Kevin McNally Movies

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, All Movie Guide

When a policewoman's mother is murdered and her father is singled-out as the prime suspect in the brutal crime, the determined daughter sets out to prove her dad's innocence and catch the true killer in a tense police drama starring Robert Pugh, Emma Pierson, and Kevin McNally. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

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, All Movie Guide

The public and private lives of famed songwriter Cole Porter are both explored in this musical drama, in which the aging Porter (played by Kevin Kline) looks back on his life while watching a rehearsal of a stage musical based on his story. As Porter compares notes on the play with director Gabe (Jonathan Pryce), he shares thoughts on his rise to fame in the mid-'20s, writing witty and sophisticated tunes for a string of successful Broadway musicals. Porter seemed to be living a charmed life when he met Linda Thomas (Ashley Judd), a beautiful American woman who, like Porter, was enjoying a sojourn in Paris following the collapse of her first marriage. Thomas is immediately taken with Porter, whose intelligence and charm is a welcome change after her brutal first husband, and the two discover they share a remarkable understanding of one another. Porter and Thomas marry, even though she's aware that her new husband is gay; Thomas is willing to forgive Porter's indiscretions with other men in favor of the emotional support he brings her. However, as the years wear on and the couple takes up residence in Hollywood as Porter begins writing tunes for motion pictures, Thomas finds Porter drifting away from her as his liaisons become more frequent and more serious. Then tragedy enters their life when Porter loses the use of his legs in a riding accident and Thomas is diagnosed with cancer. De-Lovely features a number of noted pop singers interpreting classic songs from Porter's catalog, including Diana Krall, Sheryl Crow, Alanis Morissette, Elvis Costello, Robbie Williams, Mick Hucknall, and others. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

In the second episode of the four-part story "The Twin Dilemma," the Doctor (Colin Baker), not yet accustomed to his new body, briefly goes into exile on a tiny moon, accompanied by his friend, Peri (Nicola Bryant). No sooner have they arrived than they find themselves at the mercy of a gang of intagalactic kidnappers, who have also snatched twin mathematical geniuses Romulus and Remus Sylvest (Gavin and Andrew Conrad). And wait until the Doctor confronts the (literally) slimy leader of the gang. Written by Antony Steven, Doctor Who: The Twin Dilemma, Episode 2 was originally telecast on March 23, 1984. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the conclusion of the four-part story "The Twin Dilemma," the Doctor (Colin Baker) must prevent the giant slug Mestor (Edwin Richfield) from polluting the universe with millions of Gastropod eggs. But will the Doctor; his companion, Peri (Nicola Bryant); and twin mathematicians Romulus and Remus Sylvest (Gavin and Andrew Conrad) manage to live through the ordeal? And how does the Doctor's fellow Time Lord, Azmael, fit into the proceedings? Written by Antony Steven, Doctor Who: The Twin Dilemma, Episode 4 was originally telecast on March 30, 1984, bringing season 21 of Doctor Who to a close. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Directed by TV-anthology veteran Jeannot Szwarc, Enigma has a certain small-screen "feel" to it. Adopting a musical-comedy foreign accent, Martin Sheen plays Alex Holbeck, an Iron Curtain defector who returns to East Germany at the behest of the CIA. His mission is to save five political "undesirables" from the communists. Holbeck runs up against some formidable opposition, namely ambitious KGB agent Dimitri Vasilkov (Sam Neill) and a quintet of highly trained Soviet assassins. Brigitte Fossey co-stars as Holbeck's former love, whom he involves in his escape plans by asking her to romance the susceptible Vasilkov. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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, All Movie Guide

An unhinged parody of James Bond theatrics, Johnny English finds Mr. Bean himself suiting up as the eponymous super spy for a series of wild and silly adventures. A lowly pencil pusher working for the MI7 agency, Johnny English (Rowan Atkinson) is suddenly promoted to super spy after Agent One is assassinated and every other agent is blown up at his funeral. When billionaire entrepreneur Pascal Sauvage (John Malkovich) sponsors the exhibition of the Crown Jewels and the valuable gems disappear on the opening night, and on the watch of English, the newly designated agent must jump into action to uncover the thief and procure the missing valuables. Tracking the thieves' underground escape route with sidekick Bough (Ben Miller), English locks in on Sauvage despite repeated assurances by boss Pegasus (Tim Pigott-Smith) that the respected entrepreneur has nothing to do with the crime. Could the mysterious Lorna (Natalie Imbruglia), who has an odd habit of turning up at the wrong place at the wrong time, hold the key to helping Johnny? A massive hit overseas, Johnny English held its own at the box office in early April 2003, and was slated for wide release in the U.S. If the spoofing in Johnny English strikes especially close to home, that may be because the film was scripted by Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, who teamed to pen such Bond adventures as Die Another Day and The World is Not Enough. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Director Gore Verbinski and the crew set sail once again for this, the third chapter in the swashbuckling Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy. Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) is hopelessly trapped in Davy Jones' locker after a harrowing encounter with the dreaded Kracken, and now Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) must align themselves with the nefarious Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) if they hold out any hope of saving their old friend from a fate worse than death. The East India Trading Company and its fearsome leader, Lord Cutler Beckett (Tom Hollander), have taken control of the ghostly Flying Dutchman and its captain, Davy Jones (Bill Nighy), and now the baleful Admiral Norrington (Jack Davenport) has taken the helm in a relentless bid to destroy every pirate ship in his path and bring the Age of Piracy to a violent close. Meanwhile, Will, Elizabeth, and Captain Barbossa navigate treacherous waters and face bitter betrayal as they set sail to gather the only army that can stand up to Beckett -- The Nine Lords of the Brethren Court. But Captain Jack Sparrow is one of the lords, and as long as he's stuck in Davy Jones' locker, Beckett and his nefarious armada are sure to emerge victorious. There's still hope, however, if the heroic team that includes Tia Dalma (Naomie Harris), Pintel (Lee Arenberg), and Ragetti (Mackenzie Crook) can reach exotic Singapore and convince vulpine pirate Sao Feng (Chow Yun-Fat) to provide them with charts and a ship. But even the powerful Brethren Court may need a bit of help from volatile sea goddess Calypso in order to weather the coming storm. With the entire future of the pirate way at stake, everyone will be forced to choose sides while drifting precariously to the edge of the earth for one final, spectacular battle. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Following his surprise-hit American remake of The Ring in 2002, director Gore Verbinski took on Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, the second of recent films to be based upon Disney theme-park rides (the first being The Country Bears). When Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley), the daughter of Governor Swann (Jonathan Pryce) is kidnapped by a group of pirates led by Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) and taken aboard their ship, The Black Pearl, Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), the young man who loves Elizabeth despite the fact that she is promised to another, sets out to rescue her. But he can't do it alone, so he enlists the help of swashbuckling ship captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp). Together the two chase after The Black Pearl, but they soon discover that the captain and crew aren't your average pirates. Cursed to remain between the living and the dead, Barbossa and his men look like skeletons when basked in the moonlight. When it is revealed that the only thing that can break the curse is Elizabeth's blood, Jack and Will are faced with a race against time and a battle against the undead to save the Governor's daughter. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

Sixteen passengers aboard a Paris tour bus bound for Normandy provide the framework for this French ensemble drama. The trip takes 48 hours; in that time the disparate passengers begin forming a unique bond. Among the riders are a pair of snobs who have decided to "slum it" and take the bus; a country rube; a Jewish electrician and his beautiful black lover; a Romanian woman who wants to see a special mountain; a Japanese student researching dragons; a boorish middle-class couple, and "Mademoiselle Kleenex," so dubbed by the others because she never stops crying. En route, they begin to get to know each other, and almost immediately begin showing their character flaws. That night they are robbed on a lonely road and this brings them together on their shared odyssey. The next day they stop to see a sight, and there, one of them tries to kill himself leaving the others to wonder why as they are carted down to the police station to make their statements. During the evening, the passengers have a picnic on the grounds of a great chateau. There they hold a makeshift talent show. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide