Jim Sturgess Movies
American audiences first caught suave and dashing British actor Jim Sturgess via his portrayal of Jude -- the paternally shorn young man who travels to the U.S. amid the raging throes of the late '60s and falls in love with musician Lucy (Evan Rachel Wood) -- in Julie Taymor's hallucinatory Beatles drama Across the Universe (2007). This indeed represented Sturgess' preeminent international bow, but prior to it, he sustained almost a decade of roles in British productions -- mostly telefilms -- including I'm Frank Morgan (2000), Hawkins (2001), and the three installments of the Quest series. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
Harrison Ford, Ray Liotta, and Sean Penn star in Running Scared writer/director Wayne Kramer's harrowing look at life amongst illegal immigrants and the immigration enforcement agents whose job it is to ensure that the U.S. borders remain secure. Every day, a new batch of immigrants comes flooding into Los Angeles in search of the American dream -- and every day the price of that dream rises exponentially. As the desperation of these newcomers continually tests the humanity of Los Angeles immigration enforcement officers, the face of a 21st century L.A. gradually begins to take form. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Harrison Ford, Ashley Judd, (more)
- 2008
- R
Loosely based on the remarkable true story of the British undercover agent who successfully infiltrated the IRA, writer/director Kari Skogland's thriller takes its title from author Martin McGartland's best-selling book of the same name. Set at the absolute height of the Irish civil conflict, Fifty Dead Men Walking begins as 22-year-old Martin McGartland is recruited by the British police to infiltrate the IRA and report back with intelligence. It's an extremely dangerous job that could result in death or worse should his true identity be revealed, yet McGartland realizes that the information he's gathering will save countless lives. At first, the prospect of being discovered provides something of a rush for McGartland, though that initial buzz quickly wears off when his true identity is revealed and he's forced to attempt an impossible escape. Two decades later, McGartland is still on the run. Sir Ben Kingsley, Jim Sturgess, and Rose McGowan star. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jim Sturgess, Ben Kingsley, (more)
Adapted from author Philippa Gregory's historical novel of the same name, director Justin Chadwick's atmospheric period drama follows the fierce competition between sisters Mary (Scarlett Johansson) and Anne Boleyn (Natalie Portman) to win the affections of Tudor king Henry VIII (Eric Bana). Anne and Mary Boleyn are under pressure from their father and uncle to help maintain the family's rich legacy and ensure their further prosperity by winning the affections of none other than the king of England (Eric Bana). But life in the royal court is far different than it was in the countryside where these two sisters were raised, and before long their bid to earn the love of the king has transformed two once-happy sisters into bitter rivals. At first, it appears that Mary has triumphed in winning the king's favor by becoming his mistress and bearing him an illegitimate child. Despite her early success, however, Mary has underestimated just how clever and cunning her sibling can truly be. Not only does the relentless Anne manage to edge aside her sister in the eyes of King Henry, but she also succeeds in averting his gaze from his wife, Queen Catherine of Aragon, as well. Mary is driven by genuine affection for King Henry, while her sister Anne has only kept up the charade in a desperate bid to become the queen of England. Now, the growing chasm between two sisters is mirrored on a larger scale as England becomes divided more than ever before. As the consequences of their actions threaten to alter the course of an entire nation, these two sisters will ultimately discover that the only place they will find true strength and loyalty is in family, and that no matter what the consequences they will forever be bound by blood. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson, (more)
- 2008
- PG13
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Director Robert Luketic adapts Ben Mezrich's best-seller Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions to tell the true-life tale of six genius students who used their brains to beat considerable odds. Ben Campbell (Jim Sturgess) may be shy, but his wallflower reputation betrays his inner brilliance. As smart as Ben may be, however, if he can't pay his tuition he'll be kicked out of M.I.T. Fortunately, the answer to all of Ben's problems is right there in the cards. Recruited to join a team of extremely gifted students who have used their mastery of numbers to beat the odds at blackjack, Ben procures a fake identity in order to join the casino scammers and their brilliant leader -- eccentric math professor and stats genius Micky Rosa (Kevin Spacey) -- in some highly profitable weekend excursions to Las Vegas. Counting cards isn't illegal, and by using a complex series of signals, this team has cracked the code. Of course, it doesn't take long for Ben to become seduced by the glamorous Las Vegas lifestyle, and the attention afforded to him by his sexy teammate Jill Taylor (Kate Bosworth) finds him pushing his luck to the absolute limits. Laurence Fishburne stars as Cole Williams, the Sin City security chief who catches on to the group and makes it his mission to expose their lucrative blackjack scam. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jim Sturgess, Kevin Spacey, (more)
Set against the anti-war protests, rock & roll revolution, and mind-expanding psychedelia of the 1960s, Julie Taymor's hallucinogenic musical follows the arduous journey of star-crossed lovers Jude (Jim Sturgess) and Lucy (Evan Rachel Wood) as they and a small group of musicians are swept up in the raging waters of the volatile counterculture movement. Guided through their journey by a pair known only as Dr. Robert (Bono) and Mr. Kite (Eddie Izzard), Jude and Lucy are eventually forced to find their way back to one another after being split apart by powerful forces beyond their control. The music in the film consists exclusively of songs made popular by the Beatles during the time period depicted in the movie. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Evan Rachel Wood, Jim Sturgess, (more)
Originally telecast over Britain's ITV1 in 2000, the two-part mystery miniseries Thursday the 12th began with the discovery of an unidentified body on the estate of Marius Bannister (Ciaran Hinds), a wealthy dentist and politician. As an investigative TV reporter Julian Glover sifted through the particulars of the case, the viewer was introduced to the dramatis personae: Bannister; his wife, Nina (Maria Doyle Kennedy); their troubled adopted teenaged son, Martin (Jim Sturgess); and Nina's predatory sister, Candice Hopper (Elizabeth McGovern). In Rashomon fashion, a series of flashbacks indicated that any one of these worthies had motive aplenty to be a murderer -- and in fact, one of them was the victim. The key to the mystery was in the hands of Marius' supposedly senile father, Edgar Bannister (Peter Vaughan). In the U.S., Thursday the 12th first aired over the Bravo cable network on June 4, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jon Glover, Ciarán Hinds, (more)
