Pete Postlethwaite Movies
An esteemed veteran of British theater and television, Pete Postlethwaite entered feature films in 1984, and has since gained international recognition as one of 1990s' cinema's best character actors, noted for his reliable and often powerful performances. On stage, he has performed with such prestigious groups as the Manchester Royal Exchange and the Liverpool Everyman, as well as the Royal Shakespeare Company. Postlethwaite entered film in the chaotic comedy A Private Function (1984). His first big break came when he played the tyrannical patriarch in Terence Davies' Distant Voices, Still Lives (1988). Notable subsequent film credits include Oscar-nominated supporting turns as Guiseppe Conlon in In the Name of the Father (1993), the Player King in Hamlet (1990), and a nicely over-the-top villain in Jurassic Park: The Lost World (1997). Later that same year, Postlethwaite would set sail with Spielberg one again, only this time in decidedly more grim capacity, in the historical slave drama Amistad.Though many moviegoers may not have necessarily pegged Postlethwaite as leading man material, his role as a man who experiences a strange transformation in the 2000 family comedy Rat proved him well capable of holding his own for an hour-and-a-half. His supporting roles becoming ever more prominant as the decade wore on, Postlethwaite navigated multiple genres with ease by turning up as a crusty building supervisor in the psychological horror thriller Dark Water, the keeper of a great conspiracy in the sci-fi action entry Æon Flux, and a shady drug company man in The Constant Gardener, a dramatic thriller detailing a determined widower's efforts to solve the mystery of his wife's murder. A scenery-chewing turn as an ill-fated priest attempting to save his soul in the high-profile 2006 remake The Omen preceded yet another trip into dark territory in Lamberto Bava's Ghost Son.
Occasionally, Postlethwaite has starring roles such as that of Danny in the upbeat British outing Brassed Off (1996) or the crazed Thomas Smithers in The Serpent's Kiss (1997). ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 2010
James Purefoy stars as Solomon Kane, a wandering 16th century hero whose haunted past forces him to redeem himself by battling a growing evil in his homeland in this big-screen incarnation of Robert E. Howard's cloaked pulp character. Deathwatch's Michael J. Bassett directs from his own script, with Max von Sydow, Pete Postlethwaite, Rachel Hurd-Wood, Alice Krige, and Mackenzie Crook co-starring. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Purefoy, Max von Sydow, (more)
- 2009
Oscar-nominated actor Pete Postlewaite stars in this cautionary look at our changing climate, and what could become of our world should we continue to ignore the warning signs and stop global warming while we still have the chance. The year is 2055, and in a world devastated by mankind's lack of foresight, one lone sole (Postlewaite) seeks the answer to why we let our planet fall to ruin. Looking over archive footage from the year 2007, he sees everyone talking about the damaging effects of global warming, but no one bothering to take the action required to reverse the troubling trend. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pete Postlethwaite
- 2008
A man accused of a crime he has no memory of committing must survive incarceration long enough to stand trial in this brutal drama featuring Pete Postlethwaite. In the aftermath of a drunken one night stand, Ben Coulter (Ben Whishaw) awakens hung-over and bloodied, and lying next to the dead body of a young woman. Every shred of evidence indicates that Ben is the killer, but if that's the case how is it that he has absolutely no recollection of such a brutal crime? Thrown behind bars until the day that he will stand before a judge and jury, Ben discovers that the strong survive in prison, and the weak often perish. Should he somehow manage to live long enough to have his day in court, odds are good Ben will wind up right back where he is, in the middle of a sadistic nightmare from which he can not wake up. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ben Whishaw
Sixty-five years after making his screen debut as a young stoker in co-directors Noël Coward and David Lean's World War II drama In Which We Serve, Richard Attenborough perfects the balance between epic story and intimate tale with this drama starring Shirley MacLaine and Neve Campbell as a mother and daughter who find a relic from the past sparking an incendiary series of events. The year is 1991, and as a small American town mourns the passing of beloved World War II veteran Chuck Harris, his wife Ethel (MacLaine) numbs herself with alcohol to the point where she completely neglects her grieving daughter Marie (Campbell). Later, after Marie receives a telephone call from a boy in Northern Ireland who claims to have recently discovered a ring belonging to Ethel, a mystery nearly five decades in the making comes slowly into focus as the story drifts back into Chuck's wartime past and the days when he and Ethel first formed their powerful bond. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Shirley MacLaine, Christopher Plummer, (more)
Devastated by the recent loss of her husband and convinced that her newborn child is the product of a disturbing supernatural encounter, a suicidal American woman living on a remote ranch in South Africa turns to the local shamanistic traditions in a desperate bid to exorcise the evil that surrounds her. Stacy (Laura Herring) and Mark (John Hannah) were starting a new life in South Africa when Mark was suddenly killed in a violent car accident. Later, lost in her grief and intent on taking her own life, Stacy is cast into the throws of ecstasy during a nocturnal visit from her husband's disembodied spirit. Shortly thereafter, Stacy gives birth to a baby boy who she becomes convinced is Mark's child. It's not long before the single mother begins to suspect that the spirit of her late husband has taken possession of her young child's soul in an otherworldly attempt to kill her from beyond the grave. As the young boy's behavior grows increasingly disturbing, his widowed mother realizes that the Shamanistic traditions of Africa may provide the only means of saving their endangered souls. Pete Postlethwaite and Coraline Cataldi-Tassoni co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 2005
As three bomb-toting Muslim fundamentalists hold the citizens of a London restaurant hostage, the revelation that one of the terrorists has been researching a little-known Russian explosive known as "Red Mercury" promos authorities to handle the situation with extreme caution in director Roy Battersby's topical thriller. An informer has revealed that a trio of terrorists has been lying in hiding in the English capitol, and when chases breaks out the three bombers storm into a popular Greek restaurant and hold the frightened diners hostage. The perpetrators are Mushtaq (Alex Caan), Asif (Navin Chowdhry), and Shahid (San Shella). As the Gold Commander (Pete Postlethwaite) and counterterrorism expert Sofia Warburton (Juliet Stevenson) do their best to assess the situation from the outside, restaurant owner Penelope (Stockard Channing) and a pair of quick-thinking customers that includes American lawyer Sidney Lowe (Ron Silver) and author Neil Ashton (David Bradley) do their best to keep the heads cool on the inside. Later, when the authorities discover that the three terrorists are well-educated British citizens who were likely recruited by fundamentalists during their studies, Sofia finds that they have also come into possession with an extremely volatile Russian-produced explosive. With time quickly running as tempers begin to flare, the desperate counterterrorism expert contacts her ex-husband Lindsay (Nigel Terry) - a one-time mole whose inside information may prove vital in saving countless lives - in a last ditch attempt to resolve the situation peacefully. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Bradley, Stockard Channing, (more)
Some folks will do anything to pinch a penny, and when a pair of lifelong friends discovers that they can evade the taxman by pretending to be a loving gay couple, their worries are just beginning in this comedy starring Paul Hogan and Michael Caton. Though their simple plan seems to go off without a hitch at first, the arrival of a by-the-books tax inspector threatens to blow the lid off of their inventive scheme. Now, with the IRS on their back and the pressure mounting, the stage is set for a series of comic misadventures you won't forget in this warmhearted tale of friendship and the eternal quest to beat the taxman at his own game. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Hogan, Michael Caton, (more)
A cop takes desperate measures to protect her identity in this urban thriller. Monica (Claire Forlani) is a police detective who has been sent undercover to crack open a drug-dealing operation run by Gale (Pete Postlethwaite). However, maintaining her cover has taken a heavy toll on Monica -- she's become romantically involved with Gale, and is now addicted to heroin. To make matters all the more dangerous for her, Monica has also been having a relationship with Denny (Henry Czerny), Gale's second in command. Denny lives in the same apartment building as an elderly woman named May (Lauren Bacall); Denny and May often get each other's mail, and as a result occasionally pass misdirected letters back and forth. When Denny is found dead, Monica begins to suspect that May might have a package from Denny that could blow her cover and reveal her true identity to Gale; desperate to find out how much May knows and what she could prove, Monica takes her hostage, but neither is sure what Monica will do when her need for heroin takes hold. Produced under the title The Limit, Gone Dark was the first directorial effort from producer and assistant director Lewin Webb. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Claire Forlani
- 2002
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Told from the perspective of a family who witnessed the historic tragedy firsthand, director Bruce Pittman's painstakingly detailed docudrama follows the events that unfolded in 1917 when a French freighter loaded with explosives collided with a Belgian reef ship in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The world was consumed by war, and as the French freighter Mont Blanc raced across the Canadian countryside with a substantial shipment of TNT no one could have foreseen the disaster that was about to unfold. When the Mont Blanc collided with the Belgian reef ship, the explosion that erupted claimed nearly 2000 lives, and could be felt over a hundred miles away. The devastation itself spread for miles in every direction, destroying homes, claiming lives, and prompting a courageous rescue mission that would highlight the remarkable heroism of everyday Canadians. Shauna MacDonald, Graham Greene, and Pete Postlewaite star. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
John Bradshaw's crime comedy Triggermen begins when a pair of professional killers (Michael Rapaport and Donnie Wahlberg) are hired to execute one of the major figures in organized crime (Pete Postlethwaite). Soon the pair are mistaken with a pair of British conmen (Neil Morrissey and Adrian Dunbar). When the money they were promised for completing the task turns up missing, the duo has a remarkably difficult time tracking it down. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Neil Morrissey, Donnie Wahlberg, (more)
In this crime drama adapted from a true story, Sinead Hamilton (Joan Allen) is a public relations agent turned journalist who is appalled at the corruption and drug trafficking in her native Dublin; determined to do something about it and make the city a safer place in which to bring up her son, Hamilton begins a series of investigative pieces exposing the major players in the city's dope trade, as well as possible links between drug dealing and the Irish Republican Army. Hamilton's stories win wide acclaim and lead to a public outcry to see that justice is served; they also make Hamilton a number of very dangerous enemies among the underworld, as well as the more corrupt segments of the law enforcement community. When the Sky Falls is based on the true-life story of Irish investigative reporter Veronica Guerin; Guerin worked on the early drafts of the script before she was murdered by members of the drug cartel she helped to expose, leading the producers to change the names of the characters and alter the story's outcome. The supporting cast includes Patrick Bergin as a police investigator, Pete Postlethwaite as a criminal insider who gives information to Hamilton, and Liam Cunningham as another notorious crime boss. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joan Allen, Patrick Bergin, (more)
- 1999
Canadian director Stephen Reynolds spins this coming-of-age drama about being afraid and Catholic in Newfoundland. Nine-year-old Draper Doyle (Jordan Harvey) suffers from nightmares of a giant hockey puck plunging from the sky after his hockey-obsessed father commits suicide. Even worse, he suffers from a deep anxiety about the opposite sex in the form of the "Momataur," a half elk, half-naked mom roaming the nether corners of his subconscious. Though the boy's hippie uncle (Pete Postlethwaite) and his TV-loving sister also live with him, Draper's waking world is dominated by his extremely Catholic aunt. The Divine Ryans was screened at the 1999 Vancouver Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jordan Harvey, Robert Joy, (more)
- 1999
Former fashion photographer Randall Harris debuts with this gritty drama about justice and redemption in rural Georgia during the Great Depression. Jesse Banks Rhodes (Harry Connick, Jr.) is suddenly and inexplicably released from jail after serving part of a life sentence on a trumped up charge for murder. He heads back for Georgia to reclaim his life and finds himself staying with farmer Ben Alexander (Pete Postlethwaite). Initially, Ben's family is mistrustful of the ex-con, but slowly they begin to warm to him, particularly Ben's fragile daughter Wesley (Patricia Clarkson). After witnessing the murder of a black worker at the hands of his drunken white racist boss, Jesse vows to make things right. Wayward Son was screened at the 1999 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Harry Connick, Jr., Pete Postlethwaite, (more)
George Orwell's political fable about corruption and betrayal in post-revolutionary Russia gets a new look in this version that employs a cast of real animals alongside digitally manipulated critters and lifelike beasts crafted by Jim Henson's Creature Shop. At the Manor Farm, the alcoholic master Mr. Jones (Pete Postlethwaite) is cruel to his animals and has horribly mismanaged the property. One night, the wise but elderly pig Old Major (voice of Peter Ustinov) gathers the animals and speaks of a remarkable dream, in which the animals throw off their tyrannical human masters and learn to reap the fruits of their own labors. After Old Major's death, two other pigs, Snowball (voice of Kelsey Grammer) and Napoleon (voice of Patrick Stewart) lead a revolution that drives Jones from his land and leaves the animals in charge of their own destiny. After their revolt, Snowball and Napoleon rule side by side, but Napoleon soon becomes drunk with power and squeezes Snowball out of authority, eventually turning the other animals against him. With Boxer (voice of Paul Scofield), a simple-minded but loyal and physically powerful horse, as a role model, Napoleon leads the animals on a campaign of self-denial and hard work that will bring them security and freedom; however, it soon becomes obvious that Napoleon is growing fat while the other animals are starving, and he is quickly becoming the sort of creature he once waged war against. Animal Farm received its American premiere on the TNT cable TV network in October 1999; it opened as a theatrical release in several other countries shortly afterward. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pete Postlethwaite, Kelsey Grammer, (more)
In this drama, John McKeown (Pete Postlethwaite) is a police detective who has come to have severe reservations about his job and his life. When two teenage boys are brought in on suspicion of murder, McKeown comes to the conclusion that the kids simply found the body while trying to rob a factory and were not involved with the killing. McKeown discovers that one of the would-be thieves, 17-year-old Dex (Jamie Draven), has no parents and is raising his younger brother and sister on his own. Dex supports himself and his siblings as a gardener and groundskeeper, for which he shows a natural talent, and McKeown believes that poverty rather than a criminal nature led Dex to consider a life of crime. McKeown and his girlfriend Sandra (Alison Newman) befriend Dex and often check in to see how he and his siblings are doing, but subsequent events lead the detective to wonder just how Dex lost his parents in the first place -- and if his role in the murder was as innocent as he first believed. The Butterfly Collector was originally produced as a three-hour mini-series for British television. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pete Postlethwaite, Rachel Davies, (more)
- 1998
Lost for Words is a poignant autobiography of Deric Longden's relationship with his aging and eccentric mother, Annie. The opening scene depicts Annie as an opinionated, never-at-a-loss-for-words character who insists upon running the show, even going so far as choosing her own Mother's Day card and dictating how mundane chores should be performed. But everything changes when a debilitating stroke suddenly silences her. The heartwarming story, a son-to-mother tribute, traces the difficult care-giving decisions that Deric and his wife, writer Aileen Armitage, faced as the courageous Annie's health failed. The cast includes Thora Hird as Annie, Pete Postlethwaite as Deric, and Penny Downie as Aileen Longden. Lost for Words is a sequel to Deric Longden's 1994 autobiographical story, "Wide Eyed and Legless". ~ Kathleen Wildasin, All Movie Guide
- 1997
Meciej Dejczer directed this German-French-Polish period drama made with English dialogue. British prisoner Gerry, aka Brute (Til Schweiger) is sent away to complete his sentence in a rundown Romanian orphanage run by sinister Sincal (Pete Postlethwaite), who profits by selling children and other evil activities. Crude operations are executed on patients by alcoholic surgeon Dr. Babits (John Hurt), who plays the violin. On the brighter side, a nubile nurse Mara (Polly Walker) is on the staff of this insidious institution, and she enters into an affair with Brute. Shown at the 1998 Montreal World Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Til Schweiger, Pete Postlethwaite, (more)
Haughty and vain British industrialist Thomas Smithers (Pete Postlethwaite) dearly loves his wife Juliana (Greta Sacchi). Since they only have a daughter (Carmen Chaplin), and a strange one at that, Smithers decides that rather than leaving his fortune to his wife and child, he will build a fabulous garden to honor Julianna, who unfortunately, cares little for such things. Hearing of Smithers's plans, Julianna's conniving cousin Fitzmaurice (Richard E. Grant), who has secretly wanted her for himself, suggests that Smithers hire hot young Dutch garden architect Meneer Chrome (Ewan McGregor) to do the work. Chrome's work does not come cheap, but that is fine with Fitzmaurice who is hoping that the project will bankrupt Smithers and cause Julianna to return to him. Unfortunately for Fitzmaurice, Julianna finds herself falling in love with Chrome. Unfortunately for Julianna, Chrome has fallen in love with her daughter Thea. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ewan McGregor, Greta Scacchi, (more)
- 1996
British writer-director Maria Giese filmed this independent sports drama, which centers around the wasted opportunities of young footballer Jimmy Muir (Sean Bean). Muir works in a brewery and lives with his parents and younger brother in the hard-scrabble industrial city of Sheffield, England. He loves to play soccer, but he is arrogant, disrespectful, and frequently drunk, and he has never made much of his talents. While playing for a local pub's team, Jimmy is spotted by Ken Jackson (Pete Postlethwaite), who recruits him for a higher league. Meanwhile, Jimmy embarks on an affair with a young Irish woman named Annie Docherty (Emily Lloyd), and he gets her pregnant. Jimmy gets offered a tryout with a professional club, Sheffield United. But the night before his tryout, he beds a stripper and gets roaring drunk. The next day he is useless, and he blows his big chance to make something of himself. Annie, who badly wanted him to succeed to get them both a better life, then leaves him. Jimmy finally realizes that he must change if he is going to have any kind of a future. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sean Bean, Emily Lloyd, (more)
Sean Bean returns as the stubbornly independent Captain Richard Sharpe in this historical adventure. Sharpe, an officer in the British Army, and his men are in Spain, fighting against Napoleon's forces, when he learns that Teresa (Assumpta Serna), his mistress, has given birth to his daughter. As Sharpe comes to terms with fatherhood, he loses control of the South Essex company, and learns he must now fight alongside Sgt. Obadiah Hakeswill (Pete Postlethwaite), his nemesis from his days fighting in India. As Sharpe battles Hakeswill with a vehemence that matches his contempt for the French forces, he looks for a way to regain control of the South Essex company. Sharpe's Company was based on the novel by Bernard Cornwell. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sean Bean, Daragh O'Malley, (more)
- 1995
An ego-maniacal, manipulative, man uses a young gigolo to enact the fantasies he is too sick to perform in this thriller set in a hotel penthouse on the French Riviera. Chris is the young Dutch gigolo who preys on wealthy older women at the hotel. Glover the wealthy, wheelchair bound gent who lives in the hotel's top floor suite. Chris, thinking he killed his last customer while haggling for money, bursts into Glover's suite to hide. The old man not only lets Chris stay in the spare room, he also wines, dines, and supplies a series of beautiful call girls to the young man. It is only later that Chris discovers that his "benefactor" is video-taping his sexploits. Appalled, Chris wants to leave. Glover makes him a new offer: he will pay Chris an incredible amount of money to find a beautiful woman and kill her. Chris agrees and chooses Helen, who works in a perfumery. Helen is lucky, figures it out, and thwarts Chris, but when she must deal with Glover, her luck runs out. As the credits roll, the song "Sweet Sixteen" is played. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
In this war adventure a brave British GI saves the beautiful wife of a colonel from a group of AWOL soldiers. The plot is based on a Bernard Cornwell novel. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sean Bean, Assumpta Serna, (more)
Charles Dickens' 1844 novel Martin Chuzzlewit was given one of its few TV presentations in this six-part British adaptation, which originally aired on BBC2 from November 7 to December 12, 1994. The youngest son of a mercenary London family, Martin Chuzzlewit was sent to America to learn the rudiments of the business world. Upon discovering that his new employer was even more odious and greedy than his relatives, Martin became determined not to be corrupted as well. Paul Scofield was cast as the older Martin, with Ben Walden as his younger self. Presented in one 80-minute and five 60-minute installments, Martin Chuzzlewit was rebroadcast in America as part of PBS' Masterpiece Theatre anthology in 1995. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1993
In the fourteenth century, few options were open to women, and anyone showing the slightest degree of independence was likely to be denounced as a witch and summarily burned. In this story, young Christine (Natalie Morse) has a strong devotion to the Virgin Mary, and has asked to be walled up in the church as an anchorite for the rest of her life. This suits her ambitious parish priest (Christopher Eccleston) perfectly, and she is forthwith walled up. Her mother (Toyah Wilcox), an herbalist, midwife and wise-woman, is not of the same mind, but she is not only ignored, but soon runs afoul of the local authorities. Meanwhile, Christine is adapting to her new life in strange ways, and finds ways to transcend her imprisonment through making good use of the completely unusual privacy it affords. In one erotic scene, she even manages to find a physical expression for her mystical marriage. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Natalie Morse, Gene Bervoets, (more)
