Paul Freeman Movies
A noted character actor in England, Paul Freeman spent his early performing years on the stage, moving into film with the abysmal Whose Child Am I?, which still turns up on cable once in a while. TV appearances (including The Life of Shakespeare in which he played Burbage) followed. In 1979 he was drafted to play Colin, the best friend of fictional British crime boss Harold Shand (played by Bob Hoskins) in the controversial and troubled The Long Good Friday. Equally as controversial was Death of a Princess, a docudrama about the 1977 execution of a Saudi Arabian princess for adultery, in which Freeman portrayed journalist Anthony Thomas.The Dogs of War took Freeman to Africa, co-starring with Christopher Walken and Tom Berenger, and it was during this shoot that he met his wife, Maggie Scott, who was cast in the key role of Gabrielle. Tunisia was one of the next stops for Freeman, who stepped into one of the defining roles of his career at this point -- that of crooked archaeologist Rene Belloq, chief rival to Harrison Ford's Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Freeman returned briefly to television, as the villainous Gustav Riebman in Falcon Crest, then returned to feature work with The Sender,The Final Option, and others, salting these with Sakharov for HBO and the miniseries A.D., which led to him being cast in the title role of the aborted Pontius Pilate project, based on the Paul Maier novel.
Over the years, he has essayed a remarkable number of roles, from parts in the universally panned Shanghai Surprise (which sank George Harrison's Handmade Films company) to the role of Moriarty in Without a Clue and even, buried under pounds of makeup, the evil Ivan Ooze in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie. On occasion he has even managed to turn up in controversial projects, such as 1990's barely-seen Prisoner of Rio, in which he played Ronald Biggs, a fugitive British train robber living handsomely in Brazil. By late 1997, early 1998, he was working with the Royal Shakespeare Company. Paul Freeman is not to be confused with a producer by the same name. ~ Steven E. McDonald, All Movie Guide
- 1991
- Add A Dangerous Man: Lawrence After Arabia to QueueAdd A Dangerous Man: Lawrence After Arabia to top of Queue
This informative look at T.E. Lawrence at the 1919 Paris Peace Conference, as he serves as the liaison to the Hashemite delegation in an effort to have the Allies agree to Arab independence. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ralph Fiennes
Cinematographer Chris Menges' first directorial effort, A World Apart was inspired by the lives of South African journalist Ruth First and her daughter Shawn Slovo (who wrote the film's screenplay). Barbara Hershey plays the fictional counterpart to Ms. First, Diana Roth, with Jodhi May as her daughter. Told from the daughter's viewpoint, the film shows us that Diana and her husband Jeroen Krabbe are so busy with their anti-Apartheid political activism that they totally shut May out of their lives. In 1963, Hershey is arrested by the South African police, becoming the first white woman to be held under the infamous 90-day-detention act. Left despondent and suicidal by two separate arrests and by constant harassment from the police, Diana still won't include her daughter in her life until the girl presses the issue in a climactic confrontation. Some critics felt that Shawn Slovo was using A World Apart to settle unresolved issues in her own life: Ruth First was killed under suspicious circumstances in 1982, without ever reconciling with her daughter. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Barbara Hershey, Jodhi May, (more)
- 1985
Filmed in Tunisia on a budget of 30 million dollars, the five-part, 12-hour miniseries A.D. was the final installment in a historical trilogy which included Moses the Lawgiver and Jesus of Nazareth. Covering the years 30 to 69 A.D., the teleplay, co-written by Anthony Burgess, chronicled the political intrigue which plagued the Roman Empire, with such key players as the emperors Tiberius (James Mason in his final role), Caligula (John McEnery), Claudius (Richard Kiley), and Nero (Anthony Andrews) calling the shots. Meanwhile, the death of Jesus Christ (played by Michael Wilding, son of Elizabeth Taylor) not only sparked a widespread monotheistic religious movement, but also resulted in devastating factionalism amongst the various Jewish sects of the era. Offsetting the true events are a number of fictional subplots, among them the romance between Jewish slave girl Sarah (Amanda Pays) and Roman soldier Valerius (Neil Dickson), and the tempestuous relationship between male and female gladiators, Caleb (Cecil Humphreys) and Corinna (Diana Venora). The huge cast included Ava Gardner, making her TV-movie debut as the scheming Agrippina. The winner of an Emmy award for Best Film Editing, A.D. was broadcast by NBC from March 31 through April 4, 1985. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anthony Andrews, Colleen Dewhurst, (more)
- 1982
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
- Starring:
- Pippa Guard, Billie Whitelaw, (more)
- 2002
- PG13
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Valentin (also known as And Now...Ladies and Gentleman) is directed by Claude Lelouch and features Jeremy Irons as Valentin, a criminal mastermind whose jewel-stealing business, despite having made him rich, does not offer him much room for personal growth. Hoping to find meaning for his existence, Valentin buys a boat and sets off on a one-man sailing trip around the world, with the police at his heels. At the same time, a burned-out jazz singer named Jane (Patricia Kaas) is in Morocco trying to forget an ill-fated love affair. Valentin, after being struck by a serious illness, makes an emergency landing on the Moroccan coast. Jane soon crosses paths with the suave con artist, and they begin a relationship. Valentin, filmed in France, England, and Morocco, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2002. The supporting cast of Valentin includes Xavier Lecoeur, Romula Walker, and Laura Mayne-Kerbrat. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeremy Irons, Patricia Kaas, (more)
- 1980
In 1977, an Arabian princess and her 19-year-old lover were publicly executed. British journalist Antony Thomas investigated this contemporary example of Middle Eastern jurisprudence; he then transformed his research into this 1980 docudrama. Suzanne Abou Taleb plays the unfortunate title woman in this unvarnished dramatization. The government of Saudi Arabia demanded that the film not be shown in Great Britain, but the BBC refused to buckle under. In America, Death of a Princess was telecast as an episode of the PBS series World on May 12, 1980. Despite the protests of the Saudi-Arabians and alleged pressure from certain oil-company underwriters of public television, the film attracted one of PBS's biggest-ever audiences. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Like John Woo and Ringo Lam before him, noted Hong Kong action director Tsui Hark made his American filmmaking debut with a thriller starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. For this film, Hark also had the privilege of guiding basketball star Dennis Rodman through his first dramatic role. American anti-terrorist agent Jack Quinn (Van Damme) has retired from duty, content to stay with his pregnant wife at his seaside hideaway. However, the CIA lure him back into duty for one last mission: wiping out crazed international terrorist Stavros (Mickey Rourke). Quinn flies to Antwerp to ambush Stavros, but his plan fails; Quinn is captured and imprisoned in "The Colony," a prison camp for spies "too valuable to kill and too dangerous to set free." To further torture Quinn, Stavros kidnaps Quinn's wife; after she gives birth to their son, Stavros keeps him captive, surrounded by land mines and wild animals. Quinn escapes and makes plans to rescue his wife and child, but he can't do it alone, so he seeks the help of Yaz (Rodman), a top-level underground arms merchant with a tendency towards flamboyant body modification. Rodman also appears with R&B vocalist Crystal Waters on the song "Just a Freak" which appears on the film's soundtrack. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dennis Rodman, (more)
- 2001
The wedding of Mark Greene (Anthony Edwards) and Elizabeth Corday (Alex Kingston) may never come off, thanks to a combination of terrible weather, squabbling in-laws, a misplaced wallet, and a clueless limo service. Back at the ER, with most of the nurses invited to the wedding, Abby (Maura Tierney) must hold down the fort while suffering from a bad cold; and Kovac (Goran Visnjic) and Carter (Noah Wyle) argue over the treatment of the victims of a prison-van accident. And while embarking on a vacation to get over her relationship with Legaspi, Weaver (Laura Innes) makes a new "friend" (Casey Biggs). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2002
Season nine of ER begins ten minutes after season eight left off, with the County General ER still in lockdown in the face of a possible smallpox epidemic. Though most of the patients and staffers have been evacuated, a handful are quarantined at the ER for two weeks, among them Carter (Noah Wyle), Abby (Maura Tierney), Chen (Ming-Na), and Pratt (Mekhi Phifer), now a full-fledged series regular. In the midst of the chaos and confusion, Carter and Abby have managed to find the opportunity to lock lips, thereby inaugurating a whole new phase in their relationship. Meanwhile, on the roof of the hospital, Romano (Paul McCrane) throws another temper tantrum, with disastrous consequences when, in mid-rant, he backs into the tail rotor of a helicopter. And in faraway London, the newly widowed Elizabeth Corday (Alex Kingston) has joined her father's business -- but may now be too "Americanized" for her family's tastes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1998
Greene (Anthony Edwards) ponders becoming the EMT medical director on a part-time basis. Benton (Eriq La Salle) worries that his son, Reese, may be hearing-impaired. Elizabeth Corday's father (Paul Freeman) arrives from England, and asks Elizabeth (Alex Kingston) to join his practice back in the old country, while Weaver (Laura Innes) offers the counter-suggestion that Elizabeth start over as an intern to learn American methods. And Carter's (Noah Wyle) first attempt to be the RA in the medical-school dorms isn't all that successful. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1991
- PG13
Polish bureaucrat Jozef Burski (Donald Sutherland) all but loses his reason for living when he is "downsized" by his government. Reduced to non-person status, Burski reaches out to his friends for moral support, but they turn their backs on him. Worse still, he doesn't know why he's been targeted for this emotional abuse; every time he tries to find out, something calamitous happens. The emotional strain takes its biggest toll on Burski's wife Mira (Anne Archer), who ends up in a state asylum. Suddenly, Burski's exile is lifted: it's all been a test of his loyalty to his homeland. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Donald Sutherland, Anne Archer, (more)
- 1984
In this enigmatic thriller, Susannah (Tusse Silberg) is suddenly herded out of an apartment in the middle of the night and brought to a police station for extensive questioning about why she was in a place that belonged to a known criminal. What the police do not know is that Susannah has been somehow involved in the death of a woman and has reunited with her sister Julie (Lisa Kreuzer) in Berlin. Julie herself has some rather unusual friends -- including Eddie Constantine the American-born French actor and singer who plays himself. It is these characters and their dialogue and asides, and even background action and scenery, that form the real body of this specialized film -- not the plot. For these reasons, this type of film is best limited to those who are more interested in avant-garde than in commercial cinema. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tusse Silberg, Paul Freeman, (more)
The family friendly adventure film George and the Dragon tells the tale of a knight who, upon returning home after an unsettling period fighting the Crusades, agrees to find a king's missing daughter in order to possess some land in a quiet area of the world. Soon he learns that in order to return the princess, George will be forced to outwit a dragon with the help of his loyal friend Elmendorf. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Purefoy, Piper Perabo, (more)
A top London cop who is so good at his job that he makes his fellow officers look like slackers by comparison is "promoted" to serve in the sleepy village of Sandford in this contemporary action comedy from the creators of Shaun of the Dead. Police constable Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg) always gets his man, but these days his impeccable record seems to be more indicative of his fellow officers' shortcomings than his own formidable skills as a keeper of the peace. Loathe to stand idly by as their once respectable track record is steadily soiled by the hyper-competent actions of one lone overachiever, Sergeant Angel's superiors at the Met soon determine to remedy their problem by relocating the decorated constable to the West Country village of Sanford -- where tranquil garden parties and neighborhood watch meetings stand in stark contrast to the violent crime and heated gunplay of the city. As Sergeant Angel does his best to adjust to the relative calm of his new environment, his oafish new partner Danny Butterman (Nick Frost) strives to gain the respect of his fellow constables while sustaining himself on fantasies of his favorite action films and police shows. Later, just as it begins to appear as if Sergeant Angel has been relegated to an uneventful existence in the relative calm of the countryside, a series of horrific "accidents" lead him to suspect that the tranquil hamlet of Sanford has fallen prey to a sinister plot which reeks of foul play. Jim Broadbent, Timothy Dalton, Steve Coogan, and Martin Freeman co-star in the Edgar Wright film. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, (more)
Chappy Sinclair enlists the aid of a team of wild air show pilots after he discovers that a Peruvian drug lord has set up shop in a small village. The fly boys make off with a fleet of World War II vintage aircraft in an effort to drive the drug dealers out of business, but they come up against a former Air Force comrade of Sinclair's, who is part of the illegal operation. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Louis Gossett, Jr., Paul Freeman, (more)
- 1992
Just Like a Woman is a contemporary cross-dressing farce played as if it were a romantic comedy. But still, in the deep recesses of the celluloid, the narrator from Ed Wood's Glen Or Glenda can be heard intoning, "Remember, transvestites are not homosexuals." The story begins when businessman Gerald (Adrian Pasdar) is kicked out of his house by his wife, who discovers Gerald in the possession of a strange woman's underwear. After being cast out of hearth and home, he ends up living in a rented room at the home of fortyish divorcee Monica (Julie Walters). The two proceed to fall in love, and all is well until Monica spots a mysterious woman creeping upstairs to Gerald's room. When Monica investigates, it turns out that the mystery woman is, in fact, Gerald. Monica is taken aback, but only for a moment, and they continue their affair -- dresses, panties, garter belts and all. As one of Monica's friends points out to her, "It's 'is 'obby, luv . . . like golf . . .except you see more of him." Unfortunately, so does Gerald's boss, Miles Millichamp (Paul Freeman) who abruptly fires him for being a transvestite. But Gerald's firing affects his firm's negotiations with an important Japanese company and he must muster up enough fortitude to both straighten out his career and his panty hose. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Julie Walters, Adrian Pasdar, (more)
- 1989
A sly American magician manipulates a London television producer in this drama. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1995
- PG
- Add Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie to QueueAdd Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie to top of Queue
The popular children's television show comes to the screen in this sci-fi adventure about a group of teenage superheroes battling an evil leader bent on world domination. The film's six heroes lead double existences as normal young teens who, when needed, don color-coded costumes to become the Power Rangers. Under the guidance of the valiant Zordon (Nicholas Bell), the Rangers fight crime with kung-fu skills and specialized attack vehicles. This time, the Rangers are battling Ivan Ooze (Paul Freeman), a millennia-old villain who hopes to take over the world with an army of phlegm creatures. The Rangers' only hope for victory is to acquire a special power source, leading to a dangerous journey into outer space. Despite the larger budget, the film remains true to the style of the show, which often recalls Japanese monster movies in its depictions of battling giant monsters through obvious special effects. The fast-paced fantasy action attracted a good portion of its intended youthful audience, while not becoming quite as much of a sensation as the TV series; some adults attacked the film for its reliance on violence (though of a bloodless, cartoon variety) and its status as a blatant promotional tool for the best-selling Power Ranger toys. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Karen Ashley, Johnny Yong Bosch, (more)
Everything seems to be going right for Julius Morlang (Paul Freeman, best-known as the villainous Rene Belloq in Raiders of the Lost Ark). He lives with his beautiful young girlfriend, Ann (Susan Lynch of From Hell), in a lovely cliffside home on the Pacific coast of Ireland. His once-stagnant art career is undergoing a resurgence and his agent (Eric van der Donk) tells him, "You seem a little happier. It's in your work." But things begin to fall apart when someone breaks into his home and ransacks it, leaving a cryptic message. Through flashbacks the audience discovers the truth about the death of Ellen (Diana Kent), Julius' wife of 15 years. Julius soon finds his new life with Ann threatened by a malevolent figure from his past. The basic premise of Morlang, Tjebbo Penning's directorial debut feature, was inspired by a television news story. Penning's film won awards for Best Lead Actor (Freeman) and Best First Film at the 2001 Cairo International Film Festival. It was also shown in competition at the 2002 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Freeman, Diana Kent, (more)
- 2003
Ian Sharp's Mrs. Caldicot's Cabbage War concerns itself with Thelma Caldicot (Pauline Collins), whose life changes radically after the death of her husband. After her spouse dies, thanks to an errant cricket ball, Thelma is taken out of her home by her son Derek (Peter Capaldi) and her daughter-in-law Veronica (Anna Wilson-Jones). She is admitted to the Twilight Years Rest Home, which is run by Hawthorne (John Alderton). Upset with the care she and the other patients receive, Thelma leads a revolt. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pauline Collins, Peter Capaldi, (more)
- 1989
Ben Kingsley stars as Simon Weisenthal, an Austrian Jew who is interred in the Malthausen concentration camp during World War II. When the camp is liberated, it is Weisenthal's eyewitness testimony, coupled with sketches that he's made of the many Nazi atrocities, that leads to the capture of Malthausen's escaped commandants. Weisenthal goes on to join the American War Crimes unit, collecting evidence for the Nuremberg trials. Eventually he dedicates his life to tracking down Nazi war criminals, at great personal cost to himself and his wife (Renee Soutendjik). His most daunting task is to convince his daughter (Louisa Haigh) that he is pursuing justice, not vengeance. Made for HBO, Murderers Among Us: The Simon Wiesenthal Story premiered April 22, 1989. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
