Actor Kevin McNally (1956)

The American swashbuckler fantasy film, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017), is directed by Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg. In the opening scene, young Henry Turner leaves his home in the dark of night on a rowboat, only to find himself pulled down to the bottom of the sea and inside the cursed ghost ship, the Flying Dutchman. He reunites with his cursed father, Captain Will Turner, and seeks out the fabled Trident of Poseidon to break his father’s curse. However, Will discourages him from this seemingly impossible task and sends him back to ...

The Raven (2012), a American crime thriller film directed by James McTeigue and written by Ben Livingston and Hannah Shakespeare, is based on the final days of Edgar Allan Poe’s life. The poet and author finds himself aiding the police in their pursuit of a serial killer whose crimes are inspired by his stories. Though the plot is fictional, it draws from real-life events surrounding Poe’s mysterious death. Set in 19th-century Baltimore, Maryland, police uncover a ...

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011), the fantasy swashbuckler film directed by Rob Marshall, marks a change in leadership for the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. For this installment, Jerry Bruckheimer produces while Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio write, drawing inspiration from Tim Powers’ novel On Stranger Tides and connecting to previous films At World’s End (2007) and the first ...

Valkyrie (2008), a thriller directed by Bryan Singer and written by Christopher McQuarrie and Nathan Alexander, features Tom Cruise. Set during World War II, the film follows Wehrmacht Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg in Tunisia as he becomes increasingly disillusioned with Hitler’s regime. After his battalion is attacked by P-40 fighter-bombers, Stauffenberg is gravely injured and returned to Germany for treatment. However, he ultimately loses his left eye, right hand, ...

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (2007), an American epic fantasy swashbuckler film directed by Gore Verbinski and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, follows the story of Lord Cutler Beckett’s tyrannical rule over the seas. He orders Davy Jones to destroy all pirate ships and executes anyone affiliated with piracy in Port Royal. In response to this threat, nine Pirate Lords are called upon to convene at Shipwreck Cove for the Brethren Court. However, due to Jack Sparrow’s absence and lack of a named successor, Barbossa, Will Turner, Elizabeth Swann, ...

Scoop (2006)  is a romantic crime comedy film written and directed by Woody Allen. It follows the story of investigative reporter Joe Strombel’s spirit, who finds himself on the barge of death with other individuals, including Jane Cook. Cook claims she was poisoned by her employer, Peter Lyman, an ambitious British aristocrat who she believes may also be the notorious Tarot Card Killer. This killer has been targeting prostitutes and leaves a card on each victim’s body. Sondra Pransky, an American journalism student vacationing in London, attends a performance by magician Sid Waterman, also known as ...

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006) is a swashbuckling adventure directed by Gore Verbinski, written by Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio, and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. At the wedding of Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann, their celebration is cut short when Lord Cutler Beckett arrives at Port Royal with arrest warrants. These charges stem from their involvement in freeing Captain Jack Sparrow. However, they are not the only ones on Beckett’s list. ...

The film Johnny English (2003), directed by Peter Howitt and written by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, and William Davies, follows the journey of a bumbling but well-meaning MI7 agent who longs to be the agency’s top spy. When Agent One and all other MI7 agents are killed at his funeral due to his inadvertent blunders, Johnny is left as the only agent capable of completing Agent One’s mission. His latest task is to stop a scheme to steal the newly returned Crown Jewels ...

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) is an American fantasy supernatural swashbuckler film directed by Gore Verbinski. Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures, it’s based on the popular Pirates of the Caribbean attraction at Disney theme parks. In the 18th century, Governor Weatherby Swann and his daughter, Elizabeth, sail aboard HMS Dauntless. During their voyage, they come across a shipwrecked survivor named Will Turner. However, when Elizabeth takes a gold medallion from around Will’s neck, she ...

Entrapment (1999), a caper film directed by Jon Amiel and written by Ronald Bass, follows the story of Virginia ‘Gin’ Baker, an investigator for Waverly Insurance. When a priceless Rembrandt painting is stolen from a New York office building one night, Gin sets her sights on Robert ‘Mac’ MacDougal as a potential suspect. She believes him to be a skilled international art thief and pursues him relentlessly. Despite Gin’s suspicions and persistence, Mac confronts her and reveals that he knows she is investigating him. In an unexpected twist, ...

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 ...