Neil Jordan Movies
One of Ireland's most celebrated directors, Neil Jordan has made his name directing moody, often politically charged films that focus largely on themes of love, betrayal, and the darker realms of the human psyche.Born February 25, 1950, in Sligo County, Ireland, Jordan began his career as an acclaimed fiction writer. He entered the film industry in 1981 as a script consultant on John Boorman's Excalibur, and subsequently made a documentary about the making of the film. After scripting another film, Traveller, Jordan wrote and directed his first film, the stylish 1982 crime drama Angel. Starring Stephen Rea as a saxophone player who witnesses a series of brutal murders, it explored the darker, violent impulses of the human mind, a theme that Jordan would revisit time and again in his later films.
After attracting his first wave of international recognition for In the Company of Wolves (1984), his horror-tinged retelling of the Little Red Riding Hood tale, Jordan had his first real success with Mona Lisa (1986). Shown in competition at the Cannes Festival and starring Bob Hoskins as a gruff, good-hearted ex-con, it was an innovative, mysterious meditation on obsession, betrayal, and love and its many variations. Hoskins earned numerous honors for his performance, including a BAFTA award, and Jordan became recognized as an emerging talent in international cinema.
The director's reputation suffered two successive blows when he came to the U.S. to make High Spirits (1988) and We're No Angels (1989), two comedies that both proved to be massive disappointments. Jordan rebounded somewhat when he returned to Ireland to direct The Miracle (1991), a poignant drama about two Irish teens, but it was with his subsequent effort, 1992's The Crying Game, that his reputation was truly established. A bonafide sleeper hit, the film -- a psychological thriller revolving around a reluctant IRA "volunteer" (Stephen Rea) -- offered a haunting exploration of the themes of love, betrayal, and obsession on which Jordan had so often focused, as well as a genuinely shocking plot twist. The director received a score of honors for the film, including an Oscar and a New York Film Critics Circle award for his screenplay.
With a major international hit under his belt, Jordan returned to Hollywood to direct his first big-budget extravaganza, a highly anticipated (and publicized) adaptation of Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire (1994). Gothic, lush, and featuring marquee darlings Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt as its leads, the film was highly popular with audiences, although less so with critics.
Substantially greater acclaim surrounded Jordan's next effort, the 1996 Michael Collins. A biopic of the legendary co-founder of the IRA and driving force behind the creation of the Irish Republic, the film was both controversial (particular criticism was leveled at it by certain English commentators) and widely praised. It featured a particularly strong performance by Liam Neeson in the title role, and Jordan -- who had nurtured its script for 13 years before making the movie -- won a Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival.
Jordan next returned to the realm of psychological terror with The Butcher Boy (1997). A horrifying, darkly comic look at a troubled boy's disintegration into insanity and violence, it earned comparisons to films ranging from The 400 Blows to A Clockwork Orange. Jordan earned wide acclaim for his handling of such inarguably difficult material, earning the Venice Film Festival's Silver Lion.
After a disappointing Hollywood outing, the thriller In Dreams (1999), Jordan resurfaced later that year with The End of the Affair. Based on a Graham Greene novel, it starred Rea, Julianne Moore, and Ralph Fiennes as three points of a tumultuous love triangle. The film, set in London during World War II, returned Jordan to the familiar territory of love, loss, and all that comes in between.
Jordan founded his own production company, Company of Wolves, that created two films on which he was listed as producer. Jordan returned to the director's chair for The Good Thief, a low-key noir starring Nick Nolte that drew its inspiration from the work of the great French director Jean-Pierre Melville.
Jordan remained active throughout the 2000s, appearing in films such as Breakfast on Pluto (2005, The Brave One (2007), and Ondine (2009). In 2011, he wrote and produced The Borgias, which was picked up by Showtime the same year. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, Rovi
- 2013
The next generation of horror emerges as director Neil Jordan collaborates with producer Akiva Goldsman to adapt author Joe Hill's novel about an aging rock star whose macabre obsession leads him down a dangerous supernatural path. Upon taking notice of an eBay auction for a purportedly haunted suit, the curious musician immediately places the top bid. When the suit finally arrives, however, the musician quickly realizes just how dangerous it can be to dabble with forces beyond his comprehension. The son of famed horror fiction specialist Stephen King, Joe Hill began writing under an abbreviated version of his birth name in hopes that the quality of his work -- not the pedigree of his surname -- would set him apart from the pack. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- 2012
- R
Gemma Arterton and Saoirse Ronan star in Interview With the Vampire director Neil Jordan's lavish yet decadent tale of a blood-sucking mother/daughter duo whose dark 200-year history threatens to catch up with them at a run-down hotel on the English coast. Their story begins during the Napoleonic Wars, when young Eleanor (Ronan) is abandoned as Clara (Arterton) falls into a passionate love affair. Two centuries later, demure Eleanor and extroverted Clara are on the run when they seek sanctuary in a dilapidated coastal resort. There, Clara sets her sights on a lonely soul named Noel (Daniel Mays), who has just inherited the Byzantium hotel, a once-thriving inn that has fallen into a sad state of disrepair. Before long, the elder vampire has transformed the Byzantium into a makeshift brothel where she and her young companion can quench their thirst for human blood while maintaining a low profile. Meanwhile, Eleanor falls for Frank (Caleb Landry Jones), a charming young waiter who unwittingly draws out the natural storyteller in her. Amidst a string of mysterious disappearances in the sleepy coastal town, Frank realizes that Eleanor's extraordinary tales are much more than simple fantasy. As Clara and Eleanor's sanguinary past slowly comes into focus, it's only a matter of time before the pair will be forced to either flee once again or face their fates with a sense of dark courage. Jonny Lee Miller and Sam Riley co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- 2011
Historical drama about the infamous Renaissance-era Italian family, one of whom became head of the Catholic Church as Pope Alexander VI. His son Cesare was the subject of Machiavelli's classic The Prince. ~ Ray Stackhouse, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jeremy Irons
A man makes a startling discovery that may or may not be magical in this drama from writer and director Neil Jordan. Syracuse (Colin Farrell) is a fisherman who lives in a small town on the Southern coast of Ireland. Syracuse is an alcoholic, and though he's been sober for two years, most of his neighbors still remember him as a embarrassing drunk, while his ex-wife now lives with another man. Syracuse tries to scratch out a living from the ocean and help support his young daughter, Annie (Alison Barry), who suffers from a serious kidney ailment, but good luck is rarely with him until one day, when he pulls up his nets and finds what appears to be a woman caught in them. To Syracuse's surprise, the woman is alive, and he brings her to shore. The woman is a mysterious and secretive type who doesn't want to tell Syracuse anything about herself or be seen by anyone; Annie proposes that she's a selkie, a mythic creature of the sea that can take human form when it falls in love with the right person. Syracuse almost believes that Annie is right, especially after good luck and good fishing begins coming his way after discovering her, but unfortunately the woman Syracuse has named Ondine (Alicja Bachleda) has certain concerns more pressing than the good fortune of her benefactor. Ondine was an official selection at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Colin Farrell, Alicja Bachleda, (more)
Neil Jordan's The Brave One stars Jodie Foster as a happy woman whose life changes irrevocably after a brutal assault leaves her partner (Naveen Andrews) dead. The woman, feeling that the police investigation will be unable to catch the perpetrators, begins to live in constant fear. This outlook results in the woman eventually dispatching vigilante justice. Terrence Howard co-stars as the officer in charge of the investigation. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jodie Foster, Terrence Howard, (more)
An Irish boy becomes an emotional and sexual outcast as the 1960s fade into the 1970s in this period drama from director Neil Jordan. When he was just a baby in the early '60s, Patrick Braden (Conor McEvoy) was abandoned by his mother and left on the doorstep of a church overseen by Father Bernard (Liam Neeson). Placed in a foster home, sensitive Patrick doesn't much care for the emotionally chilly attitude of his new "family," and psychologically buffers himself against the world by writing stories that make fun of Father Bernard and the other authority figures in his life. As he grows into adulthood, Patrick (played as an adult by Cillian Murphy) also discovers that he enjoys dressing in women's clothes and prefers the company of men, and as a teenager he falls into an affair with Billy Hatchet (Gavin Friday), a nightclub performer who also runs guns for the Irish Republican Army. In the early '70s, Patrick -- who has since taken on the drag name "Kitten" -- makes his way to London, where he becomes involved with Bertie (Stephen Rea), a small-time nightclub magician who gives the young man a place to say, a sense of security, and a job as his on-stage assistant. However, Patrick's idyllic life with Bertie proves short-lived when his old friends come to town on IRA "business." Breakfast on Pluto also features a supporting performance from former Roxy Music frontman Bryan Ferry. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Cillian Murphy, Stephen Rea, (more)
In the suburbs of Dublin, more than a dozen strangers find their paths colliding in sometimes violent, sometimes absurd ways in Intermission, the first feature from director John Crowley. Setting the chain of events in motion is Lehiff (Colin Farrell), a small-time crook whose most recent petty theft has him on the run from Jerry (Colm Meaney), a self-aggrandizing police detective who's even more full of himself now that he's being constantly trailed by a TV news documentary crew. Meanwhile, Lehiff's friend John (Cillian Murphy) is going though a trial breakup -- or "intermission," as he calls it -- with his girlfriend, Deirdre (Kelly Macdonald), who has promptly taken up with the older, more conventionally responsible bank manager Sam (Michael McElhatton). When Lehiff suggests that the answer to all of his and John's troubles is to set up Sam and rob his vaults, John's too eager to comply -- and their plan spells dire consequences for everyone in their immediate circle of relations. Also starring David Wilmot, Brian F. O'Byrne, and Shirley Henderson, Intermission had its premiere at the Galway Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award, and secured berths at the Edinburgh, Telluride, and Toronto festivals. ~ Michael Hastings, Rovi
- Starring:
- Colin Farrell, Shirley Henderson, (more)
Loosely based on Jean-Pierre Melville's French film noir Bob le Flambeur, this heist film from director Neil Jordan (Interview With the Vampire, The Crying Game) stars Nick Nolte as Bob, an aging American thief living in the French city of Nice. Addicted to both heroin and gambling, Bob is in the midst of an extended personal losing streak when he rescues a new girl in town named Anne (Nutsa Kukhianidze) from her pimp. When the opportunity to steal a fortune in rare paintings from a Monte Carlo casino comes along, Bob hopes for a score big enough to let him retire from his life of crime. His only hindrances are Anne's man troubles and his nemesis, local police chief Roger (Tchéky Karyo). The Good Thief also features acting performances by Emir Kusturica (director of Underground and Arizona Dream) and Ralph Fiennes. ~ Tom Vick, Rovi
- Starring:
- Nick Nolte, Nutsa Kukhianidze, (more)
- 2003
- R
Conor McPherson's comedy The Actors stars Michael Caine as an aging never-was performer. Anthony O'Malley (Caine) convinces young colleague and castmate Tom (Dylan Moran) to hone his craft by pretending to be someone he isn't in real life. Tony suggests that they rip off gangster Barreller (Michael Gambon). All goes according to plan, until Barreller's daughter Dolores (Lena Headey) falls in love with Tom, who is disguised as his sister's boyfriend Clive (Ben Miller). Miranda Richardson rounds out the cast as a London crime boss. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michael Caine, Dylan Moran, (more)
- 2000
Regarded by critics around the globe as Ireland's most impressive and inspired filmmaker, Crying Game and Breakfast on Pluto screen guru Neil Jordan stepped down from features in 2000 to helm the fourteen-minute Canadian short Not I. The latter is a single episode from the Beckett on Film project, a film-a-sketch whereby nineteen international filmmakers were invited to each contribute an adaptation of one of Beckett's nineteen plays, some ten years after the playwright's death. Jordan chose the play of the title, and cast the peerless American actress Julianne Moore (who had just collaborated with Jordan in The End of the Affair) in the lead. The film -- per the original work -- focuses solely on a woman in complete denial of a traumatic experience; her words, which begin as a barely coherent stream-of-consciousness ramble, ultimately unite into a harried confession. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
- Starring:
- Julianne Moore
Claire Cooper (Annette Bening), has been having psychic visions all of her life, though she's never been clear of what they mean. Now an adult, she lives an idyllic, small-town life in a Massachusetts farmhouse with her airline-pilot husband Paul (Aidan Quinn) and her young daughter Rebecca (Katie Sagona), while Claire illustrates children's books. A psychopath (Robert Downey Jr.) has been kidnapping young girls in their area, and one is currently missing. Claire has a recurring dream about the killer walking with a girl through an apple orchard. Paul tells police detective Jack Kay (Paul Guilfoyle), who doesn't believe him, as the girl's body had been found at the bottom of the lake. Claire's vision was actually a premonition, starting a chain of events that would create a two-way link to the killer. The key to the mystery is the lake itself, of which Claire dreams, created when the old town of Northfield was flooded to make a reservoir. As her psychiatrist Dr. Silverman (Stephen Rea) does not understand her now waking dreams, Claire alone must now lose herself to the visions. She must relive the killer's memories to find his identity and location. Director Neil Jordan has explored the nature of dreams in a more Freudian manner in his Company of Wolves. ~ Ron Wells, Rovi
- Starring:
- Annette Bening, Aidan Quinn, (more)
Based on the novel by Graham Greene, this romantic drama stars Ralph Fiennes as Maurice Bendrix, a novelist who, during World War II, had an affair with Sarah Miles (Julianne Moore), the wife of his best friend Henry (Stephen Rea). Sarah abruptly broke off the romance in 1944, but two years later, after Maurice runs into Henry, he becomes obsessed with the affair and hires a man to investigate Sarah. He reads her diary of their forbidden romance in the midst of the London Blitz and discovers that, overwhelmed with fear and guilt, she pledged to God that she would end the affair if Maurice's life were spared. Maurice is determined to reintroduce himself into Sarah's life, but she fears that being near him would be too great a temptation. The End of the Affair was previously brought to the screen in 1955 by Edward Dmytryk; this version was written for the screen and directed by Academy Award-winner Neil Jordan. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ralph Fiennes, Julianne Moore, (more)
Love, politics, and class at once bring together and tear apart an extended family in this period drama. In 1920, Ireland is in the midst of a political upheaval, as upper class Anglo-Irish Protestants are driven from the country by the nation's increasingly vocal wishes Irish Catholic majority. Sir Richard Naylor (Michael Gambon) and his wife Lady Myra (Maggie Smith) are wealthy members of the Anglo-Irish aristocracy who slowly realize the life they've known in County Cork is coming to an end. Living with the Naylors are their financially-embarrassed friends Hugo and Francie Montmorency (Lambert Wilson and Jane Birkin); Marda Norton (Fiona Shaw), another friend who was one involved with Hugo; their nephew Laurence (Jonathan Slinger), a student at Oxford; and their niece Lois (Keeley Hawes). Lois is infatuated with Gerald (David Tennat), a British officer helping to mind the Naylors' property, though Myra believes he's beneath Lois' station; however, she's also keenly attracted to Connolly (Gary Lydon), an IRA soldier who is hiding in a mill on the estate. The Last September was based on the novel by Elizabeth Bowen. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon, (more)
Neil Jordan directed this adaptation of Patrick McCabe's novel about a boy's struggles with violence and mental illness. Francie Brady (Eamonn Owens) is a young boy growing up in Dublin in the early 1960s, where his life is dominated by his active imagination and his best friend Joe (Alan Boyle). But beneath this benign surface lurks a troubled soul; his father (Stephen Rea) is an embittered alcoholic, his mother (Aisling O'Sullivan) is emotionally unstable and periodically ends up in the local mental hospital (or as she calls it, "the garage," because it's where they take you when you break down), and their next-door neighbor, Mrs. Nugent (Fiona Shaw) often rants that the Bradys are "pigs" not fit to live with. For all their troubles, Francie fiercely loves his parents, and he can't abide Mrs. Nugent's insults. But his playful childhood pranks begin to advance into more destructive and menacing behavior, which leads him to his own stay in "the garage." Branded a lunatic by the community and shorn of his only close friendship when Joe takes up with Mrs. Nugent's son, Francie soon reaches the point of collapse. With nowhere to go, Francie takes an especially awful job as a butcher's assistant, and his overactive imagination goes into overdrive, flooding his mind with images of alien takeover, atomic apocalypse, and the Virgin Mary (Sinead O'Connor) that lead him further down the path toward shocking acts of violence. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Eamonn Owens, Alan Boyle, (more)
The rise and fall of one of the most important and controversial figures in Ireland's struggle for independence is chronicled in this biographical drama. In 1916, the British government ruled Ireland with a firm and cruel hand, as they had for 700 years. When a group of Irish rebels staged a six-day siege at Dublin's General Post Office, only one of the leaders was able to escape execution -- Eamon De Valera (Alan Rickman), an American citizen of Irish blood. A number of De Valera's followers are sent to prison, and one of them, Michael Collins (Liam Neeson), walked out of jail convinced that a new approach was needed to free his homeland from British rule. With his compatriot Harry Boland (Aidan Quinn), Collins formed the Irish Volunteers, who used a combination of terrorist violence and guerilla warfare to attack the British where their defenses were weakest, and employed espionage and a key inside informant (Stephen Rea) to learn what the British planned to do next -- and what they knew about Collins and his supporters. Collins' strategic skills and talent for warfare made a major impact on the British, and he became the hero of the new-born Republican Movement, which seemed to offer a real hope of freedom, despite the violent reprisals of the vicious paramilitary police, the Black and Tans. De Valera, however, was often in conflict with Collins in terms of the methods and approach of their struggle. Collins also found himself in a different sort of conflict with Boland when he fell in love with his girlfriend, a strong-willed advocate of Irish freedom named Kitty Kiernan (Julia Roberts). Eager to gain support for the Republican cause, De Valera sought economic and military support from the U.S.; when he returned, the Volunteers seemed to have finally won a real victory, as the British government announced that they were willing to formally negotiate with them. While Collins was once the radical and De Valera was the moderate, once negotiations began, Collins sought to end the violence that he saw killing so many young people and was willing to agree to a compromise that would create the Irish Free State. While the agreement would still leave final political control with the British, it would bring a greater self-determination to Ireland, and Collins believed that it was a crucial first step that could lead, in time, to true freedom for his people. De Valera, however, was strongly opposed to the treaty with Britian, and this led to violence among pro- and anti-treaty factions; soon Ireland's most loved leader was now branded a traitor by many of his countrymen. Michael Collins was voted Best Picture at the 1996 Venice Film Festival, and Liam Neeson was awarded the prize for Best Actor. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Liam Neeson, Aidan Quinn, (more)
Anne Rice's best-selling romantic horror tale about the origins of a centuries-old vampire inspired this popular, atmospheric chiller. One of director Neil Jordan's major Hollywood productions, the film stays close to its source material, retaining the frame of a young reporter (Christian Slater) interviewing a man who claims to be a 200-year-old vampire. The man, Louis (Brad Pitt), shares his story, beginning in 18th-century New Orleans with his first encounters with the charismatic and decadent vampire Lestat (Tom Cruise). Lestat converts Louis to blood-sucking and immortality, but Louis fails to adopt Lestat's cavalier attitude, instead tormenting himself with guilt over his new nature. The two vampires remain deeply, if reluctantly, connected over the years, while becoming intimately involved with others of their kind, including Claudia (Kirsten Dunst), a mature immortal in a young child's body. Fans of the novel raised numerous objections, particularly after Rice initially spoke out against the casting of Cruise as Lestat; further casting difficulties followed the death of River Phoenix, whose role as the interviewer was assumed by Christian Slater. Rice later recanted her objections, and the combination of thrills and gothic romance proved popular with audiences. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi
- Starring:
- Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, (more)
In this successful psychological thriller, a reluctant agent of the Irish Republican Army discovers that some people just aren't who you expect them to be. Fergus (Stephen Rea) is an IRA "volunteer" who, despite personal misgivings, takes part in the kidnapping of a black British soldier, Jody (Forest Whitaker), stationed in Northern Ireland. The IRA hopes to use Jody as a bargaining chip to win the release of IRA operatives behind bars, but, while guarding Jody, Fergus becomes fast friends with his prisoner. Jody makes Fergus promise him that if he dies, Fegus will look in on his girlfriend, Dil (Jaye Davidson), and see if she's all right. Jody escapes, and Fergus doesn't have the heart to shoot him; as fate would have it, Jody runs from the woods into a street only to be run over by a British police vehicle, which then flushes out the IRA compound. Fergus escapes to London, where he's wanted by the law for Jody's kidnapping and also by his former girlfriend, IRA operative Jude (Miranda Richardson), who thinks he knows too much to fall into the hands of the British authorities. Good to his word, Fergus tracks down Dil, and soon the two outcasts find themselves entering into a love affair, although Fergus discovers that Dil is not the sort of woman he thought she was. Writer/director Neil Jordan won an Academy Award for his screenplay; the title song, which was a U.K. hit for Dave Berry in 1965, was re-recorded for the film by one-time Culture Club vocalist Boy George with backing by the Pet Shop Boys. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Stephen Rea, Jaye Davidson, (more)
- 1991
- PG
Neil Jordan's lyrical Irish romance takes place in the small seaside town of Bray (near Dublin) and concerns two teenage friends, Jimmy (Niall Byrne) and Rose (Lorraine Pilkington). They spend their days roaming the cobblestone streets and waterlogged piers. To while away the time, Rose and Jimmy make up stories about strangers on the street. One day, while watching people at the train station, a sophisticated and glamorous older woman, Renee Baker (Beverly D'Angelo), stands out so imposingly from the drab townsfolk that Jimmy and Rose decide to follow her, obsessed with knowing everything about her. They follow her to the beach and at last Renee speaks to them. When she looks at Jimmy, he's immediately smitten by this mysterious woman. Rose, who has feelings for Jimmy herself, decides to make him jealous by trying to attract a young lion tamer from a traveling circus. But Jimmy is completely attached to Renee and his desire leads him to fateful consequences. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi
- Starring:
- Beverly D'Angelo, Donal McCann, (more)
In this comedy, escaped prisoners Ned (Robert DeNiro) and Jim (Sean Penn) take refuge in a monastery where they pose as priests to avoid capture. Intending to flee across the Canadian border, the two convicts run into all kinds of unexpected trouble in their new-found priesthood. ~ Iotis Erlewine, Rovi
- Starring:
- Robert De Niro, Sean Penn, (more)
- 1988
- R
Mark (Padraig O'Loingsigh) investigates the death of his pal Danny (Andrew Connolly) in this shadowy crime drama. Danny's sister Colette (Cait O'Riorden) convinces Mark that something went wrong that led to her brother's death. Mark soon discovers a link between the drug dealer Val (Gabriel Byrne) and the local detective McGuigan (Ian Bannen). Elvis Costello provides the soundtrack music that includes songs from U2, Hothouse Flowers, and The Pogues. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- Starring:
- Padraig O'Loingsigh, Cait O'Riordan, (more)
The owner of an Irish castle decides to attract visitors by falsely claiming that the building is haunted, only to have a pair of real ancestral spirits start causing trouble in this uneven attempt at fantasy-comedy. The story centers on Jack and Sharon (played by Steve Guttenberg and Beverly D'Angelo), naive American tourists who are initially unimpressed by the owner's attempts at fraud but become more interested in the real ghosts, Mary and Martin (played by Daryl Hannah and Liam Neeson). This is especially true for Jack, who falls in love with the beautiful Mary, despite several centuries' difference in their ages. After the film's initial unsuccessful release, people involved with the production blamed studio interference for damaging director Neil Jordan's original vision, although Jordan is better known as a director of quirky, dark dramas (Mona Lisa, The Crying Game, Interview With a Vampire, The Company of Wolves). For whatever reason, the end result was an awkward, forced comedy that more often than not falls flat, squandering a strong collection of talent. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi
- Starring:
- Daryl Hannah, Peter O'Toole, (more)
Bob Hoskins plays George, a tough but basically goodhearted British mob flunky, recently released from prison, where he'd served a term to cover up for his gangster boss (Michael Caine). Still willing to be everyone's doormat, George agrees to act as chauffeur for Simone (Cathy Tyson), a haughty, high-priced call girl. They don't like each other at first, but George begins to fall for her and take a protective interest. She implores him to help her find her only truly friend, a prostitute named Cathy (Kate Hardie). Touched by this devotion, George locates the girl, only to be chagrined to learn that Simone and Cathy are lovers. Hoskins is used and abused by so many people in Mona Lisa that when the worm finally does turn, you feel like cheering--even though it doesn't make him any happier. Director Neil Jordan cowrote this study of underworld mores with David Leland. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Bob Hoskins, Cathy Tyson, (more)
Company of Wolves is Little Red Riding Hood for the Alien generation. Sheltered 13-year-old Sarah Patterson, living on the edge of a foreboding woods, is visited by her grandmother Angela Lansbury. The old lady delights in telling Sarah the most horrific stories, usually involving what happens to little girls if they trust wolves--the actual, rather than symbolic kind. Later on, Sarah sets out through the woods to visit her grandmother. She makes the acquaintance of a seductive young huntsman (Micha Bergese), who turns out to be.....well, what big teeth he's got. The ads for Company of Wolves, showing a wolf springing from the open mouth of poor little Sarah Patterson, were warning enough for the faint of heart. Actually, the horror is secondary to the remarkable Grimms-Fairy-Tale ambience which the film successfully sustains from beginning to end. And, in keeping with the original unexpurgated versions of most fairy tales, the sexual subtext is never far from the surface. Director Neil Jordan would further develop some of the subliminal themes in Company of Wolves in his 1994 production Interview with the Vampire. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Angela Lansbury, David Warner, (more)
- 1982
- R
Writer/director Neil Jordan's debut feature is a tense thriller played out amid the violence in Northern Ireland. Stephen Rea stars as Danny, a saxophone player in a traveling band who witnesses the brutal murders of the manager of the band (who is involved in some extortion payoffs) and a deaf and dumb girl, who has seen the killing of the manager. After observing these cold-blooded executions, Danny becomes obsessed with hunting down the killers. His obsession develops into a murderous rage so intense that he ends up becoming as heartless a killer as the people he is trying to find. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi
- Starring:
- Stephen Rea, Alan Devlin, (more)
Rating Systems
Blockbuster
BLOCKBUSTER name, design and related marks are trademarks of Blockbuster L.L.C.
2013 Blockbuster L.L.C. All rights reserved.
Portions of Content Provided by Rovi Corporation. 2013 Rovi Corporation.