Patrick Harbinson Movies
- 2008
- Add Wire in the Blood: Prayer of the Bone to QueueAdd Wire in the Blood: Prayer of the Bone to top of Queue
Follow criminal psychologist and profiler Dr. Tony Hill (Robson Green) as he travels across the pond to investigate a gruesome murder in the Lone Star state and discovers just how far some folks are willing to go to keep a secret. A Texas rapist has confessed to butchering his entire family, and now it's up to Dr. Hill to discover what drove the man to commit such a reprehensible crime. But the deeper the investigation delves, the greater the body count grows, leading the doctor to suspect that there's more to this case than meets the eye. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robson Green
- 2005
This 2005 episode would seem to be inspired by a recent court case in which the defendant's addiction to the Grand Theft Auto video game allegedly resulted in a triple murder. The SVU is surprised when Dickie Stabler (Jeffrey Scapperaota), the young son of detective Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni), points out that the police photos taken at the scene of a prostitute's rape-murder match the images in a new, particularly violent video game. Following this lead, Stabler and his colleagues arrest a pair of teenage "computer addicts" for the crime. Now it falls to Assistant DA Casey Novak (Diane Neal) to tear apart the argument of defense attorney Oliver Gates (Barry Bostwick) that the youthful killers were unable to separate fantasy from reality--and that the video game itself should be put on trial. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2005
Despite overwhelming evidence, elderly Jenny Rogers (Melinda Dillon)--whom the SVU team suspects of dealing in illegal painkillers--insists that her son Kevin (Matt Schulze) is not physically abusing her. Even after Jenny's daughter-in-law Carol (Christine Elise) turns up murdered, the old woman refuses to "betray" her son. In his efforts to learn the truth behind Jenny's tragically misguided loyalty, Detective Stabler (Christopher Meloni) must also wrestle with his own domestic problems. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2004
Missing for several days, 16-year-old Tani McCain (Amanda Seyfried is found bound and beaten in an abandoned building. When the girl claims that she was kidnapped and raped by three uniformed men, suspicious immediately falls on a group of college army cadets. But in the days that follow, Tami keeps changing her story, much to the confusion of the men and women of the SVU: Obviously, the girl was raped by someone, but who? With media rabble-rousers and an outraged public breathing down the SVU's neck, the detectives work overtime to track down the actual perpetrator--only to find that the solution to the case may be tragically close to Tandi's own home. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2003
A spin-off of the 2001 TV movie of the same name, the British action-adventure series Red Cap was devoted to the exploits of the U.K. Army's Special Investigation Branch, a team of "military detectives" who pulled off elaborate sting operations to thwart the enemies of democracy. In other words, it was Mission: Impossible with uniforms and an accent. During the series' first season, the dramatic tension was enhanced by the fact that the seven-person SI team consisted of six men and one woman, compelling Sgt. Jo McDonagh (played by former EastEnders regular Tamzin Outhwaite), who had to go out of her way to prove that she was just as good as the other "guys." Created by Patrick Harbinson, Red Cap debuted over BBC1 on January 7, 2003, and was brought to the United States via the BBC America cable service beginning July 6 of that same year. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tamzin Outhwaite, Douglas Hodge, (more)
A man who knows the importance of clearing out the weeks in one's garden begins to wonder if the same principles apply to the people around him in this made-for-TV drama, inspired by a true story. Maj. Herbert Armstrong (Michael Kitchen) was an attorney and clerk to the magistrate in the Welsh community of Hay-on-Wye in the early 1920's. One of Armstrong's great passion was gardening, and he took unusual pride in the appearance of the greenery around his home. Cursed with a patch of stubborn dandelions, Armstrong purchased a large supply of an arsenic-based weed killer to put an end to the problem once and for all. But when Armstrong's wife Catherine (Sarah Miles) and rival in business Oswald (David Thewlis) -- both of whom had recently raised Armstrong's ire -- both turned up dead, apparently poisoned with arsenic, investigators began to wonder if this was really a mere coincidence. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 2001
Amanda Burton starred in this intense two-part British miniseries as Laura Tracey, a minor employee of a major international banking firm. While going through a routine record search, Laura found a number of irregularities in the bank's overseas accounts. Further investigation revealed that certain of the bank's CEOs were using company funds to finance a large drug cartel. Upon reporting her findings to the authorities, Laura realized that the lives of herself and her family were in danger, thus she agreed to enter a witness protection program. This middle-aged "change of life" forced Laura and her husband Dominic (Neil Pearson), previously a college professor, to assume jobs that both have been avoiding all their lives: Now she was nothing more than a housewife, while he was reduced to teaching grade-school children. Worse still, a Mexican hit man, hired to shut Laura up before she could go to trial, was coming ever closer to locating and eliminating the fugitive family. Capped by a truly startling denouement, The Whistle-Blower was first telecast in the U.K. on April 14 and 15, 2001, and has since been seen as a single, 170-minute "movie" over the BBC America cable service. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Amanda Burton, Neil Pearson, (more)
- 2001
Desperate to remain standing rather than vegetate in a wheelchair, Logan (Michael Weatherly) seeks out a brilliant doctor named Adriana Vertes (Brenda Bakke). In a way, it's just as well that Logan has not told Max about his visit to Vertes: It seems that Max has her hands full with a crazed Manticore refugee named Jace (Shireen Crutchfield), who has sworn to kill Vertes for past misdeeds. As it turns out, the "villain" of the piece may be nothing of the kind. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2000
Max (Jessica Alba) attends a conference on genetic engineering at the Steinlitz Hotel, where Kendra (Jennifer Blanc) is working as a translator for geneticist Dr. Yuiko Tanaka (George Kee Cheung). A world-renowned "miracle worker" in his field, Tanaka may be able to help Max with her mixed-up DNA. Unfortunately, the conference is being attended by another figure: Max's arch enemy, Manticore scientist Lydecker (John Savage). When Tanaka's audience is captured and held hostage by an anti-tech terrorist organization led by John Darius (Troy Ruptash), Max and Lydecker are forced to rely upon each other to survive. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2000
Weaver (Laura Innes) is suspended by Romano (Paul McCrane) for defying his orders not to operate on a severely retarded
girl. Elizabeth Corday's (Alex Kingston) medical treatment of Greene's dad (John Cullum) causes a falling out between herself and Greene (Anthony Edwards). Kovac (Goran Visnjic) is dissatisfied when one of several people is chosen as a kidney recipient. A patient whom Carter (Noah Wyle) was forced to discharge returns in terrible shape. And Cleo (Michael Michele) and Benton (Eriq La Salle) make love. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
girl. Elizabeth Corday's (Alex Kingston) medical treatment of Greene's dad (John Cullum) causes a falling out between herself and Greene (Anthony Edwards). Kovac (Goran Visnjic) is dissatisfied when one of several people is chosen as a kidney recipient. A patient whom Carter (Noah Wyle) was forced to discharge returns in terrible shape. And Cleo (Michael Michele) and Benton (Eriq La Salle) make love. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2000
Former recurring actress Ming-Na returns to the series as a regular in the role of Dr. Deb Chen, who had given Carter (Noah Wyle) quite a run for his money during their intern days. Elsewhere, Kovac (Goran Visnjic) treats two brothers (Brian Hooks, Andre Fogenay Wilson), both of whom have apparently been abandoned by their parents -- and one of whom is mentally challenged. Finch (Michael Michele) takes care of a manically overachieving high school athlete (Gabrielle Union). And Greene (Anthony Edwards) flies to San Diego in search of his irascible father (John Cullum), who has "escaped" from his retirement home. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2000
Logan (Michael Weatherly) helps Max (Jessica Alba) find another fugitive of Manticore: Hannah (Eileen Pedde), the woman who saved young Max's life during her escape from the lab. Tracking Hannah down to her home on Sedro Island, the usually nonsentimental Max prepares for a tender reunion -- little suspecting that Hannah is now in league with mad Manticore scientist Lydecker (John Savage). More trouble arises from Max's cat DNA, which forces her to go into heat just as she meets a personable fellow named Eric (Branden Williams). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1999
- Add Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Season 01 to QueueAdd Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Season 01 to top of Queue
The first season of the popular Law & Order spin-off Law & Order: Special Victims Unit begins with the episode "Payback," with the SVU investigating the murder and sexual mutilation of a former Serbian soldier -- who also happened to be a rapist. Quickly establishing their characters, Det. Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni) conducts the investigation in a cool, detached manner, while Det. Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay), a child of rape, cannot help but sympathize with the murderer rather than the victim. Later episodes introduce new characters or further develop the personalities of the familiar regulars. In "Closure," Benson and first-year Detective Brian Cassidy (Dean Winters) spend the night together; in "Limitations," Michelle Hurd joins the cast as streetwise Detective Monique Jeffries; and in the season finale, circumstances dictate that a forensic psychologist recommends that Stabler, outwardly the most "normal" member of the team, be removed from the SVU for emotional instability. The season's most intriguing episode is the aforementioned "Closure," a two-part story which would not be resolved until season two. And finally, "Entitled" finds Law & Order: Special Victims Unit involved in a crossover plot with its parent series, Law & Order, allowing the casts of both series to work in concert. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christopher Meloni, Mariska Hargitay, (more)
- 1999
Alan Alda makes the first of several guest appearances as crusty attending physician Dr. Gable Lawrence, an old friend and mentor of Kerry Weaver (Laura Innes). Lawrence's pomposities -- to say nothing of his eccentricities -- do nothing toward endearing himself to Greene (Anthony Edwards). Meanwhile, the ER is the scene of a brief shoot-out; Kovac (Goran Visnjic) and Lucy (Kellie Martin) try to persuade a woman patient to get out of an abusive spousal relationship; Carter (Noah Wyle) is there for comfort and reassurance as his former sister-in-law, Elaine (Rebecca De Mornay), undergoes a mastectomy; and Jeanie (Gloria Reuben) is given temporary custody of an HIV-positive baby. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Tara Fitzgerald stars as Lady Dona St. Columb, an affluent Londoner who takes refuge from stifling London society at her family's estate on the Cornish coast. It is there that she meets Jean Aubrey (Anthony Delon), a dashing French privateer who promptly offers her a life of romance and excitement. Leaving her dull husband, Sir Harry (James Fleet), Lady Dona takes to the high seas with her lover, but their plot to steal a ship from the English results in her having to choose between a life of duty with her husband or a life of adventure with Jean. Based upon the novel by Daphne Du Maurier. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tara Fitzgerald, Anthony Delon, (more)
- 1993
Created by Bernard Cornwell, Sharpe was the umbrella title for a collection of two-hour British historical dramas, telecast annually in two- to three-episode clusters from May 5, 1993 to May 21, 1997. Sean Bean starred as Richard Sharpe, a fearless and enterprising Yorkshire-born military officer who saw his duty and did it throughout the Napoleonic Wars. Abigail Cruttenden was eventually added to the cast as Sharpe's wife Jane. Individual episode titles included "Sharpe's Rifles" (the first program), "Sharpe's Eagle," "Sharpe's Company," "Sharpe's Gold," "Sharpe's Sword," "Sharpe's Siege," "Sharpe's Justice," "Sharpe's Revenge," and the inevitable finale, "Sharpe's Waterloo." Virtually all the episodes were filmed on location in Crimea and Portugal. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1989
Filmed in Britain and Germany, Saracen was a weekly, hour-long adventure series, created by Chris Kelly and Ted Childs. The title referred to an elite private "protection" firm, specializing in guarding important people. In keeping with TV tradition, the Saracen team was comprised of two men and two women, dazzlers all. The six episodes of Saracen were beamed out to British viewers by Central Television in 1989. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
