A group of abducted Africans break free from their shackles aboard a Spanish slave ship, the Amistad, so setting the scene for a lengthy courtroom drama played out against a backdrop of 19th Century slavery. Matthew McConaughy is the noble young lawyer fighting for the slaves' freedom, while Anthony Hopkins is mesmerising as decrepit former President John Quincy Adams. Superb sets and an authentic atmosphere, and it's pretty gruesome at times too. Typically Spielberg-esque epic. find out more...

Murder, love, loss and betrayal all weave there way through this epic adaptation of Charles Dickens' novel. An intelligent, atmospheric and blemishlessly acted reworking of the tale that manages to grip throughout its labyrinth storyline. find out more...

Murder, love, loss and betrayal all weave there way through this epic adaptation of Charles Dickens' novel. An intelligent, atmospheric and blemishlessly acted reworking of the tale that manages to grip throughout its labyrinth storyline. find out more...

Murder, love, loss and betrayal all weave there way through this epic adaptation of Charles Dickens' novel. An intelligent, atmospheric and blemishlessly acted reworking of the tale that manages to grip throughout its labyrinth storyline. find out more...

An impressive BBC adaptation of Dostoyevsky's tragic masterpiece, a profound analysis of redemption and a cerebral detective story of the soul. find out more...

Deadwood is a town without law. As gold strikes in the area continue to pay out, more and more men come to seek their fortune, with many meeting their fate. Drinking, gambling and prostitution are the only pastimes, and all of them can be had at the Gem Saloon, run by the ultimate ‘man you love to hate’ Al Swearengen. Featuring dialogue that is bluer than the Texas sky a find out more...

Michael Curtiz's epic Western 'Dodge City' stars Errol Flynn as Wade Hatton, a wagon master turned sheriff who tames the cow town at the end of the railroad. Flynn brings his trademark swash buckling charisma to the role of the justice-seeking sheriff, and Olivia de Havilland is both tough and lovely as Hatton's ally and inevitable love interest. The film also features one of the liveliest bar room brawls in cinematic history. find out more...

Schoolteacher John Scopes is placed under close arrest for advocating Darwin's theory of evolution to his pupils in violation of a stifling Tennessee law banning anything that 'denies the divine creation of man as taught by the Bible'. The case is taken up by a cynical newspaper-man who takes an interest when the champion of the Fundamentalists and three-time presidential candidate is named prosecutor. A fascinating and absorbing dramatisation of the famous 1925 'Monkey Trial'. find out more...

Alcatraz, 1938; after 3 years in solitary, a hellish hole in the ground with no heat, light or human contact, petty crook Henri Young emerges as a madman. When he kills another inmate there is only one man - attorney James Stamphill - willing to challenge the barbarity of Alcatraz. Moving and riveting with great performances from all three leads. find out more...

The first, and many would argue the best, of Hollywood's interpretations of the infamous mutiny aboard HMS Bounty in the South Pacific in 1789, an historic battle of wills between Fletcher Christian and Captain Bligh. This version virtually deserts Christian after the mutiny, concentrating on Bligh's amazing 4,000 mile open boat voyage and the subsequent court-martial. find out more...