James D'Arcy

For decades, the South American metropolis of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, has clocked in as staggeringly lethal. Its violence-scarred and blood-strewn ghettos (or "favelas") are regularly patrolled by crazed drug gangs whose open-fire battles with police often spread out onto the main thoroughfares and turn ordinary civilians into casualties. In response, the Brazilian government formed a crack paramilitary force known as the BOPE (Batalhão de Operações Policiais Especiais, or Special Police Operations Battalion) to take matters into its own hands. Now, director José Padilha's social-consciousness drama Tropa de Elite carries viewers inside of BOPE for a scathing indictment of the cycle of violence that permeates Brazilian society, scripted by 12-year-plus BOPE veteran Rodrigo Pimentel. Wagner Moura (Hector Babenco's Carandiru) stars as Captain Nascimento, the leader of a BOPE unit who is seriously considering retirement in the face of his impending fatherhood. In an effort to pick his successor, he looks to two younger recruits, part-time law student André Matias (André Ramiro) and the bellicose hood Neto (Caio Junqueira) -- but soon recognizes that these naïve men will need to seriously mature before one can take the reins. Inevitably, the events that each encounters on the roughshod Brazilian streets -- particularly a trip to clean up some of the neighborhoods in anticipation of the pope's visit -- begin to shape and redefine them in ways that neither can even begin to anticipate. Meanwhile, BOPE grapples with its own internal problems -- particularly the extreme corruption and underhandedness of each squad leader, whose sideline activities range from resupplying weapons to gangs to the racketeering of strip clubs. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

A woman who joins the undead against her will seeks vengeance against the ghouls who transformed her in this thriller. Sadie Blake (Lucy Liu) is a journalist who becomes acquainted with a group of beautiful but doomstruck partiers while following a story, led by the charismatic Bishop (James D'Arcy). While Sadie is taken with Bishop's good looks and sinister charm, she senses there's something dangerous about him, but it's not until she wakes up in the city morgue that she learns his secret -- Bishop is a vampire, and Sadie has joined his underlings as one of the undead. Angry and betrayed, Sadie is determined to stop Bishop and his compatriots, and she prowls the city with bow and arrow, ready to stake them from a distance when she spies them. Sadie finds an unlikely ally in her crusade in Detective Rawlins (Michael Chiklis), a police investigator whose daughter was transformed into a night creature by Bishop. However, Sadie is finding it increasingly difficult to resist her growing thirst for the blood of the living, becoming the sort of being she has grown to hate. Also featuring Carla Gugino, Robert Forster, and Nick Lachey, Rise: Blood Hunter received its world premiere with a special midnight screening at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Planned for years, but plagued by problems such as the death of director John Frankenheimer before production had even begun and the exiting of star Liam Neeson, the fourth installment of the Exorcist saga finally got off the ground with Paul Schrader (Affliction, Auto Focus) behind the camera and Stellan Skarsgård filling the shoes left empty by Neeson. But the pitfalls didn't stop there, as Morgan Creek decided against their initial approach assigned to Schrader after seeing his finished cut, and hired Renny Harlin to reshoot the film with extra gore and head-spinning nastiness. The first prequel in the series, Exorcist: The Beginning is based upon events occurring before the first film. Playing the character made famous by Max von Sydow in the earlier films, this entry finds Skarsgård as a young Father Merrin facing true evil for the first time in Africa in the wake of World War II. When a young local boy begins to behave strangely, it becomes more and more apparent to Merrin that the child is a victim of demonic possession. Boasting a first-time screenplay by best-selling novelist Caleb Carr (The Alienist), Exorcist: The Beginning features a supporting cast headed by Izabella Scorupco (GoldenEye) and James D'Arcy (Master And Commander). ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

The British erotic thriller Dot the I is the debut film of writer/director Matthew Parkhill. Carmen (Natalia Verbeke) is a young Spanish Flamenco dancer engaged to the wealthy Barnaby (James D'Arcy). Right before their wedding, she meets Brazilian actor Kit (Gael García Bernal). Following their passionate encounter, the secret lovers attempt to cover up their betrayal. Also starring Tom Hardy and Charlie Cox. Dot the I premiered at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide

Another in a long line of "revisionist" Sherlock Holmes dramas, the made-for-cable Case of Evil offers a 28-year-old Holmes (James D'Arcy) who, in contrast with his later and more familiar persona, brashly brags about his deductive skills, egotistically basks in his fame and popularity, and drinks like a fish. But young Sherlock is in for a sobering and humiliating return to earth when he first crosses the path of Professor Moriarty (Vincent D'Onofrio), the "Napoleon of Crime." The brilliant but inexperienced Holmes not only fails to connect Moriarty with the murders of London's most notorious opium dealers, but even ends up falling into the clutches of the master criminal, who introduces the hapless detective to a relatively new and exotic drug known as heroin. Helping Sherlock put himself back together after his horrendous experience are his friend Dr. Watson (Roger Morlidge), his brother Mycroft (Richard E. Grant), and a comely young lady (Gabrielle Anwar) -- whose last name happens to be Doyle. The story is climaxed by a thrilling sword duel inside Big Ben (and never mind that the famous clock tower hadn't yet been built). Filmed in Romania, Case of Evil made its USA Network debut on October 25, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In 1916, the British Army suffered their bloodiest and most severe defeat ever in the Battle of the Somme; The Trench focuses on the awful prelude to the battle as seen through the eyes of a group of inexperienced soldiers. Billy Macfarlane (Paul Nicholls) is a 17-year-old boy who joined the Army to fight alongside his older brother Eddie (Tam Williams), whom he worships. As the members of their platoon wait for fighting to commence, Eddie climbs up on a hill to see what the German forces are up to. He's immediately hit by sniper fire, suffering a severe injury, and soon another man in the unit is killed. Suddenly the ugly reality of battle has been introduced to the soldiers, few of whom are out of their teens. While their commanders inform them bombing has wiped out most of the enemy troops, the continued attacks convince them this may not be the truth. The Trench marked the directorial debut of novelist William Boyd, whose books have often dealt with the First World War. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

In this TV miniseries based on the 1749 Henry Fielding novel, kindly Squire Allworthy (Benjamin Whitrow) adopts an infant boy left at his home after unmarried Jenny Jones (Camille Coduri) is paid by the real mother to admit that the child is hers. Having lost his own children in infancy, then his wife, Allworthy pours all his love on the little chap, names him Tom after himself and Jones after his supposed mother, and raises him on his vast estate in Somersetshire in Western England. By this time, Jenny Jones has left for another part of England without disclosing the name of the real mother, Allworthy's own sister, Bridget, who lives with the squire. Meanwhile, Bridget (Tessa Peake-Jones) marries money-hungry Captain Blifil (Con O'Neill), who dies of a stroke after Bridget gives birth to a child, William. William and Tom grow up together. A nasty wretch, William (James D'Arcy) despises Tom (Max Beesley) and constantly plots against him. Although Tom is good-hearted, he has a mischievous streak. However, whenever he gets into trouble, it is usually to help others. As young men, Tom and William vie for the affections of beautiful Sophia Western (Samantha Morton), daughter of wealthy landowner Squire Western (Brian Blessed). Although she loves Tom, her father wants her to marry Allworthy's nephew, Blifil, to unite the Western and Allworthy estates. After Tom has a fling with a gamekeeper's daughter, Molly Seagrim (Rachel Scorgie), she becomes pregnant and Tom dutifully accepts responsibility for fathering the child. Later, though, he discovers that Molly has had many lovers. But it's too late. Tom's misadventures -- as well as Blifel's machinations against him -- convince Squire Allworthy to disinherit him and cast him out. Tom strikes out for the seacoast. Sophia later follows him. While encountering many adventures during his travels, Tom learns the truth about himself from a schoolteacher who had employed Jenny Jones as a servant. Eventually, Sophia goes to London, and all of the principal characters -- learning of her presence there -- also end up there. The climax reveals the ultimate fate of Tom and Sophia and the heir of the Allworthy estate. ~ Mike Cummings, All Movie Guide