In the cold war, a lawyer, James B. Donovan is recruited by the CIA and involved in an intense negotiation mission to release and exchange a CIA U-2 spy-plane pilot, Francis G. Powers. The pilot was arrested alive after his plane was shot down by the Soviet Union during a mission and stays in the company of a KGB intelligence officer, Rudolf Abel, who was arrested for espionage in the US.

find out more...

'City of War' tells the story of Nazi Party member John Rabe now considered a German war hero for organising the protection zone that almost certainly saved the lives of over 200,000 Chinese whilst the Japanese killed a further 300,000 outside in the infamous Nanjing Massacre of 1937.
This workmanlike film is based on Rabe's diaries, but is somewhat loose with the truth and, it's interesting to note, was produced with the co-operation of the Chinese authorities, won lots of awards in Ger find out more...

One of the very finest epics produced, equally impressive in terms of script and spectacle. Heston is aptly heroic as the 11th Century patriot destined to die in the fight to evict the Moors from Spain, Mann's direction is stately and thrilling and Miklos Rosza's superb score perfectly complements the crisp and simple widescreen images. Sobriety and restraint, in fact, are perhaps the keynotes of the film's success, with the result that a potentially risible finale, in which Cid's corpse is born find out more...

Summer 1863; the Confederacy pushed north into Pennsylvania and Union divisions converged to face them, the two great armies would clash at Gettysburg, one of the bloodiest, some 50,000 lives were lost, battles in US history and a turning point in the Civil War. For three days, through such legendary actions as Little Round Top and Pickett's Charge, the fate of "one nation, indivisible" hung in the balance. An epic recreation, superbly shot, with a wealth of Hollywood talent, a supporting cast o find out more...

Based on the letters of Colonel Robert G Shaw, this is the Oscar-winning story of a regiment of black soldiers who voluntered to fight the Confederates in the American Civil War and must cope with the racism of the era. Marching across open fields amid cannon-shot, or plunging into hand-to-hand combat, the battle sequences, in particular, are truly impressive. find out more...

find out more...

Liam Neeson surpasses himself with his portrayal of the legendary Irish folk hero in this stirring historical drama. The controversial patriot's life, from his advent after the Easter Rising to his untimely death, is vividly depicted by a sterling cast in this passion-packed biopic. Excellent. find out more...

Set during WW2 and loosely based on war hero Erik Hazelhoff Roelfzema's memoir, we follow the varying fortunes of a group of friends under Nazi occupation and the ultimately disastrous mission by the two of them who join the Dutch resistance. Soldier of Orange is an early Paul Verhoeven film, and ranks as one of his best, tense, gripping but also intimate and intelligent. find out more...

Supposedly a biography of Michelangelo, it is much more that of Pope Julius II, who, when not on the battlefield uniting Italy, nags Michelangelo, in an engaging and witty script, to speed up his painful work painting the Sistine Chapel, and wonders when he will finsh. The transformation of the chapel ceiling, which was originally dotted with stars, to an opulent statement of high renaissance is engrossing. find out more...

After the 11th September 2001 the War Against Terror is preparing to move on to Iraq. The UN have sent in the weapons inspectors to find if Saddam has indeed Weapons of Mass Destruction and the political machines in both the UK and US are working to present the strongest possible case for war in the face of (in the UK) very vocal opposition from the public. With the dossiers released and the threat established the "need for war" is set and, on the 19th March 2003, th find out more...