The Ladd Company (USA): 5

Gone Baby Gone (2007), an American neo-noir thriller, marks the directorial debut of Ben Affleck. Adapted from Dennis Lehane’s 1998 novel by Affleck and Aaron Stockard, the film is set in Dorchester, Boston. Private investigators Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro are drawn into a search for four-year-old Amanda, whose mother Helene McCready pleads for her safe return on television. When Helene’s sister and brother-in-law hire the detectives to find Amanda, they ...

Braveheart (1995) is an epic historical drama set in late-13th century Scotland. Directed and produced by Mel Gibson, the film follows Sir William Wallace, a brave Scottish warrior who leads his people in the First War of Scottish Independence against King Edward I of England. After the Scots’ king dies without an heir, Edward I, also known as ‘Longshanks’, conquers Scotland in 1280. Witnessing the brutal execution of several Scottish nobles by Longshanks, young William Wallace loses both his father and brother when they resist the English. He then goes to live with his uncle, Argyll. As years pass, ...

Once Upon a Time in America (1984) is an epic crime film co-written and directed by Italian filmmaker Sergio Leone. In 1933, three thugs scour the city for a man known as ‘Noodles’ to extract information from him through violent means. They eventually end up at a wayang theater, where the owners lead them to a secret opium den within the establishment and warn Noodles of their presence. However, Noodles is not bothered by their threats as he is under the influence of drugs and reading a newspaper detailing the deaths of bootleggers Patrick Goldberg, Philip Stein and Maximilian Bercovicz. He remembers ...

Night Shift (1982), an American comedy film directed by Ron Howard, tells the story of Charles ‘Chuck’ Lumley. Once a successful stockbroker, he now works as an attendant at a New York City morgue to escape the stress of Wall Street. However, his new role as night-shift supervisor, which was given to him in order to make room for his boss’ nephew Leonard, is not something he is pleased with. Adding to Chuck’s frustration is the exuberance of his co-worker Bill ‘Blaze’ Blazejowski. With inspiration from their neighbor Belinda, a prostitute, Chuck and Bill decide to use Chuck’s ...

Blade Runner (1982), a science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott and written by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples, has a complex history due to the involvement of studio executives. The controversy resulted in seven different versions of the film, including a director’s cut in 1992 which was released after positive feedback on a test screening of a workprint. The movie gained popularity through video rentals and was one of the first to be released on DVD. In 2007, Warner Bros. released The Final Cut, a ...