Brian Helgeland

Writing

Brian Helgeland

Born

1961-01-17 (65)

Place of birth

Providence, Rhode Island, USA

Known for

Writing

Credits

44 titles

Brian Thomas Helgeland (born January 17, 1961) is an American screenwriter, film producer, and director. He is best known for writing the screenplays for the films L.A. Confidential (1998) and Mystic River (2003). He wrote and directed the films 42, a biopic of Jackie Robinson; and Legend, about the rise and fall of the infamous London gangsters, the Kray twins. His work on L.A. Confidential earned him an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. Description above from the Wikipedia article about Brian Helgeland, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Known for

Film credits

2000s · 5 titles

Film Noir: Bringing Darkness to Light poster
7.1

Film Noir burrows into the mind; it's disorienting, intriguing and enthralling. Noir brings us into a gritty underworld of lush morbidity, providing intimate peeks at its tough, scheming dames, mischievous misfits and flawed men - all caught in the wicked web of a twisted fate.

Film Noir: Bringing Darkness to Light

2006

Vengeance Is Mine: Reinventing 'Man on Fire' poster
8.0

A documentary on the making of the 2004 film "Man on Fire," mixing movie clips, behind-the-scenes shots and interviews of cast and crew. The program covers the flick’s genesis and very long path to the screen, adaptation concerns and changes from the original story, the choice of Mexico as a location, research into real-life kidnapping and various case studies, training and realism, casting and characters, shooting in Mexico City and location issues, cinematography and the movie’s distinctive look, Scott’s style on the set, and general thoughts.

Vengeance Is Mine: Reinventing 'Man on Fire'

2005

A Knight's Tale: Making Of poster
10.0

A closer look into the filmmaking of Brian Helgeland's "A Knight's Tale".

A Knight's Tale: Making Of

2002

No artwork available
9.5

Documentary on the making of 'Mystic River'.

Mystic River: Beneath the Surface

2004

No artwork available
10.0

Clint Eastwood's film 'Mystic River' (2003) is discussed by the director himself, screenwriter Brian Helgeland, the novel's author Dennis Lehane, and the ensemble cast (Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon, Laura Linney, Laurence Fishburne, and Marcia Gay Harden), who share their perspectives on the themes of the film and their collaboration with Eastwood.

Mystic River: From Page to Screen

2003

Behind the camera

L.A. Confidential poster
7.8

Three detectives in the corrupt and brutal L.A. police force of the 1950s use differing methods to uncover a conspiracy behind the shotgun slayings of the patrons at an all-night diner.

L.A. Confidential

1997

A Knight's Tale poster
6.9

William Thatcher, a knight's peasant apprentice, gets a chance at glory when the knight dies suddenly mid-tournament. Posing as a knight himself, William won't stop until he's crowned tournament champion—assuming matters of the heart don't get in the way.

A Knight's Tale

2001

A Knight's Tale poster
6.9

William Thatcher, a knight's peasant apprentice, gets a chance at glory when the knight dies suddenly mid-tournament. Posing as a knight himself, William won't stop until he's crowned tournament champion—assuming matters of the heart don't get in the way.

A Knight's Tale

2001

A Knight's Tale poster
6.9

William Thatcher, a knight's peasant apprentice, gets a chance at glory when the knight dies suddenly mid-tournament. Posing as a knight himself, William won't stop until he's crowned tournament champion—assuming matters of the heart don't get in the way.

A Knight's Tale

2001

Mystic River poster
7.7

The lives of three men who were childhood friends are shattered when one of them suffers a family tragedy.

Mystic River

2003

Man on Fire poster
7.5

Jaded ex-CIA operative John Creasy reluctantly accepts a job as the bodyguard for a 10-year-old girl in Mexico City. They clash at first, but eventually bond, and when she's kidnapped he's consumed by fury and will stop at nothing to save her life.

Man on Fire

2004

Robin Hood poster
6.4

When soldier Robin happens upon the dying Robert of Loxley, he promises to return the man's sword to his family in Nottingham. There, he assumes Robert's identity; romances his widow, Marion; and draws the ire of the town's sheriff and King John's henchman, Godfrey.

Robin Hood

2010

The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 poster
6.4

Armed men hijack a New York City subway train, holding the passengers hostage in return for a ransom, and turning an ordinary day's work for dispatcher Walter Garber into a face-off with the mastermind behind the crime.

The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3

2009

Conspiracy Theory poster
6.6

A man obsessed with conspiracy theories becomes a target after one of his theories turns out to be true. Unfortunately, in order to save himself, he has to figure out which theory it is.

Conspiracy Theory

1997

The Killer poster
6.3

Zee is a feared contract killer known as "the Queen of the Dead," but when she refuses to murder a young blind woman, she finds herself hunted both by criminal colleagues and a determined police detective.

The Killer

2024

Payback poster
6.8

With friends like these, who needs enemies? That's the question bad guy Porter is left asking after his wife and partner steal his heist money and leave him for dead -- or so they think. Five months and an endless reservoir of bitterness later, Porter's partners and the crooked cops on his tail learn how bad payback can be.

Payback

1999

Payback poster
6.8

With friends like these, who needs enemies? That's the question bad guy Porter is left asking after his wife and partner steal his heist money and leave him for dead -- or so they think. Five months and an endless reservoir of bitterness later, Porter's partners and the crooked cops on his tail learn how bad payback can be.

Payback

1999

Legend poster
7.0

Suave, charming and volatile, Reggie Kray and his unstable twin brother Ronnie start to leave their mark on the London underworld in the 1960s. Using violence to get what they want, the siblings orchestrate robberies and murders while running nightclubs and protection rackets. With police Detective Leonard "Nipper" Read hot on their heels, the brothers continue their rapid rise to power and achieve tabloid notoriety.

Legend

2015

Legend poster
7.0

Suave, charming and volatile, Reggie Kray and his unstable twin brother Ronnie start to leave their mark on the London underworld in the 1960s. Using violence to get what they want, the siblings orchestrate robberies and murders while running nightclubs and protection rackets. With police Detective Leonard "Nipper" Read hot on their heels, the brothers continue their rapid rise to power and achieve tabloid notoriety.

Legend

2015

Assassins poster
6.5

Assassin Robert Rath arrives at a funeral to kill a prominent mobster, only to witness a rival hired gun complete the job for him -- with grisly results. Horrified by the murder of innocent bystanders, Rath decides to take one last job and then return to civilian life. But finding his way out of the world of contract killing grows ever more dangerous as Rath falls for his female target and becomes a marked man himself.

Assassins

1995

Green Zone poster
6.5

During the U.S.-led occupation of Baghdad in 2003, Chief Warrant Officer Roy Miller and his team of Army inspectors are dispatched to find weapons of mass destruction believed to be stockpiled in the Iraqi desert. Rocketing from one booby-trapped and treacherous site to the next, the men search for deadly chemical agents but stumble instead upon an elaborate cover-up that threatens to invert the purpose of their mission.

Green Zone

2010

The Postman poster
6.3

In 2013, there are no highways, no I-ways, no dreams of a better tomorrow, only scattered survivors across what was once the United States. Into this apocalyptic wasteland comes an enigmatic drifter with a mule, a knack for Shakespeare, and something yet undiscovered: the power to inspire hope.

The Postman

1997

A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master poster
5.9

Freddy Krueger returns once again to terrorize the dreams of the remaining Dream Warriors, as well as those of a young woman who may be able to defeat him for good.

A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master

1988

42 poster
7.2

In 1947, Jackie Robinson becomes the first Black man to play in Major League Baseball facing unabashed racism from the public, the press and other players.

42

2013

42 poster
7.2

In 1947, Jackie Robinson becomes the first Black man to play in Major League Baseball facing unabashed racism from the public, the press and other players.

42

2013

Spenser Confidential poster
6.5

Spenser, a former Boston patrolman who just got out from prison, teams up with Hawk, an aspiring fighter, to unravel the truth behind the death of two police officers.

Spenser Confidential

2020

Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant poster
5.9

When Darren Shan is taken to a circus that's chock-full of sideshow oddities, he meets a vampire and receives a life-changing bite on the neck.

Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant

2009

Finestkind poster
6.8

Two brothers from opposite sides of the tracks are reunited as adults. Desperate circumstances force them into a deal with an organized crime syndicate in Boston, and a young woman gets caught in the middle.

Finestkind

2023

Finestkind poster
6.8

Two brothers from opposite sides of the tracks are reunited as adults. Desperate circumstances force them into a deal with an organized crime syndicate in Boston, and a young woman gets caught in the middle.

Finestkind

2023

Blood Work poster
6.2

Still recovering from a heart transplant, a retired FBI profiler returns to service when his own blood analysis offers clues to the identity of a serial killer.

Blood Work

2002

The Order poster
5.7

For centuries, a secret Order of priests has existed within the Church. A renegade priest, Father Alex Bernier, is sent to Rome to investigate the mysterious death of one of the Order's most revered members. Following a series of strangely similar killings, Bernier launches an investigation that forces him to confront unimaginable evil.

The Order

2003

The Order poster
5.7

For centuries, a secret Order of priests has existed within the Church. A renegade priest, Father Alex Bernier, is sent to Rome to investigate the mysterious death of one of the Order's most revered members. Following a series of strangely similar killings, Bernier launches an investigation that forces him to confront unimaginable evil.

The Order

2003

The Order poster
5.7

For centuries, a secret Order of priests has existed within the Church. A renegade priest, Father Alex Bernier, is sent to Rome to investigate the mysterious death of one of the Order's most revered members. Following a series of strangely similar killings, Bernier launches an investigation that forces him to confront unimaginable evil.

The Order

2003

Highway to Hell poster
5.8

Charlie and Rachel run away from home to get married in Las Vegas. But they get attacked by a zombie who takes Rachel with him to hell, where she will become one of Satan's brides.

Highway to Hell

1991

976-EVIL poster
5.3

A bullied unpopular high school student named Hoax finds an ad for 976-EVIL, a number that provides daily 'horrorscopes'. But when he calls the number he gains demonic powers, which he uses to seek vengeance against those who bullied him.

976-EVIL

1988

No artwork available
NR

A sequel to the 2020 film.

Spenser Confidential 2

—

No artwork available
NR

A former Chicago mob enforcer, after being released from prison, is a man intent on changing his life. Disappearing into rural Texas, he finds work under a skilled furniture craftsman and retired Texas Ranger Gus Wanamaker. As Ruben and Gus form an unlikely friendship, that bond is jeopardized when both men’s pasts threaten to catch up with them.

Outside Man

—

No artwork available
NR

A former Chicago mob enforcer, after being released from prison, is a man intent on changing his life. Disappearing into rural Texas, he finds work under a skilled furniture craftsman and retired Texas Ranger Gus Wanamaker. As Ruben and Gus form an unlikely friendship, that bond is jeopardized when both men’s pasts threaten to catch up with them.

Outside Man

—

No artwork available
NR

Based on the graphic novel by John Wagner and Arthur Ranson, the movie tells the story of ex-military contractor Harry Exton, considered the first true hero of the post-truth age. Exton’s is a proxy in a clandestine competition among the super rich. Paid to fight to the death in modern-day gladiatorial contests, Exton sets out on a relentless journey to use these twisted elites’ own dark machine to bring their corrupt world crashing down.

Button Man

—

No artwork available
NR

Based on the graphic novel by John Wagner and Arthur Ranson, the movie tells the story of ex-military contractor Harry Exton, considered the first true hero of the post-truth age. Exton’s is a proxy in a clandestine competition among the super rich. Paid to fight to the death in modern-day gladiatorial contests, Exton sets out on a relentless journey to use these twisted elites’ own dark machine to bring their corrupt world crashing down.

Button Man

—

No artwork available
NR

A continuation of the the comic book of the same name.

Django/Zorro

—

No artwork available
NR

After a chance meeting saving the life of a reporter, Desmond “Dez” Aloysius Limerick, an unconventional multi-talented ex-operative, stumbles across a vast conspiracy and must now stop the forces intent on keeping their secrets safe.

The Gatekeeper

—