Warren Clarke Movies

The Red Riding Trilogy continues in this sequel that picks up six years after the events of the first film. The Yorkshire Ripper is continuing to prey on the young women of a dead-end town, and the local police have proven completely ineffective in solving the crimes. When Manchester detective Peter Hunter (Paddy Considine) arrives in Yorkshire to investigate, he discovers a number of inconsistencies in the official report, and begins to suspect foul play. Unfortunately for both Detective Hunter and the growing list of victims, the local police seem unusually tight-lipped about the case. Perhaps their refusal to aid Detective Hunter in his investigation has something to do with his previous visit to Yorkshire in 1974, when he rubbed the local authorities the wrong way while investigating a shooting. As Detective Hunter delves deeper into the case, it becomes increasingly obvious that incompetence isn't likely to blame for the lack of progress made by Yorkshire police. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

The Red Riding Trilogy draws to a close in this installment that finds Detective Chief Superintendent Maurice Jobson (David Morrissey) realizing that the Yorkshire Ripper may still be at large, despite the fact that someone has already been convicted of the heinous crimes. When a young girl is abducted in an incident that bears a chilling resemblance to the crimes of the Yorkshire Ripper, Chief Superintendent Jobson is forced to consider the possibility that he helped to put the wrong man behind bars. Meanwhile, local solicitor John Piggott (Mark Addy) stumbles onto evidence of a massive cover up, and wages a one-man mission to uncover the truth. Adapted from British author David Pease's best-selling series of crime novels centering on the mystery of the Yorkshire Ripper. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

This seriocomic British TV series stars Warren Clarke and Anthony Head as Maurice Riley and Syd Woolsey, a pair of professional burglars who have always managed to evade capture or detection, thereby earning the soubriquet "The Invisibles." Hoping to spend their declining days as peaceful pensioners in a Devon fishing village, Maurice and Syd's dreams of retirement when they run out of the money they've pilfered over the years. Now forced to return to the "old life", our heroes find that they are woefully out of touch with modern criminal methods, obliging them to team up with Hedley Huthwaite (Dean Lennox Kelly), the larcenous but none-too-ambitious son of their former partner in crime. Meanwhile, Maurice must deal with his wife Barbara (Jenny Agutter), who wants him to pack it in and lead an honest life, and with his daughter Grace (played by Anthony Head's real-life daughter Emily Head), whom he has carefully shielded from his perfidious activities and who is completely in the dark as to what her dear old dad has been doing for a living. As for the much-married Syd, he must learn how to get along without women complicating his "second career". Created by William Ivory, The Invisibles (working title: Desperadoes) initially ran for six hour-long episodes on BBC1 from May 1 to June 5, 2008. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A fish-out-of-water comedy in the vein of 1997's oft-imitated The Full Monty, Greenfingers takes as its inspiration the true story of a group of British criminals who bettered themselves through the delicate art of gardening. Croupier's Clive Owen plays Colin Briggs, a taciturn inmate doing time for murder. When it's suggested he transfer to a minimum-security prison, Colin is reluctant; at the idyllic Edgefield compound, he's slow to warm to his gregarious, botanically inclined roomie Fergus (Waking Ned Devine's David Kelly). When the warden forces Colin and his prison mates to cultivate the prison's grounds, however, the men decide it's a fate better than mopping the lavatory, and begin to take pride in their work. Their stellar efforts attract the attention of haughty celebrity gardener Georgina Woodhouse (Helen Mirren), who arranges furlough work for the men. Colin becomes particularly fervent with his bulbs and seeds, not to mention his affection for Georgina's daughter Primrose (Natasha Little). When he's offered the chance to go straight, Colin is torn between the freedom of the outside world and the comforts of his lockup flowerbed. Greenfingers made its North American premiere at the 2000 Toronto International Film Festival before making the U.S. festival rounds. ~ Michael Hastings, Rovi

Based on the novel by Philippa Gregory, the British miniseries A Respectable Trade was what is known in the business as a "bodice ripper." The story began in 1788, when well-bred governess Frances Scott (Emma Fielding) married her rough-hewn employer Josiah Cole (Warren Clarke). It didn't take long for Frances to become disgusted by the fact that her husband was in the slave-trading profession, and to take steps to get him out of the filthy business. Complicating matters was Frances' ever-increasing attraction to one of Josiah's "possessions," a handsome and cultured African slave named Mehuru (Ariyon Bakare). First broadcast over the BBC on April 19, 1998, the four-part A Respectable Trade was telecast in America as part of PBS Masterpiece Theatre anthology, beginning on October 25 of that same year. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

An undercover cop finds that the line between his own personality and that of the character he's created have begun to dangerously blur in this drama. John (Reece Dinsdale) is a British police detective whose skill is matched only by his arrogance. Acts of brutal hooliganism have become commonplace at the football matches featuring one of London's minor league teams, Shadwell Town, and the police suspect that there is a more criminal undercurrent to these actions than merely fandom gone wrong after a few pints of beer. So John is made part of an undercover team along with Trevor (Richard Graham) and two other officers; they are to blend in with the most rabid fans and learn what is behind the violence. John also makes the acquaintance of Lydia (Saskia Reeves), a barmaid at a pub where many of the hooligans hang out, he and becomes friendly with her as a way of obtaining more information. But as John sinks deeper into a life of alcohol and violence while hanging out with the Shadwell Town hooligans, he finds he likes it more and more, and in time, he finds that he's becoming one of the brutal thugs he set out to capture. He also finds his relationship with Lydia is no longer just a matter of business, much to the chagrin of his wife Marie (Claire Skinner). I.D. marked the feature debut for British director Philip Davis, who also directed several distinguished productions for U.K. television. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Set in Los Angeles (but filmed in Baja California) this straight-to-video crime thriller centers on hard-boiled maverick cop Richard Montana and his pursuit of the city's most powerful drug lord Mario Gio. Gio decides he's had enough of the troublesome Montana after the cop arrests his right-hand man Hip Hop and successfully launches a huge lawsuit against the L.A.P.D. Naturally this doesn't set well with Chief Deming who punishes Montana by denying him a much-desired promotion and giving it to Montana's rival Henderson, the cop Montana blames for his partner's death. Things get more sticky when Montana falls in love with Gio's sexy moll, a lounge singer who is angry with Gio for reneging on his promise to make her a star. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

When three angels are sent to earth to help out three troubled souls, their troubles have just begun. ~ Tana Hobart, Rovi

In this entry in the continuing exploits of Sherlock Holmes, the great detective must track down his nemesis Professor Moriarty after the villain kidnaps Holme's brother Mycroft. The evil doctor is forcing his captive to decode highly classified military documents. The film is also called Hands of a Murderer. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

The Blackadder gang reteamed to perform this 15-minute sketch on the 1988 @BBC Comic Relief telethon. The year is 1648: King Charles I (Stephen Fry) is sentenced to death by Oliver Cromwell (Warren Clarke). It is up to Charles' loyal subjects (indeed, his only subjects) Sir Edmund Blackadder (Rowan Atkinson) and Baldrick (Tony Robinson) to ride to the rescue. First telecast on February 5, 1988, "The Cavalier Years" has since been released to home video. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Considered one of the great box-office turkeys of its decade, Ishtar was an attempt by writer/director Elaine May and stars Dustin Hoffman and Warren Beatty to do a modern-day road picture in the style of the much-loved Bob Hope and Bing Crosby comedy classics. Beatty is Lyle Rogers, a dimwitted songwriter who befriends and partners with Chuck Clarke (Hoffman), who is only slightly more intelligent but every bit as untalented. Together the duo dreams of becoming a big-time lounge act, but their songs, with titles like "That a Lawnmower Can Do All That," are unintentionally hilarious. Chuck becomes suicidal, but just when it seems they'll never strike it rich, the boys are offered a shady gig at a North African hotel, entertaining U.S. troops stationed in the tiny nation of Ishtar. On their way to accept the job, Lyle, Chuck, and their blind camel are sidetracked by a mysterious woman (Isabelle Adjani) and a scheming CIA agent (Charles Grodin), who are involved in a rebellion against the country's emir. The memorable songs crafted by Chuck and Lyle were written by actor and composer Paul Williams. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

The two-part TV movie Hitler's SS: Portrait in Evil crystallizes that evil by concentrating on two Berlin brothers. In 1931, Helmut Hoffman (Bill Nighy) a brilliant student and self-styled opportunist, joins Hitler's SS. At the same time, his younger brother Karl (John Shea), a top athlete and idealist, becomes a chauffeur for the "S.A." (storm troopers). When the SS topples the SA from power, Karl ends up in Dachau. He is rescued through his brother's influence--if you can describe sending Karl to fight on the Russian Front a "rescue." As he watches the Third Reich deteriorate, Helmut at long last suffers pangs of conscience. As if the story of the rise of Nazism needed any further melodrama, Hitler's SS shoehorns in a romantic triangle involving Karl, Helmut, and beautiful nightclub-singer Lucy Gutteridge. The all-star supporting cast of Hitler's SS includes Carroll Baker as the Hoffman brothers' anguished mother; Tony Randall as an androgynous entertainer named Putzi (shades of Cabaret's Joel Grey); and David Warner, repeating his Holocaust role as SS head man Heydrich. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi