Title: Bad Apple
Stars: Chris Noth, Colm Meaney,
Mercedes Ruehl, Robert Patrick, Dagmara Dominczyk, James Villemaire, and Elliott
Gould
Writer: Howard Korder
Based on the Novel by: Anthony
Bruno
Director: Adam Bernstein
Executive Producers: Chris Noth
and Daniel H. Blatt
Running Time: 91 minutes without
commercials
Media: TNT Original Television
Motion Picture (NTSC VHS Screener)
World Premiere Monday, February
16, 2004, at 8pm (ET/PT)
Network: Turner Network
Television (Check your local cable/satellite listings for channel)
TV Rating: TV-MA
Reviewer: Mark A. Rivera
Chris Noth co-executive produced
and stars in this dark comedy about two FBI Agents, Mike Tozzi (Noth) and
Cuthbert Gibbons (Colm Meaney), who try to bring down a loan-sharking business
run by the mob. So Tozzi goes undercover with a weasel of an informant (James
Villemaire) to get closed to Tommy “Bells” Bellavita (Robert Patrick), whom
Tozzi believes is responsible for the death of a fellow undercover agent. Things
become more complicated when he discovers that his informant’s sister (Dagmara
Dominczyk) is a woman that he has had a prior relationship with and is now
intimately involved with “Bells.” What follows are a series of misadventures
and changing alliances between the FBI and the mob.
“Bad Apple” is based on a
novel by Anthony Bruno and also features great supporting appearances by Elliott
Gould and Mercedes Ruehl, who along with Robert Patrick steal nearly all the
scenes they appear in. Though I cannot be certain, the screener presented “Bad
Apple” in a letterboxed (2.35:1) aspect ratio. This would not be such a big
deal, but most new made for TV films as well as TV series that are broadcast on
either High Definition or analogue TV usually have about a (1.78:1) aspect
ratio. If the film is indeed broadcast in (2.35:1) instead of (1.78:1) I think
this will be a big step forward in the evolution of how made-for-TV films are
televised because the “scope” aspect ratio on “Bad Apple” gives the
movie a more cinematic quality and consequently adds a bit of extra production
value to the film.
“Bad Apple” will make it’s
world premiere on TNT on Monday, February 16, 2004, at 9pm (ET/PT) with encores
as follows below.
Monday,
February 16, 2004, at 11pm (ET/PT)
Friday,
February 20, 2004, at 11pm (ET/PT)
Saturday,
February 21, 2004, at 3pm (ET/PT)
Sunday,
February 22, 2004, at 10am (ET/PT)
Monday
February 23, 2004, at 12am (ET/PT)
Wednesday,
February 25, 2004, at 10pm (ET/PT)
© Copyright 2004 By Mark A.
Rivera
All Rights Reserved.