BRIAN DENNEHY

Brian Dennehy left this mortal coil recently at 81. There is a huge gap in his resume’. From 1990 to 2020, although he worked steadily, it was entirely in TV and made-for-TV movies. Since this column deals with big screen flix, I’m going to skip those 30 years. 

The last Dennehy movie was excellent. Driveways (2020) is the story of a young mother and her son moving into her deceased sister’s house to clean it out. Next door is Del (Dennehy), an aging Vietnam veteran, who lives alone. Shy 8-year-old Cody gradually becomes friends with him. The unlikely partnership grows closer with time. 

Brian Dennehy was the go-to guy if you needed a crusty Irishman in the 70's and 80's. He has a bit part as a surgeon in Looking For Mr. Goodbar (1977) and another brief appearance as T.J. Lambert in Semi-Tough (1977). 

In Foul Play (1978) Dennehy is a police inspector who is of no help at all to poor Goldie Hawn, caught up in all sorts of spies and devilment. In Never Cry Wolf (1983) Dennehy is bush pilot Rosie, who drops naive scientist Tyler on a frozen lake in the Arctic. Tyler is to study whether wolves are responsible for a decline in caribou. 

Dennehy plays William Kirwill, an American detective searching for his missing brother, in Gorky Park (1983). William Hurt is the lead as Russian cop Arkady Renko, investigating a series of grisly murders. 

Brian Dennehy plays Walter, one of the fortunate oldsters rejuvenated by trespassing in a swimming pool owned by and magically charged by aliens. Cocoon (1985) is a real charmer about the transformation of the aging men and women in a retirement home made young again. There’s quite a cast: Jack Gilford, Don Ameche, Hume Cronyn, Jessica Tandy, Wilford Brimley and Gwen Verdon are all on board. The plot is a stretch, but just go with it. Oh, and you should probably avoid the pale sequel.

Silverado (1985) is an entirely crooked town in the old west, run by its ruthless Sheriff Cobb, played with evil glee by Brian Dennehy. The plot is complicated, but boils down to an attempt to clean out the town. A fine cast includes Kevin Kline, Scott Glenn, Kevin Costner and Danny Glover. These are the good guys. A mano a mano showdown on Main Street between the sheriff and Paden (Kline) is a traditional wind-up. The stunts in this oater are really terrific!

In FX (1986) the Department of Justice hires special effects expert Bryan Brown to stage a fake murder. Lt. Leo McCarthy (Dennehy) investigates the murder and can’t understand why the DOJ isn’t co-operating. Then things get very complicated.

Presumed Innocent (1990) is a terrific legal thriller based on the Scott Turow novel. Asst. District Attorney Rusty Tyler (Harrison Ford) works for DA Raymond Horgan (Dennehy). He is ordered to investigate the murder of a female colleague. When his fingerprints are found on a glass in the woman’s apartment, he is charged with the crime by the new DA , who has won an election over Raymond Horgan. The ending of this one is classic. No more from me- watch it yourself!

All of the films in this article are available on DVD. All are for adults.