Thicker Than Blood

Thicker Than Blood

1998 · 95 min · ★ 7.1 · Drama, TV Movie

Griffin Byrne is the idealistic new history, English and maths teacher in Father Frank Larkin's school in a mainly Latino ghetto neighborhood where most kids, even many of its graduates, end up in crime and poverty. He takes a particular interest in one of the boys nobody believes will ever come to anything, Lee Cortes, who he finds to be a prodigy in cartoon drawing but who never spoke a word at school, and always wears a Walkman, essentially because of his home situation: his elder brother Tyro, a drug dealer, abuses him and his mother, so he often stays home to mind the smallest siblings. Griffin tries everything to help Lee, despite everyones cynicism, even takes him in his bachelor flat, but finds the whole family situation must be solved, which is probably beyond his power, yet tries tireless, even if he gets nothing but abuse and the results seem to do more hurting then helping...

Directed by Richard Pearce · Written by Bill Cain

Your Rating

Cast

Mickey Rourke Father Frank Larkin
Dan Futterman Griffin Byrne
Carlo Alban Lee Cortez
Luna Lauren Vélez Camilla Lopez
Josh Mostel Kendall
Peter Maloney James
Vincent Laresca Tyro
Rosanna DeSoto Señora
Dick Latessa Ciccilone
Grace Garland Hooker
Eric van Alstyne Griffin's Brother (uncredited)

Make it a double feature

3h 12m together

Thicker Than Blood

The Long Walk Home

Both from Richard Pearce.

More from Richard PearceSee all →

Hallmark Hall of Fame

Hallmark Hall of Fame · 1951

Hallmark Hall of Fame

Long-running anthology program sponsored by Hallmark Cards. Beginning in 1951 and continuing into 2019, the series received 80 Emmy Awards, 24 Christopher Awards, 11 Peabody Awards, 9 Golden Globes, and 4 Humanitas Prizes. Early seasons were a weekly live drama, eventually transitioning to videotaped and then filmed productions broadcast as occasional specials.

Law & Order: Trial by Jury

Law & Order: Trial by Jury · 2005

Law & Order: Trial by Jury

The inner workings of the judicial system, beginning with the arraignment, and continuing through the prosecutors' complicated process of building a case, investigating leads and preparing witnesses for trial.

Homicide: Life on the Street

Homicide: Life on the Street · 1993

Homicide: Life on the Street

SeriesMysteryDrama

An American police procedural chronicling the work of a fictional version of the Baltimore Police Department's Homicide Unit.

No Other Love

No Other Love · 1979

MovieDramaTV Movie

A young marginally intellectually-disabled girl and boy meet, plan to marry, and convince the world that they are entitled to a life of their own -- despite attempts by the girl's parents to separate them.

Neil Young & Crazy Horse: Rust Never Sleeps

Neil Young & Crazy Horse: Rust Never Sleeps · 1979

Neil Young & Crazy Horse: Rust Never Sleeps

MovieMusicDocumentary

Concert film covering Neil Young's October 22 1978 concert performance at the Cow Palace with nearly 20 songs (including two versions of "Hey Hey, My My," his nod to the punk movement), acoustic and electric (with long-time companions Crazy Horse), dating back to his Buffalo Springfield days ("I Am a Child") and continuing through popular solo numbers like "Cinnamon Girl" and the extended "Like a Hurricane."

CSI: Miami

CSI: Miami · 2002

SeriesDramaMystery

The show follows Crime Scene Investigators working for the Miami-Dade Police Department as they use physical evidence, similar to their Las Vegas counterparts, to solve grisly murders. The series mixes deduction, gritty subject matter, and character-driven drama in the same vein as the original series in the CSI franchise, except that the Miami CSIs are cops first, scientists second.

Hearts and Minds

Hearts and Minds · 1974

Hearts and Minds

MovieDocumentaryWar

Many times during his presidency, Lyndon B. Johnson said that ultimate victory in the Vietnam War depended upon the U.S. military winning the "hearts and minds" of the Vietnamese people. Filmmaker Peter Davis uses Johnson's phrase in an ironic context in this anti-war documentary, filmed and released while the Vietnam War was still under way, juxtaposing interviews with military figures like U.S. Army Chief of Staff William C. Westmoreland with shocking scenes of violence and brutality.

The Long Walk Home

The Long Walk Home · 1990

The Long Walk Home

MovieDramaHistory

Two women, black and white, in 1955 Montgomery Alabama, must decide what they are going to do in response to the famous bus boycott led by Martin Luther King.

Marjoe

MovieDocumentary

Part documentary, part expose, this film follows one-time child evangelist Marjoe Gortner on the "church tent" Revivalist circuit, commenting on the showmanship of Evangelism and "the religion business", prior to the start of "televangelism". Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2005.

Woodstock

Woodstock · 1970

MovieDocumentaryMusic

An intimate look at the Woodstock Music & Art Festival held in Bethel, NY in 1969, from preparation through cleanup, with historic access to insiders, blistering concert footage, and portraits of the concertgoers; negative and positive aspects are shown, from drug use by performers to naked fans sliding in the mud, from the collapse of the fences by the unexpected hordes to the surreal arrival of National Guard helicopters with food and medical assistance for the impromptu city of 500,000.

Medium

SeriesCrimeDrama

Allison Dubois works in the District Attorney’s office using her natural intuition about people and her ability to communicate with the dead to help to solve crimes. Her dreams often give her clues to the whereabouts of missing people.

The Blues

The Blues · 2003

SeriesDocumentary

The Blues (2003) is a seven-part documentary series produced by Martin Scorsese that explores the history and influence of blues music. Each episode, directed by a different filmmaker, traces a unique aspect of the genre’s evolution—from its African roots to its global impact. Originally airing on PBS, the series includes Scorsese’s Feel Like Going Home, Wim Wenders’ The Soul of a Man, Richard Pearce’s The Road to Memphis, Charles Burnett’s Warming by the Devil’s Fire, Marc Levin’s Godfathers and Sons, Mike Figgis’ Red, White and Blues, and Clint Eastwood’s Piano Blues.

Food, Inc.

Food, Inc. · 2008

MovieDocumentary

Documentary filmmaker Robert Kenner examines how mammoth corporations have taken over all aspects of the food chain in the United States, from the farms where our food is grown to the chain restaurants and supermarkets where it's sold. Narrated by author and activist Eric Schlosser, the film features interviews with average Americans about their dietary habits, commentary from food experts like Michael Pollan and unsettling footage shot inside large-scale animal processing plants.

The New Alfred Hitchcock Presents

The New Alfred Hitchcock Presents · 1985

The New Alfred Hitchcock Presents

SeriesDramaMystery

The New Alfred Hitchcock Presents is an American anthology series that aired on NBC from 1985 to 1986, and on the USA Network from 1987 to 1989. The series is an updated re-imagining of the classic 1955 series Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

Plainsong

Plainsong · 2004

MovieDramaTV Movie

Tom Guthrie, a high school history teacher, is faced with raising two young sons after his wife leaves him. Maggie Jones, a fellow teacher, tries to provide comfort and support.

Party of Five

Party of Five · 1994

Five brothers and sisters are determined to stay together following the tragic loss of their parents.

More Like This

Driving Miss Daisy

Driving Miss Daisy · 1989

Driving Miss Daisy

The story of an old Jewish widow named Daisy Werthan and her relationship with her black chauffeur, Hoke. From an initial mere work relationship grew in 25 years a strong friendship between the two very different characters, in a time when those types of relationships were shunned.

Romeo + Juliet

Romeo + Juliet · 1996

MovieDramaRomance

In this contemporary take on William Shakespeare's classic tragedy, the Montagues and Capulets have moved their ongoing feud to the sweltering suburb of Verona Beach, where Romeo and Juliet fall in love and secretly wed. Though the film is visually modern, the bard's dialogue remains.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof · 1958

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

An alcoholic ex-football player drinks his days away, having failed to come to terms with his sexuality and his real feelings for his football buddy who died after an ambiguous accident. His wife is crucified by her desperation to make him desire her: but he resists the affections of his wife. His reunion with his father—who is dying of cancer—jogs a host of memories and revelations for both father and son.

Amadeus

Amadeus · 1984

MovieDramaHistory

Disciplined Italian composer Antonio Salieri becomes consumed by jealousy and resentment towards the hedonistic and remarkably talented young Salzburger composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

12 Angry Men

12 Angry Men · 1957

The defense and the prosecution have rested and the jury is filing into the jury room to decide if a young Spanish-American is guilty or innocent of murdering his father. What begins as an open and shut case soon becomes a mini-drama of each of the jurors' prejudices and preconceptions about the trial, the accused, and each other.

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? · 1966

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

A history professor and his wife entertain a young couple who are new to the university's faculty. As the drinks flow, secrets come to light, and the middle-aged couple unload onto their guests the full force of the bitterness, dysfunction, and animosity that defines their marriage.

Meet Joe Black

Meet Joe Black · 1998

MovieFantasyDrama

Bill Parrish has it all - success, wealth and power. Days before his 65th birthday, he receives a visit from a mysterious stranger, Joe Black, who soon reveals himself as Death. In exchange for extra time, Bill agrees to serve as Joe's earthly guide. But will he regret his choice when Joe unexpectedly falls in love with Bill's beautiful daughter Susan?

A Man for All Seasons

A Man for All Seasons · 1966

A Man for All Seasons

MovieDramaHistory

A depiction of the conflict between King Henry VIII of England and his Lord Chancellor, Sir Thomas More, who refuses to swear the Oath of Supremacy declaring Henry Supreme Head of the Church in England.

Pandora's Box

Pandora's Box · 1929

MovieDramaCrime

The rise and inevitable fall of an amoral but naive young woman whose insouciant eroticism inspires lust and violence in those around her.

A Few Good Men

A Few Good Men · 1992

When cocky military lawyer Lt. Daniel Kaffee and his co-counsel, Lt. Cmdr. JoAnne Galloway, are assigned to a murder case, they uncover a hazing ritual that could implicate high-ranking officials such as shady Col. Nathan Jessep.

Breaker Morant

Breaker Morant · 1980

MovieDramaHistory

During the Boer War, three Australian lieutenants are on trial for shooting Boer prisoners. Though they acted under orders, they are being used as scapegoats by the General Staff, who hopes to distance themselves from the irregular practices of the war. The trial does not progress as smoothly as expected by the General Staff, as the defence puts up a strong fight in the courtroom.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter