Ulrich Thomsen Movies

An American paleontologist and a team of Norwegian scientists fight for their lives against a shape-shifting extraterrestrial that can perfectly mimic any living creature in this prequel to John Carpenter's 1982 horror classic. Upon receiving word that the Antarctic research team has unearthed an alien craft, paleontologist Kate Lloyd (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) joins the group to explore what secrets the ship might hold. Though by Kate's estimation the creature inside the spaceship has been dead for centuries, it has actually just been lying dormant in the ice. Perfectly preserved, it has awaited the day when it would finally be freed from its frigid prison; now, after eons of lying in wait, that day has finally come. Suddenly revived during a crucial experiment, the malevolent alien begins methodically mimicking each member of the crew undetected. By the time Kate realizes the frightening implications of the creature's unique ability, it may already be too late. As paranoia among the crew begins to intensify, it's up to Kate and the crew's helicopter pilot, Carter (Joel Edgerton), to make sure the extraterrestrial menace is exterminated before it has the opportunity to escape -- for, should it manage to make its way to a heavily populated area, humanity's days may be numbered. Matthijs Van Heijningen Jr. makes his feature directorial debut from a script by Eric Heisserer and Battlestar Galactica's Ronald D. Moore. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Two Danish schoolchildren -- one meek and unassertive, the other angry and vengeance-prone -- forge a friendship with ugly consequences in this cautionary tale from director Susanne Bier. The story opens with physician Anton (Mikael Persbrandt, working abroad in a Kenyan hospital, where he's routinely treating female victims of a psychotic thug known as Big Man (Evans Muthini). Anton himself suffers from a dysfunctional home life, given his emotional estrangement from his wife (Trine Dyrholm), and his desire to set a positive example for son Elias (Markus Rygaard) -- the physician longs to mend both relationships but finds this difficult given his frequent absenteeism. Meanwhile, another family suffers from equally grave issues: Claus (Ulrich Thomsen) and his son, Christian (William Jøhnk Juels Nielsen), move from London back to their home country of Denmark; Claus is still reeling from his late wife's recent death from cancer, and father and son find it more and more difficult to connect with another. But Christian has much deeper issues than simple filial alienation -- an almost pathological addiction to retribution that manifests itself in a knife-wielding attempt to protect new friend Elias from a local bully. Elias and Christian become fast companions, but as they do, it draws out a level of rage in both boys that threatens to culminate in shocking, terroristic levels of violence. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

Josh Lucas stars as a man whose heart transplant leads him on a frenzied journey to find the killer of his heart's previous owner before its past catches up to him in this retooling of Edgar Allan Poe's classic tale. Directors Tony and Ridley Scott produce the Scott Free production being helmed by cable TV veteran Michael Cuesta. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

A woman is thrust into a world where everything is subtly unfamiliar in this edgy thriller from writer and director Sean Ellis. Gina McVay (Lena Headey) is a radiologist who is enjoying dinner one evening with her family and her boyfriend Stefan (Melvil Poupaud) when a mirror shatters for no apparent reason. After a few moments, no one thinks much of it, but the next day Gina is leaving work and she sees something even more troubling -- a woman who looks just like her, driving a car identical to her own. Curious, Gina sneaks into the doppelganger's apartment and sees a photo of herself and her father in the hallway. Seriously rattled, Gina runs out and drives away, only to get in an accident that lands her in the hospital. After she's released, Gina asks Stefan if she can stay with him, but while he looks the same, his personality and behavior are quite different from the way she remembers him, and she begins having vivid nightmares which become all the more terrifying when the same horrific images begin popping up in her waking hours. The Broken received its American premiere at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

When a sixth grade class gets a malevolent new substitute who aims to train her students for an upcoming international competition in Paris, the suspicious students attempt to uncover the truth about their strange new substitute. The parents all seem to love the newly arrived educator, but the students know better. No only does this strange new arrival have a sadistic streak a mile wide, but she also seems to possess telekinetic powers in addition to having the ability to read minds. Paprika Steen stars in a sci-fi flavored thriller directed by Ole Bornedal (Nightwatch). ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Danish director Tomas Villum Jensen's acerbic satire Clash of Egos stars Ulrich Thomsen as Tonny, a husband and father so rage-addled that he got sent to jail for KO'ing a man in public. Tonny's wife, Tanja (Ellen Hillingso), grew humiliated and promptly divorced him, but Tonny luckily managed to swing occasional custody of his two children. On one of their prized afternoons together, Tonny and the kids hearken off to see the new Harry Potter movie, but run headfirst into the discouraging news that the film is sold out. With only one other option available to them at the cinema, the three must endure a thoroughly miserable afternoon at an über-pretentious Danish film called "The Murderer," directed by the snotty artiste director Claus Volter (Nikolaj Lie Kaas in a characterization reportedly inspired by Lars von Trier) . Frustrated, Tonny smashes a window in the cinema lobby (and barely manages to escape re-incarceration for it), then decides to track Volter down to demand a refund on their ticket and concession costs -- little knowing the misery he is about to cause in the life of this revered "film artist." ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

Drawing inspiration from famed Russian filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky's 1979 sci-fi classic Stalker, director/co-screenwriter Christoffer Boe's heady tale of love and memory follows an acclaimed Danish pianist as he sets out to a mysterious area known only as "The Zone" in hopes of reclaiming his memories and reconnecting with his past. Zetterstrom (Ulrich Thomsen) is a pianist who has sacrificed human emotion in order to achieve perfection. Though many years have passed since Zetterstrom left his native Copenhagen to live in New York, he is now drawn back to his birthplace in order to take part in a gala concert. Upon arriving in Copenhagen, Zetterstrom is contacted by a messenger from an off-limits area of the city known only as "The Zone" and offered an opportunity to remember his long forgotten love for the beautiful Andrea (Helena Christensen). Yet while "The Zone" can indeed resurrect the memories of the past, Zetterstrom will soon discover that there are limits to what one can accomplish by visiting this mysterious and magical landscape. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A young boy immersed in a fantasy world of his own crosses paths with a real-live talking terrier -- who just happens to be the inheritor of a palatial estate -- in this family-oriented fantasy from Mostly Martha director Sandra Nettelbeck. ~ Michael Hastings, Rovi

An unexpected revelation throws a young woman's history into strange new relief in this sci-fi-slanted drama. Siri Sellin (Franka Potente) is a respected concert pianist who makes the startling discovery that her eerie resemblance to her mother is more than the usual similarities between mother and daughter -- Siri is actually a clone of her "mom," successful classical vocalist Iris (also played by Potente). Shocked by the news, Siri flees her German home and travels to Canada, where she seeks solitude in the forests of British Columbia and finds solace in the arms of Greg (Hilmir Snær Gudnason). But Siri finds herself forced to resolve the issues of her relationship with Iris when she learns the woman who raised her is at death's door. Blueprint was based on a novel by author Charlotte Kerner. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

In the wake of his rise to power, Adolf Hitler became known as perhaps the most villainous and destructive political leader of the 20th century. But what was he like before he formed the Nazi party? Screenwriter and director Menno Meyjes explores that question in this drama, a work of fiction keyed to the fact that Hitler unsuccessfully pursued a career as an artist following World War I. In 1918, Max Rothman (John Cusack) is a former artist who lost an arm during the war. While Max can no longer create, his eye for talent is as keen as ever, so he has become a successful art dealer, specializing in Modernists such as George Grosz. Max's success has brought him a fine home and a beautiful wife, Nina (Molly Parker); he's also acquired a mistress, Liselore (Leelee Sobieski), a lovely young woman with artistic aspirations of her own. One day, Max meets Adolf Hitler (Noah Taylor), an emotionally intense, fellow war veteran who has found himself penniless in Munich. Adolf fancies himself an artist, and while Max isn't especially impressed with his technique, he sees in him a burning passion and a desire to communicate, so he encourages Adolf to express his demons through his art. While Adolf takes Max's advice to heart and strikes up a friendship with him, Max's friends find Adolf's open advocation of anti-Semitism rather troubling; Max, who is Jewish, simply chalks Adolf's attitudes up to unpleasant wartime experiences. But as Adolf immerses himself more deeply into his political interests and his thoughts on social engineering, he begins to leave painting behind in favor of a more interesting art form, the political arena. Max marked the first directorial effort of noted screenwriter Meyjes. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

The great British obsession with football (soccer to Americans) receives a thorough skewering in this mock documentary look at perhaps the most hapless coach in the history of professional sport. The manager of England's national football unexpectedly succumbs to a heart attack, and suddenly the search is on for a replacement. Most people who seem qualified for the position have the good sense to turn it down, and so the responsibility falls to Mike Bassett (Ricky Tomlinson), a scruffy and loud-mouthed lout whose claim to football fame is leading a previously undistinguished team to a league championship. Bassett insists that England will win the World Cup under his leadership, but that's before he replaces his star player with a once-gifted footballer (Dean Lennox Kelly) who has since developed a drinking problem, and hired a one-time car salesman (Philip Jackson) as his assistant. After several stunning losses to Poland, Bassett goes from a favorite of both fans and the press to one of the most hated men in England; hoping to whip his team into shape, he subjects them to the high-tech training methods of eccentric Dr. Shoegaarten (Ulrich Thomsen), which injures more players than it helps. Despite Bassett's ineptitude, England manages to qualify for the World Cup tournament thanks to a loophole in the rules, and he flies to Rio with his team in hopes of somehow turning their bad luck around. British television journalist Martin Bashir, musician and comic Keith Allen, and international football sensation Pele all appear as themselves to lend Mike Bassett: England Manager an air of authenticity. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A man who has devoted his life to animals rather than dealing with the emotional and political uncertainties of humans finds he's challenged when his zoo becomes a battlefield in this downbeat drama. Ludovic (Sam Neill) lives and works in an unnamed city in the Balkans; once an idealistic communist, he grew disenchanted with politics in general and socialism in particular, and now devotes his energies to his job as a zookeeper. Political turmoil has thrown the zoo into the middle of a war zone, and after repeated bombing raids have come perilously close to the animal sanctuary, the staff has been ordered to evacuate. But Ludovic refuses to leave, and with the help of a staff veterinarian (Om Puri), he single-handedly tends to the needs of the animals. Ludovic, however, learns that there's no escaping the chaos around him, and as troops led by Dragov (Ulrich Thomsen) raid the zoo and take the veterinarian away in the name of "ethnic cleansing," he realizes he must make some sort of a stand, and soon gives sanctuary to Ankica (Gina McKee) and Zioig (Javor Loznica), a mother and her son who narrowly escaped execution in a nearby village. The Zookeeper was director Ralph Ziman's second film dealing with the dangers and tragedies of racially motivated politics, following his 1995 debut Hearts and Minds. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Sandra Nettelbeck spins this gentle drama about how a child's presence can change the lives of the most shy and career-minded of adults. Martha (Martina Gedeck) is the chef of a popular Hamburg eatery who fusses and obsesses over each dish before it leaves the kitchen. The demands of her job and her natural shyness keep her from breaking out of her routine to meet new people. When her sister suddenly dies in a car accident, Martha adopts Lina, her eight-year-old niece. Martha's life soon completely changes -- not only must she adjust herself to new parental role, but she must help Lina deal with her grief over the loss of her mother. Martha gets unexpected help from Mario, Martha's hunky new sous chef, who is not only a whiz on the chopping block but knows sundry magic tricks and jokes to keep Lina's spirits afloat. Just as Martha starts to grow attached to the girl, however, the possibility of Lina returning to the custody of her father arises. This film was screened at the 2001 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi