The Big Brass Ring

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The Big Brass Ring

R

1999

1h 44m

Drama

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Popcornmeter

57%

Tomatometer

7 Reviews

17%

Popcornmeter

50+ Ratings

A former senator (Nigel Hawthorne) returns on the eve of his stepson's (William Hurt) gubernatorial election, threatening to reveal dark secrets.

Walter Goodman

New York Times

Given the estimable players snared in ''The Big Brass Ring,'' a viewer might be reasonably confident that at least one of them would have a clue as to what is going on, but if so the secret remains safe.

Nov 30, 2017

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Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Rated: 2/5

Jul 24, 2005

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Philip Martin

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Rated: 3/5

Jul 29, 2002

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Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

Spirituality & Practice

Director George Hickenlooper has changed some of the elements in Welles's story while still retaining its focus on politics, power, and secrets from the past.

Mar 5, 2002

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Christopher Null

Filmcritic.com

Rated: 3/5

Jan 1, 2000

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Sean Axmaker

Nitrate Online

"The Big Brass Ring" is not a Welles film. It's a George Hickenlooper film, and a good one.

Jan 1, 2000

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Audience Member

The story is about Blake played by William Hurt who is running for governor when a figure from his past reappears. Kim played by Nigel Hawthorne was Blake's mentor one time and a father figure to him after his dad died in the Korean war; Kim also left the United States when public disclosure of his homosexuality ended his political career. This visit from Kim soon proves less then welcome because when Blake was a teenager, he participated in a photo session organized by Kim in which he was snapped in sexually compromising positions with both a woman and a man. These photos could put a stake through the heart of Blake's life in politics, and Kim soon makes clear this is hardly the only dirt he has on Blake. Kim already has a ready audience for his stories- Cela played by Irene Jacob who is a European reporter looking for scandal, even though she's having an affair with Blake anyway. When his wife played by Miranda Richardson and bodyguard played by Ewan Stewart get wind of Blake's indiscretions, his candidacy becomes a disaster waiting to happen. This movie is apparently based of an unproduced screenplay written by the late Orson Welles. This movie has a great idea for a story and while it does, it fails to impress me with it even with it's Over 18 rating. I do give it points for being tense like a old-fashioned thriller but that's about it. The Big Brass Ring gets a 5/10.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/22/23

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Audience Member

There was so much going on here it would've been better served as a tv show. Irene Jacobs was severely miscast. Based upon one of Orson Welles' last projects.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/17/23

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Audience Member

William Hurt is good and the story is okay, but the film often feels as if it would be more at home on Lifetime.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/19/23

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George Hickenlooper

Director

William Hurt

Blake

Nigel Hawthorne

Kim

Miranda Richardson

Dinah

Irène Jacob

Cela

Ewan Stewart

Kinzel

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Synopsis

A former senator (Nigel Hawthorne) returns on the eve of his stepson's (William Hurt) gubernatorial election, threatening to reveal dark secrets.

Director: George Hickenlooper
Producer: Andrew Pfeffer, Donald Zuckerman
Screenwriter: F.X. Feeney
Production Co: Millennium Films
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 2, 2017
Runtime: 1h 44m
Sound Mix: Surround