Kevin McNally Movies

Tom Hardy starts along screen newcomer Charlotte Riley in this passionate new adaptation of Emily Brontë's timeless romance. Adopted into the wealthy Earnshaw family, mysterious gypsy boy Heathcliff forms a powerful romantic bond with his new stepsister Cathy. Realizing that he can never be with his one true soul mate, Heathcliff dedicates his entire life to seeking vengeance against anyone who dares come between them. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

At the absolute height of World War II, German generals hatch a daring plan to assassinate Adolf Hitler and effectively render the German war machine impotent. Directed by Bryan Singer, Valkyrie stars Tom Cruise as Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, the real-life mastermind behind the elaborate plot known as Project Valkyrie: a plan to assassinate Hitler and overthrow his government from the inside. Stauffenberg has been a loyal soldier and an asset to the Reich for his entire military career, but after losing an eye, a hand, and three fingers in an Allied bombing, he reaches a breaking point. The destructive madness that his country is unleashing on the world has become too terrible for the colonel to stand silent. He joins the resistance movement -- a treasonous act, punishable by death -- and risks his life and the life of his family for the chance to change history. Comprised of high-ranking officials working in secret, the German Resistance has access to the inner workings of the government and military, putting them in the perfect position to dispatch the dictator and then use his own official contingency plan to seize power -- before the army, the S.S., and loyal party members can put someone just as diabolical in the Führer's place. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) returns to the screen for another round of supernatural adventures on the high seas in this spirited sequel to the 2003 Disney hit, which re-teams original director Gore Verbinski with original screenwriters Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio. As Will (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth (Keira Knightley) prepare to exchange vows at the altar, their wedding plans hit rough waters with the arrival of sea-bound scallywag Jack Sparrow. It seems that Sparrow owes a substantial blood debt to half-octopus sea captain Davy Jones (Bill Nighy), and that the only way for the flamboyant sea rover to elude the wrath of his otherworldly pursuer is to seek the aid of mysterious and powerful voodoo priestess Tia Dalma (Naomie Harris), whose ability to resurrect the dead and gaze into the future may provide just the advantage needed to avoid a waterlogged fate in the locker of his legendary nemesis. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A South Central, LA con-artist finds that his rhyming skills can pay off in the least likely of venues after winning a poetry contest staged by a financially strapped Irish town in this fish out of water comedy starring Eddie Griffin and Mo'Nique. Ballywood, Ireland is a town with a cash flow problem; but the citizens aren't about to go down without a fight. With the banks set to foreclose and the future looking grim, the citizens of Ballywood decide to save their town by staging a poetry contest and using the entry fees to keep the moneymen at bay. Meanwhile in Los Angeles, hustler Jimmie (Griffin) is having a hard time shaking off hungry bill collectors and a jilted lover with a mind for marriage. His options dwindling and his future looking increasingly grim, Jimmy determines to use his gift for gab to take home the top prize at the Ballywood poetry contest and leave both the collectors and his clingy girlfriend at a loss for words. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

One of the most popular stage musicals in the history of Broadway and London's West End makes its long-awaited arrival on the motion-picture screen in this lavish adaptation directed by Joel Schumacher. Christine (Emmy Rossum) is a beautiful and gifted young woman who longs to join the company of the Paris Opera House. During rehearsals for one of the opera's grand productions, a backdrop falls and crashes to the floor, nearly crushing leading lady Carlotta (Minnie Driver). When several members of the company suggest this could be the work of the "Phantom of the Opera," a spectral presence said to haunt the building, Carlotta drops out of the show, and the fates permit Christine to step in as her replacement. Christine's performance is a triumph, and on opening night she becomes reacquainted with Raoul (Patrick Wilson), a former childhood friend who is now a wealthy and well-known nobleman. Christine soon finds herself smitten with the handsome Raoul, but the same evening she makes a startling discovery -- the story of the Phantom is not just a legend. A brilliant but horribly disfigured composer (Gerard Butler) lives deep in the depths of the opera house, and taken with the beauty of Christine's voice, he abducts her and brings her to his lair, where he offers to help her perfect her talents, offering to write an opera especially for her. As the terrified Christine is comforted by Raoul, the two fall in love, but the phantom sees her affection for Raoul as a tremendous betrayal, and the jealous phantom nearly kills Christine as he nearly killed Carlotta. When the phantom emerges to present the opera's management with the piece he has written for Christine, the singer is asked to put her life on the line in an effort to capture the mad genius once and for all. Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical version of Gaston Leroux's novel, which had already enjoyed several stage and screen adaptations in the past, opened in London in 1986 and has been a popular favorite around the world ever since; the show was still running in New York and London when the film version premiered in late 2004. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

The phrase "jumbo shrimp" gains a whole new meaning in this broad comedy from the United Kingdom. Bill (Kevin McNally) is a former boxer who, now in middle age, owns and operates a run-down bar and spends a bit too much time sampling his wares. One day, Bill's friend Hamid (Madhav Sharma), a self-styled entrepreneur with no shortage of get-rich-quick schemes, offers to cut him in on something remarkable -- while the Mantis Shrimp of the Philippines, an unusual breed with club-like stumps instead of claws, rarely grows over six inches in length, he's discovered a living specimen which is a whopping seven feet long. Hamid is certain there must be big money in exhibiting the massive crustacean, and Bill comes up with a remarkable plan -- teach the critter to box, and then have it take on all comers on a TV show! Crust was the first feature from writer/director Mark Locke. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

In this broad comedy from sometime comic actor Mel Smith (The Tall Guy), two women find themselves fleeing criminals. Minnie Driver stars as Shannon, a London nurse who finds her boyfriend Ray (Darren Boyd), a "sound sculptor," becoming increasingly dull and inattentive. When he forgets her birthday, she decides to hit the town with best pal Frances (Mary McCormack), an American actress wasting her time in a terrible small-theater production. Returning to Shannon's apartment, the girls overhear a cell phone conversation on Ray's scanner chronicling the ten million dollars stolen from a safe-deposit box. When police are uninterested in their information, the girls get an idea to blackmail the robbers to get a share. The criminals, led by the hard-as-nails Mason (Kevin McNally), counteract with their own scheme, and the caper begins to go wildly out of control. Similarly plotted to the 2001 release Beautiful Creatures, but much lighter in tone than that dark suspense thriller, the film co-stars Michael Gambon, Danny Dyer, and Mark Williams.
~ Jason Clark, Rovi

Bob Spiers (director of TV's Absolutely Fabulous) directed this feature-film debut of the five Spice Girls -- Posh Spice, Sporty Spice, Scary Spice, Ginger Spice, and Baby Spice -- as the quintet challenges the London pop scene during five days before their first live performance at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Photojournalists follow as they travel from press conferences to practice sessions to photo ops, passing London landmarks in the comfort of their cavernous Spicebus and emerging in a musical cascade of color, trendy clothes, and blinding flashbulbs. Shot in 43 days, the film features cameos by everyone from Elton John and Elvis Costello, to Stephen Fry and Bob Hoskins. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

A young Irish lad bears witness to a miracle in this touching dramatic comedy set in a wee Irish village during 1954. Barry, a choirboy, is strongly influenced by Father McAteer. Barry finds an IRA fugitive in a barn and mistakes him for Barabbas. Father McAteer believes a miracle has occurred after Barry claims to have heard the Virgin speaking to him in the church. The naive Father believes Barry because he used language a 10 year old would not have known. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

The made-for-cable film Stalin relates the story of the ruthless Soviet dictator and his tyrannical rule. Robert Duvall gives an excellent performance as the dictator and the photography is beautiful, as are the sets, since much of the movie was shot on location in Russia. The screenplay also does a good job of detailing Stalin's aggression, not only on his citizens, but also his young wife (Julia Ormand). Nevertheless, the story is very detailed and viewers need to pay close attention in order to make the film a rewarding experience. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi

Made for British television, Act of Will focuses on three generations of women in a proud, indomitable family. Australian-born director Don Sharp brings to his soap-opera material the same energy and vitality that he'd previously lavished on such theatrical features as Kiss of the Vampire (1963) and Hennessy (1985). Since a portion of the production money was ponied up by Hollywood, American actor Peter Coyote is given a crucial role in the World War II sequences. Among the distaff cast members are the always welcome Jean Marsh (Upstairs, Downstairs), Victoria Tennant (the former Mrs. Steve Martin) and Elizabeth Hurley (who, as of this writing at least, is the girlfriend of Hugh Grant). Act of Will received its widest American exposure on public and cable television. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This thrilling tale of Cold War espionage follows a British spy helping a Russian scientist defect from the Soviet Union by taking a perilous journey through the Eastern Bloc. The BBC telefilm stars acclaimed English actors Kevin McNally, Bernard Hepton, and James Faulkner. ~ Sandra Bencic, Rovi