Paul W.S. Anderson Movies
Paul Anderson gained a fair bit of notoriety in his native England when he directed the ultra-violent Shopping from his own script. The film, highly regarded for its stylish direction and production on a shoestring budget, featured Jude Law and Sean Pertwee in a story about ram-raiders, thieves whose technique is to drive a car into storefronts and make off with whatever goods can be grabbed in a few seconds. The film was banned in the U.K. for a while, and a somewhat trimmed version became a straight-to-video release in the U.S.Shopping was enough of a calling card for Anderson that his next film was Mortal Kombat, a flashy adaptation of the hit computer game. Anderson's visual flair and tight editing brought him a great deal of praise. The film performed wonderfully at the box office, giving Anderson a blank check for his next film. He had intended to go straight on to Soldier at Warner Bros., with Kurt Russell in the lead, but the film was delayed by Russell's decision to take a break from acting, pushing the start date of that film into 1998.
Anderson instead went on to direct Event Horizon from a script by Philip Eisner, financed by Paramount, allowing Anderson to once again use Sean Pertwee and Jason Isaacs, who have become a small stock company for him. The science fiction/horror film was stylish and sometimes effective, but took a critical drubbing for its derivative story and poor script. With many critics commenting on the bloody carnage throughout, Event Horizon proved a weak performer at the box office. Though Soldier was eventually made following Event Horizon, it didn't fare much better at the box office and Anderson opted for the small screen for his next feature, a supernatural mystery titled The Sight. Maintaining a low-key profile that left many fans wondering if he would continue after two consecutive flops, Anderson shot back when he took the director's chair for the long-anticipated celluloid adaptation of the popular survival horror video game Resident Evil. Long rumored among fans to be a choice comeback vehicle for zombie grandfather George A. Romero (Romero in fact submitted a script for Resident Evil in addition to directing an atmospheric Japanese television commercial for the game's sequel), the writing and directing credits eventually transfered to Anderson, leaving Romero fans pining for the long-rumored fourth entry into the "Living Dead" series.
Not only did Resident Evil breath life back into Anderson's career, it also introduced him to actress Milla Jovovich who he fell for and later became engaged to. The two would reteam for the film's 2004 sequel, though Anderson opted to hand over directing duties on that film to first-time helmer Alexander Witt, while acting as producer and screenwriter on the project. Anderson instead focused his attention as a director in 2004 on the highly-anticipated Alien vs. Predator, a film based on a series of comic books that hypothesized a battle between two of the sci-fi-action genre's most notorious and monstrous characters. In 2006 Anderson would add another producer's credit to his filmography when he played a key role in helping to bring director Corey Yuen's video game adaptation D.O.A. to the big screen. ~ Steven E. McDonald, All Movie Guide
- 1994
- R
Though not as successful as Trainspotting (1996) or Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998), this high-energy, kinetic crime thriller belongs in the same British New Wave category as those later films. In a decaying British city of the near future, Billy (Jude Law) is an ex-con adrenaline junkie dating a Belfast native, the thrill-seeking Jo (Sadie Frost). Billy and Jo are the leaders of a teen gang of "ram-raiders," car thieves who jack an automobile, ram the vehicle through the front of a store, and steal whatever booty they can carry before the authorities arrive. A typical ram raid ends up in a high-speed pursuit by the police, which is all a part of the game for Billy, Jo, and their followers. However, a local drug lord, Tommy (Sean Pertwee) doesn't like the teen crooks infringing on his business. His opposition to their scheming leads to a deadly car race that plays out like a game of post-modern "chicken." Following the release of Shopping (1994), writer-director Paul Anderson went in a different direction than contemporaries Guy Ritchie and Danny Boyle, opting to create slick Hollywood science fiction films such as Mortal Kombat (1995), Event Horizon (1996), and Soldier (1998). ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sadie Frost, Jude Law, (more)
Three reluctant fighters are drafted for an intergalactic martial-arts tournament that will determine the fate of the human race in this special-effects-driven adventure. Inspired by the popular and notoriously bloody video game, Mortal Kombat provides a semblance of a plot as an excuse for rampant mayhem, with the evil alien forces challenging humanity to a kung fu battle to decide the Earth's fate. Following the failure of several previous human defenders, mankind's last chance lies with egotistical action film star Johnny Cage (Linden Ashby), tough but beautiful special agent Sonya Blade (Bridgette Wilson), and vengeance-minded hero Liu Kang (Robin Shou). Under the guidance of inspirational sorcerer Lord Rayden (Christopher Lambert), this unlikely trio faces off against a series of terrifying alien adversaries. As in the video game, the martial arts battles are the true point, with standard fighting combining with magical touches supplied by computer-generated effects. The dramatic content often resembles a Saturday morning cartoon, but Jonathan Scott Carlson's appropriately dank production design and the visually spectacular battle sequences made the film a hit amongst younger fantasy-action fans, spawning a sequel and a TV show. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robin Shou, Linden Ashby, (more)
In this sci-fi/horror scarefest, Dr. William Weir (Sam Neill) is a scientist who has designed a spacecraft called Event Horizon which will explore the outer reaches of space past the planet Neptune; the ship employs a special transport mechanism that, in effect, creates a black hole that the ship can pass through, allowing it to travel tremendous distances in a few seconds. The Event Horizon mysteriously disappears in the midst of a mission with no trace of either the ship or its crew, but it reappears in Neptune's orbit after a seven year absence and it's sending out a distress signal. The spaceship Lewis and Clark, and Dr. Weir, are sent to investigate; the crew -- Captain Miller (Laurence Fishburne), pilot Smith (Sean Pertwee), engineer Justin (Jack Noseworthy), navigator Starck (Joely Richardson), physician D.J. (Jason Isaacs), and emergency technicians Peters (Kathleen Quinlan) and Cooper (Richard T. Jones) -- are already tired and unenthusiastic about this assignment, and somewhat confused by Weir's reports. The crew of the Lewis and Clark are convinced that Weir is not telling them something, and when they discover the Event Horizon, they find that things are not what they seem, and an evil presence has taken over the ship. Incidentally, the term "event horizon" describes the outer boundaries of a black hole. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Laurence Fishburne, Sam Neill, (more)
After scripting Blade Runner and Twelve Monkeys, David Webb Peoples continued to traverse the science fiction landscape with this action-adventure directed by Paul Anderson. A prologue shows infants classified 1A and placed in an academy promoting violent militarism. Spawned in such an environment, Sgt. Todd (Kurt Russell) became a top-ranking interplanetary fighter. However, military upgrades in genetic engineering made Todd obsolete. Todd's commanding officer, Captain Church (Gary Busey), has a confrontation with West Point-trained Colonel Mekum (Jason Isaacs), who heads the new generation of genetically engineered fighters. One such warrior is Caine 607 (Jason Scott Lee), who defeats Todd and others led by Church. The trio, presumed dead, is put in a garbage ship which dumps them on the distant Arcadia 234 planet. However, Todd survives and is nursed by homesteaders Sandra (Connie Nielsen) and Mace (Sean Pertwee), while their mute son Nathan (brothers Jared and Taylor Thorne) watches. Todd is regarded with suspicion by others in the colony. But when the warrior supermen, led by Caine 607, attack the settlement, Todd turns out to be their only line of defense. The one-man army springs into action to eliminate the super squadron amid leftover props from Demolition Man, Event Horizon and other sci-fi movies. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kurt Russell, Jason Scott Lee, (more)
Filmed in London, the cable-TV movie The Sight stars Andrew McCarthy as American architect Michael Lewis. Like the youthful protagonist in the theatrical feature Sixth Sense, the reluctantly psychic Michael "sees dead people." In fact, he sees the ghosts of 21 dead people in a single location, the old British hotel that he has been hired to refurbish. Michael's disturbing "gift" ultimately leads him to the eight victims of a contemporary serial killer -- and, armed with the cryptic clues supplied by these restless spirits, the hero races against time to prevent murder number nine. The pilot film for an unsold weekly TV series, The Sight was broadcast October 29, 2000 over the FX cable network. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The director of Mortal Kombat (1995) adapts another popular video game for the big screen with this gory action thriller. Milla Jovovich and Michelle Rodriguez star as Alice and Rain, two members of a commando team assigned to infiltrate the Hive, an underground research laboratory owned by the faceless conglomerate known as the Umbrella Corporation. A bio-engineered virus has been released into the maze-like Hive, turning the facility's employees into mindless, flesh-eating zombies. A single scratch or bite from one of these rampaging ghouls dooms its victim, so the commandos have their work cut out for them as they attempt to reach the Red Queen, the lab's supercomputer -- and their sole hope of halting the spread of the contagion. Before they can complete their mission, however, the soldiers must overcome a variety of deadly obstacles, including mutant dogs, lasers, and a genetically altered beast known as The Licker, whose strength increases with every victim it slays. Alice and Rain also discover that the release of the virus may not have been an accident, and that a cure may exist somewhere in the deadly Hive. Resident Evil co-stars Eric Mabius, James Purefoy, Martin Crewes, and Colin Salmon. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Milla Jovovich, Oscar Pearce, (more)
Directed by Paul W.S. Anderson, Alien vs. Predator follows billionaire Charles Bishop Weyland (Lance Henriksen) and his team of drillers, scientists, and archaeologists, to an obscure pyramid site in Antarctica. Among the icy ruins, allegedly, lies the proof of an empire predating humankind. Once there, however, the group finds more than ancient sarcophaguses and hieroglyphics; rather, their discovery consists of dismembered human skeletons and fossilized remains of the alien creatures that appear to have violently burst out of their chests. Even more horrifying is the evidence suggesting that the aliens may still exist. Indeed, there are aliens below the pyramids, but an equal threat looms above: three Predators, all on the verge of manhood, are engaged in a gruesome rite of passage -- every hundred years, young Predators must travel to Earth and take on a hunting ritual in order to complete the transition to adulthood or die in the process. Before long, the humans find themselves battling for their own lives as the Predators and aliens continue their fight for superiority. The film also features Sanaa Lathan, Raoul Bova, Ewen Bremmer, Colin Salmon, and Agathe de la Boulaye. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sanaa Lathan, Raoul Bova, (more)
One of the only survivors of a man-made plague joins forces with a team of private warriors in a bid to save what's left of the Earth in this sequel to Resident Evil, the big-screen adaptation of the popular video game. Picking up where the first film left off, Resident Evil: Apocalypse finds Alice (Milla Jovovich) still battling the living dead who are overtaking Raccoon City, inoculated with an anti-virus by the nefarious and all-powerful Umbrella Corporation (in addition to the virus itself). Alice encounters Jill Valentine (Sienna Guillory), a former member of Umbrella's internal defense team. Forming an alliance with mercenary-for-hire Carlos Olivera (Oded Fehr) and his cohorts, this tiny band of survivors seeks out Dr. Charles Ashford (Jared Harris), Umbrella's top scientist and one of the only men with the know-how to find a solution to the zombie menace; however, they discover that Ashford's cooperation comes with a price -- the scientist's daughter Angie (Sophie Vavasseur) is missing, and he'll help Alice and her partners only if Angie is returned to him safe and sound. Resident Evil: Apocalypse was the first solo directorial credit for Alexander Witt, who previously distinguished himself as a cinematographer and second-unit director. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Milla Jovovich, Sienna Guillory, (more)
Hollywood success d'estimes Maria Bello (Payback, Duets) and Sean Bean (Troy) team up for the 2006 direct-to-video horror opus The Dark - a gothic tale of supernatural terror with echoes of Orpheus and Eurydice. When Manhattanite divorcee Adelle (Bello) and her young daughter, Sarah (Sophie Stuckey) sojourn to a farm newly purchased by Sarah's dad, James (Bean) on the Welsh coast, an unspeakable tragedy befalls everyone: Sarah drowns. Or, so it appears. For soon, Adelle uncovers a strange history behind the property, entrenched in Welsh mythology. A half-century prior, a gaggle of schoolgirls committed mass hara-kiri on the Welsh cliff behind the farm. One of the victims, Ebril (Abigail Stone) makes a startling reappearance and warns Adelle that Sarah has been abducted and dragged to Annwyn, the Welsh Hades. Now, Adelle and James must team up to rescue the young girl - before she is completely extinguished. John Fawcett (Ginger Snaps) directs. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Maria Bello, Sean Bean, (more)
Director Russell Mulcahy takes over for the third chapter in the Resident Evil film franchise, which finds genetically altered Alice (Milla Jovovich) joining forces with Carlos (Oded Fehr) and L.J. (Mike Epps) to take down the Umbrella Corporation once and for all. Upon emerging from her hideout in the Nevada desert, Alice is quickly joined by old friends Carlos and L.J., as well as survivors Claire (Ali Larter), K-Mart (Spencer Locke), and Nurse Betty (Ashanti). Now instilled with super-human strength, senses, and dexterity as a result of the biogenetic experimentation conducted on her by the Umbrella Corporation, Alice and the rest of the survivors set out to eliminate a virus that threatens to turn every living human undead, and ensure that the mysterious organization pays the price for their horrific crimes against humanity. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Milla Jovovich, Oded Fehr, (more)
Legendary Hong Kong action director and choreographer Corey Yuen brings Tecmo's best-selling video-game franchise to the big screen in a martial arts extravaganza featuring an impressive quartet of female fighters including Devon Aoki, Sarah Carter, Jaime Pressly, and Holly Valance. Tina (Pressly), Christie (Valance), Kasumi (Aoki), and Helena (Carter) are four skilled martial artists whose outwardly sexy appearances betray their true lethal natures. When the fearsome females each receive an invitation to take part in an illegal martial arts competition to be staged on a remote Asian island, the prospect of a ten-million-dollar top prize is only sweetened by the fact that they will be facing off against some of the toughest fighters on the planet. Now, in order to defend their honor and search for the answers to life's greatest mysteries, Tina, Christie, Kasumi, and Helena will check their inhibitions at the beach and prepare for a series of fights that will test not only their strength, stamina, and endurance, but the very foundation of their dedication to the martial arts as well. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jaime Pressly, Holly Valance, (more)
The Transporter star Jason Statham takes the wheel in director Paul W.S. Anderson's remake of the Roger Corman classic about a hyper-violent cross-country race that breaks all of the traditional rules of the road. The time is the not-so-distant future, and as America's prisons begin overflowing with violent criminals, the powers that be devise a grisly game that will free up space in the cells and entertain the masses at the same time. Jensen Ames (Statham) is a three-time speedway champion with a dark past. A survival expert and ex-con whose sordid history comes back to haunt him when he is framed for a murder he didn't commit, Ames is forced to choose between donning the metallic mask of a mythical racer known as Frankenstein or languishing away on Terminal Island -- America's most notorious penitentiary. Over the course of the next three days, this unlikely champion will get behind the wheel of a nightmare machine outfitted with machine guns, grenade launchers, and flamethrowers in a desperate attempt to outrun some of the most violent criminals ever imprisoned. Should Ames be the first to cross the checkered flag, he will win his freedom; should he come in second, however, death would be preferable to a grim future in a cramped concrete cell. Co-stars include Joan Allen, Ian McShane, Natalie Martinez, and Tyrese Gibson, who takes over the role of Machine Gun Joe, made famous by Sylvester Stallone in the original. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jason Statham, Tyrese Gibson, (more)
- 2009
- R
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Antibodies director Christian Alvart takes suspense into space with this tale of two astronauts who realize that they aren't alone as they drift into the darkest corners of our galaxy. Awakening in their hyper-sleep chamber with no memory of who they are or what their mission is, disoriented astronauts Lt. Payton (Dennis Quaid) and Corporal Bower (Ben Foster) gradually surmise that they are the only ones aboard the darkened spacecraft. But how did they get here, and what are those strange sounds coming from the other side of the ship? The only way out of their hyper-sleep chamber is a cramped air shaft, and the only one small enough to climb through it is Corporal Bower. As he shimmies inside to investigate, Lt. Payton mans the radio transmitter. But the deeper Corporal Bower ventures into the ship, the more apparent it becomes that something horrible has happened. There were 60,000 passengers onboard when the astronauts went to sleep, and now there's not a soul in sight. Before long, the two weakened and weary space travelers are fighting for their lives against a force neither can comprehend. Could it be that the survival of the entire human race rests in the hands of these two astronauts stuck on a lonely ship in deep space? ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dennis Quaid, Ben Foster, (more)
- 2010
The classic video game Spy Hunter -- which began as a Midway arcade game and seemingly underwent dozens of incarnations for various platforms -- featured a souped-up car called The Interceptor, equipped with a fantastic assemblage of weapons and gadgets (a rail gun, an EMP gun, flame throwers, machine guns, missiles, etc.). The big-screen adaptation of that game concerns the actual driver of that vehicle (never pictured in the video game), the employee of a top-secret government agency. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- 2011
Milla Jovovich returns in this fourth entry of the Resident Evil franchise. The zombie actioner is poised to take place in Hong Kong, with Paul W.S. Anderson returning to pen the script and direct. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- 2011
This adaptation of the popular Konami series concerns a vampire hunter who journeys deep into the heart of Dracula's labyrinthine lair to battle history's most fearsome bloodsucker. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 2011
The Three Musketeers ride again in this three-dimensional revamp from Impact Pictures and writer/producer Paul W.S. Anderson (Alien vs. Predator, Resident Evil). The famed trio has most notably been brought to the big screen by Richard Lester in a 1973 production, as well as in the 1993 vehicle, starring Charlie Sheen and Kiefer Sutherland. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
