Thaddeus O'Sullivan Movies

When a former N.S.A. Special Ops Agent-turned private security professional discovers a link between the murder of his sister and her young son and a highly secretive religious cult known as the Shadow of the Cross, he sets out to find the person responsible and uncover the motivation behind the brutal killing in a dark thriller from director Thaddeus O'Sullivan. Joe Lassiter (Samuel L. Jackson) is a man in search of answers, and when a series of clues lead him to an Italian fertility clinic where his sister and twelve other women were artificially impregnated, the discovery that the building has been consumed by fire raises more questions than it answers. It appears that every one of the women impregnated at the clinic, along with their sons, have been murdered by the Shadow of the Cross - every one except one, that is. Famous thriller novelist Candice Banks is the sole surviving member of the group, and a very public figure who Joe had recently relocated in order to help her elude a particularly persistent stalker. When Joe discovers that a fanatical Victorian doctor had impregnated the women with the DNA from an item plundered from the Vatican catacombs and said to contain the blood of Jesus Christ in hopes of bringing about the second coming, his race to protect that child from the Shadow of the Cross, whose members believe the child to be the anti-Christ, finds him facing off against a team of determined killers who believe it their mission from God to see that the child is exterminated. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Spanning over six and a half hours, this U.K. television movie chronicles the harrowing experiences of the citizens of the Channel Islands during World War II. Produced for Masterpiece Theatre, Island at War is a fictionalized account of the five years spent under Nazi rule by the British inhabitants of St. Gregory island, a stand-in for the real islands that were subjected to the occupation. Directed by Thaddeus O'Sullivan and Peter Lydon, the film stars James Wilby and Clare Holman. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

Ordinary Decent Criminal is a classic gangster movie in modern-day Ireland. It follows the extraordinary adventures of a Robin Hood character, Michael Lynch, a thief, bigamist, liar, and criminal genius who robs from the rich to give to the poor. Michael is suave, sardonic, and sexy. When his leather-clad figure weaves its way through the Dublin traffic on a powerful motorbike, people stare in awe. He loves his two wives (who happen to be sisters), his wild kids, his gang, and, most of all, his way of life. He has two fundamental beliefs: be loyal to your own and the hell with the establishment. As his ego gets bigger and bigger, he enjoys his notoriety more than the cash it brings. Determined to break him, the police increases its harassment of the whole gang, as Michael makes a mistake that could threaten his good name with the public and his reliability as a bread-winner. But he recovers his equilibrium in time to dream up a final grand scheme to survive the trap set for him. The story is reminiscent of John Boorman's The General about a similar real-life character, Martin Cahill, also a Robin Hood married to two sisters. The impressive cast includes Kevin Spacey, Linda Fiorentino, and Peter Mullan, the tragic hero of My Name is Joe. ~ Gönül Dönmez-Colin, All Movie Guide

Northern Ireland's civil unrest is the backdrop for this tense drama. In Belfast in 1975, a bomb blast rips open a pub in a Protestant neighborhood, killing the patrons inside. Following this attack, representatives from the Irish Republican Army and local Loyalist forces call a mutual truce, which angers foot soldiers on both sides of the fence. Kenny (James Frain) is the leader of a rabid anti-IRA faction. His best friend is Ginger (Ian Hart), a violent man who has no remorse about killing Catholics. Kenny and Ginger wait out the truce alongside Leonard (Michael Gambon), politically the best-informed of Kenny's group; Eddie (Gary Lydon), Kenny's second in command; and Tommy (Ruaidhri Conroy), a teenager new to the fighting. Ann (Maria Doyle Kennedy), Kenny's former wife, has become involved with a kind man named Liam (John Lynch). While Liam is apolitical, he's a practicing Catholic, which, combined with Kenny's jealousy, puts his life in great danger as he tries to find his way home using a supposedly safe route. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Down on their luck, stranded out on the moors of England, the "Three D's" are a trio of circus performers (a bear trainer and his wife plus the bear) who have attracted the unwelcome attention of a policeman, to whom they appear to be altogether shady characters. Not only that, but after a quarrel, Denise takes off and the bear dies. Don, the remaining member of the trio, attempts to cope with his losses by joining up with a circus, partnered with an attractive widow in a new act. His new trick involves walking up a ladder of razor-sharp swords. Just as everyone is getting settled, the aforementioned policeman shows up, accusing Don of having murdered Denise. After proving him wrong about that, Don is almost back to normal when Denise herself shows up, and everything becomes much more complicated. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Dillon is a very buttoned-down bookkeeper and appears to be just about as prim as it's possible to be. Perhaps that's because he is an illegitimate child raised by his unconventional grandmother after his parents died. Though he has become a rather conservative fellow, when a pair of aging ne'er-do-wells recount stories of his father and the band he played in (The Pink Frogs), he is thrilled. However, he's not sure what to make of the excitement in his grandmother's life these days: the man who loved her and left her forty years ago has come back into her life and is asking to marry her. On top of that, Dillon has a girlfriend who is something of a free spirit herself and is prone to ask him searching questions at the most awkward times. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

In a series of character studies, director Cathal Black tells the story of Jimmy (Jimmy Brennan) and the people who end up living with him. After Jimmy, who is gay, leaves prison looking for a way to survive in the world, he finds an abandoned house in Dublin and settles in. Before long, others join him, including a pimp, a con man, and a drug pusher. At times poignant and perceptive, this short film lacks any real narrative and either for that reason or because of its length, goes no further than sympathetically examining these socially displaced people. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

A young woman with a father who fences stolen property and a young man whose father is a lowly farmer get married in a wedding marred by quarrelsome relatives and quick-tempered family friends. After that inauspicious start, their life together spirals somewhat out of control. The father of the bride sends his daughter and son-in-law to Northern Ireland to pick up some electronic equipment, and on the way, they give a ride to someone clearly on the wrong side of the law, perhaps an IRA activist. While returning from their errand, they have an accident that propels them into new relationships and subsequently brings out the information that the woman may have been sexually abused by her father. In the meantime, the husband robs a post office and the two of them have to escape capture. As they are eluding the police, they run into the possible IRA activist again and decide to go to London. But the young man has a score to settle with his father-in-law, and he returns to confront him, and to let him know that his van was trashed in the accident - a scenario that leads to anger and sets the course for the future activities of the young couple and their newly-found activist friend. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide