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Martin Bell

Martin Bell

Director, cinematographer, producer and writer, also editor · Born January 16, 1943 (83) · USA

Martin Bell is an American film director best known for films such as Streetwise and American Heart.

Biography from TMDB.

Born
January 16, 1943 (83)
From
USA
Works as
Director, cinematographer, producer and writer, also editor
Titles
4 on MovieCove · 17 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 25% in 30 days

What are Martin Bell's films like?

Across a limited sample of 4 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Bonds.

Themes

share of theme weight
Survival
41%
Bonds
31%
Morality
19%
Society
8%
Family bonds3 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 4 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 0 · Serious 0 · Dark 4

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 4 · Stylized 0 · Heightened 0

Intense: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their intense movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 0 · Charged 1 · Intense 3

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 1 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 4 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 0

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 1 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 0 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 0

Heavy: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their heavy movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

Easy watch 0 · Affecting 0 · Heavy 4

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

A split, not a type: Resolved 3 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 1

Moods and endings

endings shown from 5 titles

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Melancholic
4
Tense
2
Hopeful
3
Bittersweet
1
Warm
1
Other
1

How their films linger

Thought-provoking4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Martin Bell's films?

As of October 24, 2026, all 4 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Martin Bell's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

17 credits, 4 with a MovieCove page.

  • Streetwise Revisited: Rat (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    Director · Editor · Producer

  • Tiny: The Life of Erin Blackwell(2016)

    Director · Cinematographer · Editor · Producer

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Prom (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    Director · Writer

  • Alexander (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    Director

  • Erin (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Director

  • The Very Best of Sheryl Crow: The Videos (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Director

  • Twins (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Director

  • Brotherhood of Murder (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Director

  • Hidden in America(1996)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • The Amazing Plastic Lady (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Director · Producer

  • Circus of Dreams (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Director · Cinematographer · Producer

  • Tiny at 20 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Director

  • American Heart(1992)

    Director · Storyboard

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • A Matter of Trust: Billy Joel in the USSR (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    Director

  • Streetwise(1984)

    Director · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Marillion: Recital of the Script (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Director

  • James Cagney: That Yankee Doodle Dandy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    Cinematographer

Career shape

A full career of 17 titles from 1981 to 2021.

Biggest box office

American Heart (1992)

$384K worldwide

Highest rated

Streetwise (1984)

Midcredits 99th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing16 of 17: 10 only directing, 6 with another roleWriting2 of 17: 0 only writing, 2 with another roleProducing3 of 17: 0 only producing, 3 with another roleCinematography3 of 17: 1 only cinematography, 2 with another roleEditing1 of 17: 0 only editing, 1 with another role

17 titles, 6 with more than one role — directing and cinematography overlap on 2 of them.

By decade

1980s4 · crew1990s6 · crew2000s4 · crew2010s2 · crew2020s1 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it.

How do Martin Bell's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 66th percentile, the median of all 4; across a limited sample of 4 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 68th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

68thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 4

Approval · how many liked their films

67thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 4

Reach · how many have seen their films

55thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 4

Midcredits score across 4 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up1
  • 50th to 74th3

Shape of the crowd

None of their 4 titles divides audiences: 3 are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Crowd Pleaser3

Most loved · director, cinematographer

Streetwise (1984)

Midcredits 99th · 90% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 82/100 in their films, across 3 reviewed titles; fans 85, detractors 45. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Martin Bell work with?

People who share at least 2 of Martin Bell's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Nancy Baker shares the most, 3.

Writers

Actors

Cinematographers and editors

Producers