Projects in genres: Action

Synopsis

A man works out the meaning of London, and leaves his findings in a series of cryptic notebooks which his protégé, Jack Cade, must uncover before a mysterious organisation finds Cade and exacts a terrible vengeance.

Synopsis

Set in Australia in the 1880s, the film opens in the middle of a frenzied gunfight between the police and a gang of outlaws. Charlie Burns (Guy Pearce) and his brother Mikey are captured by Captain Stanley (Ray Winstone). Together with their psychopathic brother Arthur (Danny Huston), they are wanted for a brutal crime. Stanley makes Charlie a seemingly impossible proposition in an attempt to bring an end to the cycle of bloody violence. Emily Watson plays Stanley’s wife Martha Stanley; John Hurt plays the bounty hunter Jellon Lamb and David Wenham plays Eden Fletcher, the powerful local landowner.

Synopsis

A small town cop is called in when a student drowns at an elite prep school. Even though the headmaster insists it was suicide, the detective suspects foul play when he finds clues seemingly left by the dead boy’s spirit.

Synopsis

Michael Eastman is a special narcotics agent who is shot in the line of duty. Unable to speak anymore, Michael tries to start a new life when he discovers that one of his ex-colleagues has taken his wife and his home from him. He later discovers his accident was all a setup, and it's all action as he decides to take everyone responsible down!

Synopsis

Three highly acclaimed directors join together to direct three interwoven stories that take place during a journey from Central Europe to Rome. The charcters connect through casual encounters and set forth a story of love, chance and sacrifice.   One older businessman finds solace and a new insight into life when he is forced to wait at the train station due to bad weather. A young man is reminded of life's obligations but is also introduced to love. And three Scottish youths on their way to the football match of their dreams are forced to open their eyes and see the bigger picture.   One single train journey sparks many changes for many people. This is a film about priviledge and exclusion, and the reality of the value of just one 'Ticket'.

Synopsis

Pella, Macedonia 340 B.C. 16 year-old Alexander studies under Aristotle but is old enough to take part in battle, and with his friends, is eager for manhood. While his father Philip is keeping his unruly empire under control, Alexander is charged with, protection of his mother and sister but is not named as Regent of Macedon, which rankles.   A dysfunctional family, impatient youth, plots, treachery and a blurring of the boundaries between reality and legend. Alexander and his friends are on the brink of becoming soldiers but in the meantime are enjoying their teenage years and undergoing the troubles and frustrations of teenagers through the ages.

Synopsis

Ricky (played by Ashley Walters, aka So Solid Crew's Asher D) is just out of a young offenders' institute, heading home to Hackney and determined to go straight. Instead, he heads straight for trouble when he becomes involved in a street confrontation, siding with his best friend Wisdom (Leon Black) against a local rude boy. The trouble escalates into a series of tit for tat incidents that threaten to spiral out of control. Ricky's 12-year-old brother Curtis (Luke Fraser), hero-worships Ricky, though he appears smart enough to know he doesn't want to follow his example. Yet, despite the stern warnings from his mother (Claire Perkins) and support from her friends in the community, might Ricky's bad boy allure be too attractive for Curtis to resist?  

Synopsis

It's the year 2004. A company called Cortex exists. It advertises its services by way of the Internet. The role of this organisation is simple: if you want somebody dead, simply push a few buttons and pay. The organisation collects the money and immediately finds the best professional hit man for the job. The killers are the first human beings to be implanted with a miniature "Eyecam". This permits them to record their work. Their work is then downloaded, shown to the client and ultimately sold by Cortex to those who can afford it. Tom Lawson is one of these Cortex killers. He doesn't know why he has to kill these people. He only knows he has to do it and follows the orders. He never asks questions. And the only reason he does it is for the money. He has just been commissioned to kill a little black kid. But today this killing will lead him to an unexpected love story and to his last days within the organisation.

Synopsis

Two brothers return to the home town they left years before.  They are close, but very different: Richard is strong and purposeful, Anthony younger, more hesitant. Everything Richard does, Anthony innocently mimics. He is slightly retarded and completely in awe of his brother, who in turn is very protective of him.   They set up camp in the hills overlooking the town, reminiscing over their shared past. But they're not here to reminisce. Richard is here for revenge.   He knows who he wants and he knows where they live. The town he left eight years ago is still run by the same gang of small-time drug dealers and thugs. The threat of his presence is enough to instill suspicion and paranoia. Why is he back? What does he want? Who is he after?   One by one, he tracks them down, striking fear into their hearts and turning them against one another. As the gang falls apart, we learn the terrible truth about what went before and how a brother's love inspired violent retribution.

Synopsis

Layer Cake, a metaphor for the many murky layers of the criminal world, is set in modern day London and features smooth-talking and sophisticated drug dealer 'X' whose plan is to quietly bank-roll enough cash to retire young (early). Operating under the polished veneer of a legitimate businessman, his mantra is to keep a low profile and run a tight operation until it's time to get out.    'X' sees his opportunity to make a final score when crime boss, Jimmy Price, asks him to find the wayward daughter of rival crime boss, Eddy Temple. He agrees to take the seemingly innocuous gig as his opportunity to get out of the business with the blessing from Jimmy Price. From the glitz of the London club scene to the underbelly of its criminal world, a dark, twisted thriller ensues.    When a seemingly straight-forward drug deal goes awry, 'X' realises he has to break his die-hard rules and turn up the heat, not only to outwit the old regime and come out on top but to save his own skin.

Synopsis

Based on the acclaimed novel by John King, The Football Factory is about a forgotten culture of males fed up with being told they're no good and using violence as a drug they describe as being more potent than sex and drugs put together.  Adapted and directed by Nick Love, The Football Factory is seen through the eyes of four men, all of who have a different story to tell about their experience with tribal culture on the terraces of the beautiful game.  Tommy Johnson (Danny Dyer); a bright thirty year old with a steady job and close family leads us through the story and is the link to the other three characters.  Billy Bright (Frank Harper); a right wing fascist who forms part of the older generation of the Chelsea Headhunters but is full of bitterness in what he sees as a country that has failed him.  Zeberdee (Roland Manookian) a mouthy hooligan whose life has already run into the cul de sac of crime and drugs.  And Bill Farrell; a seventy year old war veteran who tries to enjoy every day to the limit.  The Football Factory is frighteningly real yet full of painful humour as the four character's extreme thoughts and actions unfold before us.    

Synopsis

A new type of gang has taken over the troubled violent inner cities of the U.K. Tired of hopeless government initiatives and bad policing, younger more focused activists respond by creating their own community infrastructure, gaining a formidable reputation protecting their neighbourhoods from social and moral collapse.   When a meeting is called in Manchester attended by all of the gang members, the idea of uniting all of the gangs as one single all-powerful confederation is presented.   Through the eyes of The Purifiers, a collection of smart, sassy, highly skilled exponents of Tae Kwon Do, we see how this proposal goes against the grain of everything they stand for. The rest of the gangs know, however, that to make the new way a real possibility, they must get rid of The Purifiers.   The story becomes a gauntlet of ambushes and spectacular set pieces where gang leader John has to call on all of his experience to get his young troops safely back home.   An explosive, volatile, unknown terrain faces The Purifiers as their journey becomes an emotional and physical roller coaster with potentially fatal consequences.