Julian Wadham Movies

Two-time Oscar-winner Meryl Streep steps into the role of English prime minister Margaret Thatcher in this biopic from director Phyllida Lloyd (Mamma Mia!), and screenwriter Abi Morgan (Tsunami: The Aftermath, Brick Lane). Jim Broadbent, Richard E. Grant, and Anthony Head co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A wealthy businessman hires a crack team of seasoned soldiers to accompany him on a perilous journey into no man's land, only to come face to face with an otherworldly enemy more vicious and powerful than any mortal foe. It was supposed to be an easy, forty-eight hour mission: Move in, scope out an abandoned military bunker, and move out. Once in the bunker, however, the fearless mercenaries begin to quake in their boots after happening across the remnants of some gruesome World War II experiments carried out by Nazi soldiers on their own men. Sifting through the carnage, the men are horrified to discover that one of the unfortunate test subjects is still clinging to life. Now, as bombs continue to burst above ground, a malevolent force emerges from the darkness below. Suddenly left with nowhere to run, the soldiers quickly realize that what appeared to be a by-the-books bodyguard mission has suddenly devolved into a bloody battle for survival. Why has their secretive host really brought them to this God-forsaken outpost, and is there any way of stopping the murderous force that hunts them from the dense shadows underground? ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

The sole survivor of a mysterious World War II submarine disaster is forced to fight for his life against otherworldly forces when the sunken sub inexplicably resurfaces thirty-eight years later. The year was 1943: Jack Hardy (David Jason) miraculously managed to survive an accident that would have claimed the entire crew had he perished as well. Flash forward to 1981, and that same submarine resurfaces from the grey waters of the Baltic Sea strangely intact. As the new crew prepares for deployment in the submarine, they find themselves facing a threat far more menacing than the Russians. Meanwhile, Hardy watches paralyzed in fear as the events from nearly four decades ago threaten deadly consequences for the unsuspecting crewmembers who remain completely ignorant to the horrors of the past. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Planned for years, but plagued by problems such as the death of director John Frankenheimer before production had even begun and the exiting of star Liam Neeson, the fourth installment of the Exorcist saga finally got off the ground with Paul Schrader (Affliction, Auto Focus) behind the camera and Stellan Skarsgård filling the shoes left empty by Neeson. But the pitfalls didn't stop there, as Morgan Creek decided against their initial approach assigned to Schrader after seeing his finished cut, and hired Renny Harlin to reshoot the film with extra gore and head-spinning nastiness. The first prequel in the series, Exorcist: The Beginning is based upon events occurring before the first film. Playing the character made famous by Max von Sydow in the earlier films, this entry finds Skarsgård as a young Father Merrin facing true evil for the first time in Africa in the wake of World War II. When a young local boy begins to behave strangely, it becomes more and more apparent to Merrin that the child is a victim of demonic possession. Boasting a first-time screenplay by best-selling novelist Caleb Carr (The Alienist), Exorcist: The Beginning features a supporting cast headed by Izabella Scorupco (GoldenEye) and James D'Arcy (Master And Commander). ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi

British actor Robert Carlyle stars as the 20th century's most infamous dictator in this two-part TV biopic. The film covers the life of Adolf Hitler from his childhood to his emergence as absolute ruler of Germany in 1934. Most of the ground covered should be familiar to history buffs: Hitler's failed efforts to become a great artist, his frustration at watching his adopted country fall apart at the seams during World War I, his resolve to put Germany back on its feet by exploiting the nation's horrendous postwar economic woes and its ingrained anti-Semitism, his 1923 arrest, the publication of Hitler's virulent screed Mein Kampf, the growing popularity of National Socialism, and the fatal error made by senile German chancellor Von Hindbenburg (Peter O'Toole) to "neutralize" Hitler by giving him a relatively unimportant political post in 1933. Also covered is Hitler's abortive romance with his half-niece Geli Raubal (Jena Malone) and his longer relationship with the estimable Eva Braun (Zoe Telford). Given the difficulties faced by actor Carlyle and the screenwriters to successfully convey pure, unadulterated evil, much of what we learn about Hitler is conveyed by the observations and reactions of other characters, notably crusading but ineffectual anti-Nazi journalist Fritz Gerlich (Matthew Modine), and especially German publisher Ernst Hanfstaengl (Liev Schreiber) and his wife, Helene (Julianna Margulies). Originally a staunch supporter of Hitler, Hanfstaengl eventually comes to realize the danger the man poses to the world ("He's not human. He simply studies others to become human."); in contrast, Helene, who at the outset is vaguely opposed to National Socialism, is ultimately seduced and swept up by the movement. Not surprisingly, this film stirred up a great deal of controversy even before it aired; some Jewish leaders and prominent Holocaust survivors worried that Hitler might come off as being sympathetic (a concern that may have dictated altering the film's title, which was to have been Hitler: The Early Years); and one of the film's producers was summarily dismissed after issuing a public statement which seemed to compare Germany's blind, unthinking allegiance to Hitler to America's rallying behind George W. Bush during the Iraq crisis. Hitler: The Rise of Evil originally aired May 18 and 20, 2003, on CBS. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

George Sluizer (The Vanishing) directed this German-British-Belgian thriller about politico James Morton (John Hurt) who relocates in Brussels as the British commissioner to the Euro parliament, leaving his wife Isabelle (Alice Krige) behind. As British and German chemical outfits are about to merge, Metro Chemical researcher Hans Konig (Armin Mueller-Stahl) tips him that his company is creating weapons and is run by a former Nazi. Morton stops the merger, but information leaks trigger Konig's arrest for industrial espionage and the bombing of Morton's apartment, followed by more corporate intrigue. Shown at the 1998 Berlin Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

Based on the novel by Catherine Cookson, this made-for-TV drama, set in England shortly before the outbreak of World War I, concerns Agnes Conway (Claire Skinner), a beautiful young woman who works in her family's confectioner's shop. Agnes' natural beauty and spirited nature lead her into romantic entanglements with two men from a prominent family -- first Charles Farrier (Edward Atterton), then his brother Reginald (Julian Wadham) -- and later into a friendship with the Felton family, decent folks from a notoriously rough part of England, when her sister Jessie (Michelle Charles) falls in love with one of the Felton men. Produced for British television, The Wingless Bird was first shown on American television as part of the acclaimed PBS anthology series Masterpiece Theater. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Anthony Minghella wrote and directed this award-winning adaptation of Michael Ondaatje's novel about a doomed and tragic romance set against the backdrop of World War II. In a field hospital in Italy, Hana (Juliette Binoche), a nurse from Canada, is caring for a pilot who was horribly burned in a plane wreck; he has no identification and cannot remember his name, so he's known simply as "the English Patient," thanks to his accent. When the hospital is forced to evacuate, Hana determines en route that the patient shouldn't be moved far due to his fragile condition, so the two are left in a monastery to be picked up later. In time, Hana begins to piece together the patient's story from the shards of his memories; he's actually Count Laszlo Almasy (Ralph Fiennes), of Hungarian nobility and an explorer working with a group mapping uncharted territory in North Africa. An Englishman, Geoffrey Clifton (Colin Firth), soon joins Almasy's team; travelling with him is his lovely and spirited wife, Katherine (Kristin Scott Thomas). Katherine and Laszlo soon fall in love, which leads Laszlo to betray his friend, his country and all that is dear to him. Meanwhile, Hana and the Patient are joined by Kip (Naveen Andrews), a Sikh with a gift for defusing mines, and Caravaggio (Willem Dafoe), an intelligence agent who knows some of Laszlo's most shameful secrets. The English Patient won nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Supporting Actress (Juliette Binoche). ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A small man with a big story examines the facts of his life in this drama. As Frank Bois enjoys the success of his first novel, he finds himself looking back on his highly unusual life. Frank's mother Bernadette (Anne Parillaud) was a French woman who, after the death of her parents and several close friends in World War II, smuggled herself aboard an Allied troop ship sailing to Ireland, exchanging sexual favors for silence among the soldiers who discovered her on board. A kind-hearted customs agent, Jack Kelly (Gabriel Byrne), allowed Bernadette to enter Ireland, and they soon became lovers, even though she was already carrying the child of one of the soldiers from the ship. Bernadette soon gave birth to young Frankie (Alan Pentony), who suffered from dwarfism. As he grew older, Frankie fell for Jack's daughter Emma (Georgina Cates), who clearly didn't care for him, while Jack generously shared his knowledge of astronomy with Frankie. Eventually, Bernadette encountered Terry Klout (Matt Dillon), an American soldier from the troop ship, who offered to marry her. Bernadette and Frankie accompanied Terry to his home in Texas, but both mother and son felt like fish out of water in the American West, and they returned to the Irish home they came to love. A sadder but wiser Bernadette eventually committed suicide, and Frank began to draw upon his life experiences as he put pen to paper for his first book. Based on the novel The Dork of Cork by Chet Raymo, Frankie Starlight was directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Director James Ivory brings his subdued, "Masterpiece Theater" style to a forbidden subject -- homosexual love. Maurice is based on E.M. Forster's suppressed 1914 novel that was held back from publication until after his death. The film takes place at Cambridge, before World War I, when homosexuality was outlawed in Great Britain. Clive (Hugh Grant), an aristocratic Englishman with a life of privilege, suddenly shocks his close friend Maurice (James Wilby) by declaring his love for him. Maurice is initially stunned by the pronouncement, but in the end finds himself giving Clive a passionate kiss and telling him that he loves him as well. Clive, in the stiff-upper-lip British manner, considers their love to be more of an intellectual concept, but Maurice becomes passionate about the affair. Clive, afraid of being exposed as a homosexual, backs off and breaks up with Maurice for marriage, family, and politics. Maurice is crestfallen, but then he has a passionate affair with Clive's gamekeeper, Scudder (Rupert Graves), and Maurice and Scudder decide to risk their reputations by openly living together as lovers. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi