Corruption

Diggstown (1992)

James Woods is a con man you desperately want to punch, Louis Gossett Jr. fights 10 men at 48 years old, and Gene somehow thought this was a New Jack City knockoff. This week, Steven M. commissions the 1992 sports comedy con film Diggstown, and we ask the question: Is...

The Negotiator (1998)

This week, Shat The Movies heads to Chicago for The Negotiator, the 1998 hostage thriller that asks a simple question: What happens when the best hostage negotiator in the city takes hostages of his own? Starring Samuel L. Jackson and Kevin Spacey in a battle of wits, the film turns a...

Rapid Fire (1992)

This week, Shat The Movies steps into the crossfire with Rapid Fire, the 1992 action thriller that gave Brandon Lee his best showcase as a leading man. Commissioned by listener Rob H., this early-’90s cult favorite blends Chicago mobsters, Chinese Triads, and some of the most inventive martial arts choreography...

True Colors (1991)

This week on Shat the Movies, we’re revisiting True Colors (1991), where friendship and ambition collide in a very 90s way. John Cusack and James Spader play college friends whose paths split as one chases power in politics and the other tries to hold onto his ideals. Gene and Big...

The Way of the Gun (2000)

This week on Shat the Movies, we’re diving into The Way of the Gun (2000), where kidnapping goes sideways and nobody is as smart as they think they are. Ryan Phillippe and Benicio del Toro play low-rent criminals who stumble into a job way over their heads, and things get...

Outland (1981)

  This week, Rob Will Taylor fills in for Dick Ebert to join Gene Lyons in breaking down the 1981 sci-fi thriller Outland, starring Sean Connery. Often described as “High Noon in space,” this overlooked gem takes us to Jupiter’s moon Io, where a hard-nosed marshal uncovers corruption, drug smuggling,...

The Long Good Friday (1980)

In the late 1970s, Cockney crime boss Harold Shand (Bob Hoskins), a gangster trying to become a legitimate property mogul, has big plans to get the American Mafia to bankroll his transformation of a derelict area of London into the possible venue for a future Olympic Games. However, a series of bombings targets his empire on the very weekend the Americans are in town. Shand is convinced there is a traitor in his organization, and sets out to eliminate the rat in typically ruthless fashion.

The Name of The Rose (1986)

In the 14th century, William of Baskerville (Sean Connery), a renowned Franciscan monk, and his apprentice, Adso of Melk (Christian Slater), travel to an abbey where a suspicious death has occurred. Using his deductive powers, William begins investigating what he believes to be murder. During the course of his investigation, several more monks wind up dead. With fear running through the abbey, the church leaders call forth Bernardo Gui (F. Murray Abraham), William’s nemesis, to find the truth.