Projects in genres: Action

Synopsis

I will destroy everything that comforts you, the servant who obeys you, the physician who heals you, the priest who gives you absolution, the husband who protects you. Anazapta is a medieval thriller, set in 1348 in England; a tale of lust and revenge that unfolds beneath the shadow of the Black Death. It is the story of an enigmatic French nobleman, brought to a small English village as a hostage, who turns out to be an impostor, a nameless stranger with a deadly agenda, a man who embodies the most primal instincts and who uses them to exact a merciless revenge on those around him. He has the ultimate weapon at his command. It's the Black Death itself. 'So it drifted away, an evil noxious mist, contaminating all it touched'.

Synopsis

My mum, she always said to me, 'Anything you do, my son, always leave it neat and tidy' and, do you know, it's a bit of advice I've always followed. And by an odd twist of fate, the line of work I landed up in made that advice all the more appropiate. But I must confess, as I get a little older it gets a little harder, leaving everything - neat and tidy.

Synopsis

An action comedy set in Liverpool, The 51st State, is the story of Elmo McElroy, a streetwise American master chemist, who heads to England to set up his last big deal - to introduce a new designer drug to the European market. He soon becomes embroiled in a web of double-dealing as he's escorted around Liverpool's underworld rave scene by rabid local hood Felix. Theirs is not a match made in heaven - Felix hates all things American. The crazy Yank in a skirt and the loud-mouthed Scouser are forced to team up and forget their differences.

Synopsis

The tragic death of a beautiful young girl starts a tense and atmospheric game of cat and mouse between hunter John Moon and the hardened backwater criminals out for his blood.

Synopsis

King Henry VIII reigned for 38 years. Young and handsome, his Court was the most colourful and extravagant in Europe. Yet this glamorous exterior partly disguised his unpredictable and savagely ruthless nature. His obsession to father a legitimate male heir led him through six marriages, to make himself Supreme Head of the English Church and to cut down those who stood in his way. 'Monarch' is part fact, part fiction, and unfolds around one night when the injured ruler arrives at a manor house closed for the season. Henry is without the power and control of his palace and is vulnerable from those around him, and from his own sanity. Henry left England financially and morally bankrupt; his collection of enemies his only constant. Even today there is a question mark surrounding his burial and possible exhumation. TP McKenna plays Henry; after starring alongside Richard Burton's Henry VIII in the epic 'Anne of a Thousand Days', 'Charge of the Light Brigade', 'Straw Dogs'; and with Jean Marsh ('Upstairs Downstairs', 'Willow' and 'Fatherland') playing an amalgamation of his ex-wives. 'Monarch' unfolds on one night in the year of Henry's death, 1547.

Synopsis

Family high action adventure, aka 'Rebel Zone', features the rescue of hostages and gold bullion seized by armed terrorists led by a maritime Rebel Warlord. Royal Naval Frigate 'HMS Monarch', despatches a Royal Marine detail to track and confront the enemy at their tropical island HQ.

Synopsis

Somewhere in the countryside, an assassin slips into a country mansion with orders to kill its aged occupant. Somewhere in the city, a wounded thug blasts his way into a flat and takes a husband and wife hostage. The old man in the mansion is a legendary crime Boss who has just made the fatal mistake of ordering the elimination of the rival gang. Betrayed by one of his own, his men have been rounded up in a bloody ambush. One of his thugs escapes and follows the Driver of the winning side back to his flat. Desperate to stay alive, the thug knows he will have to swap sides. His hostage, the driver, is his way in. The Assassin has no intention of killing the Boss quickly; he's intrigued by this legend. He delays . . . to have a chat . . . to have a smoke . . . but little does he know what he's getting into. It is not the first time the Boss has stared down the barrel of a gun; at first he bides his time listening to this cowboy, just waiting for the right moment to start playing his own games. Bleeding badly from a bullet in the shoulder, the Thug thinks he has found safety with the Driver and his Wife. However, the Driver is not all he seems and is in just as much danger as the Thug. Seeing events spiral out of control, the Wife decides to take matters into her own hands. These stories are interwoven in a film about the necessity to keep talking in the face of death, even if you are the one holding the gun.

Synopsis

Pete's (Rhys Ifans) business is going bust, his sperm count is dodgy, and his relationship with Sarah (Sadie Frost) is on the rocks. He's infatuated with his secretary Charlie (Dani Behr), despite her being hitched to his bike-messenger Trevor (Andrew Howard) and he's spending too much time in Harry's (Nick Moran) coke den. In short, Pete's in trouble. Then his charming Irish accountant and boyhood pal Deeny (Joseph Fiennes) fixes up a meeting with the mysterious Russian Mr Kant (Steven Berkoff) and his 'assistant' (actually his daughter) Masha (Tara Fitzgerald). Masha and Pete get it together and Mr Kant comes over with the emergency loan. Pete is saved. But then comes the payback: Pete is summoned off the M25 by Masha, and ordered to Russia. There, he is taken in hand by Dr Jones (Keith Allen), Mr Kant's guru, made love to again by Masha - and then appears to be killed by Mr Kant's terrifying bodyguard (Olegario Fedoro) as a warning to other Western 'partners'. Meanwhile it's clear that Deeny set the whole thing up and is plotting to take over Pete's firm - indeed his whole life. However, Pete's not dead. Returning to London, he finds Sarah's pregnant and he's got to kill Deeny. The only people Pete can turn to are Charlie and Trevor. Masha is pregnant too and Mr Kant won't intervene. Pete's got a great plan, and Masha agrees to help with the greatest - and most bizarrely convincing alibi ever, but just as its all coming together Pete learns that Deeny has Sarah and Charlie at his mercy. Now Masha and Mr Kant must help and race to his aid, but Pete has to face Deeny alone, head-to-head, and right up to the final frames.

Synopsis

Gary Dove is an ex-villain who has served his time and is now blissfully retired to a Spanish villa with the wife he adores. His idyll is threatened by the arrival of his gangster nemesis, Don Logan, who is intent on dragging him back to London for daring heist. Desperate not to endanger his carefully constructed paradise. Gal is drawn into an explosive battle of wills, risking everything to protect the woman he loves.

Synopsis

After the phenomenal international success of their trio of films, Shallow Grave, Trainspotting and A Life Less Ordinary, the directing, producing and scriptwriting team of Danny Boyle, Andrew Macdonald and John Hodge, decided to turn their attention to somewhere further afield - to paradise. Or rather, paradise lost. Alex Garland's novel, about a young man travelling in Thailand who finds his way to a beach-side utopia only to become the catalyst for its destruction, was the publishing phenomenon of 1996. "We were looking for a project that had a truly international feel to it and Garland's book fit this criteria perfectly," says Macdonald. The combination of the hip film-makers' du jour with the must-read of the late 1990s proved irresistible to both 20th Century Fox, which agreed to back the film, and one of the world's biggest film stars, Leonardo DiCaprio. DiCaprio signed to play the lead in what would be his first film since Titanic. "I wanted my next film to be something I felt strongly about and The Beach and the character of Richard were the first things I felt some kind of connection with," says DiCaprio. "Because Richard has been saturated with digital information he's never had any need to feel real emotion. So he sets off on a journey to Thailand to find something real in life. Richard is constantly looking for a much deeper sensation." The Beach was shot in Thailand at the beginning of 1999 and premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival in February this year. It has taken approximately $140m worldwide to date.

Synopsis

"I Never Lose . . . Never." Lucky Delon, Boxer Lucky Delon is a prize-fighter who is approached by a gangster, BMF, to throw his next fight. Refusing to be intimidated, Lucky knocks his opponent out and skips town. "You Want to Hide?" Savaj, Sadist There is no escape for Lucky when the gangster's henchmen catch up with him. Unless he makes amends by doing a hit, he is dead. As there is no alternative Lucky reluctantly agrees. He follows instructions and goes to a club, where he is rescued from a run in with two hoodlums by Harvey "The Hitman" Roach. Harvey instructs Lucky in the art of being a hitman and Lucky carries out the hit, rescuing a girl who gets caught up in the crossfire. "Never Make Deals with the Bad Guys". Harvey "The Hitman" Roach, Professional Killer Once again the BMF's mob catch up with Lucky. They fight and Lucky leaves them for dead. Lucky meets up with Harvey again, who convinces him to accompany him on some "business". Lucky watches as Harvey kills a rival and gets wounded in the process and also observes Harvey deal with an unfaithful girlfriend and her lover. "You Must Be Fu?#Ing Stupid Kid !" Harvey "The Hitman" Roach, Professional Killer Just as Lucky is getting used to having a hitman for a mentor, the BMF springs a new trap, turning the tables on Lucky in a violent and bloody showdown. "Lucky, Lucky, Lucky, Poor Poor Lucky !" BMF, Gangster

Synopsis

Dublin 1998. An enigmatic, leather clad figure weaves his way through traffic on a powerful motorbike. This is Michael Lynch - thief, bigamist, liar, criminal genius and our hero. Ordinary Decent Criminal is a classic gangster movie, which takes place in modern day Ireland. It follows the extraordinary adventures of an ordinary decent criminal - a man who robs from the rich but lives with the poor. He loves his two wives, sisters Christine and Lisa, his wild kids, his gang and, above all, his special way of life. Michael is a suave, sardonic and sexy man: a criminal who strides the Dublin streets like a colossus. He dreams up robberies with hallmark panache which seldom fail to endear him to the crowd. He challenges authority at every turn, culminating in the ultimate art theft from Dublin's most prestigious art gallery when he outwits the police, Interpol and even the rest of the criminal fraternity. Michael is driven by two fundamental beliefs: be loyal to your own and to hell with the establishment. He succeeds so well that what starts as a laugh evolves into something else. He begins to enjoy the sting more than the cash, and the notoriety most of all. As his ego drives him on, the police, in particular Noel Quigley, become determined to break him. The police close in, increasing their harassment pressure on the whole gang, Michael makes a mistake that could break him, threatening his good name with the public, and his reliability as a bread winner. But he recovers his equilibrium in time to dream up a final grand scheme to dazzle - and survive the trap that has been set for him . . .