Oscar as the no-nonsense cowboy in charge of the
greenhorns.
The Fisher King(TriStar; dir. Terry Gilliam) A cyni-
cal radio talk show host (Jeff Bridges) becomes a
depressed alcoholic after one of his comments in-
cites a listener to murder. He discovers he can
save himself by helping a homeless man (Robin
Williams). Mercedes Ruehl won a Best Support-
ing Actress Oscar as the hero’s understanding
girlfriend.
JFK(Alcor Films/Canal Plus/Ixtlan Corporation/
Regency Enterprises/Warner Bros.; dir. Oliver
Stone) New Orleans district attorney Jim Garri-
son (Kevin Costner) prosecutes wealthy gay busi-
nessman Clay Shaw (Tommy Lee Jones) for con-
spiring to assassinate President John F. Kennedy.
Highly controversial because of Stone’s insis-
tence that Lee Harvey Oswald (Gary Oldman)
did not act alone.
My Own Private Idaho(New Line Cinema; dir. Gus
Van Sant) William Shakespeare’sHenr y IVis up-
dated to late twentieth century Portland, Ore-
gon, and the story of two young male hustlers,
Mike (River Phoenix) and Scott (Keanu Reeves).
Mike and the boys’ Falstaff-like leader (William
Richert) hope they will benefit from Scott’s forth-
coming inheritance.
The Silence of the Lambs(Strong Heart/Orion; dir.
Jonathan Demme) FBI agent Clarice Starling
(Jodie Foster) tracks a serial killer (Ted Levine)
with the help of terrifying murderer Hannibal
Lecter (Anthony Hopkins). Winner of Oscars for
Best Picture, Director, Actress, Actor, and Ted
Talley’s adaptation of the Thomas Harris novel.
See alsomain entry.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day(Studio Canal/Pacific
Western/Lightstorm Entertainment/Carolco Pic-
tures; dir. James Cameron) Android (Arnold
Schwarzenegger) fromThe Terminator(1984) re-
turns as a good robot trying to protect Earth from
a more advanced, evil creation (Robert Patrick).
This rare sequel to equal the original in quality
won Oscars for Best Visual Effects, Sound, Sound
Effects Editing, and Makeup.See alsomain entry.
Thelma and Louise(Percy Main Productions/Pathé
Films/MGM; dir. Ridley Scott) A road trip in the
American West turns violent for two friends
(Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon). Callie
Khouri’s original screenplay won an Oscar.See
alsomain entry.
1992
Basic Instinct(Canal Plus/Carolco Pictures/TriStar;
dir. Paul Verhoeven) A San Francisco policeman
(Michael Douglas), suspecting a mystery novelist
(Sharon Stone) of murder, begins an affair with
her. Controversial for its depiction of gays and
women, the film made Stone a superstar.See also
main entry.
A Few Good Men(David Brown/Castle Rock/Co-
lumbia; dir. Rob Reiner) In this courtroom drama
from Aaron Sorkin’s Broadway play, a U.S. Navy
lawyer (Tom Cruise) prosecutes two Marines
(James Marshall and Wolfgang Bodison) for mur-
der. Famous for Jack Nicholson’s flamboyant per-
formance as a Marine colonel and the line “You
can’t handle the truth.”
Glengarry Glen Ross(Zupnik-Curtis Enterprises/
New Line Cinema; dir. James Foley) This adapta-
tion of David Mamet’s Broadway play about real
estate agents desperate to save their jobs is most
notable for the performances of its powerful cast:
Al Pacino, Alec Baldwin, Alan Arkin, Ed Harris,
Kevin Spacey, and Jack Lemmon.
The Last of the Mohicans(Twentieth Century-Fox;
dir. Michael Mann) Based more on the 1936 film
than James Fenimore Cooper’s classic novel,
Mann’s exuberant film balances action, romance,
and spectacle with outstanding performances by
Daniel Day Lewis as the hero and Wes Studi as the
villain. Won the Oscar for Best Sound.
A League of Their Own(Columbia; dir. Penny Mar-
shall) Atmospheric account of the short-lived
women’s professional baseball league of the
1940’s, with Geena Davis and Lori Petty as the star
players and Tom Hanks as the manager. Memora-
ble for Hanks’s delivery of the line “There’s no
crying in baseball.”
Malcolm X(40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks/Largo
International/Warner Bros.; dir. Spike Lee)
Lee’s vivid biopic traces the rise of the civil rights
leader (Denzel Washington) from criminal to
spokesman for the Nation of Islam. With a nota-
ble performance by Al Freeman, Jr., as Elijah Mo-
hammed.
The Player(Fine Line Features; dir. Robert Altman)
Acclaimed director Altman rebounded from a
long slump with this invigorating Hollywood sat-
ire from Michael Tolkin’s novel. His job threat-
ened, a studio executive (Tim Robbins) resorts to
murder as the era’s business practices are tar-960 Entertainment: Major Films of the 1990’s The Nineties in America