Keeley Hawes Movies

Jason Statham and Saffron Burrows star in director Roger Donaldson's cinematic account of the true-life 1971 London bank robbery that baffled the authorities and fascinated the public. Terry Leather (Statham) was a small-time car dealer who was trying to leave his shady past behind and start a family. Though he'd never been involved in any major crimes, he wasn't exactly on the straight and narrow his whole life either. Martine Love (Burrows) is a beautiful model from Terry's old neighborhood who knows that her former neighbor is no angel. When Martine proposes a foolproof plan to rob a Baker Street bank, Terry recognizes the danger but realizes this may be the opportunity of a lifetime. As the operation gets underway, the resourceful band of thieves burrows its way into a safe-deposit vault at the Lloyds Bank in Marylebone, quickly hitting a literal treasure trove of cash and priceless gems. But while the crew did know that the safe-deposit boxes contained millions in riches, they didn't realize that they also contained secrets that implicated everyone from London's most notorious underworld gangsters to powerful government figures, and even the Royal Family. Though the crime would make headlines all across Britain for several days after the fact, a government gag order eventually brought all reporting on the case to an immediate halt. Could it be that the most notorious bank robbers in recent memory were actually the most innocent people involved in this scandalous crime? ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

This nutty British comedy observes with jet-black humor the myriad outrageous calamities that befall an eccentric English clan with more than a few skeletons in its closets when its patriarch dies an unexpected death. Soon, every complication imaginable -- including the wrong corpse in the coffin, the accidental consumption of hallucinogenic drugs, and the disclosure of the deceased's closeted homosexuality -- befall the grief-stricken mourners. The funeral commences at the family estate, with the arrival of younger son Daniel (Matthew MacFadyen), who has long felt uncomfortable around his cocky, licentious novelist brother, Robert (Rupert Graves) -- and thus dreads seeing him. Meanwhile, Daniel is also struggling to adhere to promises he's made to his wife (Keeley Hawes). Also arriving at the house are cousin Martha (Daisy Donovan) and her intended, Simon (Alan Tudyk), who embarrasses just about everybody, including himself, by accidentally consuming a strange drug that inflicts him with wild delusions and gives him an uncontrollable penchant for exhibitionism. But the event that truly turns the family members onto their ears is the arrival of a dwarf (Peter Dinklage) who speaks openly of the patriarch's secret passions, which included dressing up in a kinky gladiator outfit and watching young men skinny-dip. Frank Oz (In & Out, Bowfinger) helmed the film, while Dean Craig authored the script. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

A group of actors and filmmakers set out to adapt an "unfilmable" classic novel -- but find that their own petty concerns get in the way -- in this satirical comedy. Laurence Sterne's 18th century novel The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman told the story of its priggish title character from the moment of conception onward, with a bevy of digressions, distractions, and unfinished anecdotes. In adapting the work for the screen, director Michael Winterbottom chose to stay true to its anarchic spirit: the film begins as a mostly straightforward adaptation of events in Sterne's writings, and then veers into a tale about the making of the film itself. Steve Coogan plays Tristram Shandy, who narrates his own life story, beginning with his slightly botched birth, overseen by an addled doctor (Dylan Moran) and his reticent father, Walter (also played by Coogan). Constantly quarreling with his battle-scarred brother, Toby (Rob Brydon), Walter Shandy has an epiphany when he holds his newborn son; however, before that moment can occur, the film switches into the present day, where Coogan and Brydon, playing themselves, bicker over costuming and the size of their roles in the film. The rest of the film's crew has their own concerns. Director Mark (Jeremy Northam) is trying to figure out how to secure a big Hollywood star for a supporting role and shoot a battle scene on a budget. The film's brainy production assistant Jennie (Naomie Harris) worries that their adaptation is leaving out the best parts of the book, as she nurses a crush on one of the cast members. All the while, Coogan tries to deflect a tabloid reporter's inquiry into his strip-club escapades, and attempts to pacify the concerns of his wife, Jenny (Kelly MacDonald). Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story had its North American premiere at the 2005 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Michael Hastings, Rovi

Originally produced in the U.K. for BBC1, where it first aired on October 9, 2002, the three-part miniseries Tipping the Velvet was adapted from Sarah Waters' best-selling debut novel of the same name. Set in the 1890s, the series focuses on the romance between Nan Astley (played by Rachel Stirling, daughter of actress Diana Rigg), a cook in the seaside restaurant owned by her father, and Kitty Butler (Keeley Hawes), a musical hall entertainer specializing in male impersonation. Given the strict (and somewhat hypocritical) moral restrictions of the Victorian era, the lesbian relationship between Nancy and Kitty must be kept a closely guarded secret, except in the hedonistic underground circles in which the actress and her libertine friends travel. Tipping the Velvet was brought to the US by way of the BBC America digital-cable service beginning May 23, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Though its title is lifted from the popular 1970s song, the British drama Me & Mrs. Jones is eminently up-to-date in its tone and content. Robson Green stars as tabloid journalist Liam Marple, who at the behest of his boss (and ex-wife), Jane (Keeley Hawes), sets about to dig up dirt on Laura Bowden (Caroline Goodall), the new British Prime Minister. Posing as a political fundraiser, Liam gains entrance into Number 10 Downing, where he promptly wins the confidence of the idealistic PM. A thorough professional, Liam had never counted on falling in love with Laura, but that is precisely what happens -- and neither Jane nor Laura's husband, Richard (Philip Quast), is all that pleased over this particular "scoop." Originally telecast in the U.K. in 2002, Me & Mrs. Jones was seen in America as part of PBS' Masterpiece Theatre anthology on January 26, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This British TV production of Othello is more than a mere updating of the classic William Shakespeare tragedy; with freshly rechristened characters and brand-new dialogue, the film qualifies as a "rethinking" of the 17th century Shakespearean play, albeit still retaining the original's power and potency. The story is set in the London of the near future, a crime-ridden metropolis virtually torn apart by racial hostilities. By order of the Prime Minister, black police officer John Othello (Eamonn Walker) is promoted to Commissioner, a post dearly coveted by Othello's friend, mentor and fellow officer Ben Jago (Christopher Eccleston). Seething with jealousy, Jago contrives to discredit Othello in the eyes of the public, and to destroy John's interracial marriage to the lily-white Dessie (Keeley Hawes). Among those used as unwitting dupes to gain Jago's ends are Othello's trusted lieutenant, Michael Cass (Richard Coyle), scrupulously honest police constable Alan Roderick (Del Synnott), and Jago's own wife, Lulu (Rachael Stirling). Typical of the film's modernizations is the handling of the evidence "proving" Dessie's infidelity. In place of the incriminating handkerchief in the Shakespearean original, a robe is offered which has been tampered with by Jago so that the DNA lab will find evidence that Dessie has not only cuckolded Othello, but also is part of a greater plan to ruin his reputation. A co-production of London Weekend Television, Canada's CBC, and America's PBS, Othello was first shown in the U.S. as part of the last-named network's Masterpiece Theatre anthology on January 29, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Debuting November 28, 1999, over BBC1, the four-part British miniseries Wives and Daughters was the second of two TV adaptations of Elizabeth Gaskell's unfinished novel (the first aired in 1972). Set in the early 1800s, the story takes place in a small, gossip-driven English town. Upon the remarriage of her father, heroine Molly Gibson (Justine Waddell) isn't quite sure how to "take" to her modish stepmother, Hyacinth (Francesca Annis), and airheaded stepsister, Cynthia (Keeley Hawes). The fun really begins when both Molly and Cynthia fall in love with Roger Hamley (Anthony Howell), son of the village squire. Inasmuch as author Gaskell passed away before concocting a solution to this romantic triangle, it was up to screenwriter Andrew Davies to come up with a happy (or at least satisfying) denouement. In America, Wives and Daughters was seen as part of PBS' Masterpiece Theatre anthology beginning April 2, 2001. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

One of several British miniseries adaptations of Charles Dickens' novel Our Mutual Friend, this four-part version debuted over the BBC in 1998. The production's generous running time (total: six hours), enabled scenarist Sandy Welch to include virtually every important detail in this complex Victorian-era saga of how a mysterious waterfront death inextricably linked the lives of two young women, Lizzie Hexam (Keeley Hawes) and Bella Wilfer (Anna Friel). The richness of the Dickensian prose was complemented by the visuals, which incorporated everything from documentary-style handheld camerawork to Eisenstein-ish montages, and by the eerily polytonal musical score by Adrian Johnston. Our Mutual Friend was brought to America courtesy of PBS beginning January 3, 1999. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The Blonde Bombshell was a two-part miniseries based on the turbulent life and early death of British movie queen Diana Dors. The warts-and-all teleplay cast a merciless light upon Dors' troublesome relationship with her working-class family, her ofttimes futile efforts to be taken seriously as an actress and to escape the "sexpot" roles which had brought her fame, and her unhappy marriages, including her volatile union with future Family Feud emcee Richard Dawson. The story came to a tragic conclusion with Dors' death from cancer at age 52. Keeley Hawes appeared as the younger Diana, while Amanda Redman played the protagonist in the final stages of her life and career. Filmed in the digital widescreen process, The Blonde Bombshell was seen over London Weekend Television on April 26 and 27, 1999. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The line between reality and fiction becomes increasingly blurred as an ailing screenwriter struggles with a story that seems to come to life before his eyes. A self-destructive loaner whose battle with pancreatic cancer has left him embittered and in great pain, Daniel Feeld (Albert Finney) decides to focus his attention on an a new screenplay entitled "Karaoke." A lurid tale concerning the murder of a young girl working in a seedy karaoke bar, the story soon begins to invade Feeld's reality when he overhears people speaking the dialogue that he had written and finds that the people working in a local karaoke dive not only share his character's names, but their lives as well. Drawn to the suspiciously familiar plight of hostess Sandra (Saffron Burrows), Feeld's suspicions of thuggish club-owner Arthur "Pig" Mallion (Hywel Bennett) begin to mount as Feeld increasingly questions both his health and sanity. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi