Hilary Heath Movies

A working class British family struggles with their demons -- sometimes violently -- in this intensely emotional drama that marked the directorial debut of actor Gary Oldman. Janet (Laila Morse) is a widowed factory worker who shares her home with her aged mother Kath (Edna Dore), her daughter Valerie (Kathy Burke), her son Billy (Charlie Creed-Miles), and Valerie's husband Ray (Ray Winstone). Ray is an unstable and out-of-work alcoholic who often uses his pregnant wife as a punching bag, while Billy is a drug addict whose habit has led Janet to throw him out of the house more then once, only to take him back later. Janet is uncertain about what to do when Ray's latest tirade sends Valerie to the emergency room, and Janet also has to come to terms with the financial and emotional costs of Billy's addiction. Kathy Burke, Ray Winstone, and Laila Morse all received prizes from the 1997 British Independent Film Awards for their work in Nil by Mouth; Burke also received Best Actress honors at that year's Cannes Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Criminal Law is an inadvertently legal thriller wherein criminal defense attorney Ben Chase (Gary Oldman) decides to prove that his client Martin Thiel (Kevin Bacon) is in fact a serial killer, despite the acquittal that Ben won for him. When new murders occur, Ben takes matters into his own hands, beginning a psychological battle of wills with Martin. Gary Oldman gives an excellent performance as the criminal defense attorney with a conscience, and Kevin Bacon is intriguing and ambiguous as the killer. The action sequences -- particularly when Ben finds a body in the rain in a deserted park -- are terrific as is the fast-paced direction by Martin Campbell. However, the film cannot overcome its ludicrous premise or its laughable, totally unbelievable courtroom sequences. Criminal Law, if not taken very seriously and with more than a grain of salt, can be entertaining, but it fails miserably when compared to accurate, exciting legal thrillers such as Primal Fear. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide

In an Australian outback town so small that children of all ages share a single classroom, teacher Sally (Rachel Ward) suffers the typical frustrations of life in the provinces. She really finds something to fret about when a gang of gun-toting, mask-wearing criminals kidnaps her and the students and drives them to the remote wilderness. With the kids' safety, perhaps survival, in the balance, Sally must appease the lewdly suggestive bandits while scheming for a way to escape their clutches. After several abortive attempts result in multiple deaths, she and the oldest children manage to usher the young ones to at least provisional safety. Free but stranded in a mountain hideaway, the class must band together to survive and perhaps turn the tables on the men who continue to hunt them. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide