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Douglas Henshall Movies

2011  
PG13  
Add The Eagle to Queue Add The Eagle to top of Queue  
Academy Award-winning director Kevin MacDonald re-teams with The Last King of Scotland screenwriter Jeremy Brock for this historical epic set in second century Britain and following young centurion Marcus Aquila on his quest to solve the mystery of the missing Ninth Legion. The year is 135 A.D. It's been 15 years since the Ninth Legion went missing in the mountains of Scotland, and it's up to Marcus Aquila (Channing Tatum) to find out what happened. His own father was the commander of the Ninth, and by discovering what fate befell the fearless leader, Aquila could restore his failing reputation. Crossing Hadrian's Wall and navigating the treacherous highlands of Caledonia won't be easy though, especially since Aquila's only traveling companion is his British slave, Esca (Jamie Bell). Along the way, Aquila will attempt to make peace with his father's memory as he and Esca confront the savage tribes of the land and attempt to recover the lost legion's golden emblem -- the treasured Eagle of the North. Donald Sutherland and Mark Strong fill out the rest of the starring cast. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Starring:
Jamie BellMark Strong, (more)
 
2009  
R  
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A vain London playboy offers his soul in exchange for eternal beauty in this adaptation of the chilling tale by author Oscar Wilde. Seduced into the decadent world of Lord Henry Wotton (Colin Firth), handsome young aristocrat Dorian Gray (Ben Barnes) becomes obsessed with maintaining his youthful appearance, and commissions a special portrait that will weather the winds of time while he remains forever young. When Gray's obsession spirals out of control, his desperate attempts to safeguard his secret turn his once-privileged life into a living hell. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Starring:
Ben BarnesColin Firth, (more)
 
2009  
 
When the blame for a deadly freeway crash falls on the shoulders of the police department, a veteran police detective and his partner launch a comprehensive investigation into the tragic accident. In the aftermath of a violent six car pile up on the A12, two crash victims are pronounced dead at the scene, and another two are rushed to the hospital in critical condition. Bound by tragedy, the survivors being looking for answers anywhere they can find them. For an enraged father, the police are to blame. When he files a lawsuit against the department, Detective Inspector John Tolin (Douglas Henshall) and his partner, Senior Investigating Officer Ann Stallwood (Kate Ashfield) work to discover the true cause of the crash so that the surviving victims can move on with their loves. As Detective Tolin and Senior Officer Stallwood delve deeper into the lives of everyone involved in the accident, they discover evidence of serious crimes, including smuggling and genocide. Before long the suit is dropped, leaving the detectives to wonder whether the serious crimes they uncovered during the course of their investigation are about to go unpunished. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Starring:
Douglas HenshallKate Ashfield, (more)
 
2007  
 
Add French Film to Queue Add French Film to top of Queue  
English hang-ups about romance get satirically filtered through the perspective of French movies in this witty, cinematically-literate comedy helmed by British director Jackie Oudney and scripted by Aschlin Ditta. The creators set up two narratives: in a framing device, Eric Cantona stars as the elitist, pretentious French writer-director Thierry Grimandi, who could use a lesson in humility; he operates according to the mantra, "I consider myself lucky firstly because I am French, secondly because I make movies, thirdly because I understand love." As Grimandi periodically crops up to pontificate on film and relationships, a second narrative emerges. Hugh Bonneville stars as Jed Winter, a smug, unhappy British journalist enduring a super-dysfunctional relationship with long-term girlfriend Cheryl (Victoria Hamilton). She just rejected his marriage proposal out of dissatisfaction for the lack of romantic chemistry in their relationship; they tentatively remain together, but that all seems poised to change when Jed begins to develop feelings for his friend Marcus's girl, Sophie (Anne-Marie Duff) - and it just so happens that Marcus falls for someone else, leaving the situation wide open for Jed to waltz in and sweep Sophie off her feet. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

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Starring:
Eric CantonaHugh Bonneville, (more)
 
2006  
 
A drug-addled elephant is on the run from people who either want to help him or kill him in this dark computer-animated comedy that is decidedly not for children. Jimmy is a performing elephant who travels with a third-rate Russian circus run by ringmaster Stromowski (voice of Jim Broadbent). Jimmy's minder is a sleazy American expatriate, Roy Arnie (voice of Woody Harrelson), who keeps the nervous beast pacified with regular doses of heroin. Roy has also hidden a large stash of the drug under Jimmy's skin, but Roy's decided he wants out of circus life and plans to sell the dope and go his own way. However, in order to do that he has to put Jimmy out of his misery, and he recruits three stoner buddies -- Odd (voice of Simon Pegg), Gaz (voice of Phil Daniels) and Flea (voice of Jim Simpson) -- to help whack the elephant. However, it seems Roy is also in debt to some gangsters (voices of Reece Shearsmith, Mark Gatiss and Steve Pemberton) who happen to know that he's hidden the drugs in the elephant, and they're aiming to grab Jimmy before Roy and his pals can. As it happens, they're both beaten to the punch by a group of dim-witted animal rights activists led by Marius (voice of Kyle MacLachlan), who liberate Jimmy and the other circus animals, not realizing they've just sent a junkie pachyderm into the wilds as it's going cold turkey, with only a friendly moose for help. Free Jimmy also features the voice talents of Samantha Morton, Emilla Fox and Lisa Maxwell. Though it was produced in Norway, two versions exist, one with a mostly English-cast (referenced above) and one with a mostly Norwegian cast. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Starring:
Woody HarrelsonJan Saelid, (more)
 
2005  
 
Tom Ripley (Barry Pepper) and friends cover up the death of a renowned artist in order to continue profiting from his work, but find their ruse threatened by a sharp-eyed art collector who recognizes one of the paintings as fake. Tom Wilkinson, Claire Forlani, Alan Cumming, and Willem Dafor co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Starring:
Barry PepperTom Wilkinson, (more)
 
2003  
R  
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An estranged couple are brought back together as they run for their lives in a future world where science as well as emotions have gone haywire in this sci-fi drama from director Thomas Vinterberg. In the year 2021, the world seems to have become a very strange place; an unexplained ailment is causing children to drop dead on the streets of New York, ice storms and floods strike major cities without notice, summer is marked by periodic snowfalls, and a strange hole has appeared in the Ugandan sky that causes people to loose the grip of gravity and drift off into space. In the midst of all this, internationally known figure skater Elena (Claire Danes) is getting divorced from her husband John (Joaquin Phoenix) after an 18-month separation. John has arrived in New York City to have Elena sign the divorce papers, but after finally making his way through her entourage, he discovers her to be unhappy and out of sorts, and she asks him to stay. John soon learns that Elena and her staff have a secret -- David (Alun Armstrong), her manager, has had Elena cloned, and now there are three duplicates of her to stand in if she should be killed or injured. John's discovery puts both him and Elena in grave danger, and they are soon on the run from David and his underlings. Meanwhile, Marciello (Sean Penn) ponders the unstable state of the world as he flies from one place to another after a heroic dose of pills designed to combat the fear of flying. It's All About Love received its North American premier at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Starring:
Joaquin PhoenixClaire Danes, (more)
 
2001  
R  
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This second feature from Boyfriends' directors Neil Hunter and Tom Hunsinger explores intertwined relationships in a sleepy seaside resort in the U.K., broken up into three segments. The film centers around the funeral of Stuart (David Coffey), the gay partner of Nick (Tom Hollander), who owns a local restaurant. Stuart's brother-in-law Dan (Bill Nighy) is a depressive farmer who lives with his wife Judy (Ellie Haddington) and becomes smitten with a French woman named Corinne (Clementine Celarie), a local florist. As Dan and Judy attempt to settle Stuart's estate, Dan gives into having an affair with Corinne -- but then ends up cheating on her with an amorous stranger (Sally Hurst). Meanwhile, Nick offers Stuart's straight best friend Tim (Douglas Henshall) a place to stay. Nick is furthermore disrupted by the advances of Charlie (Sukie Smith), a free-spirited woman who takes a liking to Nick and introduces him to hetero intercourse. The final section of the film centers on Tim who, after being abroad for several years, has a dalliance with shop owner Leah (Josephine Butler), who happens to be the former girlfriend of his adopted brother David (Stuart Laing). Also featured in the film are Dominic Hall, June Barrie, and Peter Symonds. ~ Jason Clark, Rovi

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Starring:
Douglas HenshallTom Hollander, (more)
 
2001  
 
Add Gentlemen's Relish to Queue Add Gentlemen's Relish to top of Queue  
Billy Connolly stars in a rambunctious period comedy detailing the celluloid exploits of a 20th Century London photographer who specializes in deliciously scandalous snapshots. Kingdom Swan (Connolly) is an artist whose career seems to be on the downturn until he receives a camera as a gift. Subsequently establishing himself as a photographer who specializes in capturing the unclad human form in lavish classical settings, Swan quickly becomes the scornful figure of notoriety to a the painfully prudish upper crust. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Starring:
Billy ConnollySarah Lancashire, (more)
 
1999  
 
The big-screen debut from Scottish stage director David Kane, This Year's Love is a comedy about the romantic misadventures of six young people in Camden, North London. The marriage of tattoo artist Danny (Douglas Hanshall) and dressmaker Hannah (Catherine McCormack) gets off to a less-than-inspiring start when Danny finds out Hannah has already been fooling around with a friend's husband, so Danny takes a walk and Hannah splits with a friend to get drunk. At the airport, where the newlyweds were supposed to leave for a honeymoon, Danny meets a cleaning woman named Mary (Kathy Burke) and is immediately infatuated, while Hannah is picked up by a scruffy artist named Cameron (Dougray Scott). Elsewhere, Liam (Ian Hart), a geeky comic-art enthusiast who shares an apartment with Cameron, finds romance with Sophie (Jennifer Ehle), a single mother and full-time neurotic. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Starring:
Kathy BurkeJennifer Ehle, (more)
 
1998  
 
Add Fast Food to Queue Add Fast Food to top of Queue  
Stewart Sugg made his directorial debut with this low-budget British comedy-drama. Returning home to London after a long absence, Benny (Douglas Henshall) can't find the proper footing in an ever-changing world. He's in contact with phone-sex talker Letitia (Emily Woof), meets her, and learns she's actually his childhood sweetheart, Claudia, daughter of the local shop owner. Chaos reigns when Benny's buddies look for loot hidden in the shop by a gangster (Miles Anderson). Shown at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

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Starring:
Douglas HenshallEmily Woof, (more)
 
1998  
 
Add Orphans to Queue Add Orphans to top of Queue  
Following his Cannes award-winning performance in Ken Loach's My Name is Joe, Scottish actor Peter Mullan made his feature script and directorial debut with this British dark comedy-drama about four adult siblings on the eve of their mother's funeral in Glasgow. Eldest son Thomas (Gary Lewis) offers a tribute to her in a local pub, but his brother Michael (Douglas Henshall) is stabbed during a brawl at the bar, prompting third brother John (Stephen Cole) to seek vengeance. Michael evades medical treatment, trying to hold out until the next day in order to make a claim for workers compensation. Thomas leaves to join sister Sheila (Rosemarie Stevenson), who has cerebral palsy, in a night-long chapel vigil. The four attempt to reunite after they are separated when the full fury of a violent storm hits the town. Shown at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

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Starring:
Douglas HenshallGary Lewis, (more)
 
1998  
R  
Add Twice Upon a Yesterday to Queue Add Twice Upon a Yesterday to top of Queue  
Maria Ripoll made her feature directorial debut with this witty Spanish-British romantic comedy, set in London, where actor Victor (Scottish actor Douglas Henshall) is drunk and upset over former girlfriend Sylvia (Leana Headley) and her upcoming marriage in 48 hours to Dave (Mark Strong). In the rain, the wet and drunk Victor meets two Spanish sanitary workers, Don Miguel (Eusebio Lazaro) and Rafael (Gustavo Salmeron), and their Spanish poetry quotes cue special effects and time travel. Tossed back in time, Victor is now able to begin a relationship replay with Sylvia, so he immediately begins an effort to keep her from meeting Dave. The situation gets sticky, however, when he drops into a local pub and meets gorgeous barmaid Louise (Spanish actress Penelope Cruz). London locations show activities during the Notting Hill carnival. Shown at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

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Starring:
Douglas HenshallLena Headey, (more)
 
1997  
 
Add Sharpe's Justice to Queue Add Sharpe's Justice to top of Queue  
Based on novels by Bernard Cornwell, Sharpe details the exploits of Richard Sharpe, a British soldier who fights Napoleon on the battlefield and his devious wife on the home front. Sean Bean plays Sharpe, while Abigail Cruttenden portrays Jane. In "Sharpe's Justice," Sharpe faces both professional and personal betrayal as he must face a conflict of interest at work while his wife lives with another man. Unlike the other episodes of this series, this story was not adapted from one of Cornwell's novels. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

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Starring:
Sean Bean
 
1997  
PG13  
Add Kull the Conqueror to Queue Add Kull the Conqueror to top of Queue  
Inspired by the characters of Robert E. Howard (whose best-known creation was Conan The Barbarian), this epic tale of swords and sorcery stars Kevin Sorbo as Kull, a barbarian warrior who kills the King of Valusia in the midst of a battle; with his last breath, the monarch hands Kull his crown and names him as his successor. Kull soon learns that possessing great power brings you great enemies, as Taligaro (Thomas Ian Griffith), leader of Valusia's Royal Guard, plots to murder Kull and take his place on the throne. Meanwhile, Kull's love for the comely slave Zareta (Karina Lombard) is tested when his head is turned by the exotic Akivasha (Tia Carrere), though Kull doesn't know at first that the leather-clad temptress is actually a 3,000-year-old demon given human form by a sorceress. Between the treachery of Taligaro and Akivasha, Kull finds his life and leadership threatened at every turn, and he must count on the help of his friends Zareta, holy man Ascalante (Litefoot), and pirate Juba (Harvey Fierstein) if he is to survive as Valusia's leader and put an end to slavery and the subjugation of women. Kull the Conqueror was, in its first drafts, planned as the third film in the Conan the Barbarian series, and it marked the first starring film role for Kevin Sorbo, who rose to fame on the TV series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Starring:
Kevin SorboTia Carrere, (more)
 
1995  
R  
A 19th-century British naturalist falls in love with the beautiful daughter of a wealthy aristocrat, but he soon discovers that her family's perfect facade disguises unexpectedly grim secrets. Director and co-screenwriter Philip Haas's adaptation of A.S. Byatt's Morpho Eugenio eschews the usual gentility of Victorian period pieces in favor of subtle creepiness. The unsettling mood is emphasized by the film's detailed attention to its protagonist's scientific endeavors, which center on the study of insects and their behavior. In fact, it is his love of insects that brings William (Mark Rylance) to the well-heeled Reverend Alabaster (Jeremy Kemp), who takes a personal interest in William's welfare when a shipwreck leaves William practically penniless. William is welcomed into the Alabaster home, and he resumes his entomological studies while courting the reverend's daughter, Eugenia (Patsy Kensit). Close-up glimpses of insect society parallel this aristocratic world and hint at the dark secrets with which William soon becomes unexpectedly familiar. As in Haas's previous film, The Music of Chance, an unusual, highly symbolic filmmaking approach creates an effective drama, with the potentially detached intellectualism balanced by unusual characterizations and an absorbing attention to detail. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi

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Starring:
Mark RylanceKristin Scott Thomas, (more)
 
1993  
 
Set in 1956 during the Suez crisis, this Dennis Potter-scripted musical comedy is about two young British servicemen, Francis Francis (Giles Thomas) and Mick Hopper (Ewan McGregor), stationed as Russian translators at the War Office. Francis, who stays with his aunt and uncle, develops a crush on his beautiful neighbor, Sylvia (Louise Germaine), who happens to be married to Francis' bullying superior, Corporal Berry (Douglas Henshall). Mick, who loves rock & roll and dreams of becoming a professional drummer, falls for Lisa (Kymberley Huffman), the niece of Lt. Colonel Trekker (Shane Rimmer), the American liaison at the office. The movie employs Potter's usual device of the characters lip-synching to the popular songs of the period. ~ Yuri German, Rovi

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Starring:
Giles ThomasLouise Germaine, (more)
 
1990  
R  
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Filmmaker David Leland handled the directing chores on this British drama that stars Liam Neeson as an unemployed Scotsman whose inability to find a job threatens his family's wellbeing. Against his better judgement, Neeson is coerced into a bare-knuckle boxing match. Crossing the Line's supporting cast includes Hugh Grant, Joanne Whaley-Kilmer, Cameron Mitchell, and Billy Connolly. Adapted from a novel by William McIvanney, the film has also been released under the title The Big Man. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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Starring:
Liam NeesonJoanne Whalley, (more)