Actor Gene Hackman (1930)

The American comedy-drama film, The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), was directed by Wes Anderson and co-written with Owen Wilson. In the film, Royal Tenenbaum informs his three teenage children, Chas, Margot, and Richie, about his impending separation from his wife Etheline. Each of the children had achieved impressive accomplishments at a young age. Chas was a genius in both math and business, but Royal would often steal money from him. Margot, who was adopted, had received a grant for a play she wrote in ninth grade. Meanwhile, Richie excelled as a tennis prodigy and artist ...

Heist (2001) is an American heist film written and directed by David Mamet. The story follows Joe Moore, the leader of a team of skilled thieves consisting of Bobby Blane, Donnie ‘Pinky’ Pincus, and Joe’s wife Fran. During a jewelry store robbery in New York City, Joe’s uncovered face is caught on camera as he attempts to distract the store’s last employee. Knowing that both the photo and a witness can identify him, Joe decides to retire from crime and escape with his wife on their sailboat. However, this doesn’t sit well with Mickey Bergman, Joe’s fence who runs a garment ...

The sports comedy film The Replacements (2000), directed by Howard Deutch, centers around a professional football league that is facing a players’ strike with only four games remaining in the season. In response, the league’s owner, Edward O’Neil, reaches out to his former coach Jimmy McGinty and asks him to return and coach the Washington Sentinels for the rest of the season. O’Neil informs McGinty that winning three out of the four remaining games will secure their spot in the playoffs. However, McGinty agrees to return on one condition – that he has full control over selecting his own players ...

Antz (1998) is an American animated adventure comedy film from DreamWorks Animation and Pacific Data Images. The story follows Z, an anxious worker ant who struggles with feelings of insignificance in the colony. Even his therapist reminds him of his supposed meaningless existence. One night at the local bar, Z meets Bala, the princess of the colony who also seeks refuge from her stifling royal life. As the ant colony prepares for war against a termite invasion, Z sees this as an opportunity to see Bala again and switches places with his friend Weaver to join the army. There, he befriends staff sergeant Barbatus while remaining unaware of General Mandible’s ...

The film Enemy of the State (1998), directed by Tony Scott, follows Senior NSA Assistant Director Thomas Reynolds as he meets with Congressman Phil Hammersley in a public park. The two discuss a controversial counterterrorism bill that would greatly increase surveillance powers of American intelligence agencies over individuals and groups. However, Hammersley remains steadfast in his opposition to the bill, arguing that the potential benefits are not worth sacrificing the privacy rights of ordinary citizens. On the other hand, Reynolds is determined to see the bill passed in order to secure a long-awaited promotion. He ...

Absolute Power (1997) is an American political action thriller film starring Clint Eastwood as a master jewel thief who witnesses the killing of a woman by Secret Service agents. In Washington, D.C., Luther Whitney breaks into the mansion of billionaire Walter Sullivan, only to find himself in hiding when Sullivan’s wife Christy arrives for a drunken rendezvous with Alan Richmond, the President of the United States. From his vantage point behind the bedroom vault’s one-way mirror, Whitney watches as Richmond becomes violent and Christy defends herself by wounding him with a letter opener. The situation ...

Get Shorty (1995), an American gangster comedy film directed by Barry Sonnenfeld and written by Scott Frank, is based on Elmore Leonard’s novel of the same name. Ernesto ‘Chili’ Palmer, a loan shark and movie enthusiast from Miami, faces trouble when his leather jacket is taken by rival mobster Ray ‘Bones’ Barboni. In retaliation, Chili retrieves it and breaks Bones’ nose. However, Bones later tries to ambush him at his office, only for Chili to shoot first and graze Bones’ ...

The movie Crimson Tide (1995), directed by Tony Scott and produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, is an American submarine action thriller. An opening title card introduces the three most influential figures in the world: The U.S. President, the Russian President, and the captain of a U.S. nuclear submarine. In post-Soviet Russia, a civil war breaks out due to ongoing conflict in Chechnya. Loyal military units of Vladimir Radchenko, a Russian ultra-nationalist rebel leader, seize control of a nuclear missile ...

The American Western movie, The Quick and the Dead (1995), was directed by Sam Raimi. It takes place in Redemption, a town in the Old West, where the notorious outlaw-turned-mayor John Herod reigns supreme. He has declared a single-elimination shooting tournament with specific rules: any contestant can challenge another, no challenges can be declined, each player must fight once daily, and a match ends when one person yields or dies. The Lady, a skilled gunslinger, enters the competition solely for the large cash prize. While sign-ups are underway, Herod’s henchmen appear with Cort, an ex-member of their gang ...

The American epic biographical Western drama film, Wyatt Earp (1994), was directed and produced by Lawrence Kasdan and co-written by Kasdan and Dan Gordon. As a teenager during the American Civil War, Wyatt lived on his family’s farm in Pella, Iowa while his older brothers served in the Union Army. He attempted to join them by lying about his age but was caught by his father. After the war, his brothers returned home with James being severely injured. The family then relocated out west. One day, Wyatt witnessed a man ...

Geronimo: An American Legend (1993) is a historical Western film directed by Walter Hill and written by John Milius. It loosely chronicles the events leading to Geronimo’s surrender in 1886. The renowned healer reluctantly agrees, along with his fellow Apache, to settle on a reservation designated by the American government under the Indian Removal Act. Despite their efforts to adjust, many of the Apache struggle to let go of their traditional lifestyle while the government fails to fulfill its promise of protecting tribal lands from encroachment by American ...

Sydney Pollack directed The Firm (1993), an American legal thriller. Mitch McDeere, a top Harvard Law School graduate, is offered a lucrative position by boutique law firm Bendini, Lambert & Locke in Memphis, Tennessee. He and his wife Abby relocate there as he prepares for the Tennessee bar exam. Mitch receives guidance from senior partner Avery Tolar on the firm’s strict values of loyalty, confidentiality, and high fees. Despite the enticing perks such as a new house, a Mercedes-Benz, and paid-off student loans, Abby resents the firm’s interference in employees’ personal lives. Despite working long hours, Mitch passes the bar exam but this ...

Unforgiven (1992), an American Western film, was both produced and directed by Clint Eastwood himself. Set in Big Whiskey, Wyoming in 1880, the storyline follows a cowboy named Quick Mike who inflicts permanent disfigurement on prostitute Delilah Fitzgerald after she laughs at his small penis. In response, Sheriff ‘Little Bill’ Daggett orders Mike and his accomplice Davey Bunting to compensate Delilah’s employer, Skinny DuBois, for lost revenue by handing over several horses. This decision deeply angers the prostitutes, who offer a bounty of $1,000 for the cowboys’ deaths. Meanwhile, in Hodgeman ...

Another Woman (1988), an American drama film written and directed by Woody Allen, follows the story of Marion Post, a New York philosophy professor on leave from her job to work on a new book. In need of peace and quiet, she sublets a furnished apartment downtown due to construction in her building. However, her work there is disrupted by the voices of a therapist and his client in an adjacent office. Listening in on their sessions, Marion becomes increasingly intrigued by the words of another woman, Hope. Hope expresses feelings of emptiness and falseness in her life, which deeply resonates with Marion.

No Way Out is (1987) an American neo-noir action thriller film directed by Roger Donaldson. In a house near the Pentagon, Lieutenant Commander Tom Farrell of the Office of Naval Intelligence undergoes questioning about his connection with Secretary of Defense David Brice. Six months prior, Farrell attends an inaugural ball at the invitation of his college friend Scott Pritchard. There, he meets Secretary Brice and develops an affair with Susan Atwell. Shortly after, he departs for the Philippines. Upon returning, Brice recruits Farrell to gather information for him within the CIA. As he settles into his new role in ...

The film Power (1986), directed by Sidney Lumet and featuring Richard Gere, follows the story of Pete St. John, a ruthless media consultant. He finds himself handling multiple political candidates when he is approached to join the campaign of Jerome Cade, a wealthy businessman vying for a Senate seat. This race happens to be for the position that is being left vacant by St. John’s close friend, Sam Hastings. However, complications arise as St. John clashes with Arnold Billings, a public relations expert hired by Cade’s team.

The American neo-noir mystery thriller film, The Conversation (1974), was written, produced, and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. It follows the story of Harry Caul, a surveillance expert in San Francisco who specializes in wiretapping services. His latest client, known only as ‘the Director’, hires him and his team to eavesdrop on a couple walking through Union Square. Despite the challenge of background noise, Caul skillfully filters and merges the tapes to create a clear recording with an ambiguous message. He is known for being extremely private and guarded about his personal life and carries a heavy ...

The American disaster film, The Poseidon Adventure (1972), directed by Ronald Neame, follows the journey of the SS Poseidon, an ocean liner headed from New York to Athens in the Aegean Sea. Despite Captain Harrison’s concerns about safety, the new owner’s representative insists on traveling at full speed to cut costs, resulting in Poseidon being unable to take on ballast. Also onboard are Reverend Frank Scott, who believes in self-help and is being sent to Africa as punishment for his unorthodox views; Detective Lieutenant Mike Rogo and his wife Linda, who struggles with seasickness; siblings Susan Shelby ...

The American biographical neo-noir crime film, Bonnie and Clyde (1967), directed by Arthur Penn and starring Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway, follows the story of Texas natives Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker. During the Great Depression, their paths cross when Clyde attempts to steal Bonnie’s mother’s car. Intrigued by him, Bonnie leaves her mundane job as a waitress to join him in a life of crime. Despite their initial excitement, their small-time heists do not bring in much profit. So they turn to robbing banks ...

Lilith (1964) is an American drama film by Robert Rossen, starring Warren Beatty and Jean Seberg. It marks Rossen’s final work and is based on J.R. Salamanca’s novel. The story takes place at Chestnut Lodge, a private mental institution in Rockville, Maryland. A trainee occupational therapist named Vincent Bruce becomes captivated by Lilith Arthur, an alluring and artistic patient with schizophrenia. Lilith reminds ...