Movies by Sam Shepard
As part of the cast:
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Safe House (2012)
Cast: Denzel Washington, Ryan Reynolds, Vera Farmiga …
Directed by: Daniel Espinosa
When men bent on eliminating dangerous criminal Tobin Frost attack the safe house where the CIA has squirreled him away, young operative Matt Weston must find a way to get Frost out alive and…
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Killing Them Softly (2012)
Cast: Brad Pitt, Scoot McNairy, Ben Mendelsohn …
Directed by: Andrew Dominik
Brad Pitt plays a slick and brutal enforcer assigned to investigate a robbery that targeted a high-stakes poker match run by his mob bosses. His methods feature plenty of violence and…
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Darling Companion (2012)
Cast: Diane Keaton, Kevin Kline, Dianne Wiest …
Directed by: Lawrence Kasdan
Dealing with an empty nest and self-absorbed husband Joseph, Beth develops a deep bond with a dog she rescues -- and when Joseph loses the dog after a wedding, Beth joins forces with wedding…
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Mud (2012)
Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Tye Sheridan …
Directed by: Jeff Nichols
Two Mississippi teens, Ellis and Neckbone, meet a mysterious drifter named Mud hiding on a deserted river island and get caught up in his tangled web of tall tales about bounty hunters,…
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Blackthorn (2011)
Cast: Sam Shepard, Eduardo Noriega, Stephen Rea …
Directed by: Mateo Gil
This Western imagines the later career of Butch Cassidy, who escapes to Bolivia where he leads a quiet life with the woman he loves. That is until he meets up with a Spanish robber who…
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Fair Game (2010)
Cast: Naomi Watts, Sean Penn, Bruce McGill …
Directed by: Doug Liman
After her husband, Ambassador Joseph Wilson (Sean Penn), writes op-ed columns accusing the Bush administration of misleading the public to justify invading Iraq, Valerie Plame Wilson's…
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Inhale (2010)
Cast: Mia Stallard, Dermot Mulroney, Diane Kruger …
Directed by: Baltasar Kormákur
In a desperate move to save his daughter's life, a New Mexico district attorney (Dermot Mulroney) crosses the border to look into an illegal lung transplant. But upon arrival, he learns…
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Brothers (2009)
Cast: Tobey Maguire, Jake Gyllenhaal, Natalie Portman …
Directed by: Jim Sheridan
When traumatized Capt. Sam Cahill returns home from a military mission in Afghanistan after he is presumed dead, he becomes obsessed with the idea that his brother and his wife have developed…
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Patti Smith: Dream of Life (2008)
Cast: Patti Smith, Lenny Kaye, Jay Dee Daugherty …
Directed by: Steven Sebring
Talented and popular musician, poet and artist Patti Smith has been a rock icon for decades. Following Smith on the road, this Emmy-nominated documentary traces her unique personal and…
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The Accidental Husband (2008)
Cast: Uma Thurman, Colin Firth, Jeffrey Dean Morgan …
Directed by: Griffin Dunne
Radio talk show host and relationship expert Emma Lloyd has always led a sensible life, with the right career and the right fiancé -- until she learns the shocking news that she's…
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Felon (2008)
Cast: Val Kilmer, Stephen Dorff, Harold Perrineau …
Directed by: Ric Roman Waugh
After accidentally killing a burglar while trying to protect his family, regular guy Wade Porter (Stephen Dorff) finds himself convicted of involuntary manslaughter and thrown into a maximum…
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One Fast Move or I'm Gone: Kerouac's Big Sur (2008)
Cast: John Ventimiglia, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Joyce Johnson …
Directed by: Curt Worden
Documentary filmmaker Curt Worden retraces the steps of prolific beat author Jack Kerouac, who fled to a remote cabin in Big Sur, Calif., to escape the notoriety he gained after the release…
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The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)
Cast: Brad Pitt, Casey Affleck, Ted Levine …
Directed by: Andrew Dominik
After Robert Ford joins the most notorious gang in the West, he grows tired of the charismatic Jesse James and begins to resent his widespread fame. But by hatching a scheme to gun down…
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Ruffian (2007)
Cast: Sam Shepard, Frank Whaley, Laura Bailey …
Directed by: Yves Simoneau
Considered to be the greatest thoroughbred filly of all time, Ruffian shattered horse racing records with her power. This engaging drama tells the story of her brief career. In 1975, a packed…
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Bandidas (2006)
Cast: Penélope Cruz, Salma Hayek, Steve Zahn …
Directed by: Joachim Roenning, Joachim Rønning, Espen Sandberg …
With a ruthless despot terrorizing their tiny Mexican town, a pair of oddly matched women -- one a European-educated lady and the other a rough-and-tumble peasant -- join forces to become two…
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The Return (2006)
Cast: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Peter O'Brien, Sam Shepard …
Directed by: Asif Kapadia
After being plagued by horrific nightmares about the murder of a young woman she's never met, successful sales representative Joanna Mills sets out on a determined quest to pinpoint the…
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The Holy Modal Rounders: Bound to Lose (2006)
Cast: Holy Modal Rounders, Peter Stampfel, Steve Weber …
Directed by: Sam Wainwright Douglas, Paul C. Lovelace
This fascinating documentary explores the music and personalities behind psychedelic folk rockers the Holy Modal Rounders, a band that's continued to perform for a small but rabid cult…
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Walker Payne (2006)
Cast: Jason Patric, Drea de Matteo, Sam Shepard …
Directed by: Matt Williams
Out of work and in need of cash in order to keep his two young daughters, ex-con Walker Payne (Jason Patric) is approached by vagabond gambler Syrus (Sam Shepard), who tries to convince him…
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Stealth (2005)
Cast: Josh Lucas, Jessica Biel, Jamie Foxx …
Directed by: Rob Cohen
After the U.S. Navy builds an elite computer-controlled fighter jet designed to study the habits of human pilots, the top secret machine begins to develop its own ideas, running dangerously…
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Don't Come Knocking (2005)
Cast: Sam Shepard, Jessica Lange, Tim Roth …
Directed by: Wim Wenders
Indulging in alcohol and women to boost his ego, washed-up cowboy star Howard Spence (Sam Shepard) rides off the set of his latest movie and embarks on a journey of self-discovery in this…
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Trudell (2005)
Cast: John Trudell, Robert Redford, Kris Kristofferson …
Directed by: Heather Rae
Filmmaker Heather Rae paints an unforgettable portrait of Native American poet and activist John Trudell, a man known as much for his spoken-word performances as he is for his politics. The…
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This So-Called Disaster (2004)
Cast: Sean Penn, Nick Nolte, Cheech Marin …
Directed by: Michael Almereyda
&NFb;&NFb_;The play "The Late Henry Moss" by Sam Shepard is explored in this documentary that takes viewers from rehearsal to opening night in San Francisco. The 2000 performance focuses on…
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The Notebook (2004)
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Rachel McAdams, James Garner …
Directed by: Nick Cassavetes
Two young lovers (Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams) are torn apart by war and class differences in the 1940s in this adaptation of Nicholas Sparks's best-selling novel. Their story is…
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Blind Horizon (2003)
Cast: Val Kilmer, Neve Campbell, Sam Shepard …
Directed by: Michael Haussman
Frank (Val Kilmer) wakes up in a small desert town with a severe head wound and no memory, but he has a nagging suspicion that he knows something about a plot to assassinate the U.S.…
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Leo (2002)
Cast: Mehdi Norowzian, Joseph Fiennes, Elisabeth Shue …
Inspired in part by &NFi;Ulysses&NFi_;, James Joyce's epic, Leo stars Joseph Fiennes as Stephen, an ex-convict seeking to transform his life after he's released. His first stop is…
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The Pledge (2001)
Cast: Jack Nicholson, Dale Dickey, Benicio Del Toro …
Directed by: Sean Penn
Homicide detective Jerry Black (Jack Nicholson) is on the eve of retirement when he gets a call that changes everything. A young girl has been murdered, and Black takes the case, promising…
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Swordfish (2001)
Cast: John Travolta, Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry …
Directed by: Dominic Sena
Determined to get his mitts on $9 billion in a secret DEA account so he can use it to fight terrorism, rogue agent Gabriel Shear recruits encryption expert Stanley Jobson to hack into the…
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Black Hawk Down (2001)
Cast: Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor, Tom Sizemore …
Directed by: Ridley Scott
Based on a true story, U.S. Rangers and an elite Delta Force team attempt to kidnap two underlings of a Somali warlord, their Black Hawk helicopters are shot down, and the Americans face…
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Shot in the Heart (2001)
Cast: Giovanni Ribisi, Elias Koteas, Amy Madigan …
Directed by: Agnieszka Holland
Gary Gilmore (Elias Koteas) is about to become the first convicted murderer to be executed in a decade. When his brother, Mikal (Giovanni Ribisi), visits, the men discover a shared past: born…
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After the Harvest (2001)
Cast: Sam Shepard, Nadia Litz, Liane Balaban …
Directed by: Jeremy Podeswa
Based on Martha Ostenso's award-winning novel Wild Geese, this made-for-television drama stars Sam Shepard as Caleb Gare, a tyrannical farmer whose desire for land motivates him to treat…
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Hamlet (2000)
Cast: Ethan Hawke, Kyle MacLachlan, Sam Shepard …
Directed by: Michael Almereyda
The President of the Denmark Corporation has recently been found dead, and his wife has re-married the man suspected of the murder. Nobody is suffering more than her son Hamlet -- who is not…
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All the Pretty Horses (2000)
Cast: Matt Damon, Henry Thomas, Penélope Cruz …
Directed by: Billy Bob Thornton
With dreams of steady ranch work and a better life, John (Matt Damon) and Lacey (Henry Thomas) travel on horseback across the Rio Grande into Mexico, where they stumble upon a loose-cannon…
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Snow Falling on Cedars (1999)
Cast: Ethan Hawke, Youki Kudoh, James Cromwell …
Directed by: Scott Hicks
When a fisherman is found drowned, suspicion falls on Japanese-American Kazou Miyamoto (Rick Yune). Local reporter Ishmael Chambers (Ethan Hawke) may hold the key to proving Miyamoto's…
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Purgatory (1999)
Cast: Sam Shepard, Eric Roberts, Randy Quaid …
Directed by: Uli Edel
Big guns Eric Roberts, Sam Shepard, Donnie Wahlberg and Randy Quaid star in this offbeat Western, in which a band of rowdy outlaws ride into the town of Refuge, a settlement where no one…
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Curtain Call (1997)
Cast: James Spader, Michael Caine, Sam Shepard …
Directed by: Peter Yates
Stevenson Lowe (James Spader) is a book publisher with commitment issues in this romantic comedy. While Lowe's girlfriend (Polly Walker) wants to get married, he wants to buy a house --…
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The Only Thrill (1997)
Cast: Diane Keaton, Sam Shepard, Diane Lane …
Directed by: Peter Masterson
Timing is everything -- and it's never right for clothing store owner Reece McHenry (Sam Shepard) and widowed seamstress Carol Fitzsimmons (Diane Keaton) as circumstances conspire to…
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Safe Passage (1994)
Cast: Susan Sarandon, Nick Stahl, Sam Shepard …
Directed by: Robert Allan Ackerman
Estranged from her husband (Sam Shepard) and left with a nearly empty nest, suburban mother of seven Mag Singer (Susan Sarandon) gets a terrifying jolt when she learns that her son Percival…
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The Pelican Brief (1993)
Cast: Julia Roberts, Denzel Washington, Sam Shepard …
Directed by: Alan J. Pakula
When law student Darby Shaw writes a brief on her theory about the motive behind the assassinations of two Supreme Court justices, she finds bullets flying in her direction and turns to…
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Thunderheart (1992)
Cast: Val Kilmer, Sam Shepard, Graham Greene …
Directed by: Michael Apted
When the FBI can't crack a string of murders on an Indian reservation, they send in untested field agent Ray Levoi, who holds a trump card: his Sioux heritage. But as he gets closer to…
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Defenseless (1991)
Cast: Barbara Hershey, Mary Beth Hurt, Christopher M. Brown …
Directed by: Martin Campbell
Los Angeles lawyer T.K. Katwuller (Barbara Hershey) steps in as defense attorney for her former college roommate, Ellie Seldes (Mary Beth Hurt), when she's charged with offing her…
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Voyager (1991)
Cast: Sam Shepard, Julie Delpy, Barbara Sukowa …
Directed by: Volker Schlondorff
When he sails on a ship crossing the Atlantic Ocean, emotionally blank American engineer Walter Faber (Sam Shephard) embarks on an affair with a vivacious young German lass (Julie Delpy) who…
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Steel Magnolias (1989)
Cast: Sally Field, Dolly Parton, Shirley MacLaine …
Directed by: Herbert Ross
Featuring a star-studded cast, this bittersweet drama follows the abiding friendship among five tight-knit women who congregate at a beauty parlor in a small Louisiana town to laugh, cry and…
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Baby Boom (1987)
Cast: Diane Keaton, Sam Shepard, Harold Ramis …
Directed by: Charles Shyer
In this light-hearted comedy, high-powered management consultant J.C. Wiatt (Diane Keaton) claims her inheritance from a distant relative, only to find out it's a baby. Children are not…
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Crimes of the Heart (1986)
Cast: Diane Keaton, Jessica Lange, Sissy Spacek …
Directed by: Bruce Beresford
Quirky sisters Lenny (Diane Keaton), Meg (Jessica Lange) and Babe (Sissy Spacek) come together at the family's Southern home for a birthday celebration. With each woman facing her share…
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Fool for Love (1985)
Cast: Sam Shepard, Kim Basinger, Harry Dean Stanton …
Directed by: Robert Altman
Director Robert Altman adapts Sam Shepard's hit Broadway play. Rugged drifter Eddie (Shepard) turns up at the dilapidated El Royale Motel in New Mexico with an eye toward wooing his…
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Country (1984)
Cast: Jessica Lange, Sam Shepard, Wilford Brimley …
Directed by: Richard Pearce
In a more humane era, banks encouraged small-farm owners to borrow funds -- and one family gladly took them up on their offer. But the good times have gone, and the financially strapped…
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The Right Stuff (1983)
Cast: Sam Shepard, Scott Glenn, Ed Harris …
Directed by: Philip Kaufman
Director Philip Kaufman and a stellar cast -- including Sam Shepard, Scott Glenn and Ed Harris -- chronicle NASA's early transition from breaking the sound barrier in 1947 to the…
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Frances (1982)
Cast: Jessica Lange, Kim Stanley, Sam Shepard …
Directed by: Graeme Clifford
Jessica Lange (nominated for the 1983 Best Actress Oscar) delivers the performance of her career as Frances Farmer, the notorious 1930s movie star whose impassioned opinions and outspoken…
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Raggedy Man (1981)
Cast: Sissy Spacek, Eric Roberts, Sam Shepard …
Directed by: Jack Fisk
In a small Texas town during the dark, uncertain days of World War II, a divorced mother of two (Sissy Spacek) struggles valiantly -- during a time when divorcees were scorned and gossipy…
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Resurrection (1980)
Cast: Ellen Burstyn, Sam Shepard, Richard Farnsworth …
Directed by: Daniel Petrie
A woman who experiences clinical death from a horrible car crash returns to life with the amazing ability to heal others. Ellen Burstyn delivers a tour-de-force performance as the modern-day…
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Days of Heaven (1978)
Cast: Richard Gere, Brooke Adams, Sam Shepard …
Directed by: Terrence Malick
The story of Bill, a Chicago steel-mill worker who flees town after accidentally killing a man. In search of a better life, he moves his girlfriend Abby and younger sister to Texas. But they…
As a director:
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Silent Tongue (1994)
Cast: Richard Harris, Sheila Tousey, Alan Bates …
Directed by: Sam Shepard
Sam Shepard directs this tale, circa 1873, of a young half-Native American who's kidnapped from her drunken white father by a cowboy named Prescott Roe. Seems Roe wants her for his…
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Far North (1988)
Cast: Jessica Lange, Charles Durning, Tess Harper …
Directed by: Sam Shepard
Kate goes back to Minnesota for a family visit. While lying in a hospital bed, her father Bertman plots revenge against a horse and puts her to the task. Then she has to deal with the rest of…