot wait for the rest of the seasons!!
my favorite episodes (that i have seen)
Fire (1 and 2)
sniper (1 and 2)
Subway
the white glove murders (1-3)
justice (1-2)
three men and Adena
crosetti
the last of the watermen
happy to be here
gone for goode

P.S. Bring this mother****er back! lol dont we wish...

"Who's the fourth chair for?"
Returning on occasion to the job I left almost three years ago, and which I held for over four years, I am constantly reminded of how much things change. And the feeling of awkwardness and unease still permeates throughout each and every one of my visits. The place looks different. Many, if not most, of the faces have changed. Life has moved on without me there. Watching "Homicide: The Movie" evokes much the same feeling within me. The TV movie was produced only a short half-year after the series ended production, yet so much was different. The result is somewhat jarring, yet still acceptable. Life does, indeed, move on. Why should "Homicide" be any different?

The major driving force behind "Homicide: The Movie" was to reunite as many of "Homicide: Life on the Street's" cast members as possible. How does one accomplish this? The answer comes in the form of having a man that many of the characters liked (or at least respected) get shot down. Former Lt. Al Giardello (Yaphet Kotto) is running for mayor of Baltimore, when he is gunned down at a rally. He is rushed to the hospital, and news of his brush with death spreads quickly throughout the area. Soon, every single one of the living detectives who had worked in the Homicide unit during the series' run have returned to the squad room. Much has changed since the time that they were there. Only one of the show's original characters, Meldrick Lewis, is still an active detective in the unit. Stu Gharty, a man many people did not respect, is now the shift lieutenant. The squad room is painted blue. And Jason Priestley (of 90210 fame) has joined the cast as a brash, new detective.

The detectives (old and new) begin to investigate the shooting of Al Giardello. John Munch & Stanley Bolander (Richard Belzer & Ned Beatty) re-unite and work together, as do the popular Frank Pembleton & Tim Bayliss (Andre Braugher & Kyle Secor). If there is a problem with "Homicide: The Movie", it is that in its quest to bring together the over 20 regular and semi-regular (as well as guest-starring) members of the cast of the original show, the usage of that cast is spread very thin. In fact, as it was when the series was on the air, the plot basically revolves around Pembleton & Bayliss. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as they are two of the show's strongest characters. It is simply a matter of time allowance. It had been years since Ned Beatty had been on the show, and perhaps a bit more time devoted to his character wouldn't have been such a bad thing. Or that of Melissa Leo's strong role as Sgt. Kay Howard (another favorite). At any rate, it was interesting to see everyone come back together again, one last time -- even the "dead" characters.

There are some twists and turns in "Homicide: The Movie", as well as a couple of surprises. One of them is semi-predictable, if you'd followed the series up to its final episode. Still, it is devastating. The plot line of investigating Giardello's shooting progresses well enough, although sometimes it feels haphazard, as certain scenes are thrown in, simply for sake of providing something for each of the cast members to do. The last few scenes, once the shooting is solved, provide both a nice, and a not-so-nice coda for the characters that fans of the show grew to know and identify with over the series' seven season run.

In the end, "Homicide: The Movie" seems concerned with wrapping things up, and with tidying loose ends left over from the final episode. I'm not sure whether or not I like this. In many ways, the last episode left things in a way which seemed more natural. Not every answer was solved, not every character's destination was known. Now, with "The Movie", we have almost more answers and finality than I find desirable. It made me pine for the show's early years, when it was simply a deep, gritty, and heartfelt cop show. Ah, those were the days. ... Read more

Reviews (882)

Scott gets the look, as usual
[This review speaks mainly to the film, not the 3-disc special edition release]

Black Hawk Down is a tough movie to qualify. It's visually amazing--this is some of the best combat I've seen in a movie. It's thrilling, it's realistic, it's exciting. I wouldn't exactly call this an anti-war film because it depicts war as the ultimate thrill, a real game of real bullets and blood. Yes, it's hell, but with Ridley Scott directing it looks like a very, very good video game.

I don't know why this movie was made. There is no political leaning, there is very little context. It's a blow by blow account of what happened when over 100 Army Ranger and Delta Force soldiers were stuck in a hostile part of Mogadishu, Somalia in late 1993. The enemy, as to be expected from a Jerry Bruckheimer film, is given no identity. They are throngs of Africans, many of them kids, firing round after round and coming like swarms of bees even as they get cut down by the superior US firepower.

The problem is that the movie goes to very impressive lengths to play out this story. The production is huge--the battle scenes, the city scenes (filmed in some bombed-out-looking part of Morocco apparently), the gunplay, etc. This is an expensive film, and I have to wonder why the money and resources go into something like this if there is nothing to say. Then it becomes pure entertainment, which is all the film turns out to be. That's fine, but again, once in a while it would be nice to inject some intelligence into a project that obviously commanded so many other resources and considerations.

Why was America in Somalia? Granted, that is not the concern of the film, but some kind of context for the war, the rebels, the aims of the mission, the pov of Somalis who were killing to negotiate, as one Somali says in the only behind-the-scenes bit in the film, would have put the film over the edge and actually made the audience ::gasp:: think about why America fights where it does.

There's also the obligatory war film clichés that are just hard to stomach when we know that these are real soldiers being trivialized for the popcorn crowd. Tom Sizemore, as a veteran and tough-as-nails McKnight, goes back into the fray to rescue more men and walks calmly through the street as bullets ricochet around him, like Robert Duvall in Apocalypse Now. Modern movie special effects can simulate rockets blowing people apart, literally, and leg wounds being operated on with someone's bare hands, muscle and sinew and all. It is typical of Hollywood today: they have limitless resources, but those resources (being able to shoot a film as visually and technically impressive as this) serve a story that could use a bit more tweaking and humanization. But the filmmakers are
not interested in that angle.

It would be nice to know why Mogadishu is hell on earth, with hordes of enemies tearing people out of helicopters and raining rockets on American soldiers. Yes, the soldiers were brave, they were highly trained, but the mission was a disaster, and it does the real story a disservice to portray it as just another chapter in American gung ho-ism. Also, the single most memorable bit of that real story was the body of an Army Ranger being dragged through the streets by an angry mob that spit on him, and much worse. That was a disturbing bit of footage for Americans to watch. Would that have been more tasteless than showing an RPG rocket stuck in someone's side? Massive, gaping wounds? Missing legs? Why clean up real events and their aftermath for the sake of a night out at the movies? Maybe they should put their mouths where the money is.

Make no mistake--I couldn't turn this film off. It's exciting; it made me want to play Ghost Recon or one of those games. It also made me want to find out more about this grim chapter in President Clinton's tenure as Commander in Chief, even though it was his predecessor who landed troops there when he was a lame duck. Somalia was an embarrassment, an event that told America we were no longer willing to sacrifice men--18 as compared to over 1,000 Somalis killed in battle--in some foreign wasteland. The film is not enlightening in that regard. It's exciting, it's Jerry Bruckheimer, folks. Watch it and decide for yourself.

It looks like they went to very impressive lengths to put this out on DVD, as expected with a production like this. Definitely worthwhile to pick up, as multiple commentaries, deleted scenes, and other goodies sweeten the deal.

A Special Operation
It's about time! Sony Pictures finally got around to releasing a deluxe edition DVD of director Ridley Scott's magnificent fact-based war thriller "Black Hawk Down". Fortunately, it's well worth the wait; sporting three discs with every concievable extra feature, it could well be the best DVD package I've ever seen.

Possibly the finest of all pure war pictures and unquestionably the best movie ever made about the Special Forces, "Black Hawk Down" recounts the fierce battle that ensued in Somalia on October 3, 1993 during a mission by the Army's Rangers and elite Delta Force operators to capture two lieutenants of a repulsive warlord.

The film presents a raw, vivid dramatization of the fight, with graphic depictions of violent death on both sides. The difference is that Scott, unlike many of his contemporaries, mostly manages to steer clear of sentimentality, preachiness and jingoism (no small feat when you're making a war movie). Understanding the need for occasional breaks in what is essentially a two-hour-long battle scene, Scott also injects a little comic relief in the form of three lost Rangers and some other great little moments (my favorite is the part where Sgt. Eversmann, played with surprising vigor by Josh Hartnett, has to pause in the middle of battle to pull a scalding-hot spent shell casing from inside his uniform; little details like that are cinematic gold).

The first disc has the film along with three outstanding audio commentaries: one from Scott and producer Jerry Bruckheimer; one from screenwriter Ken Nolan and Mark Bowden, author of the original book; and, most interestingly, another by four actual veterans of the battle, who expand on true elements of the story and comment on some of the film's technical innacuracies ("This scene is really cool - too bad it never really happened").

Disc two features a 150-minute "making of" featurette that explores just about every facett of the production, including technical accuracy, CGI effects and footage of the actors at Ranger boot camp.

Disc three has two absorbing documentaries about the battle from the History Channel and PBS's "Frontline". There's also a feature that allows you to watch the fast-roping insertion scene from multiple camera angles and some Q & A sessions with the filmmakers and actors. There's a nice moment in one of these sessions in which Jason Issacs, who plays the aptly named Capt. Steele, comments on how "BHD" actually made him a better person: "After knowing what these soldiers went through, you feel a bit embarrassed complaining about the size of your trailer."

"Black Hawk Down", simply by virtue of its adherence to telling the story as it happened (as much as is possible, at least, within the confines of a 2 1/2 hour movie), is much more military-friendly than many of the artsy war pictures that depict soldiers as victims or, even worse, as psychopaths. It's also a far cry from the simplistic "super soldier" flicks of the 1980s that stressed a comic book mentality over respect for what real American warriors have endured over the centuries. "Black Hawk Down" is a profoundly patriotic movie, but its patriotism is more subtle, mature and real. The only American flags you really see are patches sewn onto the right shoulder of the troops' uniforms. The flag is backwards, so that the stars are closer to the soldier's heart.

A True Horror Film
It just doesn't get any better than this. I've seen this film 4 times & it never ceases to astound me. The acting is exceptional, Ridley Scott is directing here at the peak of his powers & Pietro Scalia should have received an Oscar for the outstanding editing job. The film itself functions more like a rocket ride than just a war film. The word visceral comes to mind. Violent? Frightening? Absolutely! But to demonstrate the true impact of war, for the soldiers & for us, there is no alternative. I noticed a fellow customer said this film is better than SAVING PRIVATE RYAN; am I the only one who noticed the huge hole in that film's storyline? Move over THREE KINGS, FULL METAL JACKET, THE THIN RED LINE...BLACK HAWK DOWN may just be the greatest war film ever made. Why? Because a war film isn't just bullets & the terrible death of comrades. Ridley Scott has shown us the true horror. I know it will haunt my dreams......

Great War Movie
I recently bought the DVD for this movie and I have to say that I'm blown away by the movie about the operation to capture Adid in Mogadishu, Somalia in October '93. This movie is very accurate in showing the realities of combat and I think that this is a movie that will really convey to people what it's like to fight and die not only for their country, but for each other.

I highly recommend this movie to anyone who wants to know about what it's like in the heat of combat and the courage and fortitude of our soliders.

Best Film of Post-WW2 Combat
Prior to "Black Hawk Down", "Apocalypse Down" was hands down my favorite non-World War II war movie. Time and distance works wonders, and Ridley Scott proves he can film modern combat, like sci-fi ("Alien") with the best of them.

This is a post Private Ryan film, which means that the street combat scenes are jumpy, erratic, and extremely violent. But like Spielberg, Scott does not lose sight of character development, particularly Harnett's character who becomes marooned with his "stick" of Rangers overnight in the centre of Mogadishu surrounded by thousands of screeming, RPG-toting Somalis who can use cell phones to mobilize and direct their forces. The movie builds like "Alien", to the point where it becomes incomprehensible that anyone is going to get out alive. The movie does not take sides when commanders sacrifice four or five soldiers to save one - it just happens.

Some reviewers have referred to the book as a "novel" - it is not. This battle really happened, but once we left Somalia (or were pushed out, depending on your point of view) it got quietly shunted aside as a bad sideshow until Mark Bowden wrote his book of the same title, which is a MUST read for people who loved the movie (it goes into greater detail of the Ranger culture and background politics). Lots of lessons abound for our current escapade into Mesopotamia.

Sizemore, who is also in "Private Ryan", is by leaps and bounds the best hard-nosed NCO anywhere. Ewan McGregor, who has had to suffer through Lucas' recent disasters, gets to demonstrate his versatility. Harnett is terrific.

No review should pass up the incredible sound, which demands a 5.1 system and heavy on the subwoofer. The soundtrack (with the exception of the vaguely Celtic ooh-ahhs at the end) is the best I recall of any war movie. ... Read more

Description

Whoopi Goldberg (SISTER ACT I & II, EDDIE) handles business her own way in this outrageous comedy hit! Whoopi plays a fast-track executive who starts her own company after a back-stabbing co-worker (Tim Daly, TV's WINGS) nabs her promotion. But when she's locked out of the stuffy corporate world, she invents a dazzling male business partner to sell her ideas! Her wacky plan soon spins wildly out of control, however, when her bogus "associate" becomes Wall Street's hottest financial whiz -- and Whoopi herself must impersonate him! With Dianne Wiest (THE BIRDCAGE) in a hilarious supporting cast, THE ASSOCIATE is a comedy treat you're sure to love! ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Great Movie
Whoopi Goldberg stars in THE ASSOCIATE, a humorous movie about the stock market and a woman finding her way. She plays Laurel Ayers, a stock broker who is promised a promotion. When her co worker takes her promotion right from under her, she is determined to make it on her own. She quits and starts her own company. To her dismay she finds out that it's not easy making it in the world as a woman, doors are constantly slammed in her face because of her gender, so she sets out to take the world over by storm, by creating a fictional person, Robert Cutty. Yes she creates a man and even dresses up as one. Cutty takes the world by storm, but Laurel has to keep up with her charade. Eventually she realizes that Cutty has been nothing but trouble for her, no one cares about what SHE has been doing, and a man is still getting all the credit for her ideas. So she sets out to kill a fictional man that doesn't exist! She realizes she is no better than she was, because Cutty is getting credit for all her work and ideas. ...Overall a really humorous and well acted film, worth seeing many times.

Very Entertaining!
I truly love this movie! I have been trying to get it on DVD eversince I first watched it in March 1997 on my way to the UK. Whoopi Goldberg's acting is convincing but I liked Dianne Wiest's supporting role. A very entertainingly funny plot will keep you laughing most of the time through the whole movie.

He Look-a-Like-A-Man!
I must have seen this movie about twenty times or more! Each time I viewed it, I discovered something new in the movie!I loved
when Whoopi finally got a break-through and was given an account to prove her worth as a business woman! Women are still looked down in 2002 in many fields!The White Male is still given every thing over the Black woman and the white woman! Opray was the frist African American woman given close to a billion in revenue, we're cousins by the way Opray and I! No, really!!

viewing the movie helped me to make many successful deals without feeling like a helpless female!

Anyway Whoopi plays a guy as well as she does a girl! Five stars for you Whoopi!

Not a Great Comedy but Sometimes genuine humor film.
Wall street analyst (Oscar-Winner:Whoopi Goldberg) cannot survived in the World Business Men. So, she sets up with a Phony Fictitious business male partner and she decide to dress herself as a Man!

This Comedy is a Remake from a French 1982 film. Goldberg is Quite Good in the lead. Great suppoting cast:Including-Two Time Oscar Winner:Dianne Wiest, Eli Wallach, Timothy Daly, Bebe Neuworth, Austin Pendleton and Lainie kazan. Directed by Donald Pertie (Grumpier old men) has made a good comedy but he has made funnier films that this one. Grade:B.

Badly acted; not very entertaining
Any one who has the faintest inkling of how Wall St works will find this movie a joke. I can't believe the other reviews giving four or five stars. I was very disappointed with the whole thing. Whoopi seems very uninvolved in her acting. The movie just drags and drags. Many of the so called comic scenes are very contrived. ... Read more

Reviews (34)

Washington and Ryan in a Gulf War "Rashomon"
The basic plot line of "Courage Under Fire" is that Lt. Col Nathaniel Sterling (Denzel Washington) is investigating an incident during the Gulf War to determine whether or not the Medal of Honor should be awarded to Captain Karen Walden (Meg Ryan). It does not take us long to find out that the title of this film refers to both Sterling and Walden. The initial story on Walden, the pilot of a rescue helicopter, is that she made a spectacular rescue of a downed helicopter crew, then fought off attacking Iraquis after her own copter crashed, dying right before they were rescued themselves. But as Sterling questions the surviving members of Walden's crew, he discovers their various versions do not jive, and he begins to question what is the truth. Moreover, Sterling is haunted by his own actions during the Gulf War, where he was responsible for a "friendly fire" incident that resulted in the death of American soldiers. To complicate matters, Sterling is drinking too much, has grown distant from his family, and is being hounded by a commanding officer who wants the P.R. value of Walden receiving the medal and a reporter who knows something of what happened to the Colonel in Iraq.

"Courage Under Fire" makes excellent use of the "Rashomon" technique, wherein we get to see each person's version of what really happened in Iraq. Sterlings own feelings of guilt and responsibility for what happened in Iraq provide an additional level of depth to the narrative (more so than in Kurosawa's original classic film in fact). Some may find the parallel attempts to find redemption to be somewhat heavy handed, but ultimately the film succeeds because of the solid acting performances. In addition to Washington and Ryan, who knew have a scene together, there are solid performances from Lou Diamond Phillips and a very underweight Matt Damon as surviving members of Walden's crew, Michael Moriarity as the General, Scott Glenn as the reporter, and Regina Taylor as Sterling's wife. Certainly this film is closer to the reality of Desert Storm than "Three Kings," but the main enjoyment here is watching Ryan and her crew do the same lines with totally different meanings because of radical changes in context while Washington tries to find meaning in his own life.

Very Good
On the surface this was a good movie. Denzel Washington must investigate the situation surrounding a medical chopper being shot down and if the commanding office of that chopper, Meg Ryan, should receive the medal of honor. She would be the first woman ever to receive this decoration, and it would be posthumously. Denzel's character receives conflicting information and is determined to get to the bottom of what is going on. The cast is rounded out by Lou Diamond Phillips, Matt Damon and a few other familier faces.

Under the surface this becomes a better movie. Denzel's character is struggling with a friendly fire incident he was just involved in and is willing to take responsibility that the Pentagon will not allow him. His inner struggle is a fine secondary story line and as any good soldier would do he is doing without the help of his family (his wife is trying to help) or his friend and commanding officer (whom he will not turn to).

An excellent insight into human emotion, the conflict of war, the battle of the sexes and one man's struggle to do what is right. A worthwhile addition to any DVD library.

Good movie, compelling story...
Courage Under Fire stars Denzel Washington, who plays a very convincing LTC Nathaniel Sterling, a tank commander in the Gulf War; and Meg Ryan as a CPT Karen Walden, a pilot killed in action during the Gulf War who is considered for recommendation for the Medal of Honor, the first woman to be considered for this award.

Meg Ryan appears in the movie only in several of the numerous flashbacks. The movie revolves around two storylines: the facts behind the death of Meg Ryan's character, CPT Walden, and the life of LTC Sterling who has the unfortunate assignment to uncover what really happened when CPT Walden was killed.

Throughout the movie, LTC Sterling must face his own demons, including a drinking problem, difficulties with his wife, and a Washington reporter hounding him for information on the story he's researching.

Lou Diamond Phillips and Matt Damon also appear in the movie, both of whom portray soldiers who witnessed the events that led to CPT Walden's death.

Good, involving story
Yes, I praise the film for its veracity and the qualities of the various members of the cast. But, let's remember the only woman who has ever been awarded the Medal of Honor in all the
history of the award, Dr. Mary Edwards Walker, of Civil War fame.
Don't lose sight of the real thing!

Big-name stars: A great story, brilliantly acted.
First off, the time for this review is a little off. (09/2003) Right now the "anti-war" crowd seems to hold sway ... at least in the media. But take it from a former soldier, this is a great and very realistic story about what happens under fire.
(War ... IS ugly. But perhaps September 11th, 2001 taught us there are some battles you should not run away from.)

You should also read a few of the other reviews about this movie, they are very well-done.

This story is about Denzel Washington's character (Sterling) who is assigned to investigate a dead helicopter's actions after their aircraft went down in the first Gulf War. (1990) The deceased helicopter pilot is Meg Ryan's character (Walden); she gets precious little screen-time in this movie ... it is perhaps the only criticism I can think of that is valid.

I don't need to tell you the rest of the details, story and technique of this film, other reviews do this as well as anyone possibly could. What I do have to offer is a word about the acting of this movie.

Normally Denzel Washington plays action characters, and Meg Ryan almost always seem to do a comedy/drama about a woman in love. Here both actors are engaged in a radical departure from their normal fare.

I don't know how many Oscar's this film was nominated for, (and I don't really care, Oscar's seem to be as much about politics as anything else); but Washington, Ryan, and Damon all give performances that are quite worthy of this award. And the rest of the cast is very good as well. I would personally like to say that this film could have easily been the best picture of the year, and the actor's could have easily walked away with several statues. The director could have won an Oscar as well.

In the end, you are irrevocably drawn into the story and live it, just as you should be with a really good film. My only word of warning is that this is a real tear-jerker, the end of this one could have you crying like a baby.

There are few films that I would recommend to anyone, this movie is definitely one of those. (Of course you have to put the kids to bed, some of the words, action, and violence are not really suitable for children.) A+ ... Read more

Reviews (52)

One of the most underrated movies in the world
A group of teenage boys learn discipline, courage, and what it's like to stick together as a unit as they aboard the Albatross and ride it out into the great wide open in the Caribbean. Whether they're there because their parents want them to grow up and learn responsibility, or whether they're there because they want to be, they will all learn the comraderie, the hardships, and everything else that goes along with traveling to sea. All of the good and the bad must come together when the Albatross runs into a white squall, a MAJOR storm at sea.

How could anybody not love "White Squall"? There are a lot of great movies about going out to sea, and "White Squall" is up there with the best of them. It's not like "Crimson Tide", "U-571", and those; it's a spectacular coming of age film that has nothing to do with war. Scott Wolf, Ryan Phillippe, and the rest of the crew do a good job of acting, and Jeff Bridges does the best of all in portraying the sternness, yet warm-hearted character that is the Skipper.

If you're a fan of coming of age movies like "Stand By Me", and if you like very entertaining movies that explore the hardships of life to a tee, get "White Squall" right NOW! It's one of the best movies you've never heard of. Example line from the movie: "I don't want it to end. I don't want to go back to what I was before I came here: anonymous".

One of the best films ever! Action packed!
I think that White Squall is one of the best movies ever. Ryan Phillipe and Scott Wolf were the perfect picks to play the main roles. It tells the story of a group of boys who go on an adventure on an older ship for the summer. They travel the world. The great thing I think about this movie is it is a true example of what friendship really is. These boys come on the ship as total strangers, and end up as friends that would risk there lives for eachother. Belive me if there was ore than a five star rating, White Squall would surley get it! I think anyone who could direct such a wonderful film is a maraculus person with a heart of gold. Thank you, Ridley Scott, for showing the world what a real movie should be!

1 of the most stupid films ever
First of all, the characters all look alike and the names aint mentioned often so u dunno which guy is which. Since i gotta do a report on dis movie it aint much help. Its unrealistic in sum parts- like y aint any1 wearin life jackets when da ship is sinking??!?!?! Also. it aint very original

Squall scores
Bridges is a captain of a ship and he is on the highseas with his shipmates. other actors include Caroline Goodall, John Savage, Scott Wolf, Ryan Phillippe, Jason Marsden and Jeremy Sisto. an exceptional cast makes this one special and Bridges cares for his mates. a powerful movie

So Cool- It'll Blow you away!!
This movie was excellent- i couldn't think of anything better to say. We watched tha movie at school and we thought it would be really crappy but it turned out to be excellent. I still think that they could have designed the ending with the tornado a bit better i mean Life Jackets woud have been great even though none of the survivors drowned. I felt really sympathetic towards Alice because she was locked in an airtight room and she sunk to the bottom of the ocean with the ship, she didn't drown she would have died a grueosome death from starvation and dehydration. But overall i thought it was great, you could feel everything they did. ... Read more

Reviews (41)

Powerful
"Just when you think you know something, you have to look at it from a different perspective"- John Keating, 'Dead Poet's Society'. School Ties is not your typical story of Anti-Semitism. It gives you both sides; the Jew and those who can't get beyond it.
David Greene is accepted by his peers at Prep School, but he is never truly at ease because he can't let his guard down. This movie is excellent at showing how fast people can turn on you, and how true it is that people put up facades. This movie really tests true friendship. It tests loyalty as well. Once his secret is out, most of his friends turn on him... he is almost expelled from school because of the injustice of having no one believe him. Finally, one person is able to see how wrong it is... but the movie is just a series of powerful moments about betrayal, love, honesty, and differences. Everyone should watch the movie once to see how ugly hate can be.

good cast and story
Brendan Fraser stars as David Green, a 1950s working-class boy from Pittsburgh who has the chance to attend one of the best prep schools in the country on a scholarship, thus giving him a shot at attending Harvard. When he arrives, he is surrounded by a bunch of great guys whom he deems his friends ... as long as he hides the fact that he is Jewish.

David Green becomes the nemesis of Charlie Dillon (Matt Damon) early in the movie by being a better dancer and capturing the interest of Charlie's blonde thoroughbred date, Sally, played by Amy Locane in one of her only big roles. Charlie, who has attended the school for years, feels put out by this popular newcomer and when he finds a chance to bring him down, he goes for it full-force.

When racial slurs and hate crimes abound, the boys are divided between their personal friendships and loyalties and doing the right thing. This is made more interesting by the fact that they are only teenaged boys, who have all lived a privileged life amongst those exactly like themselves, so their struggle to empathize and feel from someone else's perspective is more difficult, and their varied responses are interesting, especially when David's personal and social future at the school hangs in the balance.

good message..good movie
Brendan Fraser(Mummy 1 and 2,Glory Daze) in one of his more better roles, plays David Greene, a Jewish kid who gets into a wealthy college as a star quarterback..there he meets his new friends, Dillon-MattDamon(Dogma, Glory Daze, Good Will Hunting), Randall Batinkoff(The Peacemaker and Buffy The Vampire Slayer), Anthony Rapp(A Beautiful Mind), Ed Lauter(Pythopn, Not Another Teen Movie), Ben Affleck(Glory Daze, Dogma, Good Will Hunting), Jayce Bartok(Suburbia, Spider-man, Swing Kids) and Chris O'Donnell(Batman Forever, Batman and Robin, 29 Palms) and David hides his ethnicity and then Damon finds it out and then chaos ensues...Fraser delivers a promising performance and so does Damon as the evil preppy rich kid who wants it his way..some good moments and not so much good moments..all in all its a movie not to be missed

Everything and Nothing
"School Ties" provides an excellent tale of the truth about the nostalgic past--about the polite and not-so polite hostility towards those perceived as inferior, dressed up in elegant as well as not-so-elegant surroundings. It is a story dealing mostly with people who appear to have every advantage in life and every opportunity for generosity towards others, but who are empty and bigoted. They choose to hate and to influence others in their circle to rail against the object of their hatred.
Through it all Brendan Fraser carries himself with grace and dignity. He plays David Greene, a poor Scranton, Pennsylvania kid who is given a rare opportunity to better himself at a Massachusetts prep school in 1955. The film begins with a view of his tough neighborhood, and an alleyway brawl between himself and a few local anti-Semites. Soon afterwards, with last-minute advice from his father he arrives at St.Matthew's, a calm and stately academic environment where he becomes fast friends with the popular students, which include a congenial Chris O'Donnell as Chris Reece, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck in an early joint appearance as Charlie Dillon and Chesty Smith, Andrew Lowrey as the vulnerable McGivern, Cole Hauser as the charismatic Jack Conners, Randall Batinkoff as the courageously honest Rip Van Kelt, and the cold and distant Anthony Rapp as Richard "McGoo" Collins.
The boys enjoy music, football games, and playing pranks on the French teacher together(An early scene of Fraser making noises like an ape during one such prank seems to have paved the way for him to play George of the Jungle a few years later) . But Greene is soon exposed to his classmates' feelings about Jews, as well as those of Headmaster Dr. Bartram, played by Peter Donat, who barely covers his feelings with polite and restrained turns of phrase.
David proves to be a worthy classmate and student, standing up for his friends when they are wronged, even by authority figures, winning friends with his unprentiousness and wit, helping his team win football games, and winning the heart of Charlie Dillon's friend, Sally Wheeler.
An ethereal and angelic Amy Locane, who has the classic looks of a '50s model, has this part. During her initial appearance at a school dance, her striking beauty stands out from that of the other girls, and she is definitely at her most radiant and most demure in her scalloped off-the-shoulder velvet dress, dancing at a country club to a Rodgers and Hart (not Rodgers and Hammerstein, of course) tune . But in a way, her role is one of the most tragic because she leaves one with the sense that she might have been willing to accept David or anyone who has earned the right to be liked, regardless of origins, but has to surrender a potential love interest because of the predjudices of her family and friends. If we had to imagine a future for her, we might find her in a loveless marriage with someone whose religious background met her family's approval rather than a happy marriage with someone whose religious denonimation they were vehemently against.
We see the academic pressure put on these students and how their strong desire to live up to their families' expectations results in their stooping to subterfuge. David suffers various setbacks after he is exposed as a Jew, which happens partially because the envious Charlie Dillon lashes out in frustration. He challenges his schoolmates to face up to their real feelings about him, inspiring some of them to overcome their predjudices, and standing up to one authority figure who covertly and not so covertly encouraged the students to adopt such an attitude.
Greene's biggest moment of triumph in the film comes as he walks across the campus after a profound moment of truth, rather symbolically adjusting the collar of his coat against a cold world, having battled a few of its injustices, and looking a little taller than the many young men from whom he otherwise appears no different, with his future vast before him.

Disgusted!
Anti-Semitism, an evil that has killed millions, is an extremely serious subject. That this silly film claims to deal with it, is disgusting. All this is, is a cute little story of good-looking young American boys in their perfect American world. And more than that, it was just an excuse to have some soft erotica in the completely non-sequitir and perplexing nude shower fight. (Are men who are militantly proud of their heterosexuality really going to hold each other naked in the shower?) ... Read more

Description

The Superbit titles utilize a special high bit rate digital encoding process which optimizes video quality while offering a choice of both DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1 audio. These titles have been produced by a team of Sony Pictures Digital Studios video, sound and mastering engineers and comes housed in a special package complete with a 4 page booklet that contains technical information on the Superbit process. By reallocating space on the disc normally used for value-added content, Superbit DVDs can be encoded at double their normal bit rate while maintaining full compatibility with the DVD video format. ... Read more

Reviews (882)

Scott gets the look, as usual
[This review speaks mainly to the film, not the 3-disc special edition release]

Black Hawk Down is a tough movie to qualify. It's visually amazing--this is some of the best combat I've seen in a movie. It's thrilling, it's realistic, it's exciting. I wouldn't exactly call this an anti-war film because it depicts war as the ultimate thrill, a real game of real bullets and blood. Yes, it's hell, but with Ridley Scott directing it looks like a very, very good video game.

I don't know why this movie was made. There is no political leaning, there is very little context. It's a blow by blow account of what happened when over 100 Army Ranger and Delta Force soldiers were stuck in a hostile part of Mogadishu, Somalia in late 1993. The enemy, as to be expected from a Jerry Bruckheimer film, is given no identity. They are throngs of Africans, many of them kids, firing round after round and coming like swarms of bees even as they get cut down by the superior US firepower.

The problem is that the movie goes to very impressive lengths to play out this story. The production is huge--the battle scenes, the city scenes (filmed in some bombed-out-looking part of Morocco apparently), the gunplay, etc. This is an expensive film, and I have to wonder why the money and resources go into something like this if there is nothing to say. Then it becomes pure entertainment, which is all the film turns out to be. That's fine, but again, once in a while it would be nice to inject some intelligence into a project that obviously commanded so many other resources and considerations.

Why was America in Somalia? Granted, that is not the concern of the film, but some kind of context for the war, the rebels, the aims of the mission, the pov of Somalis who were killing to negotiate, as one Somali says in the only behind-the-scenes bit in the film, would have put the film over the edge and actually made the audience ::gasp:: think about why America fights where it does.

There's also the obligatory war film clichés that are just hard to stomach when we know that these are real soldiers being trivialized for the popcorn crowd. Tom Sizemore, as a veteran and tough-as-nails McKnight, goes back into the fray to rescue more men and walks calmly through the street as bullets ricochet around him, like Robert Duvall in Apocalypse Now. Modern movie special effects can simulate rockets blowing people apart, literally, and leg wounds being operated on with someone's bare hands, muscle and sinew and all. It is typical of Hollywood today: they have limitless resources, but those resources (being able to shoot a film as visually and technically impressive as this) serve a story that could use a bit more tweaking and humanization. But the filmmakers are
not interested in that angle.

It would be nice to know why Mogadishu is hell on earth, with hordes of enemies tearing people out of helicopters and raining rockets on American soldiers. Yes, the soldiers were brave, they were highly trained, but the mission was a disaster, and it does the real story a disservice to portray it as just another chapter in American gung ho-ism. Also, the single most memorable bit of that real story was the body of an Army Ranger being dragged through the streets by an angry mob that spit on him, and much worse. That was a disturbing bit of footage for Americans to watch. Would that have been more tasteless than showing an RPG rocket stuck in someone's side? Massive, gaping wounds? Missing legs? Why clean up real events and their aftermath for the sake of a night out at the movies? Maybe they should put their mouths where the money is.

Make no mistake--I couldn't turn this film off. It's exciting; it made me want to play Ghost Recon or one of those games. It also made me want to find out more about this grim chapter in President Clinton's tenure as Commander in Chief, even though it was his predecessor who landed troops there when he was a lame duck. Somalia was an embarrassment, an event that told America we were no longer willing to sacrifice men--18 as compared to over 1,000 Somalis killed in battle--in some foreign wasteland. The film is not enlightening in that regard. It's exciting, it's Jerry Bruckheimer, folks. Watch it and decide for yourself.

It looks like they went to very impressive lengths to put this out on DVD, as expected with a production like this. Definitely worthwhile to pick up, as multiple commentaries, deleted scenes, and other goodies sweeten the deal.

A Special Operation
It's about time! Sony Pictures finally got around to releasing a deluxe edition DVD of director Ridle