Simon West Movies
He may be British by birth, but the films of director Simon West carry more Hollywood gloss than ten of his Los Angeles-born peers. With such big-budget major studio efforts as Con Air (1997) and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001), the fledgling director has indeed proven his keen ability to shoot entertainingly jarring action scenes that place filmgoers in the eye of a frenzied storm of chaos with such gleeful abandon that he has become a solid staple in the Michael Bay/Jerry Bruckheimer cannon. His dramatic thriller The General's Daughter (1999) also hinted toward a growing sense of character and plot development. Born in the North Hertfordshire town of Letchworth, West began his cinematic career working for the BBC before receiving funding from the British Arts Council to produce the short film Dolly Mixtures in 1985. Soon courted by the advertising company Limelight London, West began producing award-winning commercials for various products, eventually catching the attention of such trans-Atlantic companies as Budweiser and Ford. After emigrating to the United States in the mid- to late '80s, West made the acquaintance of Tinseltown director Bay and an enduring partnership was forged. Following the direction of such popular television spots as the Budweiser dancing ants commercial, West was finally ready to take on his first feature film. Though Con Air was a disappointment from a critical perspective, it was the top box-office action film of the year and audiences thrilled to the kinetic action sequences that also cemented Nicolas Cage's abilities as a viable action star (following on the heels of Bay's previous mega-hit The Rock [1996]). Following shortly thereafter with the John Travolta thriller The General's Daughter, West confirmed his standing as a Hollywood player and was soon priming up for his biggest challenge to date, the big-screen adaptation of the popular Tomb Raider video game franchise. Eagerly anticipated by the game's devoted fan base, and with fearless star Angelina Jolie in the role of shapely heroine Lara Croft, the film did well in staying true to the source material's inventiveness, exotic locales, and pulse-pounding action. Additionally, Tomb Raider was a large box-office success and left audiences hungering for more. Though West didn't cite the film's DVD debut as a "director's cut," the adventurous filmmaker utilized the flexible new home video format to assemble a slightly altered cut of the film that continued to display an enthusiastic and inventive approach to filmmaking. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi- 2014
Simon West directs this remake of the 1987 Burt Reynold action thriller in this Sierra/Affinity production starring Jason Statham as a paid enforcer who goes after a gang leader when a group of thugs beat up a personal friend. William Goldman provides the script. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi
- 2013
The Expendables 2's Simon West directs this docudrama on the 2003 blitzkrieg attack against Baghdad in this Freedom Films production starring Gerard Butler, Sam Worthington, and Matthew McConaughey. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi
A desperate thief has just 12 hours to steal $10 million and save his daughter from his vengeful former partner in this fast-paced action thriller reuniting Nicolas Cage and director Simon West (Con Air, The Expendables 2). Determined to get the payout for a major heist gone awry, a degenerate criminal (Josh Lucas) kidnaps the daughter (Sami Gayle) of his one-time partner-in-crime (Cage), and threatens her life if he doesn't have the money in 12 hours. Now, with the clock ticking and his daughter trapped in a random taxi being driven around New Orleans, the frantic ex-con enlists the help of a former associate (Malin Akerman) to help pull off the heist that will save his little girl's life. Danny Huston and M.C. Gainey also star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
The Expendables return with a vengeance in this follow-up to the 2010 surprise hit. Con Air's Simon West directed from a script by Sylvester Stallone and David Agosto. This time, Barney Ross (Stallone) and his merry band of mercentaries (including Jason Statham, Randy Couture, Dolph Lundgren, and Terry Crews) take on a mission from Mr. Church (Bruce Willis) to clear Ross' record. The mission in question involves acquiring a black box from a downed airplane, with the caveat that they bring along Maggie (Yu Nan), a military-trained soldier who throws a gendered wrench into the team's manly ranks. When another mercenary, Jean Vilain (Jean Claude Van Damme), ambushes the team and mess up their newest member (The Hunger Games' Liam Hemsworth), it's hunt and kill time for the Expendables. Jet Li returns in an extended cameo, as does Arnold Schwarzenegger, with fellow '80s action star Chuck Norris coming along for the ride. Undisputed III's Scott Adkins co-stars as Vilain's henchman, Hector. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, (more)
Seasoned hitman Arthur Bishop (Jason Statham) sets out to avenge the brutal murder of his mentor, Harry (Donald Sutherland), and finds himself joined by Harry's vengeful son (Ben Foster), who is eager to follow in his late father's footsteps, in this remake of the 1972 action thriller starring Charles Bronson and Jan-Michael Vincent. Harry taught Arthur how to be a detached killer who always hits his mark. Now Harry is gone, and for the first time in Arthur's career it's about to get personal. As lone-wolf assassin Arthur prepares to hunt down Harry's killers, he is approached by his fallen mentor's vengeful son, Steve, who is eager to take up the lethal tools of his father's trade. Unadept at working with a partner yet compelled to help Steve carry on the family tradition, Arthur agrees to take him on as a protégé. Later, the duo begins to methodically eliminate their targets, forging a partnership born of blood with each new hit. The closer Arthur and Steve get to the name at the top of their list, however, the more apparent it becomes that his job will be anything but business as usual. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jason Statham, Ben Foster, (more)
- 2009
A Hawaiian surfer girl looking for a little adventure falls for a charismatic adventurer who is in reality a high-profile marijuana dealer currently being pursued by the FBI in a sun-soaked thriller directed by Simon West and based on actual events. Penned by screenwriters Geoffrey and Marcia Blake, Crazy Love tells the tale of a girl who agrees to take part in a daring, and highly lucrative, international drug deal after becoming romantically involved with one of the most wanted drug dealers on the face of the planet. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
A teenage girl becomes a demented serial killer's prey in this big-budget remake of the 1979 thriller that became a TV late-show favorite. When a Stranger Calls takes its title and basic premise from the original, which -- for its first 15 minutes or so -- featured Carol Kane as a frazzled babysitter plagued by creepy, invasive phone calls. This time around, the doe-eyed Camilla Belle plays Jill Johnson, a high-schooler dealing with the usual set of crises: an unfaithful boyfriend, a bitchy best friend, and an over-the-limit cell phone bill. In order to pay for the latter, her father (Clark Gregg) has committed her to a babysitting gig with a wealthy family. At the isolated, palatial house, Jill settles in for a night of no-stress kid-watching. But it isn't long before someone starts anonymously calling the house with creepy, increasingly specific messages. Jill doesn't rule out anyone, but it becomes clear that whomever it is, he or she is watching her, and may be closer than she even suspects. ~ Michael Hastings, Rovi
- Starring:
- Camilla Belle, Tommy Flanagan, (more)
- 2005
Though created by Jim Leonard, the weekly, hour-long CBS crime-and-punishment series Close to Home bore the distinctive stamp of executive producer Jerry Bruckheimer, whose previous procedural dramas included Cold Case and the CSI franchise. Jennifer Finnigan starred as Annabeth Chase, a hotshot prosecutor -- and new mom -- living and working in Indianapolis. Returning from pregnancy leave, Annabeth discovered that her motherhood had cost her a promotion, and that during her absence she'd acquired a new boss, Maureen Scofield (Kimberly Chase), who was now worried that Annabeth would let her hormones rule her head in legal matters. Nonetheless, our heroine was dedicated to the point of obsession with ridding her town of serial murderers and sex criminals, especially those who hid behind the veneer of "folks next door" respectability. Also in the cast were Christian Kane as Annabeth's husband, Jack, and John Carroll Lynch as her colleague Steve Sharpe. Close to Home made its network bow on October 4, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jennifer Finnigan, Kimberly Elise, (more)
- 2003
Filmed on-location in London, the FOX cop series Keen Eddie starred Mark Valley as Eddie Arlette, a New York City police detective. Disgraced and nearly dismissed after a spectacularly botched drug bust, Eddie was ordered to transfer to London's Scotland Yard so that he might rebuild his career from the ground up. Despite a daunting series of setbacks and blunders, Eddie managed to do his duty, with both himself and his Scotland Yard colleagues learning a lot more about one another's countries and cultures than they ever imagined. Sienna Miller co-starred as Eddie's reluctant flatmate, Fiona Bickerton. Others in the cast included Colin Salmon as Eddie's extremely judgmental Yard superior Supt. Johnson; Julian Rhind-Tutt as Eddie's deceptively prim-and-proper partner, Rudy (who, among other things, pretended to by married so he could attend sub-rosa wife-swapping parties); and a pair of animal regulars, Eddie's dog, Pete, and Fiona's cat, Duchess. Originally slated to debut in January 2003, Keen Eddie was shelved until June of that same year, reportedly to allow the producers to transform what had begun as a straight dramatic-action series into a semi-comedy. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Mark Valley, Sienna Miller, (more)
A popular video game comes to the screen with this big-budget adventure starring Angelina Jolie as a buxom heroine recalling equal parts Indiana Jones and James Bond. Jolie is Lara Croft, a proper British aristocrat groomed at schools for the children of the elite. Croft leads a double life, however, as an acquirer of lost antiquities through questionable means, highly trained in combat skills with the help of a robotic opponent called Simon. Despite her exciting profession and a life of wealth and breeding, Lara pines for her father, Lord Croft (Jon Voight), whose passing left her orphaned. On the eve of a celestial event that will also mark the anniversary of Lord Croft's death, Lara comes up against an ancient organization called the Illuminati, represented by the sinister Powell (Iain Glen), who's in pursuit of an ancient relic with power over time and even death itself. With the aid of her high-tech support team, Lara travels to some exotic locales in search of the artifact, including a foray into a decrepit Asian temple guarded by lethal stone apes and other creatures that spring to life. Filmed at various locations in Great Britain as well as Iceland and the Angkor Wat temples of Cambodia, Tomb Raider co-stars Noah Taylor, Chris Barrie, Daniel Craig, Rachel Appleton, Leslie Phillips, Mark Collie, and Julian Rhind-Tutt. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi
- Starring:
- Angelina Jolie, Jon Voight, (more)
A quickly forgotten chapter in United States military history is relived in this harrowing war drama from director Ridley Scott, based on a series of Philadelphia Inquirer articles and subsequent book by reporter Mark Bowden. On October 3rd, 1993, an elite team of more than 100 Delta Force soldiers and Army Rangers, part of a larger United Nations peacekeeping force, are dropped into civil war-torn Mogadishu, Somalia, in an effort to kidnap two of local crime lord Mohamed Farah Aidid's top lieutenants. Among the team: Staff Sgt. Matt Eversmann (Josh Hartnett), Ranger Lt. Col. Danny McKnight (Tom Sizemore), the resourceful Delta Sgt. First Class Jeff Sanderson (William Fichtner), and Ranger Spec. Grimes (Ewan McGregor), a desk-bound clerk getting his first taste of live combat. When two of the mission's Black Hawk helicopters are shot down by enemy forces, the Americans -- committed to recovering every man, dead or alive -- stay in the area too long and are quickly surrounded. The ensuing firefight is a merciless 15-hour ordeal and the longest ground battle involving American soldiers since the Vietnam War. In the end, 70 soldiers are injured and 18 are dead, along with hundreds of Somalians. Black Hawk Down was voted one of the top ten films of the year by the National Board of Review prior to its limited Oscar-qualifying release. On the basis of his work in this film, co-star Eric Bana, a relatively unknown Australian actor playing Delta Sgt. First Class "Hoot" Gibson, won the lead in director Ang Lee's version of The Hulk (2003). ~ Karl Williams, Rovi
- Starring:
- Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor, (more)
A murder on a military base unearths a netherworld of corruption in this thriller based on the novel by Nelson DeMille. General Joe Campbell (James Cromwell) is a respected military leader with a flawless reputation; he's due to retire from the Army soon and is headed for a Vice-Presidential nomination. However, Campbell finds himself in both a personal and political crisis when his daughter is brutally murdered. Captain Elizabeth Campbell (Leslie Stefanson) was beautiful, intelligent, disciplined, and well-regarded, the very model of an ideal female officer; she was also stationed at the same base as her father. Paul Brenner (John Travolta), a warrant officer of the Army's Criminal Investigation Division, is assigned to look into the case alongside CID officer Sara Sunhill (Madeleine Stowe). Brenner and Sunhill were once romantically involved, complicating an assignment that soon offers more than enough complications of its own. Brenner and Sunhill come to realize that, for all her accomplishments, Elizabeth carried a lifetime of emotional scars from emotional abuse and sexual harassment, and that, despite the General's reputation, his relationship with his daughter was not always a happy or healthy one. It also seems possible that the General's second-in-command, General George Fowler (Clarence Williams III), a likely candidate for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, may also be implicated in the crime. The General's Daughter was the second feature film for director Simon West; his full-length debut was Con Air (1997), after a long string of successful television commercials and music videos. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- John Travolta, Madeleine Stowe, (more)
Former war hero Cameron Poe (Nicolas Cage) is sentenced to eight years in prison when he accidentally kills a man in a barroom brawl while defending his pregnant wife. When his release comes through, he's eager to see the daughter he's never met. However, Poe's original flight is delayed, so he's put aboard a flight transporting ten of the most dangerous men in the American penal system to a new high-security facility. One of the criminals, Cyrus "The Virus" Grissom (John Malkovich), is a serial killer and insane genius who has hatched a diabolical plot: with the help of several other hoods, including Diamond Dog (Ving Rhames), Johnny 23 (Daniel Trejo), and Garland Greene (Steve Buscemi), Cyrus and his men will hijack the plane and fly to a neutral nation where they can live as free men. Poe finds himself stuck in the middle; he has to find a way to get home, keep himself alive, look after his cellmate Baby-O (Mykelti Williamson), who will die without proper medicine, and try to help the cops on the ground, including agent Vince Larkin (John Cusack). Producer Jerry Bruckheimer's first film after the death of his partner Don Simpson, Con Air shows he learned well how to assemble the formula all by himself, with plenty of action, stunts, and special effects and not a lot of story to get in the way. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Nicolas Cage, John Cusack, (more)
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