David Threlfall Movies
Lead actor, onscreen from the late '80s. ~ All Movie GuideActress Cate Blanchett returns to her Oscar-nominated role and director Shekhar Kapur steps back into the director's chair for this belated sequel to the critically acclaimed 1998 biopic Elizabeth that explores the 16th century romance between the "Virgin Queen" and noted adventurer Sir Walter Raleigh (Clive Owen). Michael Hirst teams with William Nicholson to pen the screenplay, and actor Geoffrey Rush returns to the role of Sir Francis Walsingham. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush, (more)
A murder lifts the lid on some disturbing actions among the pupils at a well-respected school in this drama. Nigel (Tom Sturridge), a student at an exclusive British private school, has been found murdered, and police detective McKenzie (Richard Roxburgh) has been assigned to investigate. Alex Forbes (Eddie Redmayne), one of Nigel’s classmates who was known to have little fondness for him, is a prime suspect and has been brought in for questioning; however, he refuses to cooperate, and Sally Rowe (Toni Collette), a forensic psychiatrist working with the police, is brought in to talk to the boy. While Alex is initially no more helpful with Sally, in time she’s able to find cracks in his resistance, and he begins to discuss his interest in the Knights Templar, a medieval Christian military order. As Alex shares his belief that the benefits of some actions can outweigh their wrongs, Sally learns more about the boy, and her research turns up some surprising facts – Nigel believed both he and Alex were descended from members of the Knights Templar, they may have been responsible for the death of a schoolmate in the interest of gaining mystical powers, and Alex’s father (Patrick Malahide), also the headmaster at the school, has some troubling secrets of his own. Like Minds was the first feature film from writer and director Gregory J. Read. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eddie Redmayne, Tom Sturridge, (more)
Director Jonny Campbell teams with screenwriter William Davies for this satirical look at the notorious, purportedly genuine "Alien Autopsy" video that fascinated viewers worldwide before being exposed as an elaborately staged hoax in 1995. Aired in America by the Fox network, the Alien Autopsy video caused an overnight sensation among UFO enthusiasts while proving just how susceptible to hype the media truly is. Now viewers can follow the adventures of ambitious British pranksters Gary (Ant McPartlin) and Ray (Declan Donnelly) as they execute one of the largest-scale practical jokes ever attempted. Bill Pullman and Harry Dean Stanton co-star in a comedy that encourages viewers to believe none of what they hear, and only half of what they see. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ant McPartlin, Declan Donnelly, (more)
The wartime diaries of Nella Last provide the foundation for this story about a woman who struggled for personal liberation as the world waged a violent war for freedom. Written by a starring popular British comedienne Victoria Wood, this BAFTA-winning drama highlights how a widespread war reflected on the life of a solitary woman. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Victoria Wood, David Threlfall, (more)
The life of flamboyant crowned head Princess Margaret is explored in this lavish biopic starring Lucy Cohu and Toby Stephens. Beginning with the death of her father in 1952 and spanning through her notorious exploits in the 1970s, the film follows Princess Margaret (Cohu) as she ignites scandal by kissing the daughter of an American dignitary and witnesses the tumultuous relationship between King George and Princess Caroline. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lucy Cohu, Toby Stephens, (more)

- 2003
- PG13
- Add Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World to QueueAdd Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World to top of Queue
Director Peter Weir's first turn behind the camera since 1998's critically acclaimed The Truman Show, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World is based on two Napoleanic War-era adventure novels in author Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin series, Master and Commander and The Far Side of the World. Russell Crowe stars as Captain Jack Aubrey, a high-seas adventurer who maintains a strong bond with ship-surgeon Stephen Maturin (Paul Bettany). After conquering much of Europe already, Napoleon's forces have set their sights on taking Britain, so Aubrey and the crew of his ship, the HMS Surprise, take to the Pacific to intercept any attacking ships from the French fleet. When Aubrey eyes a renegade French super-frigate, the Surprise pursues, leading to an adrenaline-charged chase through the distant reaches of the sea. Edward Woodall, James D'Arcy, and Lee Ingleby also star as members of the Surprise's crew. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Russell Crowe, Paul Bettany, (more)
In January of 1942, 15 of Adolf Hitler's right-hand men gathered together for a special meeting in Wannsee, in which over the course of two hours they debated the pros and cons of Hitler's latest directive and the best way to implement it. By the time they left, they had laid the practical groundwork for the "Final Solution," with the execution of every Jewish person in Europe as their goal. A transcript of the meeting has survived, and that document provided the basis for the screenplay for Conspiracy, which dramatizes (in real time) the meeting that led to the greatest crime of the 20th century. Conspiracy stars Kenneth Branagh, Colin Firth, Stanley Tucci, and David Threlfall; the film was produced for the premium cable network HBO, where it first aired on May 19, 2001. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kenneth Branagh, Stanley Tucci, (more)
A kind of "best-of" account of the books of Genesis and Exodus, this two-part NBC miniseries aired in November 2000. Part One, set in the desert, covers the stories of Abraham (Martin Landau), Sarah (Jacqueline Bisset), Isaac (Sean Pertwee), Rebeccah (Diana Rigg), Esau (Andrew Grainger), and Jacob (Frederick Weller) and culminates with the enslavement of Joseph (Eddie Cibrian). Part Two, set in biblical Egypt, focuses on the story of Moses (Billy Campbell) and his deliverance of his people from slavery. Also included in the miniseries' huge and illustrious cast are Alan Bates as Jethro, Geraldine Chaplin as Yocheved, and Jonathan Firth as Joshua. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Martin Landau, Jacqueline Bisset, (more)
"The Greatest Story Ever Told, As Seen Through a Mother's Eyes." Coproduced by Eunice Kennedy Shriver and her son Bobby Shriver, this reverent retelling of the Biblical story of the Madonna stars Melinda Kinnaman as young Mary, Perrilla August as the older Mary, David Threlfall as Joseph, and Toby Bailiff and Christian Bale as, respectively, the younger and adult Jesus. The film takes a decidedly Ecumenical approach, with Mary, already aware of her Son's role in the future of mankind, gently guiding and counseling Jesus as He launches His ministry and accomplishes His miracles. She must also stand by stoically as Her beloved Son is persecuted and crucified, knowing that what must be, will be. Filmed (incredibly) in and around Budapest, Mary, Mother of Jesus debuted November 14, 1999 on NBC. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pernilla August, Christian Bale, (more)
Martin Sherman adapted Alice Thomas Ellis' novel for this comedy about a suburban Englishwoman who's about to settle on marriage with her mother-dominated next door neighbor until everyone's comfortable life is disrupted by a visit from her exotic and flamboyant friend Lili (Jeanne Moreau, in a scene-stealing performance). ~ Nicole Gagne, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeanne Moreau, Joan Plowright, (more)
This British television docu-drama dishes up the turbulent royal marriage of Charles and Lady Di. The story is based on Andrew Morton's tell-all book and is considered the most accurate version of the situation. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Serena Scott Thomas, David Threlfall, (more)
In Patriot Games, Harrison Ford plays former CIA agent Jack Ryan, taking over from Alec Baldwin, who had played author Tom Clancy's brainy protagonist in Hunt for Red October. This time around, Ryan foils an attempted assassination, thereby incurring the wrath of a maniacal Irish radical (Sean Bean). After seemingly neutralizing the villains, and deciding to celebrate the occasion with his wife (Anne Archer) and daughter (Thora Birch), everything appears to be back to normal; then all hell breaks loose. Author Tom Clancy himself bemoaned the liberties taken with his novel in the final sequences; the picture scored with audiences, however, and soon inspired a followup, A Clear and Present Danger (1994), also starring Ford. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Harrison Ford, Anne Archer, (more)
A sequel to John Mortimer's Paradise Postponed, the Thames Television miniseries Titmuss Regained detailed the further misadventures of bemused British bureaucrat Leslie Titmuss (here played by David Threlfall). As the new Conservative secretary of state for Housing, Ecology, and Planning, Titmuss tried to use his clout to scuttle a proposed property development near his own country estate. Against his better judgment -- not to mention his political convictions -- the Quixotic hero became emotionally involved in the situation, largely due to the presence of toothsome young Jenny Sidonia (Kristin Scott Thomas). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
"Barley" Scott Blair (Sean Connery) is an alcoholic book editor from a bargain-basement publishing house in Great Britain who'd rather be drinking in Lisbon than attending a book dealers' show in Russia. So he's surprised when a CIA agent (Mac McDonald) pulls him from his boozy holiday. It seems that the CIA has through a book show intermediary received a package from a Russian book editor named Katya (Michelle Pfeiffer) containing amazingly detailed notebooks written by a cynical Russian physicist named "Dante" (Klaus-Maria Brandauer). The notebooks show that Russia's nuclear threat is a joke: Russian rockets "suck instead of blow...and can't hit Nevada on a clear day," in the acerbic words of CIA Agent Russell Sheridan (Roy Scheider). But why is Dante sending the notebooks to Blair? How shall the Western world respond to what could be the end of the nuclear arms race? Blair gets drafted by a British Secret Service agent (James Fox) to go to the new Russia to meet Katya. He must see whether the new Russia is still immersed in the old Cold War and whether the notebooks are genuine or another deadly chapter in the war of the spies. ~ Nick Sambides, Jr., All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sean Connery, Michelle Pfeiffer, (more)
Frederick Forsyth's novel is the basis for this made-for-television movie about British agents attempting to halt arms-smuggling between the IRA (Irish Republican Army) and Libya. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Shelley Hack, David Threlfall, (more)
In this English drama, set during World War I, a strange, deaf man, known to all as "The Birdman" (Paul Scofield), must enlist the help of young Daniel Pender (Max Rennie) and Gracie Jenkins (Helen Pearce) to prevent the narwhal whales from suffering abuse at the hands of the local islanders. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Scofield, David Threlfall, (more)
Shakespeare's tragedy, made for British television, is given a full-blooded rendition here with the great Laurence Olivier in the title role and a stellar cast to support him, in the tale of a king torn apart by the ambition and treachery within his family and by his own pride. ~ Mark Hockley, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Laurence Olivier, Anna Calder-Marshall, (more)
Presented in a series of ostensibly farcical or irreverent episodes without any particular connection to each other, and based on short stories written by Yuri Krotkov's own personal knowledge of Stalin, the Red Monarch sketches the infamous Russian dictator as something of a buffoon suffering under the responsibilities of total power. Stalin's many purges of "undesirables" that amounted to millions dead by the end of his reign are not mentioned, and Beria, the chief of the Secret Police (NKVD) responsible for those deaths, is presented in his other notorious persona, that of a vulgar skirt-chasing lecher. Episodes cover a meeting of the Politburo to go over the USSR's loss at a major basketball tournament, and an arm-wrestling context with Mao Zedong. No matter how well Colin Blakely portrays Stalin, he cannot overcome the aspects of the script that trivialize Stalin's criminal record in this failed attempt at a Mel Brooks-style comedy. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Colin Blakely, David Suchet, (more)

- 1982
- Add The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby to QueueAdd The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby to top of Queue
Filmed in 1982, this Tony award winning production of Charles Dickens classic Nicholas Nickleby clocks in with an intimidating running time of nine hours, though it is considered to be one of the best adaptations of the original novel. Roger Rees plays the young Nicholas, who, along with his mother (Jane Downs), and sister (Emily Richard), are forced to seek financial assistance from Nicholas's smarmy uncle (John Woodvine). Ralph does provide Nicholas with a job, but it may have been kinder to leave him on the street--the school he has been sent to work for is run by a sadistic schoolmaster who delights in savagely beating his students. Nicholas leaves the school alongside Smike (David Threlfall), a limping, crooked-backed little boy who had been victim to much of the school's abusive policies. Once unemployed, Nicholas must find a way to to protect his family and come to terms with his own complicated emotions. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roger Rees, Emily Richard, (more)

























