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.
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, All Movie Guide
- 2008
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, All Movie Guide
- 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, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Philip Winchester, 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
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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, All Movie Guide
- 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, All Movie Guide
~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 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, All Movie Guide
- 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, All Movie Guide
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, All Movie Guide
- 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, All Movie Guide
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, All Movie Guide
- 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, All Movie Guide
Boris Pasternak's Nobel Prize-winning novel of love and betrayal amidst the Soviet Revolution is given a new interpretation for the small screen in this made-for-television adaptation. Yury Zhivago (Hans Matheson) is a young man who is sent to live with his aunt and uncle, Anna and Alexander Gromeko, (Celia Imrie and Bill Paterson) after his father takes his own life as a result of the machinations of his corrupt business partner, Victor Komarovsky (Sam Neill). As Zhivago grows to manhood and studies to be a physician, he falls in love with his cousin Tonya (Alexandra Maria Lara), but one day he sees a beautiful woman and immediately becomes deeply infatuated. Zhivago learns that the woman in question is Lara Guishar (Keira Knightley), whose mother is the lover of Komarovsky. Eventually, Zhivago marries Tonya, and Lara weds Pasha Antipov (Kris Marshall), a passionate Bolshevik. As World War I breaks out, Zhivago once again crosses paths with Lara, who has become a combat nurse and is searching for her missing husband. After Zhivago is severely wounded, Lara nurses him back to heath, and along the way the two fall deeply in love. However, after the end of the war, the reality of Zhivago's marriage to Tonya puts a halt to their romance, and the explosive impact of the Soviet Revolution changes the shape and character of the land they knew, especially when Lara discovers that her husband is not dead, but has become a powerful and calculating leader of the new regime. Doctor Zhivago had its American debut on the acclaimed PBS anthology series Masterpiece Theatre. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Keira Knightley, Hans Matheson, (more)
Paleontologist Dr. Paul Sereno and reptile expert Dr. Brady Barr made perhaps the most exciting discovery of their careers when they discovered fossilized bones in the Sahara Desert which confirmed the existence of a massive prehistoric crocodile -- 40 feet long, weighing ten tons, and as big as a school bus. National Geographic Video: SuperCroc is a documentary which looks at Sereno and Barr's remarkable discovery, and examines (through computer animated re-creations) how the creature lived and how it became extinct. Actor Sam Neill narrates. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sam Neill
- 2001
A man who has devoted his life to animals rather than dealing with the emotional and political uncertainties of humans finds he's challenged when his zoo becomes a battlefield in this downbeat drama. Ludovic (Sam Neill) lives and works in an unnamed city in the Balkans; once an idealistic communist, he grew disenchanted with politics in general and socialism in particular, and now devotes his energies to his job as a zookeeper. Political turmoil has thrown the zoo into the middle of a war zone, and after repeated bombing raids have come perilously close to the animal sanctuary, the staff has been ordered to evacuate. But Ludovic refuses to leave, and with the help of a staff veterinarian (Om Puri), he single-handedly tends to the needs of the animals. Ludovic, however, learns that there's no escaping the chaos around him, and as troops led by Dragov (Ulrich Thomsen) raid the zoo and take the veterinarian away in the name of "ethnic cleansing," he realizes he must make some sort of a stand, and soon gives sanctuary to Ankica (Gina McKee) and Zioig (Javor Loznica), a mother and her son who narrowly escaped execution in a nearby village. The Zookeeper was director Ralph Ziman's second film dealing with the dangers and tragedies of racially motivated politics, following his 1995 debut Hearts and Minds. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sam Neill, Gina McKee, (more)
- 2001
Made for television, Submerged is the true story of the U.S.S Squalus, a submarine which was immobilized some 230 feet below the Portsmouth Naval Yard in 1939. Taking into account the 59 crew members on board, a daring and dangerous plan was hatched to expedite a rescue, using a diving bell for that purpose. Inasmuch as this constituted the first rescue of a living crew from an American submarine (and, incidentally, the first time that such an event was covered live on television), there is little doubt as to the outcome, though enough suspense is engendered by the central situation that one wonders why it was deemed necessary to include a sappy romantic subplot. Sam Neill heads the cast as "Swede" Momsen, the grizzled old Naval officer who stage-managed the rescue. Based on Peter Maas' book The Terrible Hours, Submerged originally aired May 20, 2001 on NBC. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2000
One of Australia's best-loved children's books is brought to the screen in this animated comedy-adventure from down under. Bunyip Bluegum (voice of Geoffrey Rush) is a koala bear who has lost his parents and can't find them. While many of his friends and relatives fear that Bunyip's folks are dead, Bunyip is certain they're still alive, and sets out on the road to find them. In his travels, Bunyip makes several new friends, including landlocked sailor Bill Barnacle (voice of Hugo Weaving), a penguin named Sam Sawnoff (voice of Sam Neill), and Albert (voice of John Cleese), a magical pudding who can change flavors at will and never runs out, no matter how much people eat him. But the mean-spirited wombat Buncle (voice of Jack Thompson) discovers Albert and decides he wants the magical pudding all for himself, and Sam, Bill, and Bunyip must come to his rescue. The Magic Pudding is based on the illustrated children's story by Norman Lindsay, who outside Australia is best known for his more controversial artwork for grown-ups; his paintings favored sensual depictions of nude women, and his story later formed the basis of the 1994 film Sirens, in which Sam Neill played Lindsay. Toni Collette and Dave Gibson also contribute to The Magic Pudding's voice cast. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Cleese, Geoffrey Rush, (more)
- 2000
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This miniseries details the complex real-life relationship between Thomas Jefferson (Sam Neill), author of the Declaration of Independence and his slave Sally Hemings (Carmen Ejogo). Fuelled by recent DNA evidence of the Hemings-Jefferson relationship, the miniseries sidesteps much of Jefferson's political life and instead focuses on the love story. Though she acquired her freedom at age 16 while traveling with Jefferson to France, she faithfully remained with her lover throughout his life in spite of emotional consequences to both her brother and her children -- who were doomed to be sold as slaves. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sam Neill, Carmen Ejogo, (more)
Telecast on American cable television as Sweet Revenge, this wickedly black comedy was produced for British TV under the title The Revengers' Comedies, which was also the name of the Alan Ayckbourn play collection upon which it was based. Late one night on London Bridge, two potential suicides meet. Henry Bell (Sam Neill) is a midlevel executive who has been unfairly fired by his office rival; Karen Knightly (Helena Bonham Carter) is a nutty heiress whose boyfriend has jilted her in favor of a bitchy American beauty. Forsaking their plans to kill themselves, Henry and Karen go the Strangers on a Train route by agreeing to "swap" revenges: Karen will dispose of Henry's enemy, Bruce Tick (Steve Coogan), while Henry will destroy Karen's bête noire, Imogen Saxton-Billing (Kristin Scott Thomas). A U.S./U.K./French co-production, Sweet Revenge made its official debut over America's Showtime network on September 24, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sam Neill, Helena Bonham Carter, (more)
- 1998
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This four-hour fantasy miniseries, elaborating on the Arthurian legend and filmed in England and Wales, offers a portrait of the wizard Merlin (Sam Neill), following his life as a youth (Daniel Brocklebank) to his later conflicts with the evil Queen Mab (Miranda Richardson) and his love for Nimue (Isabella Rossellini), who is kidnapped by Lord Vortigern (Rutger Hauer). Amid battles and displays of magic and mysticism (courtesy of London's Framestore and the Jim Henson Creature Shop), Merlin strides the English countryside encountering Excalibur, the unbreakable sword, and a Camelot cast of colorful characters including the morphing manservant Frik (Martin Short), Morgan le Fey (Helena Bonham Carter), King Arthur (Paul Curran), Lancelot (Jeremy Sheffield), and Guinevere (Lena Heady). Premiered April 26, 1998 on NBC. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sam Neill, Isabella Rossellini, (more)
Jonathan Kaplan remakes Richard Brooks' 1967 masterpiece that takes the viewer inside the mind of a pair of killers during a shocking murder of a farm family in 1950s Kansas. Anthony Edwards and Eric Roberts star in this version. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
