Robert Reynolds Movies

The first of several British TV adaptations of Ann Perry's "Inspector Pitt" mystery novels, The Cater Street Hangman stars Eoin McCarthy as Thomas Pitt, an extremely class-conscious police detective working London in 1881. The case at hand involves the brutal and bizarre murders of several young girls who have recently visited the vicarage in a well-to-do neighborhood. Much to his surprise (and secret delight), Inspector Pitt is aided in his investigation by Charlotte Ellison (Keeley Hawes), an independent, free-thinking young aristocrat who has obviously set her stylish cap for the humble lawman. Fans of Perry's original novel should be advised that the ending has been changed, eliminating all hints of what once was known as "the love that dare not speak its name." In the United States, The Cater Street Hangman was broadcast by cable's A&E network on December 19, 1998. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Vietnamese director Pauline Chan, known for short films, made her feature debut with this story about a woman living in colonial Indochina. Chan co-wrote the screenplay based on a novel, Dreamhouse, by Kate Grenville. The sexual and emotional awakening of Louise Duffield (Saskia Reeves) takes place against the backdrop of the Vietnamese people awakening to the possibilities of liberation. Duffield is a British photographer who comes to southeast Asia with her husband Michael (Robert Reynolds), an Australian journalist, to fashion an article for a French rubber manufacturer. Louise is emotionally starved in her marriage and feels slighted by playing second fiddle to her husband professionally. Michael discovers that the rubber company is mistreating its workers, and he is trapped between his compulsion to tell the truth and his desire to please his corporate bosses, who may give him a job at their Paris headquarters if he turns in a favorable story. Michael and Louise are staying at the home of a tyrannical French plantation boss, Daniel Renouard (Sami Frey), whose little empire is crumbling as the natives become increasingly restless. His daughter Viola (Jacqueline McKenzie) is rebelling against her abusive father and looking for adventure. She finds some with her new housemates soon enough. ~ Michael Betzold, Rovi

This British television docu-drama dishes up the turbulent royal marriage of Charles and Lady Di. The story is based on Andrew Morton's tell-all book and is considered the most accurate version of the situation. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

This made-for-cable vampire potboiler is distinguished mainly by the presence of director Stuart Gordon (of Re-Animator fame) and a sadly pallid looking Anthony Perkins in one of his last roles. Radiant Mia Sara plays schoolteacher Catherine Thatcher, whose trip to Budapest in search of her father (whom she has never met) reveals the grim underbelly of Romanian society in the dark days of Ceausescu. In an interesting twist, the dictator's sadistic secret police have become a veritable den of vampires (a barb-tongued breed dating back to Medieval times). Plots within plots unfold to reveal the true identity of Catherine's father. Gordon makes good use of authentic locations and somber atmosphere, blending the standard gothic look with a feel of social and spiritual decay -- but the bland script fails to exploit the metaphorical possibilities of this setting, and the silly horror effects make it hard to take seriously. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi