Category: 2000s

On the same night attorney Gene Hackman is scheduled to give a speech, San Juan police captain Morgan Freeman brings him in for questioning with regards to the rape and murder of a young girl. Inconsistencies in his story make him a prime suspect, a situation that is not helped by his much younger wife Monica Bellucci’s willingness to cooperate with the cops. While it’s by far not the best work either of the actors has done, especially with the torridness of the story, it’s still a chance to see the great actors play off of each other. Regardless the strength of the film lies in its twists which do not lay out the solution to the mystery until the end.    

Placed in an open prison program that provides prisoners with various types of skill training, convict Clive Owen discovers he has a knack for gardening. Loosely based on a true story, it’s a fairly charming, light hearted little British film. While there’s nothing terribly complex about the story, the acting meets the challenge with Owen receiving a patron in Helen Mirren, a love interest in Natasha Little, and a mentor in fellow inmate David Kelly.

Similar to The Killing Floor , this made for television film chronicles a bit of American labor history. Here, it’s an effort led by organizer A. Philip Randolph (played by Andre Braugher) to unionize the all Black Pullman porters who were traditionally called George (after George Pullman) by the white patrons. It’s fairly straightforward, but like that other film, it gives a glimpse into history that is often taught or talked about. It’s noteworthy that Randolph had a long history of fighting for equal rights from his days as a union organizer to later fights for civil rights, including mentoring Martin Luther King Jr.

When one of the customers at the dry cleaning business he works for leaves a bag of cocaine in a pocket, it drags Wood Harris into the Harlem drug world where he must keep a close eye on his enemies and friends. Based on the true story of a trio of 1980s Harlem drug dealers, the friendship between Harris, Mekhi Pfifer, and Cam’ron is central to the story and carried off well. While there are period details tossed about, the city is too clean and the style of the leads isn’t changed enough which unfortunately loses the sense of place for the tale.