Brad Whitewood Jr. lives in rural Pennsylvania and has few prospects. Against his mother's wishes, he seeks out his estranged father, the head of a gang of thieves in a nearby town. Though his new girlfriend supports his criminal ambitions, Brad Jr. soon learns that his father is a dangerous man. Inspired by the real events that led to the end of the Johnston Gang, who operated in the northeastern United States in the 1970s.

Return to the Wild: The Chris McCandless Story

2014

English

6.7

♡ 7

Jeanmarie Condon Director

Sean Penn as Self

Twenty years ago, a young American hiker named Chris McCandless, the accomplished son of successful middle class parents, was found dead in an abandoned bus in the Alaskan wilderness and became the subject of the best-selling book and movie “Into the Wild.” Now, PBS retraces Chris McCandless’ steps to try to piece together why he severed all ties with his past, burnt or gave away all his money, changed his name and headed into the Denali Wilderness. McCandless' own letters, released for the first time, as well as new and surprising interviews, probe the mystery that still lies at the heart of a story that has become part of the American literary canon and compels so many to this day.

Crackers

1984

English

5.2

♡ 8

san francisco, california

theft

Thriller

unemployment

Louis Malle Director

Sean Penn as Dillard

Tasia Valenza as Maria

Anna Maria Horsford as Slam Dunk

Wallace Shawn as Turtle

In San Francisco, a group of down-and-out friends and a local pimp concoct a convoluted burglary plan on their pawnshop operator friend, all while navigating unexpected romantic entanglements that threaten to derail their heist.

Holbrook/Twain: An American Odyssey

2014

English

8.6

♡ 7

95%

Action

Biography

Documentary

Scott Teems Director

Sean Penn as Self

Robert Patrick as Self

Emile Hirsch as Self

Annie Potts as Self

Hal Holbrook's Mark Twain is an icon of American theater. Since first walking on stage in 1954, Holbrook has performed his one-man show Mark Twain Tonight! for millions on and off Broadway, in all fifty states, in twenty countries, before five U.S. presidents and behind the Iron Curtain. Countless actors and Twain scholars have been influenced by Holbrook's work and his Tony and Emmy Award-winning masterpiece.

Citizen Penn

2020

English

6.3

♡ 1

100%

Action

Documentary

Don Hardy Jr. Director

Sean Penn as Self

Anderson Cooper as Self

Cécile Accilien as Self Ann Lee

Ann Lee as Self

After a devastating 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti in 2010 aid workers from around the world went to help, including actor and filmmaker Sean Penn.

21 Grams

2003

English

7.6

♡ 93

80%

Alejandro González Iñárritu Director

Lew Temple as County Sheriff

Naomi Watts as Cristina Peck

Benicio Del Toro as Jack Jordan

Sean Penn as Paul Rivers

Paul Rivers, an ailing mathematician lovelessly married to an English émigré; Christina Peck, an upper-middle-class suburban housewife and mother of two girls; and Jack Jordan, a born-again ex-con, are brought together by a terrible accident that changes their lives.

The Interpreter

2005

English

6.4

♡ 47

57%

destruction of a civilization

Sydney Pollack Director

David Zayas as Charlie Russell

Nicole Kidman as Silvia Broome

Sean Penn as Tobin Keller

Jossara Jinaro as Voice

After Silvia Broome, an interpreter at United Nations headquarters, overhears plans of an assassination, an American Secret Service agent is sent to investigate.

How

2022

English

8.2

♡ 2

Action

Documentary

Jack C. Newell Director

Jack C. Newell as Narrator / self

Jilbert Majolin as New Engineer

Barack Obama as Self

Sean Penn as Self

Development, history, and colonialism collide when a seemingly simple aid project spirals out of control in Haiti. Headstrong American Tim Myers clashes with Haitian leader Anselme Saimplice, forcing a reckoning on privilege and power.

Dogtown and Z-Boys

2001

English

7.6

♡ 7

92%

venice beach, california

Stacy Peralta Director

Sean Penn as Narrator

Tony Hawk as Self

Steve Caballero as Self - Skateboard Champion

Tony Alva as Self - Zephyr Skate Team

This award-winning, thrilling story is about a group of discarded kids who revolutionized skateboarding and shaped the attitude and culture of modern day extreme sports. Featuring old skool skating footage, exclusive interviews and a blistering rock soundtrack, DOGTOWN AND Z-BOYS captures the rise of the Zephyr skateboarding team from Venice's Dogtown, a tough "locals only" beach with a legacy of outlaw surfing.

This Must Be the Place

2011

English

6.7

♡ 30

66%

parent child relationship

rock 'n' roll

surrealism

Paolo Sorrentino Director

Sean Penn as Cheyenne

Joyce Van Patten as Dorothy Shore

Kerry Condon as Rachel

Liron Levo as Richard

A bored, retired rock star sets out to find his father's tormentor, an ex-Nazi war criminal who is a refugee in the U.S.

Hurlyburly

1998

English

5.8

♡ 4

57%

65%

based on play or musical

Comedy

Drama

hollywood

Anthony Drazan Director

Garry Shandling as Artie

Robin Wright as Darlene

Sean Penn as Eddie

Kevin Spacey as Mickey

A group of actors and their casting agents try to find a direction in their lives whilst coming to terms with their personal problems and relationship conflicts.

Superpower

2023

English

6.0

♡ 17

47%

75%

Documentary

russian invasion of ukraine

russian invasion of ukraine (2022)

Sean Penn Director

Sean Penn as

Anderson Cooper as Self

Miles Teller as Self

Vladimir Putin as Self - Russian Dictator

Sean Penn and Aaron Kaufman’s documentary, shot just before and after Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24th February 2022, and featuring several interviews with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Taps

1981

English

6.8

♡ 31

68%

Harold Becker Director

Sean Penn as Cadet Captain Alex Dwyer

Tom Cruise as Cadet Captain David Shawn

Giancarlo Esposito as Cadet Captain J.C. Pierce

Evan Handler as Edward West

Military cadets take extreme measures to ensure the future of their academy when its existence is threatened by local condo developers.

The Game

1997

English

7.7

♡ 209

77%

san francisco, california

sibling relationship

suicide

Thriller

David Fincher Director

Michael Massee as Airbag EMT Galliano

Sean Penn as Conrad Van Orton

Elizabeth Dennehy as Maria

Michael Douglas as Nicholas Van Orton

In honor of his birthday, San Francisco banker Nicholas Van Orton, a financial genius and a cold-hearted loner, receives an unusual present from his younger brother, Conrad: a gift certificate to play a unique kind of game. In nary a nanosecond, Nicholas finds himself consumed by a dangerous set of ever-changing rules, unable to distinguish where the charade ends and reality begins.

Bad Boys

1983

English

7.2

♡ 27

89%

Rick Rosenthal Director

Rick Rosenthal as Judge

Sean Penn as Mick O'Brien

Reni Santoni as Ramon Herrera

Clancy Brown as Viking Lofgren

Mick O'Brien is a young Chicago street thug torn between a life of petty crime and the love of his girlfriend. But when the heist of a local drug dealer goes tragically wrong Mick is sentenced to a brutal juvenile prison where violence is a rite of passage and respect is measured in vengeance.

The Gunman

2015

English

♡ 44

15%

Pierre Morel Director

Idris Elba as Barnes

Javier Bardem as Felix

Peter Franzén as Reiniger

Sean Penn as Terrier

Eight years after fleeing the Congo following his assassination of that country's minister of mining, former assassin Jim Terrier is back, suffering from PTSD and digging wells to atone for his violent past. After an attempt is made on his life, Terrier flies to London to find out who wants him dead -- and why. Terrier's search leads him to a reunion with Annie, a woman he once loved, who is now married to an oily businessman with dealings in Africa.

Shanghai Surprise

1986

English

3.3

♡ 8

20%

Jim Goddard Director

Sean Penn as Glendon Wasey

George Harrison as Nightclub Singer

Philip Tan as Ship's Officer

Richard Griffiths as Willie Tuttle

Glendon Wasey is a fortune hunter looking for a fast track out of China. Gloria Tatlock is a missionary nurse seeking the curing powers of opium for her patients. Fate sets them on a hectic, exotic, and even romantic quest for stolen drugs. But they are up against every thug and smuggler in Shangai.

State of Grace

1990

English

7.1

♡ 38

86%

Phil Joanou Director

Ed Harris as Frankie Flannery

Deirdre O'Connell as Irene

Gary Oldman as Jackie Flannery

Sean Penn as Terry Noonan

Hell's Kitchen, New York. Terry Noonan returns home after a ten-year absence. He soon reconnects with Jackie, a childhood friend and member of the Irish mob, and rekindles his love affair with Jackie's sister Kathleen.

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Haiti Untold

The Weight of Water

At Close Range

Return to the Wild: The Chris McCandless Story

Crackers

Holbrook/Twain: An American Odyssey

Citizen Penn

21 Grams

The Interpreter

How

Dogtown and Z-Boys

This Must Be the Place

Hurlyburly

Superpower

Taps

The Game

Bad Boys

The Gunman

Shanghai Surprise

State of Grace