Backdrop fallback

Playing with Fire

Playing with Fire

Watch Trailer Watch Movie

Share

Playing with Fire

"All he wanted was a little love."

1985

1h 40m

6.0(3 votes)

TV Movie

Crime

Drama

Overview

Gary Coleman stars as a teenage arsonist. The authorities, friends, and neighbors warn his absentee parents until it is too late.

Links & Resources

Social & External

Production Companies

NBC

Videos & Trailers

1 video

Cast & Crew

17 members

Acting

Gary Coleman

David Phillips

Gary Coleman

Acting

Cicely Tyson

Carol Phillips

Cicely Tyson

Acting

Ron O'Neal

Steve Phillips

Ron O'Neal

Acting

Yaphet Kotto

Fire Chief Walker

Yaphet Kotto

Acting

Tammy Lauren

Pamela Fredericks

Tammy Lauren

Acting

Tom Fridley

Mike Harris

No Image

Acting

Salome Jens

Dr. Becker

Salome Jens

Acting

Richard McKenzie

Principal Sweeney

Richard McKenzie

Acting

Arthur Burghardt

Harry

Arthur Burghardt

Acting

Jacque Lynn Colton

Miss Somerhalter

Jacque Lynn Colton

Acting

Rance Howard

Fireman Goodwin

Rance Howard

Acting

Ron Jackson

Fireman Wilson

No Image

Acting

Cherie Johnson

Eileen Phillips

Cherie Johnson

Acting

Wesley Pfenning

Mrs. Williams

No Image

Acting

Brad Savage

Paul

Brad Savage

Acting

Gary Riley

Charlie

Gary Riley

Directing

S.V. Henson, Jr.

Neighbor

S.V. Henson, Jr.

Similar Movies

1945

1945

An unsettling feeling overwhelms a small Hungarian town when two orthodox Jews arrive with a mysterious trunk. As residents begin to speculate on the purpose of the visit of these two strangers, order starts to crumble in town with some pursuing devious plans and others finding remorse in their hearts.

The Nines

The Nines

A troubled actor, a television show runner, and an acclaimed videogame designer find their lives intertwining in mysterious and unsettling ways.

Parole Girl

Parole Girl

A woman convicted of fraud aims to take her revenge on the man who put her inside after being released on parole.

Fireproof

Fireproof

A heroic fire captain values dedication and service to others above all else, but the most important partnership in his life, his marriage, is about to go up in smoke.

All You've Got

All You've Got

Three friends' love for volleyball is tested to the limit when their school burns to the ground and they are forced to join a rival school in order to win the national championship.

Savage Streets

Savage Streets

Brenda, vivacious leader of the "Satins", a fun-loving group of pretty high school girls, searches for deadly vengeance against the gang members who assaulted her deaf-mute sister.

The Girl Who Played with Fire

The Girl Who Played with Fire

Mikael Blomkvist, publisher of Millennium magazine, has made his living exposing the crooked and corrupt practices of establishment Swedish figures. So when a young journalist approaches him with a meticulously researched thesis about sex trafficking in Sweden and those in high office who abuse underage girls, Blomkvist immediately throws himself into the investigation.

La Promesse

La Promesse

Igor, aged 15, and his father Roger deal in housing and peddling illicit labor in the outlying districts of Liege, Belgium. Scams, lies and swindling rule their lives. When one of his father’s illegal workers gets injured on the job and asks Igor to promise to take care of his wife and baby, Igor finds himself at a crossroad. He wants to keep the promise, but the price would be to betray his father.

Concrete Cowboy

Concrete Cowboy

Sent to live with his estranged father for the summer, a rebellious teen finds kinship in a tight-knit Philadelphia community of Black cowboys.

Out of the Fog

Out of the Fog

A Brooklyn pier racketeer bullies boat-owners into paying protection money but two fed-up fishermen decide to eliminate the gangster themselves rather than complain to the police.

The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things

The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things

Young Jeremiah lives in a stable environment with loving foster parents until the day his troubled mother, Sarah, returns to claim him. Jeremiah becomes swept up in his mother's dangerous world of drugs, seedy hotels, strip joints and revolving lovers. Salvation comes in the form of the boy's ultrareligious grandparents, but soon Jeremiah's mother returns. Maternal love binds the pair together on the road until Sarah's desperate and depraved lifestyle finally consumes her.

The Talk of the Town

The Talk of the Town

Hilarity ensues when a falsely accused fugitive from justice hides at the house of his childhood friend, which she has recently rented to a high-principled law teacher.

Kalel, 15

Kalel, 15

Surrounded by tensions and secrets, a teenage boy searches for validation and navigates life with a dysfunctional family following an HIV diagnosis.

The Unholy Three

The Unholy Three

A trio of former sideshow performers double as the "Unholy Three" in a scam to nab some shiny rocks.

Cop Land

Cop Land

Freddy Heflin is the sheriff of a place everyone calls “Cop Land” — a small and seemingly peaceful town populated by the big city police officers he’s long admired. Yet something ugly is taking place behind the town’s peaceful facade. And when Freddy uncovers a massive, deadly conspiracy among these local residents, he is forced to take action and make a dangerous choice between protecting his idols and upholding the law.

Gregoire

Gregoire

Loosely based on real life events, Gregoire follows four young adults and the choices they make when put at a crossroads of their life. As they struggle to make choices, their paths cross with one another and their choices affect not only themselves, but their friends, and their families.

A Pyromaniac's Love Story

A Pyromaniac's Love Story

A pastry boy and the son of a hair-piece mogul become involved in an arson scandal. Sergio is offered a bribe in exchange for taking the blame for the fire that destroys his workplace. Garet, the real arsonist, is apalled that someone else would try to take credit for his act of love. Before long, Sergio and Garet become entangled in a zany love-quadrangle involving Hattie and Stephanie. Written by Brian Whiting

Firetrap

Firetrap

Master burglar Max Hopper is released early after three years and soon gets an exceptional job: stealing an advanced computer-chip from the IQ Industries headquarters. His first attempt fails; when he enters in cop uniform during an emergency board meeting, a fire quickly spreads- he considers it a godsend opportunity and stays, but soon has his hands too full saving other lives and just surviving to concentrate on the chip; only the owner, his wife who just filed for divorce and a few employees remain, but it soon turns out one of them stole company secrets but the arsonist and/or another chip-thieves are among them.

The Towering Inferno

The Towering Inferno

At the opening party of a colossal—but poorly constructed—skyscraper, a massive fire breaks out, threatening to destroy the tower and everyone in it.

The Return

The Return

Two young brothers in contemporary Russia are reunited with a father they know only from an old photograph after his sudden return from a long absence. With their mother’s reluctant consent, they set out on a remote trip that quickly becomes an uneasy test of authority, trust, and masculinity. As the journey moves deeper into the wilderness, the fragile bonds between father and sons are pushed to their limits.

Recommended Movies

Crossword Mysteries: Abracadaver

Crossword Mysteries: Abracadaver

During her birthday celebration, Tess and Logan find themselves swept up in a world that isn't always what it seems when the headlining magician at the Magic Manor winds up dead.

Girl in the Basement

Girl in the Basement

Sara is a teen girl who is looking forward to her 18th birthday to move away from her controlling father Don. But before she could even blow out the candles, Don imprisons her in the basement of their home.

Garage Sale Mystery

Garage Sale Mystery

Jennifer Shannon can always find a diamond in the rough, when it comes to garage sales, that is. Whether it's a new antique to sell at her consignment shop, an Atari game for her son or a piece of furniture for her handy husband Jason to refurbish, she has made a career out of her treasure hunting prowess. When a string of burglaries hits her town, Jennifer's keen eye for detail and her natural problem solving instincts even help her see the connection between these burglaries and local garage sales! Jennifer works with Detective Adam Iverson to investigate her theory that the perpetrators of the burglaries are fellow garage sale regulars. The case escalates to dangerous levels when Jennifer discovers the dead body of her friend. Even though the deceased's husband, Ben Douglas, finds nothing missing in their house, and the police label the death as accidental, Jennifer suspects that the death may be related to the burglaries.

Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase

Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase

Nancy Drew, a smart high schooler with a penchant for keen observation and deduction, stumbles upon the haunting of a local home. A bit of an outsider struggling to fit into her new surroundings, Nancy and her pals set out to solve the mystery, make new friends, and establish their place in the community

Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: The Disappearing Game

Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: The Disappearing Game

Crime-solving librarian Aurora Teagarden leaps headfirst into Lawrenceton’s latest murder investigation when her nephew Phillip and his college roommate go missing after the roommate’s girlfriend is found dead. Enlisting the help of her Real Murders pals, and the handsome college professor Nick Miller who just moved in across the street from her, Roe uncovers a kidnapping plot gone awry.

Backdraft

Backdraft

Two feuding siblings carrying on a heroic family tradition as Chicago firefighters. But when a puzzling series of arson attacks is reported, they are forced to set aside their differences to solve the mystery surrounding these crimes.

Seeds of Yesterday

Seeds of Yesterday

The Sheffield family reveal and go through some home truths as their middle child inherits the Foxworth mansion. The family's ghosts looming over, and more tragedies are in store as the curse lives on.

The Assault

The Assault

After a cheerleader is sexually assaulted by the high school football team, she must overcome her shame and use the evidence gathered from the subsequent social media firestorm to piece together the night that she can't remember in her fight for justice. Based on the true story of the Steubenville, Ohio rape case.

Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: Heist and Seek

Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: Heist and Seek

When a priceless crown is stolen during a benefit gala held by the Lawrenceton library, Aurora and the Real Murders Club must investigate who would kill to get their hands on it.

Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: Reunited and It Feels So Deadly

Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: Reunited and It Feels So Deadly

Aurora's high school reunion turns deadly when a body is found in the hotel pool. Aurora and her Real Murders Club help investigate which classmate was most likely to kill.

Backdraft 2

Backdraft 2

Years after the original Backdraft, Sean, son of the late Steve "Bull" McCaffrey, is assigned to investigate a deadly fire only to realize it is something much more sinister.

Red Riding: The Year of Our Lord 1983

Red Riding: The Year of Our Lord 1983

Detective Chief Superintendent Maurice Jobson is forced to remember the very similar disappearance of Clare Kemplay, who was found dead in 1974, and the subsequent imprisonment of local boy Michael Myshkin. Washed-up local solicitor John Piggott becomes convinced of Myshkin's innocence and begins to fight on his behalf, unwittingly providing a catalyst for Jobson to start to right some wrongs.

Miss Marple: The Murder at the Vicarage

Miss Marple: The Murder at the Vicarage

Faced with two false confessions and numerous suspects after a despised civil magistrate is found shot in the local vicarage, Detective Inspector Slack reluctantly accepts help from Miss Marple.

Ray Donovan: The Movie

Ray Donovan: The Movie

A showdown decades in the making brings the Donovan family legacy full circle. As the events that made Ray who he is today finally come to light, the Donovans find themselves drawn back to Boston to face the past. Each of them struggles to overcome their violent upbringing, but destiny dies hard, and only their fierce love for each other keeps them in the fight.

The Substitute 2: School's Out

The Substitute 2: School's Out

When teacher Randall Thomasson is killed during a carjacking, an unexpected visitor shows up at his funeral - his estranged brother, Karl Thomasson. An ex-Green Beret turned mercenary, Karl signs on as a new substitute teacher in order to investigate Randall's murder.

Amanda Knox: Murder on Trial in Italy

Amanda Knox: Murder on Trial in Italy

Based on the events surrounding the murder of British student Meredith Kercher. Hayden Panettiere (Heroes) and Marcia Gay Harden (Academy Award winner for Pollock) star in the Lifetime Original Movie Amanda Knox: Murder on Trial in Italy based on the international headline-grabbing story of the now infamous American exchange student accused by Italian authorities of brutally killing her roommate. Amanda Knox: Murder on Trial in Italy poses the question of whether Knox (Panettiere), the Seattle honors student accused of murdering her college roommate Meredith Kercher (Amanda Fernando Stevens) in 2007 with her boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito (Paolo Romio) and acquaintance Rudy Guede (Djirbi Kebe), actually committed the crime or was herself a victim.

Mystery 101: Playing Dead

Mystery 101: Playing Dead

The local theater is producing a mystery that crime fiction expert Amy unearthed. When one of the actress' life is threatened, Amy & Travis must uncover which character is playing for keeps.

The Elizabeth Smart Story

The Elizabeth Smart Story

Based on the true story of the kidnapping of teenager Elizabeth Smart,in June 2002, by two people in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Walker, Texas Ranger: Trial by Fire

Walker, Texas Ranger: Trial by Fire

Walker investigates a murder connected with a missing government weapon. In addition, he tries to track down a teen on the run from a crime syndicate.

Mystery 101: Dead Talk

Mystery 101: Dead Talk

Amy heads to Seattle to give a TEDTalk-style lecture. When a tech genius dies, Amy suspects foul play. When local cops shut her out, Travis joins forces with Amy to figure out whodunit.