Actor Ian Richardson (1934)

Based on the graphic novel of the same name by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell, From Hell (2001) is a period detective horror film directed by the Hughes Brothers and written by Terry Hayes and Rafael Yglesias. Set in 1888, it follows Mary Kelly and her fellow London prostitutes as they navigate their harsh daily existence. Ann Crook, a former prostitute now married to painter Albert, has recently given birth to a daughter named ...

The film Year of the Comet (1992), directed by Peter Yates, follows the adventures of Margaret Harwood. She is the daughter of a renowned wine merchant, Sir Mason Harwood. While on a quest to find a rare vintage wine from 1811 with Napoleon’s seal, Margaret discovers a magnum of it. Sir Mason quickly offers it to his top customer, T.T. Kelleher. In turn, Kelleher sends his friend, Oliver Plexico, to retrieve it. However, several other interested parties also have their eyes on the valuable bottle: a Greek billionaire who has acquired it through Margaret’s dishonest brother; an unscrupulous French scientist ...

Cry Freedom (1987), an epic apartheid drama film directed and produced by Richard Attenborough, takes place in late-1970s South Africa during the time of apartheid. After seeing news coverage of a slum being demolished in East London, journalist Donald Woods seeks out more information and meets with anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko. Biko is a member of the Black Consciousness Movement and has been banned from leaving his designated ‘banning area’ in King William’s Town by the South African government. While Woods disagrees with Biko’s political views, he is invited to witness the conditions in ...

The Fourth Protocol (1987), a British spy film set during the Cold War, boasts a star-studded cast with Michael Caine and Pierce Brosnan. John Mackenzie directed this adaptation of Frederick Forsyth’s 1984 novel bearing the same title. In 1968, world powers establish an agreement to halt nuclear proliferation, which includes the Fourth Protocol that strictly prohibits unconventional delivery of nuclear weapons to targets. However, when MI5 officer John Preston discovers ...

The BBC’s seven-part spy drama, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1979), is an adaptation of John le Carré’s novel of the same name. Directed by John Irvin and produced by Jonathan Powell, the series follows George Smiley, a retired deputy from the British Secret Intelligence Service. Smiley was forced into retirement after a failed mission in Czechoslovakia known as Operation Testify. The operation, orchestrated by the head of the Circus (the British Secret Intelligence Service), resulted in the capture and torture of ...