Iain Cuthbertson Movies

In all of Scottish history, few figures were as barbaric or as widely feared as Robert "The Bruce", a medieval king who wielded untoward amounts of power. Many of the same claims could be made about King Edward II of Britain, so it was scarcely surprising that when Edward attempted to take over Scotland crush Robert's people in the early 14th century, his attempted conquest prompted a violent battle at the Bannockburn stream (c. 1314). This documentary recreates the said events with great attention to detail, combining CG-animated 3D maps, elaborate battle reenactments, and newly-shot footage filmed in the vicinity of Stirling Castle. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

This documentary examines Scotland's struggle for independence from England. As the movie told the tale of William Wallace's fight against King Edward I for Scottish freedom, this video describes the historical events after Wallace, with King Edward II personally leading the invasion force to crush the revolt. But Scotland's greatest medieval king, Robert the Bruce, raised an army to defend his homeland. The two forces and the fate of a nation were decided on the hills and fields of Stirling Castle, the Bannockburn. It's a stirring and dramatic tale of the heroes and the courage of those who were willing to fight and lose their lives to secure their freedom from a tyrannical English king. ~ Forrest Spencer, Rovi

Peter Davison stars as bespectacled, aristocratic private detective Albert Campion in this two-part adaptation of Margery Allingham's novel Sweet Danger. On this occasion, Campion endeavors to prove that Britain's Fitton family are the rightful heirs to a Balkan throne. Disguising himself as the king of the monarchy in question, Campion sets about to locate the monarch's missing crown, which of course will verify the Fittons' right to ascension. His search leads to a sinister scheme involving newly discovered oil deposits. In America, "weet Danger" was telecast November 15, 1990, as a single two-hour episode of the PBS anthology Mystery! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This spy outing hones in on secret agent Magnus Pym (Peter Egan). Having impersonated so many different people during his career as a British spy, Pym eventually lost track of who he really was -- a confusion compounded by the fact that he knew nothing of his actual past. Ultimately feeling that he could trust no one -- not even his so-called friends -- Pym turned his back on the British and began trading secrets with the Enemy. Filmed on location in England, Europe, and the U.S., the seven-episode A Perfect Spy originally aired in the U.K. in 1988. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Set in London, this three-part British miniseries was adapted by Gerald Seymour from his own novel. A visiting Israeli scientist was targeted for assassination by two different terrorist organizations: one Irish, one Arab. After working at cross-purposes for an extended length of time, the hired killers from both factions decided to join forces to carry out their murderous assignment. American actors Rod Steigerand Anthony Perkins headed the cast of The Glory Boys, which originally aired over Yorkshire Television from October 1-3, 1984. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The 16th season of Doctor Who commenced on September 2, 1978, with episode one of the four-part "The Ribos Operation." Cyril Luckham appears as the White Guardian, who orders the Doctor (Tom Baker) to restore the balance between Good and Evil. To do this, the Doctor must locate and reassemble the missing segments of the Key to Time. Not only does this introduce an epic quest that will continue throughout the season, but it also serves to provide the Doctor with an attractive new companion: Time Lady Romana, played by Mary Tamm. "The Ribos Operation, Episode 1" was written by Robert Holmes. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In the third episode of the four-part story "The Ribos Operation," the Doctor (Tom Baker) has located the first missing segment of the Key to Time on the planet Ribos. Unfortunately, the planet may fall into the hands of the sinister Graff Vinda-K (Paul Seed), thanks to a pair of confidence tricksters named Garran (Iain Cuthbertson) and Unstoffe (Nigel Plaskitt). Could all this skullduggery be the handiwork of the yet-unseen Black Guardian, who is determined to prevent the reassembly of the Key -- and, by extension, the restoration of the balance between Good and Evil? Originally telecast on Septmeber 16 1978, "The Ribos Operation, Episode 3" was written by Robert Holmes. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Originally airing in England in 1977, the haunting mini-series Children of the Stones takes place in an British village called Milbury, which is home to a Stone Henge-esque megalithic stone circle. It follows the strange adventures of astrophysicist Adam Brake (Gareth Thomas) and his son Matthew, as they explore the unique metaphysical properties and complex backstory that make Milbury unique. Originally built by ancient Druids, the highly magnetic and extremely powerful stone circle exists in a time rift, causing the same actions and events to manifest themselves over and over again - until the stones' time cycle can finally be completed. Noted for its chilling score and multi-faceted story, members of Children of the Stones' young target audience have often described it as a sophisticated introduction to magical realism, as well as a traumatizingly scary experience. ~ Cammila Collar, Rovi

A nobody walks a dangerous path in a bid to become a big-shot in this gritty drama from the United Kingdom. Tony Cocozza (Ian Hart) is a small-time Scottish vocalist with a gimmick -- he loves the music of Frank Sinatra, and his repertoire consists almost entirely of songs associated with Ol' Blue Eyes. While Tony has a good voice and can bring off Sinatra's material quite well, he's a clueless nebbish offstage and hasn't been able to advance his career beyond the bottom rungs of the Scottish nightclub circuit. One night, while Tony waits out an intermission in his dressing room, an imposing-looking man named Chisolm (Brian Cox) arrives with a request -- his boss (Iain Cuthbertson) would prefer to hear some songs by Elvis Presley. Chisolm's boss turns out to be a powerful and dangerous crime kingpin, so Tony swallows his pride and sings like The King for a few minutes; the mobster is pleased, and Tony soon finds himself playing a better grade of nightclubs and spending his spare time with some of Glasgow's most notorious crime figures. Bill (Alun Armstrong), Tony's pianist and closest companion, warns Tony that he's getting in over his head with his new and dangerous friends, but imagining success is finally around the corner -- and emboldened by his new relationship with Irene (Kelly MacDonald), a pretty but cynical cigarette girl he met at a gig -- Tony refuses to listen to him. Strictly Sinatra also stars Tommy Flanagan and Richard E. Grant. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

In 1963, the conservative British government was shaken to its foundations by the Profumo Scandal. The central character in this disastrous affair was John Profumo, Britain's minister of war, who had become sexually involved with call-girl Christine Keeler, whose "sponsor" was high-priced osteopath Dr. Stephen Ward. Fancying himself a dashing international adventurer, Ward had also offered Christine to alleged Soviet spy Eugene Ivanov. Another of Ward's stable, Mandy Rice-Davies, allegedly had slept with numerous British and American luminaries. The whole sordid story, which ended with Ward's suicide and Profumo's public disgrace, was recounted with relish in director Michael Caton-Jones's Scandal, which featured John Hurt as Stephen Ward, Joanne Whalley-Kilmer as Christine Keeler, Ian McKellan as Profumo, Bridget Fonda as Mandy Rice-Davies, and Jeroen Krabbe as Ivanov. In its original form, the film was ripe enough to court an X-rating; post-production trimming enabled it to squeak by with an R. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

British character actor Lionel Jeffries both directed The Railway Children and adapted its screenplay from the novel by E. Nesbit. Dinah Sheridan plays the mother of three children who must live in reduced circumstances when her husband (Ian Cuthbertson), a government official, is arrested on a false charge of treason. The kids adapt rather well to their new environment, a community located on the edges of a railway. They befriend a kindly porter (Bernard Cribbins) and a wealthy gent (William Mervyn), both of whom strive to prove their father's innocence. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi