Clive Russell Movies
Scottish-born Clive Russell is six and a half feet of bone and sinew. Add to his imposing stage presence his impressive acting skill and you have a colossal acting machine that can cry, bend steel, and recite Shakespeare. Russell has used his attributes to play Helfdane the Large in The Thirteenth Warrior, Ajax the Great in Troilus and Cressida, and blacksmith Joe Gargery in Great Expectations. For his portrayal of a gigantic but gentle ex-coal miner in the acclaimed Margaret's Museum, Russell earned a Canadian Academy Award nomination for best actor. Russell's appetite for acting is as big as he is. Between 1997 and 2001, he completed 24 films in addition to TV and other projects, including such high-profile productions as The Mists of Avalon (TV miniseries), Oliver Twist (TV miniseries), and Oscar and Lucinda. No, he probably won't replace Sean Connery as Scotland's most famous actor. But he certainly deserves recognition as one of Scotland's best actors -- right up there among Connery, Ewan McGregor, Dougray Scott, and Robert Carlyle.Russell first performed before an audience in 1960 on the Shari Lewis Show. But it was not until 1980 that he got his first real acting job -- performing on the London stage as the superintendent in Nobel Prize-winner Dario Fo's satire The Accidental Death of an Anarchist, about police corruption in Italy. The reviews were good, and he reprised that role for television in 1983. After further honing his skills in various British TV productions and a handful of films -- including Jute City, The Power of One, The Hawk, and Seconds Out -- Russell received exposure before international audiences as Caleb Garth in the celebrated BBC miniseries Middlemarch, based on the George Eliot novel of the same name. A year later, he fell in love on the movie screen with Helena Bonham Carter in Margaret's Museum, earning laudatory reviews worldwide. Clive Russell had arrived. After more TV roles and another film, Russell played Ralph Fiennes' father in another critically acclaimed film, Oscar and Lucinda. Growing recognition of his acting skills then brought him plum roles in four major TV miniseries: Great Expectations, Oliver Twist, The Railway Children, and The Mists of Avalon. In the same year that he made Mists, Russell also performed in The Emperor's New Clothes, starring Ian Holm as Napoleon. In 2002, his career reached new heights when he took on a role in a BBC/Columbia Tristar production about a mountain-rescue team in Scotland. ~ Mike Cummings, Rovi
In this murder mystery, the protagonist Virgil Guppy gets into a lot of mischief through his lack of foresight. Virgil is a bit of a 'yuppie.' He buys himself a Jaguar to complete the identity he has been trying to build up with a flat, a job, a certain wardrobe and a special girlfriend. The Jaguar is a bit battered, but the mileage is low. The problem is that the dealer and his son are clearly dodgy types. Within four miles, the car dies. What is more, there is a dead body hidden in the trunk. Virgil is arrested for murder; only then does he realize that he has been framed by the dealer, who has long since disappeared. The first feature by Gareth Rhys Jones, the film pokes gentle fun at the value system of the new generation. ~ Gönül Dönmez-Colin, Rovi
- Starring:
- Hans Matheson, Charlotte Coleman, (more)
A paranormal expert investigating a brutal murder discovers a house that stands at the intersection of several supernatural "highways" designed to transport souls to the afterlife in this adaptation of an original story by horror icon Clive Barker. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Sophie Ward, Jonas Armstrong, (more)
- 1997
Scottish comedian Alan Cumming stars in this Dutch psychological drama, set in Vienna but mainly filmed in Budapest. Crazed stand-up comedian Daniel (Cumming) pleases his hospitalized mother (Hedi Temessy) by dressing to resemble his sister Hannah, who died in a Nazi concentration camp. After his girlfriend (Serena Gordon) drops him, he takes up with naive Texan Lilian (Juliet Aubrey), who is attempting to solve the mystery of her Nazi father's link to chemical businessman Wittfogel (Frank Finlay). Shown at the 1997 Nederlands Film Festival/Holland Film Meeting. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi
- Starring:
- Alan Cumming, Juliet Aubrey, (more)
Two sisters engage in a subtle war for the affections of a man half their age in this British comedy drama. It's 1936, and Janet Widdington (Maggie Smith) and her sister, Ursula (Judi Dench), are a pair of elderly spinsters who share a home in Cornwall on the coast of England. After a storm, the sisters discover that someone has been washed up on the beach in front of their house. Bringing the body inside, they discover the victim is a handsome Polish man named Andrea Marowski (Daniel Brühl) who has suffered a broken ankle and speaks no English, only Polish and German. As the sisters patch up Andrea's ankle, Janet dusts off her old German textbook from school, and begins getting to know more about their guest. It isn't long before Janet develops an infatuation for the good-looking stranger, and attempts to teach him English, which is more than a bit maddening to Ursula, who has fallen head over heels for him -- especially after the sisters discover he's a gifted violinist and hear him display his craft on a borrowed instrument. As the sisters find themselves vying for Andrea's attention, they wonder if they should report his presence to the authorities, especially after Olga (Natascha McElhone), an attractive woman in her early thirties who lives nearby, becomes aware of Andrea's presence in the home and wants to make contact with him. Based on a short story by William J. Locke, Ladies in Lavender marked the directorial debut of actor Charles Dance. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, (more)
- 2008
Two men separated by a hundred years share a similar and provocative point of view in this offbeat drama. Mondrian Killroy (John Hurt) is an iconoclastic college professor who has earned a remarkable reputation for his lectures in which he presents scathing re-evaluations of important and acclaimed works of art. Martha (Leonor Watling) is a former student of Killroy who is a passionate admirer of his work, and is involved in a project to recreate on of his most controversial talks -- "Lecture 21," in which Killroy defends in detail his opinion that Beethoven's Ninth Symphony is an old-fashioned piece of claptrap that has not withstood the test of time. Meanwhile, in the 1800's, Hans Peters (Noah Taylor) is a respected musician who is led by fate to Hoffmeister (Clive Russell), a scholar who asks Peters to help him and his compatriots prove their similar contention that Beethoven's final symphony is not the masterwork it's often said to be. Moving back and forth between the 19th and 20th Centuries, Killroy and Hoffmeister offer their own theories about the strengths and weaknesses of one of the world's most celebrated composers, and a number of their friends and acquaintances, some knowledgeable and some wildly eccentric, present their thoughts about the artist and his art. Lezione 21 (aka Lecture 21) was the first directorial project from acclaimed novelist Alessandro Baricco. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Noah Taylor, Clive Russell, (more)
The often tragic lives of the residents of a Nova Scotia coal mining town are viewed through the eyes of a depressed young woman in this grim period drama. Set in the 1940s, the film begins with a brief, intentionally puzzling interlude before flashing back several years to focus on the story of Margaret MacNeil (Helena Bonham Carter). Margaret has suffered through the death of her father and her brother, both of whom perished while working as coal miners, and has subsequently developed a hatred for the mines that provide the town's primary source of economic support. When she finds herself attracted to charming stranger Neil (Clive Russell), she is thrilled to learn that he has no plans to work in the mines. When Margaret and Neil marry over the opposition of Margaret's stern mother (Kate Nelligan), financial troubles force him to go back on his word, with unfortunate results. Based on several short stories by Sheldon Currie, the film draws an unrelentingly bleak picture of its subject, concentrating on the numerous hardships, from black lung to deadly cave-ins, that haunt the coal-mining community, resulting in a gloomy and at times morbid drama. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi
- Starring:
- Helena Bonham Carter, Clive Russell, (more)
- 2001
Noted for shooting such films as Exotica, Affliction and X-Men, cinematographer Paul Sarossy makes his directorial debut with this existential crime thriller about a killer struggling to reclaim his soul. Jon is a quiet, nice, and seemingly conventional character who no one would suspect is a hired killer. When he makes such a confession to his mates one drunken evening at the local pub, no one believes him. But a hired killed he is, working for a mysterious figured named The Tattooed Man, whose proclivity for philosophy is match only by his lust for cruelty. When Jon runs into his old high school chum Andy, who is happily married to Jon's first love Cathy, he begins to awaken from his emotional and spiritual torpor. This film was screened at the 2001 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi
Australian director Gillian Armstrong directed this Laura Jones adaptation of Peter Carey's 1988 Booker Prize-winning novel. In a lengthy flashback, Oscar Hopkins' great grandson (Geoffrey Rush) narrates the family history that led to his birth. On an Australian farm, Lucinda Leplastrier was tutored by her intelligent mother, a woman who took part in the early feminist movement. Oscar's lonely boyhood in rural England was under the watchful eye of his preacher father. At Oxford to train as a minister, the adult Oscar (Ralph Fiennes) feels he doesn't fit in and develops a passion for gambling, giving his winnings away to the poor. Oscar and Lucinda (Cate Blanchett) meet aboard a ship; he's off to the outback to work as a missionary, and she's returning from London after buying equipment for her glass factory. As mutual misfits, they have an instant attraction and quickly grow close, developing a romantic relationship based on trust. However, the Rev. Dennis Hasset (Ciarán Hinds) and Lucinda are friends, sharing an interest in glass. Convinced they are in love, Oscar embarks on an unusual and difficult task, building a glass church for the reverend, an ambitious project to attempt in the remote wilderness. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ralph Fiennes, Cate Blanchett, (more)
- 1999
- NR
A man looks outside the law for justice and discovers the price was far higher than he expected in the drama Out of Depth. Paul (Sean Maguire) is a graphic designer who is furiously angry and appalled when a drunken thug beats up his mother (Rita Tushingham) and adds insult to injury by urinating on her. Paul vows revenge, but an old chum from school, Steve (Danny Midwinter), tells him he has connections with strong-arm men who would be happy to do the dirty work for him. Paul is introduced to Lenny (Nicholas Ball), an unscrupulous gangster who makes sure the low life who beat up Paul's mum is dealt with harshly. However, Lenny then demands pay back by forcing Paul to deliver some drugs for him, which leads him into unexpected danger. Out of Depth was based on an actual incident. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Sean Maguire, Danny Midwinter, (more)
- 1995
This British comedy chronicles the entangled relationships between an eccentric group of people. Marie works in a night club owned by a flamboyant mock-Italian, Grazetti. Marie's mother Beatti runs a dog parlor. Also involved is Mick, a depressive guitar player, and two horny art students who are pursuing a pair of women. The mayhem begins when it is revealed that 30 years ago Beatti was romantically involved with Grazetti, who back then was called Wilfred McNulty. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's famous super-sleuth, Sherlock Holmes, gets an update with this adaptation of Lionel Wigram's comic book series by writer/director Guy Ritchie (RocknRolla) starring Robert Downey Jr. as the titular detective, with Jude Law stepping into the shoes of his sidekick, Dr. Watson. Heading up the rest of the cast are RocknRolla's Mark Strong as the film's villain, Blackwood, and Rachel McAdams portraying the love interest, Irene Adler. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Robert Downey, Jr., Jude Law, (more)
- 2011
- PG13
- Add Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows to Queue Add Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows to top of Queue
Brilliant detective Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) matches wits with the nefarious Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris) after uncovering a diabolical plot to destabilize the entire Western world in this sequel from director Guy Ritchie. A criminal mastermind without a conscience, Professor Moriarty is Holmes' worst nightmare -- a man who uses his incredible intellect for unspeakably evil purposes. When the Crown Prince of Austria dies and Inspector Lestrade (Eddie Marsan) rules the death a suicide, Holmes steps back to see the big picture. But little does Holmes realize that Professor Moriarty is about to commit a crime that will shock the entire world, and that solving it may be the death of him. Jude Law returns as Holmes' faithful sidekick Dr. Watson in a sequel also featuring The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo's Noomi Rapace and Rachel McAdams. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Robert Downey, Jr., Jude Law, (more)
- 1992
Gavin Bellini is half Scottish, half Italian. Perhaps that blend of two of the most romantic sensibilities in the world accounts for his being in London, scraping out a living as an illustrator. One day he runs into his father's brother and learns that, if he high-tails it to Glasgow in time to attend his father's surprise birthday party, there's a chance he could come into some cash. He hops in his old rust-bucket of a car and takes to the road. On the way, he picks up a girl hitchhiker who is also headed back home to Glasgow. She is a feisty wench, and unexpectedly skilled at getting cars fixed. The two of them couldn't be more different and soon begin to argue and bicker, with the inevitable result that, in addition to their other adventures, they fall in love. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Peter Capaldi, Frances Barber, (more)
A cultured diplomat joins a band of savage warriors in time to meet an even more fearsome enemy in this historical adventure. In 922 A.D., Ibn Fadlan (Antonio Banderas) is a Muslim emissary from Baghdad en route to meet with the King of Saqaliba when he is captured by a gang of Vikings. While Ibn and his people are intelligent and well-mannered, the Vikings are a rowdy and sometimes unpleasant lot, with an unquenchable appetite for food, alcohol, and women. However, in time he develops an understanding and respect for the Viking warriors and is welcomed into their society by their leader, Buliwyf. However, Ibn must now join them as they return to their homeland once they receive word of an invasion by a huge pack of bloodthirsty invaders who will destroy and eat anything in their path -- including the flesh of the men they have killed. The 13th Warrior was based on the book Eaters of the Dead by Michael Crichton, which was in turn adapted from tales of Viking folklore. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Antonio Banderas, Diane Venora, (more)
A fanciful retelling of the story of Napoleon Bonaparte (played by heralded actor Ian Holm, this British costume comedy suggests that it was Napoleon's double, not the man himself, who died on St. Helena Island. The film begins by presenting Napoleon after his defeat at Waterloo, at the home of a young boy (Tom Watson), where he watches a slide show of his actions and begins to tell his story. The film flashes back to Napoleon's six years of house arrest, when he dictated his memoirs to an aide (Murray Melvin). He has concocted a scheme with his sidekicks Montholon (Nigel Terry) and Bertrand (Hugh Bonneville) and a valet named Marchand (Eddie Marsan) to plant a double in his place so he can escape to Paris, where he can then reclaim his throne as emperor of France. Posing as a galley hand, Napoleon steals a ship, but mistakenly arrives in Belgium, where he must then make his way back to France by barge. When he finally arrives in Paris, he discovers his contact, Truchaut, has died, and he enlists the help of his widow Pumpkin (played by Mifune's Iben Hjelje). Unable to reveal his true identity, Napoleon kills time by using Pumpkin and other supporters to start a profitable business, and Pumpkin begins to find herself drawn to Napoleon, though knowing his real identity. The film was directed by American filmmaker Alan Taylor, who helmed the quirky 1995 comedy Palookaville. ~ Jason Clark, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ian Holm, Iben Hjejle, (more)
- 1992
- R
The British psychological thriller The Hawk stars Helen Mirren as Anne Marsh, a housewife with a history of mental illness who begins to suspect that her husband (George Costigan) is a hunted serial killer. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi
- Starring:
- Helen Mirren, George Costigan, (more)
This three-hour miniseries adapts Marion Zimmer Bradley's feminist recasting of the Arthurian mythos into a big-budget cable television event. In ancient England, Christianity is spreading and the Saxons are invading. It's up to Viviane (Anjelica Huston) -- Lady of the Lake and high priestess of the kingdom's ancient pagan religion -- to make sure that the next king will honor both the old and new faiths and thereby banish the barbarian hordes. Viviane manipulates her sister Igraine (Caroline Goodall) into marrying King Uther Pendragon (Mark Lewis Jones) and bearing a son, Arthur (Edward Atterton) -- much to the consternation of Viviane's other sister, the power-hungry Morgause (Joan Allen). Arthur grows up happily with his older half-sister, Morgaine (Julianna Margulies), until Merlin (Michael Byrne) spirits him off for training and Viviane brings Morgaine to the mystical island of Avalon to develop her magical connection to the Goddess. Years later, the siblings reunite in a masked mating ritual, unaware that their union is incestuous -- or that their son, Mordred (Hans Matheson), will fall into Morgause's clutches and destroy the delicate balance that Viviane has sought to maintain. As Arthur gathers the knights of the round table and ushers in a golden age with Queen Gwenhwyfar (Samantha Mathis) at his side, the seeds of his destruction, and Avalon's, have already been planted -- by Arthur himself. Filmed on-location in Prague, The Mists of Avalon premiered on the TNT cable network July 15 and 16, 2001. Director Uli Edel, best known for his feature adaptation of Last Exit to Brooklyn, had previously helmed Purgatory for TNT. The titular mists -- developed by Edel and executive producer Mark Wolper -- utilized custom fluid dynamic software designed specifically for the project. Celtic musician Loreena McKennitt added her theme music to composer Lee Holdridge's score. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi
- Starring:
- Anjelica Huston, Julianna Margulies, (more)
- 1965
In this WWII drama, a young woman arrives too late to save her archaeologist father from the Nazi forces invading Crete. She is helped by an all-female guerrilla force who try to help her get back to England. After an escape attempt fails, she stays on to help the force, whose leader she falls in love with. The title comes into play during the film's climax, when the force takes off their uniforms and skin-dives under a docked Nazi munitions ship in order to blow it up. ~ Steve Huey, Rovi
- Starring:
- Shirley Eaton, Ken Scott, (more)
John G. Avildsen, director of Rocky and The Karate Kid, adapts Bryce Courtenay's compassionate novel about the coming of age of a white anti-apartheid activist during the years of World War II in South Africa. Avildsen cumbersomely grafts Courtenay's tale of fighting apartheid onto a Hollywood-style fight-for-the-championship bout. Seven-year-old P.K. (Guy Witcher) is a white South African raised on his family's farm by his Zulu nanny. When his mother takes ill, he is sent away to an Afrikaner boarding school, where he is picked on and nearly killed by the school bully during a pep rally for Hitler. P.K. survives and is sent to live with his grandfather. He befriends Doc (Armin Mueller-Stahl), a jailed German musician, and a black inmate (Morgan Freeman), who teaches P.K. how to use his fists for some quick boxing moves. At 12, P.K. (now played by Simon Fenton), witnesses black inmates being cruelly humiliated by their racist white jailers. Taking note of P.K.'s fluidity for languages, his black mentor spreads the word that P.K. is the incarnation of the mythic Rain Maker, a messianic liberator who is destined to unite all the African tribes. By the time he's 18 years old, P.K. (now played by Stephen Dorff) is becoming the Great White Hope for the black Africans, boxing his way into their hearts and minds. He joins up with an old boxing foe (Alois Moyo), who is now a township activist, and takes up the apartheid struggle. But things get confusing when P.K. falls in love with the daughter (Fay Masterson) of an apartheid leader. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi
- Starring:
- Stephen Dorff, Morgan Freeman, (more)
A Masterpiece Theatre remake of the 1970 screen adaptation of E. Nesbit's beloved children's book, The Railway Children follows the fortunes of three resourceful children in turn-of-the-century England. An affluent family, the Waterburys fall upon difficult times when Mr. Waterbury (Michael Kitchen) is hauled away by the police for reasons not readily apparent. Forced to move to a small village, the family is held together by Mrs. Waterbury (Jenny Agutter, who played one of the Waterbury children in the 1970 film version), who ekes out a living by selling her stories to magazines. The three Waterbury siblings -- Bobbie (Jemima Rooper), Peter (Jack Blumenau), and Phyllis (Clare Thomas) -- try to help their mother make ends meet and take to spending time by the railroad, where they meet a host of eccentric acquaintances. Among them are the Station Master (Clive Russell), and a magnanimous railroad maven (Richard Attenborough), both of whom take a shine to the children. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jenny Agutter, Michael Kitchen, (more)
Director Robin Hardy revisits his 1974 cult classic The Wicker Man with this related horror film concerning a cowboy (Henry Garrett) and a gospel singer (Brittania Nicol) who stop in Ireland on a missionary excursion only to come in contact with an aristocrat (Graham McTavish) whose nefarious plans don't include being reformed by their Christian ways. Christopher Lee returns for a small role in this semi-sequel. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi
- Starring:
- Brittania Nicol, Henry Garrett, (more)
Universal Studios resurrects the classic lycanthrope with this tale of a man who experiences an unsettling transformation after he returns to his ancestral home in Victorian-era Great Britain and gets attacked by a rampaging werewolf. When Ben Talbot (Simon Merrells) vanishes into thin air, his brother Lawrence (Benicio Del Toro) returns to his family estate to investigate. Upon reuniting with his estranged father, Sir John Talbot (Anthony Hopkins), however, he discovers a destiny far darker than his blackest nightmares. Ben is dead; the victim of a savage attack by a beast that keeps the superstitious locals cowering in fear every time the moon shines bright in the sky. Shortly after discovering his brother's true fate, Lawrence swears to Ben's wife, Gwen (Emily Blunt), that he will bring her late husband's killer to justice. As a young boy, the untimely death of his mother caused Lawrence to grow up before his time. Though Lawrence had previously attempted to bury his pain in the past by leaving the quiet Victorian hamlet of Blackmoor behind, he discovers that you can't outrun fate when he's attacked by the very same nocturnal beast that claimed his brother. Not even recently arrived Scotland Yard inspector Aberline (Hugo Weaving) can dream up a rational explanation for the gruesome spell cast over Blackmoor, yet rumors of an ancient curse persist. According to legend, the afflicted will experience a horrific transformation by the light of the full moon. Now, the woman Talbot loves is in mortal danger, and in order to protect her he must venture into the moonlit woods and destroy the beast before it destroys her. But this isn't a typical hunt, because before the beast can be slain, a simple man will uncover a primal side of himself that he never knew existed. Screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker pens a film directed by Joe Johnston and featuring creature effects by special-effects makeup legend Rick Baker. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, (more)
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