Sexy Beast |
88 minutes
UK (2000) Cert 18 starring Ray Winstone, Ben Kingsley, Ian McShane, Amanda Redman, Cavan Kendall, Julianne White, James Fox directed by Jonathan Glazer |
This stylish, jolting and surprisingly moving gangster picture is lifted above the conventions of the genre by Jonathan Glazer's smooth, syncopated direction and the wit and grit of the cast. Ray Winstone plays Gal, a retired London gangster whose idyllic life in Spain is interrupted by the arrival of Don Logan (Ben Kingsley), who wants to recruit Gal for a complicated heist. Mr. Winstone's slow-moving magnetism is a perfect foil for Mr. Kingsley's terrifying intensity. Amanda Redman, as Gal's tough and devoted wife, helps to give the picture a welcome depth of feeling. |
Last Orders |
110 minutes
UK (2001) Cert 15 starring Michael Caine, Helen Mirren, Bob Hoskins, Ray Winstone, Tom Courtenay, David Hemmings, JJ Field directed by Fred Schepisi |
Watching the masterful cast at work in Last Orders is like huddling around a crackling fire on a grey, drizzling winter's day. The effortless familiarity they enjoy with one another and the few concessions they make to vanity infuse the film with a palpable authenticity, providing warmth to the often cheerless setting. Based on the novel by Graham Swift, Last Orders is a tender, moving tale of love, betrayal, denial and regret involving lifelong friends on a trip to scatter the ashes of one of their own. As they journey to Margate pier to fulfil their friend's final wish, the film travels back and forth in time, establishing their relationships, drawing you slowly in as it reveals the telling moments in their pasts that have brought them to this point. |
The Martins |
82 minutes
UK (2001) Cert 15 starring Linda Bassett, Lee Evans, Kathy Burke, Eric Byrne, Terri Dumont, Ray Winstone, directed by Tony Grounds |
A man who wants to give his family the good things in life decides to start stealing them in this dark comedy from England. Robert Martin (Lee Evans) is a working-class loser -- or at least he might be working-class if he had a job -- who is obsessed with entering contests, certain a big prize will finally make its way to him. Robert has entered a sweepstakes hoping to win an all-expenses-paid vacation on the Isle of Man, and when a well-off couple (Barbara Leigh-Hunt and Frank Finlay) are declared the winners, Robert concludes he deserves the prize far more than they do, and decides to simply take it away from them. Martin packs up his long-suffering wife, Angie (Kathy Burke); his strident mother-in-law (Linda Bassett); his 14-year-old daughter, Katie (Terri Dumont), who happens to be pregnant; and his surprisingly well-adjusted eight-year-old son, Little Bob (Eric Byrne), and they head off for the nightmare vacation of a lifetime. |
Ripley's Game |
110 minutes
UK/Italy (2002) Cert 15 starring John Malkovich, Dougray Scott, Ray Winstone, Lena Headey, Chiara Caselli directed by Liliana Cavani |
Living a life of luxury as an art dealer in northern Italy with his musician wife Luisa (Chiara Caselli), Ripley (John Malkovich) attends a party thrown by Jonathan Trevanny (Dougray Scott) and overhears the host making critical comments about Ripley's fashion sense. Enraged, Ripley immediately plots his retaliation for this slight, which comes via a reunion with his former business partner Reeves (Ray Winstone). Reeves seeks out Ripley's help in finding an unrecognized assassin to kill a Russian gangster, and Ripley suggests he talk to Trevanny whom Ripley knows has recently been diagnosed with leukemia and is also desperately strapped for cash. Trevanny reluctantly accepts the offer, in order to insure his family's security -- but is pressured into a repeat performance, which draws the ire of Ripley. The situation quickly spirals out of control to the point of drawing the attention and anger of the Russian mob, forcing Ripley to intervene. But the master criminal also develops a respect for his unwitting victim, forming an unlikely friendship under the most dire of circumstances. |
Cold Mountain |
152 minutes
USA (2003) Cert 15 starring Jude Law, Nicole Kidman, Renée Zellweger, Natalie Portman, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Giovanni Ribisi, Brendan Gleeson, Ray Winstone, Donald Sutherland, Jena Malone, Charlie Hunnam, Jack White directed by Anthony Minghella |
A stunning drama set during the American Civil War. Set during the waning years of the American Civil War, it tells the tale of a wounded confederate soldier named Inman (Law), who attempts to return home to the eponymous North Carolina town to reunite with Ada (Kidman), the woman he left behind. Along the way, he meets a host of colourful characters who help or hinder his passage home - from Hoffman's lusty minister to Portman's single mother and Gleeson's jocular violinist. Meanwhile, back in Cold Mountain, Ada has lost her father (Sutherland) but inherited his dilapidated farm - and soon learns how to run it, with the help of spunky drifter Ruby (Zellweger). Having had no word from Inman in three years, she can only hope that he is alive - but after spying a prophetic 'sign' reflected in a local well, she begins to believe he is on his way home. |
King Arthur |
126 minutes
USA/Ireland (2004) Cert 15 starring Clive Owen, Ioan Gruffudd, Keira Knightley, Stephen Dillane, Stellan Skarsgård, Ray Winstone, Hugh Dancy, Joel Edgerton, Ken Stott, Mads Mikkelsen, Ray Stevenson, Charlie Creed-Miles directed by Antoine Fuqua |
Cold Mountain is about a soldier returning to his love after a war. In this case, it's the American Civil War in which the wounded and disillusioned Confederate soldier Inman (Jude Law) deserts his unit to come home to his briefly-met sweetheart, Ada (Nicole Kidman) in Cold Mountain, North Carolina. Inman faces several trials and tribulations during his long trek back, as fellow Confederate soldiers have orders to capture deserters as traitors to the cause. Meanwhile, back in Cold Mountain, the prim Ada struggles to survive on her own, eventually accepting help from a sassy and experienced farmhand named Ruby (Renée Zellweger). Compounding her problems is Teague (Ray Winstone), the vindictive leader of a posse responsible for executing those suspected of harboring deserters. |
Old Street |
13 minutes
UK(2004) Cert 15 starring Ray Winstone, David Tennant, Victor Romero Evans written by Patrick Marber directed by Angus Jackson |
Ray Winstone stars as a man who finds himself trapped in an underground car park, where the disembodied voice of the parking attendant becomes increasingly malevolent. Intriguing, creepy short written by playwright Patrick Marber. |
Everything |
91 minutes
UK (2004) Cert 18 starring Ray Winstone, Jan Graveson, Ed Deedigan, Katherine Clisby, Andy Buckley, Lindy Sellars, Lois Winstone directed by Richard Hawkins |
When a man visits a London prostitute nine times in nine consecutive days, without once soliciting a single sexual favour, Naomi becomes, by turns, wary, uncomfortable, suspicious and intrigued. But Richard’s motivation is both stranger and more moving than ever she could have guessed |
The Magic Roundabout |
81 minutes
UK/France (2005) Cert U starring Tom Baker, Jim Broadbent, Joanna Lumley, Ian McKellen, Kylie Minogue, Bill Nighy, Robbie Williams, Ray Winstone, Lee Evans directed by Jean Duval, Frank Passingham, Dave Borthwick |
Originally first shown on French TV in 1963, the series was famously redubbed for Britain by Emma Thompson's father, Eric. Now it has been completely reinvented as a full-blown, good versus evil silver screen experience that's been four years in the making. The Magic Roundabout is an enchanting adventure that will capture the imaginations of small kids everywhere. It is a visual delight and its cast of characters, vocalised with a great deal of charm by the stars involved, will captivate and entertain. |
The Proposition |
104 minutes
Australia/UK (2005) Cert 18 starring Guy Pearce, Emily Watson, Ray Winstone directed by John Hillcoat |
An outlaw is goaded into taking on justice at its most brutal in this hard-edged Western set in Australia in the 1880s. Charlie Burns (Guy Pearce) and his brother Mike (Richard Wilson) are two siblings on the run from the law after their career as criminals went too far when they helped kill a pregnant woman. Charlie and Mike are captured by police after a bloody shoot-out, and the brothers are handed over to Capt. Stanley (Ray Winstone), a British lawman sent to Australia to help bring order to the colonies. There is a third Burns brother, Arthur (Danny Huston), with a much longer rap sheet than his siblings and a reputation for hiding out in villages so lawless the police are afraid to visit them. Stanley tells Charlie and Mike that it's Arthur he really wants, and that he's willing to set them free if they can find Arthur and murder him. Mike refuses to have any part of this, but Charlie, after learning this is his only hope to save himself from the hangman, agrees, and sets out to find and execute his brother. As Charlie scours the backwaters of Australia, he develops an ally in Jellon Lamb (John Hurt), a good man who has turned to crime since coming to the new land. In time, Charlie finds his brother, but isn't certain if he can carry out his mission. Meanwhile, Stanley struggles to bring a European sense of civility to the rough and tumble land he now calls home, while his wife, Martha (Emily Watson), becomes the focus of the lustful appetites of the men in town. The Proposition was written by rock star and novelist Nick Cave. |
The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe |
140 minutes
USA (2005) Cert PG starring Georgie Henley, William Moseley, Skandar Keynes, Anna Popplewell, Tilda Swinton, Liam Neeson, James McAvoy, Kiran Shah, Jim Broadbent, Ray Winstone, Dawn French, Rupert Everett, James Cosmo, Patrick Kake, Shane Rangi directed by Andrew Adamson |
During WWII four child refugees Lucy (Georgie Henley), Susan (Anna Popplewell), Edmond (Skandar Keynes), and Peter Pevensie (William Moseley) - tearfully leave their mother to go and live in the massive old manor of an elderly professor. While playing a game of hide-and-seek, Lucy hides in an old wardrobe and stumbles through the fur coats into a snowy enchanted kingdom. Soon after her arrival, she encounters a faun named Mr. Tumnus (James McAvoy) who takes her to his home for tea. The friendly faun is actually scheming to kidnap her, but in a fit of conscience he abandons his plan, and he describes a terrible White Witch (Tilda Swinton) who has cursed the land with eternal winter and ordered that any Son of Adam or Daughter of Eve be brought to her. With that, Mr. Tumnus nervously helps Lucy back to the wardrobe. Although her brothers and sister do not believe her at first, they eventually all find their way into Narnia only to discover that something terrible has happened to Mr. Tumnus, and the talking animals and fanciful creatures of Narnia see them as the foretold heroes who will end Jadis’ cruel reign. |
The Departed |
151 minutes,
USA (2006), Cert 18 Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Martin Sheen, Vera Farmiga, Mark Wahlberg, Anthony Anderson, Ray Winstone, Alec Baldwin Directed by Martin Scorsese |
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The Departed" is set in South Boston where the Massachusetts State Police Department is waging an all-out war to take down the city's top organized crime ring. The key is to end the reign of powerful mob boss Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson) from the inside. A young rookie, Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio), who grew up in South Boston, is assigned to infiltrate the mob run by Costello. While Billy is working to gain Costello's trust, another young cop who came up from the streets of "Southie," Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon), is quickly rising through the ranks of the state police. Earning a spot in the Special Investigations Unit, Colin is among a handful of elite officers whose mission is to bring Costello down. But what his superiors don't know is that Colin is working for Costello, keeping the crime boss one step ahead of the police. Each man becomes deeply consumed by his double life, gathering information about the plans and counter-plans of the operation he has penetrated. But when it becomes clear to both the gangsters and the police that they have a mole in their midst, Billy and Colin find themselves in constant danger of being caught and exposed to the enemy -- and each must race to uncover the identity of the other man in time to save himself. "The Departed," the gritty crime drama from director Martin Scorsese, takes us into the lives of two cops: Colin Sullivan, smart and unabashedly ambitious, appears to be on the fast track in the Massachusetts State Police Department's elite Special Investigations Unit, whose prime target is powerful Irish mob boss Frank Costello. Billy Costigan, street-smart and tough, is purported to have a violent temper that costs him his badge and eventually lands him back on the rough streets of South Boston, where he is recruited into Costello's ranks. But neither man is what he seems and, as they work at cross purposes, they are plunged into a dangerous game of cat and mouse in which the stakes could not be higher. The story of "The Departed" is based on the 2002 crime thriller out of Hong Kong called "Infernal Affairs," which achieved great success in Asia before coming to U.S. shores in 2004. An American version was soon in the works, with William Monahan writing the screenplay. |
Breaking and Entering |
116 minutes,
UK (2006), Cert 18 Starring Jude Law, Juliette Binoche, Robin Wright Penn, Martin Freeman, Ray Winstone Directed by Anthony Minghella Writing credits Anthony Minghella |
A Landscape Architect's dealings with a young thief cause him to re-evaluate his life Breaking and Entering tells the story of a series of thefts -- some criminal, some emotional -- set against a backdrop of London's changing geographical and cultural landscape. Will (Jude Law) is a partner in a thriving landscape architecture firm which he runs with his friend, Sandy (Martin Freeman). Professionally, things could not be better but Will spends less and less time at home with his beautiful, melancholy partner, Liv (Robin Wright Penn) and her troubled 13 year-old daughter, Bea. Will's office has recently relocated to King's Cross, the centre of Europe's most ambitious urban regeneration site and their state-of-the-art studio repeatedly attracts the attention of a local gang of thieves. After one of the break-ins, Will follows teenaged parkour enthusiast Miro (Rafi Gavron) back to the apartment he shares with his mother, Amira (Juliette Binoche), a Bosnian refugee. With his relationship already in crisis, Will embarks on a passionate journey into both the wilder side of himself and the city in which he lives. |
Beowulf |
116 minutes,
UK (2007), Cert 18 Genre Action / Adventure / Drama / Fantasy more Starring: Ray Winstone, Anthony Hopkins, John Malkovich, Robin Wright Penn, Brendan Gleeson, Crispin Glover, Alison Lohman, and Angelina Jolie Directed by"Anthony Minghella |
Official Website HERE
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Fool's Gold | 113 minutes,
US (2008), Cert 13 Starring Matthew McConaughey, Kate Hudson , Donald Sutherland , Alexis Dziena, Ewen Bremner , Ray Winstone Directed by Andy Tennant Writing credits John Claflin Daniel Zelman |
Plot Outline: Fools Gold stars Matthew McConaughey as Ben Finn Finnegan, a good-natured, surf bum-turned-treasure hunter who is obsessed with finding the legendary 18th century Queens Dowry -- 40 chests of exotic treasure that was lost at sea in 1715. In his quest, Finn has sunk everything he has, including his marriage to Tess Finnegan (Kate Hudson) and his more-rusty-than-trusty salvage boat, Booty Calls. Just as Tess has begun to rebuild her life, working aboard a mega-yacht owned by billionaire Nigel Honeycutt (Donald Sutherland), Finn discovers a vital clue to the treasures whereabouts. Certain that his luck will change with the newfound information, Finn maneuvers himself aboard Nigels yacht and, using his good-natured charm, convinces the tycoon and his Blackberry-wielding, celebutante daughter, Gemma (Alexis Dziena), to join him in the pursuit of the Spanish treasure. Against Tess better judgment, the search rekindles her loveof discovery. But they are not the only ones after the treasure. Finns mentor-turned-nemesis Moe Fitch (Ray Winstone) has also set out to claim the prize. |
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull | 173 minutes,
US (2008), Cert 13 DIRECTED BY Steven Spielberg PRODUCED BY Frank Marshall EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS George Lucas and Kathleen Kennedy SCREENPLAY BY David Koepp STORY BY George Lucas and Jeff Nathanson Starring: Harrison Ford, Ray Winstone, Shia LaBeouf, Cate Blanchett, Karen Allen |
Plot Outline: When we last saw Indiana Jones on screen, it was 1938, and the world stood on the brink of war as Dr. Jones chased down evildoers to find the Holy Grail. Nineteen years later, he’s cracking his whip again, and many things have changed ... but some have remained the same. Again, the world is at a... When we last saw Indiana Jones on screen, it was 1938, and the world stood on the brink of war as Dr. Jones chased down evildoers to find the Holy Grail. Nineteen years later, he’s cracking his whip again, and many things have changed ... but some have remained the same. Again, the world is at a precipice, this time caused by the specter of nuclear annihilation, and Indy’s struggle is once again to ensure that a precious, mysterious object remains safe from those bent on destroying humanity. |