Director Brian De Palma (1940)

Passion (2012) is a film, both written and directed by Brian De Palma. In the movie, Christine is an American advertising executive working in Germany, collaborating with her protégé Isabelle on a new smartphone ad campaign. Despite being involved in a secret affair with Christine’s boyfriend Dirk, Isabelle comes up with a highly successful marketing concept. However, when Christine takes credit for it, Isabelle is disappointed but eventually makes peace with her boss after hearing about the tragic loss of her twin sister. Acting upon Dani’s suggestion, Isabelle shares her own version of the ad online, which ...

Redacted (2007) is an American war film written and directed by Brian De Palma. It is a fictional dramatization, loosely based on real events that occurred in Mahmoudiyah, Iraq in 2006. Private First Class Angel Salazar, an ambitious young soldier serving in the U.S. Army during the Iraq War, hopes to use his military experience to gain admi’ Carolina near Samarra, Iraq, Salazar documents his deployment through his camcorder for an amateur documentary called Tell Me No Lies. Meanwhile, a French documentary crew embedded with Salazar’s platoon is also filming their own project titled Barrage.

The Black Dahlia (2006), an American neo-noir crime thriller film directed by Brian De Palma and written by Josh Friedman, is based on the 1987 novel of the same name by James Ellroy. The plot is inspired by the widely sensationalized murder of Elizabeth Short. LAPD detectives Dwight ‘Bucky’ Bleichert and Lee Blanchard are partners, paired after engaging in a boxing match to raise public support for the department. During this time, Lee introduces Bucky to his girlfriend Kay Lake, and the three become ...

Femme Fatale (2002), an erotic thriller directed and written by Brian De Palma, follows Laure Ash, a mercenary thief involved in a diamond heist during the Cannes Film Festival. Her target is model Veronica, who wears the diamonds as part of a gold ensemble accompanying director Régis Wargnier to his premiere of East/West. With the help of ‘Black Tie’ and Racine, Laure seduces Veronica to obtain the diamonds. However, things go wrong and Laure betrays her partners before escaping to Paris with the jewels. While there, she is mistaken for Lily, a missing woman from the city. As she relaxes in Lily’s ...

The American sci-fi adventure film, Mission to Mars (2000), directed by Brian De Palma, tells the story of the Mars I mission. In 2020, the mission is launched with Luke Graham as its commander. Upon reaching Mars, the team stumbles upon a bright white formation in the Cydonia region. They believe it could be an extrusion from a subsurface geothermal column of water that could be beneficial for future human colonization efforts. The team alerts the Earth-orbiting World Space Station before going to investigate further. However, while exploring the formation, they hear a strange sound on their communications system. ...

Snake Eyes (1998) is an American mystery thriller film directed and produced by Brian De Palma. On a stormy night in Atlantic City, corrupt police detective Rick Santoro attends a boxing match at the Atlantic City Arena between champion heavyweight Lincoln Tyler and challenger Jose Pacifico Ruiz. He runs into his childhood friend, U.S. Navy Commander Kevin Dunne, who is assisting the Department of Defense in escorting Defense Secretary Charles Kirkland and Arena director Gilbert Powell to the fight after their trip to Norfolk, Virginia. As the first round commences, Kevin becomes captivated by an alluring redhead named ...

Mission: Impossible (1996) is a film that falls into the action genre. It was directed by Brian De Palma and features Tom Cruise, who also produced and starred in the film. The screenplay was written by David Koepp and Robert Towne with a story by Koepp and Steven Zaillian. During their time in Kyiv, Jim Phelps and his new IMF team are sent to Prague on a mission to prevent rogue ...

Carlito’s Way (1993) is an American crime drama film helmed by Brian De Palma and written by David Koepp. The screenplay is based on the novels Carlito’s Way (1975) and After Hours (1979) written by Judge Edwin Torres. Set in 1975 New York, the story follows Carlito Brigante’s release from prison after serving five years of a thirty-year sentence. His close friend and lawyer, Dave Kleinfeld, uses a legal loophole to get him out. Despite his initial plans to leave behind his criminal ways, ...

Brian De Palma wrote and directed Raising Cain (1992), an American psychological horror thriller. Dr. Carter Nix, a respected child psychologist, causes concern for his wife Jenny when she notices him obsessively studying their daughter Amy. To Carter, Amy is like a creation he’s constantly tracking. However, as Carter struggles with multiple personality disorder, his alternate personalities emerge – including violent petty criminal Cain, shy 7-year-old Josh, and protective middle-aged nanny Margo. As the two main personalities work together to kill young mothers and steal their children, they seem to be ...

The movie The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990) was directed and produced by Brian De Palma. It follows the story of Sherman McCoy, a wealthy bond trader on Wall Street who indulges in lavish living and receives sexual favors from Maria Ruskin, a gold digger from the South. While driving back to Maria’s apartment from JFK Airport, they accidentally end up in the dangerous South Bronx area. As they attempt to move a tire blocking their way, Sherman is confronted by two African American teenagers. In a panic, Maria speeds in reverse and runs over one of the boys before driving away. Though initially wanting to report ...

Casualties of War (1989) is an American war drama film directed by Brian De Palma and written by David Rabe. It is primarily based on an article written by Daniel Lang for The New Yorker in 1969, which was later published as a book. The story is told through the eyes of Max Eriksson, a Vietnam veteran, as he reflects on past events. Leading his platoon on a nighttime patrol is Lieutenant Reilly, with Eriksson among the soldiers. During this mission, they are suddenly attacked by the Viet Cong (VC) after being discovered by ...

The American film, The Untouchables (1987), was directed by Brian De Palma, produced by Art Linson, and written by David Mamet. It is set in Chicago during Prohibition, where notorious gangster Al Capone controls the illegal liquor industry. Bureau of Prohibition agent Eliot Ness is assigned to stop Capone’s illegal activities. His first attempt at a raid is unsuccessful due to corrupt police officers tipping off Capone. However, he meets veteran officer James Malone, who opposes corruption and offers to assist Ness. ...

Director Brian De Palma brought to life Wise Guys (1986), an American dark comedy about two men at the bottom of a Newark Mafia hierarchy. Harry Valentini and Moe Dickstein, an Italian American and a Jewish friend respectively, worked for Castelo by completing mundane tasks like caring for his goldfish or testing bullet-proof jackets. Despite their lowly positions, they had big dreams of opening a unique Jewish-Italian deli. Unfortunately, their boss and fellow gang members looked down on them and often made fun of their aspirations. During a trip to the racetrack with Castelo’s violent henchman Frank ‘The ...

Body Double (1984) is an American neo-noir erotic thriller film directed, co-written, and produced by Brian De Palma. Struggling actor Jake Scully has recently lost his role as a vampire in a low-budget horror film after his claustrophobia thwarts shooting. Following this unfortunate event, Scully finds himself homeless after breaking up with his cheating girlfriend, who owns their shared residence. At a method acting class, Scully confides in fellow student Sam Bouchard about his fears and the root cause of his claustrophobia during childhood. Their conversation leads to an invitation for Scully to house-sit for ...

Scarface (1983) is an American crime drama film, directed by Brian De Palma, written by Oliver Stone, and starring Al Pacino. The movie is a newer version of the 1932 film with the same title, which was based on a novel published in 1930 by Armitage Trail. In 1980, Tony Montana, a Cuban refugee and former convict, arrives in Miami during the Mariel boatlift. He’s sent to a refugee camp alongside his closest friend Manny Ribera, as well as their companions Angel and ...

Blow Out (1981), an American neo-noir mystery thriller film, follows Philadelphia sound technician Jack Terry, who is working on the low-budget slasher film Co-ed Frenzy. His producer Sam tasks him with finding more realistic sound effects for the film, leading Jack to visit a local park. There, he witnesses a car swerve off the road and into a creek. While Jack is able to save a young woman named Sally Bedina and takes her to the hospital, the male driver dies. As Jack is questioned by a detective about the accident, he becomes interested in Sally and asks her out for a drink. He soon learns that Governor George McRyan, who was running for president, was driving the ...

The American erotic psychological thriller film, Dressed to Kill (1980), follows the story of frustrated housewife Kate Miller. In therapy with New York City psychiatrist Dr. Robert Elliott, Kate’s plans to spend the day with her teenage son, Peter – an inventor on the cusp of a major breakthrough for a city science fair – are unexpectedly canceled. Instead, she ventures alone to the Metropolitan Museum of Art where she finds herself flirting with a mysterious stranger. The two engage in a cat-and-mouse game throughout the museum before eventually ending up at his apartment together. Several hours pass before Kate quietly decides to leave while her ...

The Fury (1978), an American supernatural horror thriller film directed by Brian De Palma, follows ex-government agent Peter Sandza and his psychic son Robin as they encounter Ben Childress, Peter’s former colleague from the agency. Despite Sandza’s plans to leave their old lives behind and return to the United States, Childress objects and stages a terrorist attack as a cover-up for kidnapping Robin in order to protect him. Though Peter manages to survive the attack and escape while badly injured, he is unable to save his son. Meanwhile in Chicago, high-school student Gillian Bellaver discovers her own ...

Director Brian De Palma released the American neo-noir psychological thriller film, Obsession (1976). The movie follows the story of Michael Courtland, a New Orleans real estate developer whose life is turned upside down in 1959 when his wife Elizabeth and young daughter Amy are taken by kidnappers. Instead of fulfilling the ransom demands with actual money, the police suggest giving them a briefcase filled with fake paper dollars. This leads to a chaotic car chase and an explosion that results in the death of the kidnappers and hostages. Courtland blames himself for not being able to save his family. Sixteen years ...

Carrie (1976) is an American supernatural horror film directed by Brian De Palma from a screenplay written by Lawrence D. Cohen, adapted from Stephen King’s 1974 epistolary novel of the same name. The film follows sixteen-year-old Carrie White, a shy teenager who lives with her fanatically religious and unstable mother, Margaret. Carrie is a loner and constantly bullied by her peers. One day, while at school, Carrie experiences her first period but panics as she was never taught about menstruation. Her classmates find ...