Actor James Gandolfini (1961)

Killing Them Softly (2012) is an American neo-noir crime film written and directed by Andrew Dominik and starring Brad Pitt. It is based on George V. Higgins’ 1974 novel, Cogan’s Trade. Against the backdrop of the 2008 American financial crisis and presidential election, Johnny ‘Squirrel’ Amato devises a plan to rob a Mafia poker game. To help him carry out the heist, he turns to Frankie, a former colleague, and Russell, an Australian expatriate with a heroin addiction who makes money by ...

The American action thriller film The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009), directed by Tony Scott and written by Brian Helgeland, revolves around a hijacking scenario. A man known as Ryder, along with his accomplices Bashkin, Emri, and ex-train operator Phil Ramos, take over Pelham 123 – a New York City Subway train at 77th Street. In an attempt to gain control of the situation, Walter Garber – a Metropolitan Transportation Authority employee working as a train dispatcher in the Rail Control Center – receives a call from Ryder demanding $10 million in cash ...

Stories of Lost Souls (2005) is an anthology film featuring a star-studded cast, including Josh Hartnett, Hugh Jackman, Keira Knightley, Cate Blanchett, James Gandolfini, Paul Bettany, and Illeana Douglas. It was directed by eight different directors, such as Deborra-Lee Furness and ...

Directed by Mike Mitchell, Surviving Christmas (2004) is a romantic comedy film centered around wealthy advertising executive Drew Latham. In an attempt to surprise his girlfriend Missy before the holidays, he presents her with first-class tickets to Fiji. However, she is taken aback by his desire to spend Christmas away from his family. Feeling neglected and unimportant in their relationship, Missy decides to end things and cites Drew’s failure to introduce her to his family as proof of his lack of commitment. To make amends, Drew has a Cartier bracelet delivered via his assistant. As the holiday draws nearer and ...

The Mexican (2001), an American dark comedy adventure crime film by Gore Verbinski, takes place in Los Angeles. You hear a car accident off-screen as a traffic light turns red. Five years pass and Jerry Welbach has been paying off his debt to Arnold Margolese, a mob boss now behind bars. But when Jerry messes up his last task, Bernie Nayman, Margolese’s right-hand man, assigns him a new final mission: retrieve an antique pistol named ‘the Mexican’ from a man called Beck in Mexico. This job pushes Jerry’s girlfriend Sam over the edge and she leaves for Las Vegas. Upon arriving in Mexico, Jerry ...

The American supernatural thriller film, Fallen (1998), directed by Gregory Hoblit, tells the story of Philadelphia Police Detective John Hobbes and his encounter with serial killer Edgar Reese. Many years after capturing Reese, Hobbes visits him on death row where he is met with a surprisingly upbeat demeanor. During their conversation, Reese grabs Hobbes’ hand and delivers a spiteful monologue in an unknown language, later identified as Syrian Aramaic. As Reese is executed, he taunts the onlookers and sings ‘Time Is on My Side’ by The Rolling Stones. After a series of murders resembling Reese’s ...

An American legal drama film, A Civil Action (1998), directed and written by Steven Zaillian, is based on the book of the same name by Jonathan Harr. The movie depicts a true court case in Woburn, Massachusetts during the 1980s regarding environmental pollution. The city’s water supply becomes contaminated with toxicants which are eventually linked to a series of local children’s deaths. Anne Anderson, a resident of Woburn, approaches cocky Boston attorney Jan Schlichtmann and his small firm of personal injury lawyers for help in taking legal action against ...

The drama 12 Angry Men (1997), directed by William Friedkin and based on Reginald Rose’s 1954 teleplay of the same name, is a remake of the 1957 film. The story follows a murder trial in which a teenage boy from the city slums is accused of killing his father. The judge instructs the jury to determine the boy’s guilt or innocence, with a unanimous decision required for conviction. A guilty verdict could potentially result in the death penalty, unlike in the 1957 film. As the twelve jurors retire to the jury room, an initial vote reveals that eleven are in ...

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 ...

New World (1995) is a French drama film directed by Alain Corneau, portraying post-World War II France. Patrick Carrion, a young boy in the 1950s, is enamored with all things American and resides in a small village near a U.S. military base. Surrounded by his loving family and girlfriend, Marie-José Vire, Patrick’s life is idyllic until he meets American soldier Will Caberra. The soldier exposes Patrick to American culture, including music, fun, freedom, and relationships with women. With Will’s guidance, Patrick pursues his passion for drumming and falls for an American girl named Trudy Wadd. However, as ...

True Romance (1993) is an American romantic crime film directed by Tony Scott and written by Quentin Tarantino. In a Detroit theater showing kung fu films, Alabama Whitman meets Clarence Worley, an Elvis Presley fanatic. After spending the night at his downtown apartment, Alabama tearfully reveals that she is a call girl hired as a birthday present but has fallen in love with Clarence. The two tie the knot at City Hall the next day. Guided by an apparition of Elvis, Clarence decides to take revenge on Alabama’s abusive pimp Drexl Spivey. He finds Drexl at the ...