In David Cronenberg's subtly provocative film, one of his most celebrated, all is not as it initially seems. In his first of many collaborations with the director, Viggo Mortensen delivers a highly nuanced performance as Tom Stall, a small-town husband and father who is hailed as a hero when he kills the would-be perpetrators of a violent robbery. But how did this ordinary family man dispatch them with such skill? Working with an exceptional cast that also includes Maria Bello, Ed Harris, and William Hurt, Cronenberg slyly deconstructs the mythos of the American action hero, posing elemental questions about identity, human nature, and the violence that we both abhor and can't look away from.

Debuting director Michael Mann also scripted this intelligent actioner starring James Caan as Frank, a safecracker specializing in diamond heists. Dreaming of retiring and leading a normal life, Frank begins a romance with a wounded soul (Tuesday Weld), but agrees to take one final job pulling off a huge score. When things go south, he becomes the target of gangsters led by a ruthless mob boss. Robert Prosky, James Belushi, and Willie Nelson star; based on the memoir by burglar John Seybold. AKA "Violent Streets." 123 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtrack English DTS HD 5.1 Master Audio; Subtitles English (SDH); audio commentary by Mann, Caan; featurettes; theatrical trailer. Two-disc set.

Their infusion of avant-garde sensibilities into an NYC garage band ethos guaranteed Lou Reed, John Cale, Sterling Morrison, and Mo Tucker an influence that would long outstrip their '60s-'70s recording run. Writer/director Todd Haynes has rendered an appropriately trippy documentary tribute to The Velvet Underground, juxtaposing the observations of surviving members Cale and Tucker and many contemporaries and fans with copious performance footage and clips from experimental cinema of the era. 121 min. Widescreen; Soundtrack English Dolby Digital 5.1; Subtitles English (SDH); audio commentary; outtakes; short films; more. Two-disc set.