Don Boyd Movies

William Shakespeare's King Lear is transposed into a modern-dress British crime drama in this tense tale of family ties and the lust for power. Sandeman (Richard Harris) is the elderly leader of a Liverpool crime syndicate who is fiercely loyal to his wife Mandy (Lynn Redgrave) and his daughters Jo (Emma Catherwood), Tracy (Lorraine Pilkington), and Kath (Louise Lombard). When Mandy is shot dead during a street robbery, Sandeman is shattered, and decides it's time to turn the business over to one of his daughters. Jo, the middle child, has long been Sandeman's favorite, and he decides to give her control of the business, as well as the lion's share of his estate when he dies. Loyal Jo, however, does not want to get involved in her father's dealings, which leads to a heated battle between Tracy and Kath over Sandeman's empire; adding fuel to the fire are Dean (Paul McGann), a strong-arm man for Sandeman who's married to Kath, and Jug (Jimi Mistry), Tracy's spouse and a notorious drug dealer. As a civil war rages among Sandeman's family and associates over control of his syndicate, police officer Puttnam (Aidan Gillen) and customs agent Quick (Tom Bell) make one last attempt to put Sandeman behind bars before he retires from his life of crime. My Kingdom isn't the first gangland drama to be based on the work of William Shakespeare; another of the Bard's tragedies received similar treatment in 1955's Joe Macbeth. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Henry Herbert directed this British drama, the first feature filmed in its entirety in Northern Ireland since the cease-fire. Colin Bateman scripted by adapting his novel, Cycle of Violence. Reporter Kevin Miller (Gerard Rooney) attends his father's wake, goes back to the office drunk, and is reassigned to cover events in the small border town of Crossmaheart where he meets Marie (Maria Lennon), girlfriend of a previous journalist who mysteriously vanished. When the body turns up, Marie departs, leaving Kevin to get to the bottom of the mystery. Shown at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

This British TV movie was first telecast as Golden Eye: The Secret Life of Ian Fleming. While it should not be confused with either the 1996 James Bond epic Goldeneye or the 1989 made-for-cable The Secret Life of Ian Fleming, there are certain story elements common to all three properties. Novelist Ian Fleming (Charles Dance) wanders between fantasy and reality during his formative experiences with gambling, womanizing and espionage. Every so often, Fleming's creation James Bond materializes to pick up where his creator leaves off. Secret Agent 007 is played by Reg Gadney, who also wrote the screenplay. Golden Eye is based on the novel by John Pearson. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

British filmmaker Derek Jarman combines his standard erotic imagery with innovative documentary techniques in his Last of England. The film traces the decline and fall of Britain as seen from the vantage points of London and Belfast. Old home movies, newly shot hand-held 8 millimeter photography, "straight" newsreel-style footage and a barrage of familiar music and street sounds all combine to create a jaw-dropping mosaic of apocalyptic allusions. Obviously not geared to everyone's taste, Last of England is an eloquent cry of anguish from one of the most accomplished British filmmakers of the 1980s. Jarman also wrote the book on which this film is based. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Paul Mayersberg wrote and directed this sleek thriller about a bored rich girl, abducted by kidnappers, who begins to love her abductors. Beautiful Rowena Le Vay (Irina Brook) is the pampered daughter of a rich international tycoon, Gregory Le Vay (Oliver Reed), who, heartbroken at the death of his wife, tries to re-create her through Rowena. Rowena drinks and mopes around her mansion all day, unaware that she is being observed by a trio of abductors -- a stylish Frenchman who calls himself D (Xavier Deluc); a charming young Japanese man named Hiro (Hiro Arai); and an attractive radical-chic garbed woman named Bryony (Corinne Dacla). Rowena is imprisoned by the three in a cavernous garage where she is drugged, handcuffed, blindfolded and gagged. After that, so as not to clash with the decor, she is housed in a white box for the night. It becomes apparent that the kidnappers have carried out their crime, not for ransom or captive sexual favors, but simply for the joy of committing the crime. Not only that, but they seek to mold Rowena (who is already half way there) to their lifestyle. Rowena willingly assents. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

After the suicide of her friend and employer, who has been teaching her to be a detective, Cordelia Gray (Pippa Guard) takes over his business and begins an investigation of the apparent suicide of the son of a businessman. When the suicide turns out to be murder, what she discovers disrupts the entire family and puts Cordelia's life in danger. This off-beat British film is a moody, entertaining thriller, much in the tradition of film noir, but with an unusual and determined female detective. Nicely directed by Christopher Petit, and based on the wonderful novel of the same name by the acclaimed British mystery writer P. J. James, this film gives a fresh approach to the detective-film genre and introduces an intelligent and resourceful woman to a profession usually dominated by men. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide

Let Malcolm McLaren show you how to achieve fame and fortune by making your pop group the most despised band in the world! This film about the brief but eventful career of The Sex Pistols primarily focuses on McLaren, their manager, as he presents his ten-point program on how to achieve success through chaos, ineptitude, and abusing the music industry. Despite some remarkable footage of The Sex Pistols' infamous Jubilee Day performance and clips from their final concert in San Francisco, there's surprisingly little screen time devoted to the group actually performing. Instead, The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle offers McLaren's agit-prop philosophies on music, culture, politics, and the entertainment industry, as well as an amusing (if often inaccurate) account of the band's rise and fall. Along the way, we're also offered some curious animated sequences, "film noir" episodes starring guitarist Steve Jones, footage of the band recording with exiled British train robber Ronnie Biggs, and Sid Vicious singing "My Way" (he had been dead for over a year by the time the movie was released). The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle began life as "Who Killed Bambi?", a project written by Roger Ebert and directed by Russ Meyer, which closed down after two days of shooting when funding fell through. By the time McLaren and Julien Temple got it off the ground (with a radically different script), Johnny Rotten had left the group, which explains why the band's front man is hardly in the movie. The rest of the group broke up a few months later. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Matthew Chapman wrote and directed this hackneyed love story with Helen Mirren as Beaty, a nightclub hostess who turns tricks. Emory (John Shea) is an expatriate American who works the lights at Beaty's nightclub and is in love with her. But Beaty cannot deal in flowery sentiment, especially since she needs money, not romance, to support her young son. But Emory sees a way to attain money and romance -- he plans to execute a drug deal with his low-life partner and use the proceeds to take Beaty and her son away from the degenerate surroundings and into the light-of-day in the English countryside. But unfortunately, things do not go as planned. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

Scum refers to the label slapped upon reform-school inmate Ray Winstone. Such reformatories are called "borstals" by the British. When he isn't being beaten up by the other boys, Ray is being beaten down by The System. He rebels against this treatment and "wins" by becoming more vicious than any of his oppressors. Scum was originally filmed for British television, but rejected because of the bleakness of its outlook. In America, it went straight into theatres, where audiences had to strain to comprehend the "punk" jargon and thick provincial accents. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A British-American production, Sweet William is an R-rated movie about sexual relationships that focuses on the flings of an untamed Scotsman named William (Sam Waterston). William has had two marriages and many affairs, and he approaches more romantic adventures without feeling any guilt. His next target is a sensitive and naïve London woman, Ann (Jenny Agutter). Her boyfriend is away on business in the U.S., and the irresistible William woos her by acting lovably loony. Ann soon learns of William's reputation, even though he does his best to hide his past and his current fancies. She decides that some woman finally needs to take a stand against William's charms. Ann eventually makes him choose between continuing his philandering ways and settling down for true happiness. Despite its theme and rating, the film has no explicit sexual scenes. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide