Richard Coyle Movies

In the midst of an intense five-day war between Russia and the Georgian Republic, a rogue American journalist, his loyal cameraman, and a desperate local woman fight to reveal the truth about the atrocities being committed against innocent civilians. Andy Garcia, Val Kilmer, Rupert Friend, and Emmanuelle Chriqui star in this explosive war drama from Die Hard 2 director Renny Harlin. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Ubisoft's popular video-game series of the same name gets adapted for the big screen in this sweeping fantasy adventure starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Gemma Arterton. The setting is sixth century Persia. A nefarious nobleman covets the Sands of Time, a legendary gift from the gods that allows its possessor to turn back time. Whoever owns the Sands of Time has the power to rule the world, and this villainous lord would use that power to enslave all of humanity. The only person capable of defeating this tyrant and saving the world is Dastan (Gyllenhaal), a youthful prince. Now, with plucky princess Tamina (Gemma Arterton) by his side, Dastan will attempt to prevent the Sands of Time from falling into the wrong hands. Mike Newell (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) directs a script penned by Carlo Bernard, Doug Miro, Jordan Mechner, and Boaz Yakin. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director Gillies MacKinnin and screenwriter Adrian Hodges team to adapt Victorian author H.G. Wells' intimate drama about a man who has forsaken his dreams to lead a life of suffocating mediocrity. Alfred Polly (Lee Evans) was once a man with truly extraordinary dreams, but unfortunately Alfred has chosen to walk the comfortable path of convention. Now saddled with a nagging wife (Anne-Marie Duff) and a failing business, Alfred becomes consumed by his own desperation. But no one who strives for a life of simple contentment will ever achieve anything truly extraordinary, and only when Alfred decides to take violent action will he finally realize what it takes for a gutless milquetoast to embrace his inner hero. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

By the time the hit Britcom Coupling reached its fourth season in 2004, change was afoot. Newly moved from BBC2 to BBC3, the show also faced its first significant casting change: Richard Coyle abruptly left the series, effectively removing spastic man-child Jeff from the tight, six-member ensemble that had been together for 22 episodes. Though disappointed, series creator Steven Moffat whipped up a replacement in the form of Oliver (Richard Mylan), a comic-shop employee with adolescent hang-ups and dating woes similar to Jeff's. Initially introduced as a peripheral character, Oliver soon blossomed into a love interest for kooky Jane (Gina Bellman). Meanwhile, Patrick (Ben Miles) and Sally (Kate Isitt) settled into their tentative romance, while Steve (Jack Davenport) and Susan (Sarah Alexander) dealt with their impending parenthood. Even as the show maintained the more mature tone of the previous season, some longtime viewers complained bitterly about Jeff's absence -- and about the obvious similarities between him and Oliver. Jeff did, however, make a memorable appearance in the season finale, though not in the form his ardent fans might have expected. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi

New wrinkles are added to an old crime when a spitting image of the victim shows up in this dark comedy. Pen-y-wig is a small town along the southern coast of Wales where, in 1988, Jenny Thomas (Emmy Rossum) won first prize in a local beauty contest. On her way home, Jenny began having car trouble, and when Tin Man (Om Puri), a local oddball, found her stranded by the side of the road, he offered to go find help. Jenny was soon approached by Joe (Richard Coyle), a boy she had been dating, as well as Joe's friend Glen (Paddy Considine). Jenny and Joe got into a quarrel, and when Jenny tripped and fell, she struck her head and died immediately. Panicked, Joe and Glen told the police that Tin Man had killed Jenny, and he was found guilty and sentenced to a lengthy stay behind bars. In 2000, Jenny's sister, Tina Trent (Susan Lynch), returns to Pen-y-wig after spending several years in Alaska, and she brings along her teenaged daughter, Nicky Trent, who bears a striking resemblance to Jenny (and is also played by Emmy Rossum). Nicky's arrival in town inspires no small amount of gossip about the death of her aunt, which is bad news for Glen, currently running for a seat in an upcoming local election. As it happens, Tin Man is due to be released from jail soon, and Max (Ioan Gruffudd), a police detective new to the community, begins looking at the loose ends of the case against Tin Man, certain there's more to the story than he's been told. Max also develops a personal interest in the case when he becomes involved with Nicky, who is living with her mother in the same rooming house that Max calls home. Happy Now was the first feature film from director and screenwriter Philippa Collie-Cousins, who in 1999 won the BAFTA award for Best Short Film for her comedy The Deadness of Dad. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Filmed in London and Wales, this two-part adaptation of the oft-dramatized R.D. Blackmore novel Lorna Doone was praised for its realism, though one or two nitpickers pointed out that the costumes were not all "in period" for 17th century Scotland. This time around, Amelia Warner starred as the titular Lorna, whose romance with young John Ridd (Richard Coyle) was imperiled by the bloody, long-standing feud between the Doones and the Ridds. The show was stolen by Martin Clunes in the flashy role of the redoubtable Jeremy Stickles. Lorna Doone aired over BBC1 on December 24 and 26, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Although Americans know Coupling primarily in the form of NBC's failed U.S. remake, the original British series has been a hit since it first aired on BBC2 in May 2000. Written by Steven Moffat and produced by his wife, Sue Vertue, the raunchy comedy follows the sexual and romantic exploits of six young professionals in London as they hang out in a pub, hunt for conquests, and reluctantly settle down with one another. Despite the three-guys, three-girls setup, any similarities to the hit U.S. sitcom Friends are superficial. Coupling is far more concerned with frank sex talk and romantic Darwinism than sentimentality and soap opera plotlines. Early episodes focused almost entirely on conceptual "knob gags" -- long setups and payoffs of an unfailingly vulgar nature. From sex toys to lesbian chic to one character's closet full of homemade porn, Moffat's scripts take R-rated dialogue as a given. As the series has progressed, however, its characters have essayed more mature relationships while remaining fixated on the intricacies of sex.

The relationship between flustered everyman Steve (Jack Davenport) and his icy blond girlfriend, Susan (Sarah Alexander), provides the show's nominal through-line, even as the more extreme characters earn more of the laughs. Patrick (Ben Miles), a Tory womanizer, represents one male extreme. The other comes in the form of Jeff (Richard Coyle), a juvenile sex addict afflicted by both performance anxiety and verbal diarrhea. As for the ladies, Jane (Gina Bellman) is the over-confident, deliberately kooky man-trap, while Sally (Kate Isitt) is the self-help addict obsessed with halting the aging process. Although each character starts out as little more than a collection of tics, time has deepened the emotional resonance of the entire cast.

After three seasons on BBC2, Coupling underwent some changes in its fourth season. Richard Coyle abruptly quit, leaving Moffat to replace Jeff with Oliver (Richard Mylan), a similarly bumbling man-boy. The show also moved over to BBC3. In America, the series first aired on PBS before migrating to the BBC America cable network. Despite their various levels of television experience, most cast members were relative unknowns when the series began. Only Jack Davenport, with the BBC hit This Life and the film The Talented Mr. Ripley under his belt, had much of a profile; he has since appeared in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi