Oliver Stone’s biographical political thriller SNOWDEN tells the personal story of former NSA employee Edward Snowden.

Q&A on Friday, September 16 after the 6:30pm show with film critic Matt Zoller Seitz and filmmaker Ramin Bahrani to discuss Seitz’s new book The Oliver Stone Experience from Abrams Books.

Snowden, the politically-charged, pulse-pounding thriller starring Joseph Gorden-Levitt and Shailene Woodley, reveals the incredible untold personal story of Edward Snowden, the polarizing figure who exposed shocking illegal surveillance activities by the NSA and become one of the most wanted men in the world. He is considered a hero by some, and a trailer by others. No matter which you believe, the epic story of why he did it, who he left behind, and how he pulled it off makes for one of the most compelling films of the year.

It’s only a movie…it’s only a movie. Wes Craven’s THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT.

Released in 1972, Wes Craven’s Last House on the Left was one of the first exploitation movies to scratch its way into public consciousness. For all its notoriety and acclaim (or disdain, depending on what circle you listen to), Last House on the Left is a strange concoction even to this day—a brutal rape-revenge movie with art house roots. Though not nearly as wretched as its reputation implies, this film still has some deeply unpleasant moments, and, despite its sloppiness and deaf tone, it’s told with a good deal of confidence by Craven.

Part of Nitehawk’s fall CRIME series.

An FBI agent and a familiar serial killer try to outwit each other in MANHUNTER.
A 35mm presentation.

Based on Thomas Harris’ novel Red Dragon is an American crime horror thriller film about an FBI criminal profiler Will Graham is called out of early retirement to assist on a serial murder case involving a killer known as the “Tooth Fairy.” Graham enlists the help of imprisoned serial killer — and cannibal — Dr. Hannibal Lecktor, who is the reason Graham took an early retirement. Soon, Graham and the FBI are entangled in a deadly cat-and-mouse game between the Tooth Fairy, Lecktor and an interfering journalist.

Part of Nitehawk’s fall CRIME series.

Starring: Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kevin Spacey

When retiring homicide detective William Somerset tackles a final case with the aid of newly transferred David Mills, they discover a number of elaborate and grizzly murders. They soon realize they are dealing with a serial killer who is targeting people he thinks represent one of the seven deadly sins. Starting with gluttony, this sociopath goes through them all as each detective approaches the case either by going deeper into the killer’s mind or through a more cynical perspective. It’s a smart serial killer film where director David Fincher shows the physical and psychological damage inflicted upon those in the crime-ridden city.

Starring: Al Pacino, John Cazale, Carol Kane, Penelope Allen, James Broderick, Charles Durning

Inspired by the true story of a bank robbery in Brooklyn, Dog Day Afternoon chronicles how an inexperienced criminal named Sonny Wortzik turns a bank robbery into a developing hostage situation. As Sonny and his accomplice, Sal Naturile, try desperately to remain in control, a media circus develops and the FBI arrives, creating even more tension. Gradually, Sonny’s surprising motivations behind the robbery are revealed and his standoff with law enforcement moves toward its inevitable end.

Michael Caine serves up some bloody good British revenge in GET CARTER.

Based on the Ted Lewis novel, Jack’s Return Home, Get Carter is as gritty and British as crime thrillers go. It shows the bloody trail of revenge through the seedy underbelly of Newcastle as the cold-blooded London gangster, Jack Carter, tries to get to the bottom of his brother’s death. Believing he was murdered, Carter works his way through thugs in search of the kingpin to get to the truth.

Part of Nitehawk’s fall CRIME series.

Starring: Gene Hackman, Fernando Rey, Roy Scheider, Marcel Bozzuffi, Tony Lo Bianco, Eddie Egan

Based on a true story, William Friedkin’s Oscar-winning thriller The French Connection follows two New York City detectives Popeye Doyle and Buddy Russo as they attempt to break a narcotics smuggling ring and ultimately uncover “The French Connection.” But when one of the criminals tried to kill Doyle, he begins a deadly pursuit that takes him far outside the city limits.

A mob assassin tries to set things right in John Woo’s THE KILLER.
A 35mm presentation.

Mob assassin Jeffrey (Chow Yun-Fat) is no ordinary hired gun. He’s the best in his business and he views his chosen profession as a calling rather than simply a job. So, when beautiful nightclub chanteuse Jennie is blinded in the crossfire of his most recent hit, Jeffrey chooses to retire after one last job to pay for his unintended victim’s sight-restoring operation. But when Jeffrey is double-crossed, he reluctantly joins forces with a rogue policeman to make things right.

Part of Nitehawk’s fall CRIME series.

Starring: Ron O’Neal, Carl Lee, Sheila Frazier, Julius Harris

Priest is a suave top-rung Harlem, New York drug Pusher who decides that he wants to get out of his dangerous trade. Working with his reluctant friend he devises a scheme that will allow him make one last big deal and then retire. When a desperate street dealer informs the police of Priest’s activities, Priest is forced into an uncomfortable arrangement with corrupt narcotics officers. Setting his plan in motion, he aims to both leave the business and stick it to the man.

Cops, yakuza and ICHI THE KILLER.

Welcome to a world where violence is a virtue and depravity is a way of life in the underside of Shinjuku, the home of Kakihara, a sadistic yakuza killer. He relentlessly tears apart the underworld searching for the man who killed his boss. The mastermind behind the plot is Jijii, an ex-cop bent on turning the gangsters of Japan against one another. His trump card is a physically powerful lunatic who is constantly on the verge of snapping. This madman is Ichi the Killer, and between him and Kakihara, the streets will run red with blood.

Part of Nitehawk’s fall CRIME series.