John Watson Movies

Hercules (Kevin Sorbo) offers to help the revived mummy of Prince Ishtar (Mark Newnham) to locate his descendant, Princess Anuket (Galyn Gorg). Meanwhile, villainous high priest Sokar (John Watson) has gotten hold of Ishtar's golden pendant, with which he hopes to gain complete control of Egypt. The mummy manages to destroy Sokar -- but in the process, he becomes so dangerously powerful that Hercules must take drastic action. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

After five made-for-TV feature films designed to establish the principal character and his surroundings, Hercules (Kevin Sorbo) was awarded his own weekly, syndicated series, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. In the opening episode, Hercules' wife and children are consumed in a ball of flame -- and it is all the handiwork of his treacherous stepmother, the goddess Hera. Renouncing his father Zeus for allowing such a tragedy to occur, the embittered Hercules embarks upon a campaign of destruction and vengeance. He is ultimately restored to his proper path in life after rescuing the lovely Aegina (Clare Carey) from a human sacrifice -- and after endeavoring to save his friend Iolaus (Michael Hurst), who had been turned to stone. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Hoping to grab some glory for himself -- and, incidentally, to win the love of the beauteous Rena (Simone Kessell) -- Hercules' mortal half-brother Iphicles (Kevin Smith) steals Hercules' name. Upon linking up with the warlord Gorgus (Kenneth McGregor), Iphicles proceeds to defame his half-sibling's reputation. Determined to clear his name and bring Iphicles to his senses, Hercules (Kevin Sorbo) must first rescue his friend, Iolaus (Michael Hurst), from Gorgus' clutches in a booby-trapped labyrinth. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this tale of sleazy romance that turns deadly, novice Kiwi director Denis Lewiston has created an unevenly paced story with several gripping (and groping) scenes. Christine (Simone Griffeth) is an American married to a rich but crass businessman, and unknown to them both, Greg Sandford (Steve Marchuk) is planning to break into their opulent digs and rob them blind. Right in the middle of carrying out his preparations, he arranges for an "accidental" meeting between himself and Christine -- and the sparks of sexual attraction ignite a blaze that not only lands them in bed, but burns up whatever morals Christine may have left. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Jamie Hopkins (Cliff Richard) is a wayward young man who lives with his mother and steals drugs from the doctor's office where she works. His similarly unscrupulous girlfriend Carol (Ann Holloway) lives gleefully in her similarly amoral life until she is converted to Christianity when she attends a traveling religious crusade led by evangelist Billy Graham (himself). Carol's life is changed as a result of her conversion, and she attempts to show her wayward boyfriend the light. Jamie is eventually prepared to change his lowdown ways in this predictable, overly simple story of spiritual redemption and religious piety. Pop singer Richard delivers three songs as well as starring as the principle character in the film. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

In this espionage film, set just before the Germans invaded France, a chemist in Paris moonlights as a Soviet spy. To escape the Nazi invaders, the chemist and his wife steal government money and try to escape to South America. En route, their ship stops in Trinidad where they two cannot pass unless they fork over all of the money. Suddenly 24 years have passed and the man who obstructed them is still working as a British agent. He is investigating a formula that has leaked through to the enemy. This brings him in contact with the chemist again. This time, the agent helps the chemist escape the Soviet agents who pursue him. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this espionage thriller, an agent on his way back to London from Baghdad must deliver an important coded message to an operative. Though ordinarily a routine assignment, the agent finds his life jeopardized when word that he has a photographic memory leaks out. Suddenly he finds himself pursued by enemy agents from all over. Later his boss asks the agent and his lover to allow themselves to be captured so the British agents can move in and capture the enemy spies. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this thriller, a novelist is quite upset to discover himself awakening with a gun in his hand. He is more dismayed to find a dead relative nearby. Now he wonders: did he do it? He is assisted by a lady hitchhiker in discovering that the real killer is a female impersonator. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This British WW II drama takes place in the wilds of Tunis. Major Gerrard (Leo Genn) is ordered to lead a desperate mission to capture a Nazi-held farmhouse. Despite the fact that this undertaking is tantamount to committing suicide, Gerrard has no trouble rounding up volunteers. There's a bit too much of the old "stiff upper lip" in the dialogue, though the action sequences are first-rate and believable. Of interest to modern viewers is the presence in the cast of Michael Caine; he isn't billed, and barely has a line, but he's instantly recognizable. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This not-so-subtle variation on Val Lewton's classic Cat People (1942) is enlivened by the presence of exotic Barbara Shelley -- who would later grace many Hammer Studios productions (most notably Terence Fisher's Dracula -- Prince of Darkness) with her feline beauty. Shelley plays Leonora, a woman who believes she has inherited a curse which will transform her spirit into the body of a ferocious, man-eating leopard. Though her disbelieving psychiatrist (Robert Ayres) tries to persuade her that this belief is merely a by-product of her rage toward her unfaithful husband, the vengeful "phantom" cat she releases from her subconscious triggers the curse and spells doom not only for those who betrayed her, but perhaps for Leonora's own soul as well. Despite a superb performance by the smoldering Shelley and noir-ish direction from Alfred Shaughnessy (though nothing to compete with that of Jacques Tourneur), it's hard to overlook the obvious parallels to Lewton's film, which outclasses it in nearly every respect and makes the entire effort seem unnecessary. Produced by British Lion, this film was later distributed in the United States by the ubiquitous American International Pictures, sometimes under the title Cat Woman. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

Tom Conway essays one of his last starring roles in the British melodrama Murder on Approval. Conway is cast as special investigator Duke Martin (a character he'd later essay in the 1956 feature Breakaway), in London to investigate the authenticity of a rare postage stamp called the Barbados Overplate. Someone is willing to commit murder to get his or her hands on the stamp, which puts a crimp in Duke's efforts to romance every beautiful woman he meets. Delphi Lawrence is the principal female attraction, while Michael Balfour provides laughs as Martin's obligatory ex-convict assistant. Distributed in the US by RKO Radio, Murder on Approval was originally released in England as Barbados Quest. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide