Sam Neill Movies
One of the most famous film personalities to hail from the South Pacific, New Zealand-bred actor Sam Neill possesses the kind of reassuring handsomeness and soft-spoken strength that have made him an ideal leading man. Born Nigel Neill to a military family in Omagh, Northern Ireland, Neill relocated to New Zealand in 1953 at the age of six. There he picked up the nickname that would become his stage name, and attended both the University of Canterbury and the University of Victoria before beginning his acting career. Neill labored as a director/editor/screenwriter for the New Zealand National Film Unit for several years; he made his first movie in 1975 and scored his first significant film success four years later as the romantic lead opposite Judy Davis in director Gillian Armstrong's My Brilliant Career. Shortly thereafter, Neill was brought to England under the sponsorship of star James Mason (who undoubtedly recognized the marked similarity between his acting style and Neill's).The actor's subsequent movie work included two memorable collaborations with actress Meryl Streep and director Fred Schepisi: Plenty (1985) and A Cry in the Dark (1988). Neill's British TV credits were highlighted by his starring role in the unorthodox espionage drama Reilly: Ace of Spies (1983), for which he won the British television BAFTA Best Actor award. He also began working on American films during the '80s, including the 1981 Omen sequel The Final Conflict (in which he demonstrated a considerable breadth of range as Satan's son Damien) and the 1987 TV miniseries Amerika. Neill also kept busy with projects down under, with perhaps his most memorable film being Dead Calm (1989), a masterfully crafted thriller that starred the actor as Nicole Kidman's husband.
Neill truly came to international prominence during the '90s (as evidenced by his guest spot as a cat burglar on an episode of The Simpsons). He experienced a bumper-crop year in 1993, portraying the raptor-fearing Dr. Alan Grant in Steven Spielberg's blockbuster Jurassic Park, before returning to New Zealand to portray Holly Hunter's taciturn, unexpectedly violent husband in The Piano (1993). He was also honored with the Order of the British Empire that same year. Neill continued to work on a wealth of diverse international projects throughout the rest of the decade, notably John Duigan's Sirens (1994), which cast him as a '30s bohemian artist; the Australian satire Children of the Revolution (1996), reuniting him with Judy Davis; Revengers' Comedies (1997), which cast him as a suicidal businessman; the acclaimed miniseries Merlin (1998), in which he played the titular wizard; Robert Redford's The Horse Whisperer (1998), as the husband of Kristin Scott Thomas (the two had previously co-starred in Revengers' Comedies); and Bicentennial Man (1999), which featured the actor as the head of a family who purchases an uncannily human robot played by Robin Williams.
Though Neill was notably absent from the 1997 sequel The Lost World: Jurassic Park, the second sequel in the series, 2001's Jurassic Park III, found the stalwart actor once again fleeing ornery dinosaurs on a tropical island and living to tell the tale. A turn as Victor Komarovsky in the made-for-TV remake of Doctor Zhivago quickly followed, and over thecourse of the next decade Neill would alternate frequently between television (Triangle, Merlin's Apprentice) and film (Wimbledon, Dayberakers), while still managing to land the occasional meaty role in projects like The Tudors (2007) and Dean Spanley (2008). In 2011, Neill brought an impressive air of menace to the ecological thriller The Hunter with his turn as an outwardly benevolent Aussie with a dark secret, and the following year he returned to television as a federal agent on the trail of convicts who mysteriously vanished without a trace in Alcatraz.
In addition to acting and managing a New Zealand winery, Neill directed an acclaimed 1995 documentary about the New Zealand film industry, Cinema of Unease: A Personal Journey by Sam Neill. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
A husband endeavors to win back his new bride's heart after she loses her memory in a tragic car accident in this romantic drama starring Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Rachel McAdams, Channing Tatum, (more)
A mercenary employed by a highly secretive biotech-research company sets out into the wilds of Tasmania in search of the elusive Tasmanian tiger -- an animal assumed to be extinct by scientists, yet rumored to have been spotted in the area in recent years. Adapted from the novel by author Julia Leigh, The Hunter follows Martin (Willem Dafoe) as he ventures out on his mission and arrives at the home of Lucy Armstrong (Frances O'Connor), who has been heavily depressed since her husband vanished into the surrounding wilderness months ago, and who now lives alone with her young daughter Sass (Morgana Davies) and taciturn son Bike (Finn Woodlock) - who have volunteered to host him in their home during the course of his research excursion. Shortly after arriving in Tasmania, Martin is accompanied to the edge of the wilds by Jack Mindy (Sam Neill), an old friend of Lucy's who has kept watch over her family and balks at the newcomer's decision to navigate the rough terrain unaccompanied. In the wake of a clash with hostile local loggers, Martin gradually begins to learn more about Lucy's family and develops a tenuous friendship with her two young children. But later, just as Martin begins to feel as if his goal is finally within reach, an unexpected development sends his mission into a tailspin and causes him to question the motivations behind capturing such a strange and majestic creature. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Willem Dafoe, Frances O'Connor, (more)
- 2010
- PG
- Add Legend of the Guardians: The Owls Of Ga'Hoole to Queue Add Legend of the Guardians: The Owls Of Ga'Hoole to top of Queue
Director Zack Snyder teams with screenwriters John Collee and John Orloff to adapt author Kathryn Lasky's popular series of children's books about a group of kidnapped owlets who take flight to save their kingdom from an ancient evil by locating the legendary Guardians of Ga'Hoole. As a young hatchling, Soren would sit transfixed whenever his father would tell the tale of the Guardians of Ga'Hoole and their tireless efforts to defeat the malevolent Pure Ones, whose aim was to exterminate the entire owl population. After hearing the high-flying tales of adventure, Soren would fantasize about gliding through the clouds with the brave owl soldiers while his jealous older brother, Kludd, attempted to gain their father's favor by becoming a skilled hunter. One day, Kludd's anger gets the best of him, and the next thing he knows he's tumbling over the edge of the nest with Soren. But instead of falling to the ground, the siblings are quickly snatched up by the dreaded Pure Ones, and are taken to a place where their parents will never find them. Incredibly, Soren and group of fearless young owls manage to stage a daring escape. With the future of the owl kingdoms hanging in the balance, brave Soren and his newfound friends travel to the ends of the earth in hopes of finding the mythical Great Tree and convincing the Guardians of Ga'Hoole to help defeat the Pure Ones once and for all. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Sam Neill, Geoffrey Rush, (more)
A brother and sister are chosen for a magical mission in this upbeat fantasy. Rachel (Sophie McBride) and Theo (Thomas Cameron) are twin siblings in their early teens with a special gift -- they can speak to one another without talking through telepathy. However, while Rachel is fascinated with this unusual talent, Theo is wary and avoids using it. After their mother dies under mysterious circumstances, Rachel and Theo are sent to live with an aunt and uncle in Auckland, where Theo becomes all the more determined not to abuse his supernatural powers. However, both siblings are fascinated by a strange old house not far from their new home, and when they sneak inside to get a closer look, they discover it's home to a handful of zombie-like beings living in a swampy pit. The day after, as Rachel and Theo try to figure out what they've found, they encounter Jones (Sam Neill), a centuries-old wizard who believes the twins have special powers that can defeat the dangerous creatures lurking in the old house once and for all. Adapted from a book for young people by Maurice Gee, Under The Mountain was an official selection at the 2009 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Sam Neill, Thomas Cameron, (more)
Fresh off the success of their inventive take on the zombie genre, Undead masterminds Michael and Peter Spierig direct Ethan Hawke in an ambitious tale of a futuristic Earth populated entirely by vampires, and the efforts made by the creatures to ensure that their food supply doesn't run out as humankind is faced with extinction. The year is 2017, and a vampire plague has turned most of the planet's human population into bloodsucking ghouls. As the population of mortals fast begins to dwindle, a vampiric corporation sets out to capture and farm every remaining human while simultaneously researching a consumable blood substitute, headed by undead hematologist Edward Dalton (Ethan Hawke). His work is interrupted after stumbling onto a pocket of human survivors lead by Elvis (Willem Dafoe), a former vampire, whose past reveals a cure that could reverse the tide and save the human race. With time running out, Dalton's only hope lies in outsmarting the security forces of his boss (Sam Neill), whose goal isn't just to find a substitute, but to repopulate humanity in order to sell its blood to the highest bidder. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe, (more)
This stark, disturbing drama recreates a series of tragic events that racked Australia in March 1999 -- which local police acknowledged as one of the most inexplicable and senseless cases in memory. Kate Bell stars as Rachel Barber, a 15-year-old high school student living with her parents in Melbourne. Seemingly perfect -- beautiful, intelligent, talented, well-adjusted, and poised for wonderful things -- Rachel draws endless hostility from her neighbor and former babysitter, Caroline Reid (Ruth Bradley). Caroline seems to lack every advantage that Rachel possesses -- she's an overweight, homely 20-year-old with terrible skin, chronic depression, and a dysfunctional relationship with her parents. Full of bitterness and self-loathing, Caroline drums up an evil plan that will take Rachel's life. When Rachel then disappears, her parents immediately notify the police. The authorities are unfazed -- misinterpreting Rachel as just another adolescent runaway -- and can scarcely foresee the horrifying truth about the young woman's fate. First-timer Simone North directs; Sam Neill co-stars as Caroline's distant and uncomprehending father. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
- Starring:
- Guy Pearce, Miranda Otto, (more)
- 2008
- PG13
- Add Skin to Queue Add Skin to top of Queue
A dark-skinned girl born to white South African parents attempts to explore her identity in the era of apartheid as her government, her parents, and society as a whole struggle with what it means to be a black child of Caucasian descent in a nation deeply divided by race. The year is 1955. Sandra Laing (Sophie Okonedo) has just been born to a pair of white Afrikaner parents, her brown skin and curly hair the surprising result of genetic throwback. As the government's rigid apartheid system struggles with whether to classify Sandra as white or black, the young girl and her parents gradually realize that the complications they face due to her appearance run deep and wide. Sandra lives in a society where the color of your skin determines the outcome of your life, and though she is eventually granted admission to an all-white school, she suffers endless torment from her intolerant classmates. Her father, Abraham (Sam Neill), is having a particularly difficult time accepting his daughter. Despite the fact that tests indicate he is her biological father, the neighbors constantly whisper behind their backs. And while Sandra's mother (Alice Krige) does her best to provide her daughter with understanding and emotional support, those consolations come at a high price for both mother and daughter. Her parents believe it's their daughter's birthright that she live as a white woman, though only after she grows up and falls in love with a black man will the conflicted Sandra finally find the strength to embrace her true identity as an African woman. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Sophie Okonedo, Sam Neill, (more)
- 2008
- PG
Multiple Oscar nominee Peter O'Toole adds yet another offbeat role to his long resume with the mystical comedy-drama Dean Spanley. Adapted from Lord Dunsany's popular novella My Talks with Dean Spanley and helmed by Toa Fraser, the film stars O'Toole as Horatio Fisk, an irascible, cantankerous septuagenarian living out his final days at the turn of the 20th Century. Despite his distant and slightly strained relationship with his son Henslowe (Jeremy Northam), Horatio willfully joins the young man on regular outings; the tedium and monotony of these routines eventually grow so overwhelming, however, that the two decide to attend a lecture on the Transmigration of Souls by a visiting Hindu Swami. At the meeting, their paths intersect with the eccentric Dean Spanley (Sam Neill), and a friendship blossoms between Spanley and Henslowe. When Spanley joins Henslowe for a private dinner, and accepts his invitation to sample a rare Hungarian wine known as the Imperial Tokay, Spanley instinctively brings forth reminiscences of a prior life lived out as a canine - and his recollections hold a rather bizarre connection to Horatio's familial past. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jeremy Northam, Sam Neill, (more)
Author Daniel Dafoe's timeless novel gets the small screen treatment in this television series following a young traveler who winds up shipwrecked on a secluded tropical island for twenty-eight years. Robinson Crusoe left his one true love behind in order to seek out adventure on the open seas, though his travels were cut short when he became hopelessly shipwrecked. His former life drifting further away with each passing day, Crusoe clings to sanity by dreaming of the day he will be reunited with his beautiful wife, and confiding in his new best friend Friday. As the days stretch into months, Crusoe and his new companion must brave the elements while standing their ground against formidable foes and violent marauders. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Philip Winchester, Sam Neill, (more)
A destitute but determined young woman living in turn-of-the-century England ascends the social ranks after authoring a series of successful romantic novels in French writer/director François Ozon's first English-language feature. Romola Garai takes on the title role in a French and Belgian co-production co-starring Sam Neill, Charlotte Rampling, and Michael Fassbender and financed by Fidélité Films, Canal+, Celluliod Dreams, France 2, and Pan-Européenne. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Romola Garai, Sam Neill, (more)
The Tudors presents the rarely dramatized, tumultuous early years of King Henry VIII's nearly 40 year, omnipotent reign (1509-1547). In addition to his famous female consorts and 20+ year marriage to Catherine of Aragon to the infamous dalliance with Anne Boleyn, the series delves in to Henry's most notable political relationship and the deconstruction of the Roman Catholic Church in England.
- Starring:
- Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Sam Neill, (more)
- 2006
- Add Merlin's Apprentice: The Search for the Holy Grail to Queue Add Merlin's Apprentice: The Search for the Holy Grail to top of Queue
Directed, acted, and produced in the same mold -- and on the same level -- as its many other family friendly, critically-acclaimed television specials, Hallmark Entertainment presents Merlin's Apprentice: Search for the Holy Grail. Starring screen legend Sam Neill (Dead Calm, A Cry in the Dark) in the title role and one of Britain's most accomplished thespians, Miranda Richardson (Damage) as The Lady of the Lake, the miniseries opens with the great wizard returning to Camelot, only to find the entire mythical community in ruins from the theft of its most revered Holy Grail. Accompanied by a rambunctious young pickpocket named Jack (John Henry Reardon), Merlin undertakes a quest to retrieve the Grail and restore Camelot to its original glory. Merlin's Apprentice: Search for the Holy Grail co-stars Tegan Moss as Yvonne, Christopher Jacot as Graham, Meghan Ory as Brianna, and Woody Jeffreys as Arthur. Veteran Hong Kong Kung-fu filmmaker and John Woo-apprentice David Wu directs. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
- Starring:
- Sam Neill, Miranda Richardson, (more)
A former drug-addict in her early thirties attempts to put her shady past to rest while paving the way for a brighter future in director Rowan Woods' tale of love, trust, and redemption in modern-day Australia. Tracy Heart (Cate Blanchett) hasn't lived her 32 years so much as she has simply survived them. Ravaged by the drug-addiction and determined to redeem herself in the eyes of her overworked single-mother Janelle (Noni Hazelhurst), Tracy makes a personal vow to open her own business and turn her life around before it's too late and life has passed her by. Tracy's plan is complicated, however, when three men from her past reappear with their own plans for the future. In addition to the troubling re-appearance of her ex-boyfriend Jonny (Dustin Nguyen), her criminal-minded brother Ray (Martin Henderson) seems hell-bent on making a name for himself in the underworld, and the emotional demands of troubled family friend and ex-football star Lionel Dawson (Hugo Weaving) have left the emotionally vulnerable Tracy shaken and confused. When Tracy's modest dreams of a happy life catch the attention of feared criminal kingpin Bradley "The Jockey" Thompson (Sam Neill), she is forced to place her fragile trust in the hands of her skeptical mother and take one last trip into the past to confront her greatest fear.
~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Cate Blanchett, Sam Neill, (more)
When a series of cargo ships vanish into the open waters of the Bermuda Triangle, a team of determined specialists attempt to uncover the mystery of the planet's most perplexing phenomenon in Storm of the Century and Rose Red director Craig R. Baxley's spooky sci-fi miniseries. Billionaire Eric Benirall's (Sam Neill) ships have gone missing at an alarming rate, and it's high time to find out if there's a human factor behind the strange disappearances. With each surprising revelation the plot surrounding the Bermuda Triangle only seems to deepen, though, and as the bizarre stories about the cursed waters slowly begin adding up to a bigger picture, Benirall and his fearless crew are about to discover that the truth is most certainly always stranger than any work of fiction. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Eric Stoltz, Sam Neill, (more)
A paranoid housewife finds that her worst fears are merely dwarfed be the terrifying reality of her dangerous obsession in director Ann Turner's psychologically bent study in fear starring Susan Sarandon, Sam Neill, and Emily Blunt. Convinced that her husband's beautiful co-worker Mara (Blunt) is seeking to rob her of her family and steal her identity, Sophie Hartley (Sarandon) finds nothing but incredulous stares when she voices her concern to her disbelieving family and friends. As Sophie struggles to maintain her slipping sanity and the grip of paranoia continues to tighten its constricting grip, her acute obsession finds Sophie becoming her own worst nightmare. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
Produced over the course of six years, drawing on over seventy archives in Europe and beyond, and researched with over sixteen international historians to ensure the it was as accurate as possible, this documentary from director Tolga Örnek draws on the diaries, letters, and documents of average soldiers in order to emphasize the historical importance of Gallipoli. By using materials from soldiers on all sides of the conflict, Örnek's film approaches the subject from an objective vantage point; never sacrificing historical fact for dramatic impact. In exploring the conflict through the perspectives of two British, three New Zealand, three Australian, and two Turkish soldiers, the filmmakers gradually break through the soldiers' dutiful exteriors to show exactly how they felt it from a human standpoint. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- 2005
- R
- Add The Incredible Journey of Mary Bryant to Queue Add The Incredible Journey of Mary Bryant to top of Queue
An eighteenth century female convict arrested for petty theft and sentenced to seven years in Botany Bay stages the only successful escape from the Australian penal colony ever recorded in an inspirational tale of survival and perseverance starring Ramola Garai, Jack Davenport, and Sam Neill. The year is 1788, and starving twenty-one year old Mary Bryant has been convicted of thievery in a Cornwall court. Subsequently sentenced, along with hundreds of hardened criminals, to an extended stay in the punishing penal colony of Botany Bay, Mary sets sail on the prison ship that will take two-hundred-and-fifty-one days to reach its bleak destination. During that time, Mary has a child with fellow inmate William Bryant - a fisherman and drug dealer who has also been sentenced to an extended stay on Botany Bay. Soon after arriving at their destination Mary and William have another child while lamenting their future in such a punishing landscape. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Romola Garai, Jack Davenport, (more)
- 2005
As originally broadcast on the BBC in 2005, To the Ends of the Earth is a miniseries adaptation of three sequential novels by Nobel Laureate William Golding: Rites of Passage (1980), Close Quarters (1987) and Fire Down Below (1989). An adventure saga, it unfolds in the same time and place as Peter Weir's Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World - the high seas of the late 19th century. Against this backdrop, a young British aristocrat named Edmund Talbot (Benedict Cumberbatch) boards a British warship and undertakes a voyage to Australia, where he has been given a post in the colonial government. The program subsequently follows Edmund's adventures, in career and romance. The supporting cast includes Jared Harris, Joanna Page, Sam Neill and Charles Dance. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
- Starring:
- Benedict Cumberbatch
- 2004
Drunk at home and frustrated after a late night tryst with arts magazine editor Salina Fleet went abruptly awry, State Government Labor Minister policy advisor Murray Whelan (David Wenham)'s thoughts slowly drift back to the cabinet reshuffle that ultimately brought about the death of Fleet's former lover Marcus. His boss Angelo Agnelli (Mich Malloy) had just been demoted from the Ethnic Affairs portfolio to Arts and Weber, and was attempting to make an impression on his superiors by raising funds for the upcoming Labor election campaign "war chest." Later, when Murray began schmoozing with the prominent philanthropists and arts connoisseurs, the situation started to take a turn for the worse. Slipping into the bathroom to sneak a cigarette, Murray hears a shady conversation in which someone proposes investing Party finds in certain financial institutions with exceptional interest rates. Later that evening, at the art gallery meetings, the plot begins to thicken. After seeing Salina and Marcus engaged in a passionate argument in the courtyard, drunken artist Marcus stumbles back inside and belts out a slurred speech abut the importance of the arts. The following morning, Marcus' body is discovered floating in an ornamental moat, a development that leads the quick thinking sleuth to suspect foul play. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
Filmmaker Sally Potter directed this artful meditation on the dynamics of the romantic and sexual relationship. She (Joan Allen) is an intelligent and gifted genetic scientist of Irish-American heritage who feels smothered in her marriage to a British politician (Sam Neill). While dining at a friend's house, She meets He (Simon Abkarian), a handsome Lebanese exile who was a respected surgeon in his homeland but now supports himself in London as a cook. He flirts with her, and She is pleased with his advances; weeks later, she contacts him, and an affair begins. However, despite their mutual attraction, He and She find it difficult to set aside their political and national differences for very long, as love and lust wage a quiet war against the conscience and the intellect. Yes also features supporting performances from Shirley Henderson and Sheila Hancock. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Joan Allen, Simon Abkarian, (more)
Directed by Richard Loncraine, Wimbledon follows the plight of aspiring tennis-star Peter Colt (Paul Bettany), whose bad luck seems to manifest itself just about everywhere. Professionally, Peter is near the very bottom of the world tennis ranks, and personally, he can't find love despite his best efforts to do so. In a rare turn of events, however, Peter is chosen as a wildcard to play at Wimbledon, the tennis world's most prestigious competition. While there, he meets American tennis ingénue Lizzie Bradbury (Kirsten Dunst), and his confidence on the court and off improves tenfold as he falls further in love with her. Driven by his newfound luck, Peter climbs to the top of the tournament players at record speed, until he actually has a fighting chance of winning the men's singles title -- the question is whether or not his good fortune will hold out long enough for him to get the trophy. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi
- Starring:
- Kirsten Dunst, Paul Bettany, (more)
Written, directed, and co-produced by Gaylene Preston, Perfect Strangers centers around the romance between Melanie (Rachael Blake) and the handsome stranger (Sam Neill) who charmed her into joining him at his "castle." The so-called castle is little more than a beat-up shack on a deserted island, however, and it isn't long before her admirer's charm turns into all-out obsession. Clued into the fact that the romantic tryst has degenerated into kidnapping, Melanie makes plans to escape, but the stranger has other ideas. Perfect Strangers was filmed on the remote west coast of New Zealand's South Island and features music by Neil Finn. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi
- Starring:
- Sam Neill, Rachael Blake, (more)
A remake of the 1992 British film of the same name, the made-for-cable Framed begins as New York cop Mike Santini (Rob Lowe) is vacationing with his family in the Bahamas. By chance, Santini spots another "tourist": Eddie Meyers (Sam Neill), a high-profile fugitive mobster and a key player in a major money-laundering scheme. Once Santini collars Meyers, he is surprised at the mobster's friendly acquiescence; in fact, Meyers requests that Santini, and Santini alone, interrogate him once they are safely ensconced in a secluded New York compound. What follows is nothing less than a prolonged seduction, with Meyers using every resource at his disposal -- money, women, lavish gifts, luxurious mansions -- to corrupt the heretofore incorruptible Santini. The American version of Framed first aired April 13, 2003, on the TNT network. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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