19 Movies Starring Brendan Gleeson

The Break

The Break

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1998-02-20

Languages:

English, Irish, Spanish

Countries:

UK, Spain, Germany, Ireland, Japan

Runtime:

96 min

Rated:

R

IMDB Ratings:

5.8 (295 Reviews)

Director:

Robert Dornhelm

Cast:

Writer:

Ronan Bennett (screenplay)

Stephen Rea (idea by)

Fullplot:

Dowd, who's IRA, escapes an Irish prison in a bloody jailbreak, making his way to New York City where he lives alone, avoids Irish hangouts, and works as a dishwasher. When a good deed gets him stabbed, one of the restaurant employees takes him in and finds him medical care. As Dowd recovers in the flat of Tulio and Tulio's sister Monica, he realizes that these Guatemalan exiles share his rebellious principles. When he learns they are planning a political assassination, he offers to help. His attraction to Monica contributes to his willingness to volunteer. However, the cops are closing in on him: can he make the hit, protect his new friends, and escape with Monica?

Turbulence

Turbulence

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1997-01-10

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

100 min

Rated:

R

IMDB Ratings:

4.7 (8630 Reviews)

Director:

Robert Butler

Fullplot:

Ryan Weaver romances beautiful women before he kills them. Ryan is arrested, convicted, and is part of a Christmas Eve transfer of prisoners on a transcontinental 747 commercial flight. Other airlines at JFK may have holiday passengers waiting on stand-by, but this jumbo jet takes off with a lot of empty seats. Ryan and another prisoner overpower and kill their guards. The few civilian passengers are herded into a "pantry" on the plane and are not seen again until the end of the movie. Ryan eliminates the other prisoners and all the crew members except Teri Halloran. The remainder of the movie follows a "cat-and-mouse" game between Ryan and Teri on the 747.

The General

The General

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1998-12-18

Languages:

English

Countries:

UK, Ireland

Runtime:

124 min

Rated:

R

IMDB Ratings:

7.3 (6359 Reviews)

Director:

John Boorman

Cast:

Writer:

John Boorman

Paul Williams (novel)

Fullplot:

The real-life story of Dublin folk hero and criminal Martin Cahill, who pulled off two daring robberies in Ireland with his team, but attracted unwanted attention from the police, the IRA, the UVF and members of his own team.

Wild About Harry

Wild About Harry

Basic Info:

Released Date:

2001-10-26

Languages:

English

Countries:

UK, Ireland, Germany

Runtime:

91 min

IMDB Ratings:

(448 Reviews)

Director:

Declan Lowney

Fullplot:

Northern Irish TV chef Harry has a history of playing around, being drunk and fighting with his wife. On the eve of his divorce hearing, Harry is beaten up at a garage but goes to work the next day. Acting increasingly disorientated and unusual he finally slips into a coma. Coming out of the coma later, Harry thinks he is 18 and can't remember anything past that. His wife doesn't tell him what a total s*** he has been and tries to form him into a better person. But when Harry discovers his recent past he is shaken and tries to carry on as normal.

Harrison's Flowers

Harrison's Flowers

Basic Info:

Released Date:

2002-03-15

Languages:

English, French, Serbian, Croatian

Countries:

France

Runtime:

121 min

Rated:

R

IMDB Ratings:

7.2 (5198 Reviews)

Director:

èlie Chouraqui

Cast:

Writer:

Isabel Ellsen (book)

èlie Chouraqui (screenplay)

Didier Le Pècheur (screenplay)

Isabel Ellsen (screenplay)

Michael Katims (screenplay)

Fullplot:

Harrison Lloyd is a Pulitzer-winning photojournalist. His wife and family are making it hard for him to keep his mind on his work when he's in a war zone, and he wants to change jobs to something less stressful. But he's got one last assignment, in war-torn Yugoslavia, in 1991, at the height of the fighting. Word comes back that he apparently died in a building collapse, but his wife Sarah (also a journalist for Newsweek) refuses to believe that he's dead and goes looking for him. She's helped immensely by the photo-journalists Eric Kyle and Marc Stevenson that she runs into over there; together, they're determined to make it through the chaotic landscape to Vukovar, which is not only the nexus of the war but where she believes Harrison is located. Meanwhile, Harrison's son Cesar is looking after his father's prized greenhouse, keeping hope, and flowers, alive.

Dark Blue

Dark Blue

Basic Info:

Released Date:

2003-02-21

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA, UK, Germany

Runtime:

118 min

Rated:

R

IMDB Ratings:

6.6 (16309 Reviews)

Director:

Ron Shelton

Cast:

Writer:

James Ellroy (story)

David Ayer (screenplay)

Fullplot:

Set in the Los Angeles Police Department in April 1992, Dark Blue is a dramatic thriller that takes place just days before the acquittal of four white officers in the beating of black motorist Rodney King and the subsequent L.A. riots. In this racially-charged climate,the LAPD's elite Special Investigations Squad (SIS) is assigned a high-profile quadruple homicide. As they work the case, veteran detective Eldon Perry, known for his tough street tactics and fiery temper, tutors SIS rookie Bobby Keough in the grim realities of police intimidation and corruption. Meanwhile, Assistant Chief Holland, the only man in the department willing to stand up to the SIS, threatens to end Perry's brand of singlehanded "justice" on the Los Angeles streets. While navigating through the tumultuous neighborhoods of South Central L.A., Perry and Keough must track down cold-blooded killers and face their own demons, which prove to be more ruthless than the criminals they pursue.

In My Country

In My Country

Basic Info:

Released Date:

2004-05-07

Languages:

English, Afrikaans

Countries:

UK, Ireland, South Africa

Runtime:

105 min

Rated:

R

IMDB Ratings:

(2134 Reviews)

Director:

John Boorman

Genres:

DramaRomance

Cast:

Writer:

Antjie Krog (book)

Ann Peacock (screenplay)

Fullplot:

Langston Whitfield is a Washington Post journalist. His editor provocatively sends him to South Africa to cover the Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings, in which the perpetrators of murder and torture on both sides during Apartheid are invited to come forward and confront their victims. By telling the unvarnished truth and expressing contrition, they may be granted amnesty. Can the deep wounds of Apartheid be healed through reconciliation? Langston is deeply skeptical. He tracks down Col. De Jager, the most notorious torturer in the SA Police and tries to penetrate the mind of a monster, an experience that obliges him to confront his own demons. Anna Malan is an Afrikaans poet who is covering the hearings for radio. As a white South African she is shattered by the accounts of the cruelty and depravity committed by her fellow countrymen. Anna and Langston must both question their sense of identity. Where do they each belong? How responsible are they for what is done in the name of their respective countries? The moving testimony of the victims affects them deeply. In different ways they are both estranged from their families, and their shared experience draws them ever closer to each other. It is a story charting the unfathomable depths of human cruelty and the redeeming power of forgiveness and love.

Six Shooter

Six Shooter

Basic Info:

Released Date:

2005-02-01

Languages:

English

Countries:

UK, Ireland

Runtime:

27 min

Rated:

UNRATED

IMDB Ratings:

7.7 (5920 Reviews)

Director:

Martin McDonagh

Genres:

ComedyShort

Fullplot:

At the hospital, a doctor gives Donnelly the bad news: his wife of many years has died. He visits her body, placing a photograph of their pet rabbit on her hands. Then, in the early morning light, he leaves and catches a train back home toward Dublin. He sits across from a young talkative man who seems to have a loose screw, making coarse observations, starting an argument with a couple in the next seats who are clearly tense with each other. Over the next few miles, Donnelly learns that all four have lost someone that night, and, in a strange turn of events, the kid bequeaths to Donnelly a gift that may ease his pain. There's a strange bond in grief.

The Secret of Kells

The Secret of Kells

Basic Info:

Released Date:

2009-02-11

Languages:

English

Countries:

France, Belgium, Ireland

Runtime:

75 min

Rated:

NOT RATED

IMDB Ratings:

7.7 (19578 Reviews)

Cast:

Writer:

Tomm Moore (original story)

Fabrice Ziolkowski (screenplay)

Fullplot:

Young Brendan lives in a remote medieval outpost under siege from barbarian raids. But a new life of adventure beckons when a celebrated master illuminator arrives from the isle of Iona carrying an ancient but unfinished book, brimming with secret wisdom and powers. To help complete the magical book, Brendan has to overcome his deepest fears on a dangerous quest that takes him into the enchanted forest where mythical creatures hide. It is here that he meets the fairy Aisling, a mysterious young wolf-girl, who helps him along the way. But with the barbarians closing in, will Brendan's determination and artistic vision illuminate the darkness and show that enlightenment is the best fortification against evil?

The Tiger's Tail

The Tiger's Tail

Basic Info:

Released Date:

2006-11-10

Languages:

English

Countries:

Ireland, UK

Runtime:

107 min

Rated:

R

IMDB Ratings:

5.9 (1045 Reviews)

Director:

John Boorman

Fullplot:

After a chance encounter, a Dubliner (Gleeson) is stalked by a murderous facsimile of himself.

Into the Storm

Into the Storm

Basic Info:

Released Date:

2009-05-31

Languages:

English

Countries:

UK, USA

Runtime:

99 min

Rated:

TV-PG

IMDB Ratings:

7.1 (2927 Reviews)

Fullplot:

Winston Churchill is named Prime Minister on the very day the Nazis launch their invasion of the low countries and France. The immediate concern is the fate of the British Expeditionary Force now trapped with their back to the sea. The evacuation at Dunquerque saved most of them. Churchill formed a unified government with the Labour party and was steadfast in refusing to negotiate with the Germans. He developed a personal relationship with U.S. President Roosevelt but England (as Churchill always referred to the UK) stood alone until the U.S. entered the war. By war's end however, Labour won the election and Churchill was out of office.

The Raven

The Raven

Basic Info:

Released Date:

2012-04-27

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA, Spain, Hungary, Serbia

Runtime:

110 min

Rated:

R

IMDB Ratings:

6.4 (69114 Reviews)

Director:

James McTeigue

Cast:

Writer:

Hannah Shakespeare

Ben Livingston

Fullplot:

This movie is set in the mid 1800s and involves poet Edgar Allan Poe. A serial killer is on the loose and murdering people using Poe's descriptions from his published stories and poems. Poe teams up with Detective Fields, a Baltimore policeman to try and catch the killer by using his knowledge of the descriptions. Even though the stories are fictional, they start to become reality and the killer is a step ahead of them. Then it takes on a personal note as Poe's lover becomes a target. Will they stop the killer in time?

Safe House

Safe House

Basic Info:

Released Date:

2012-02-10

Languages:

English, Afrikaans, Spanish

Countries:

USA, South Africa, Japan

Runtime:

115 min

Rated:

R

IMDB Ratings:

6.8 (153630 Reviews)

Director:

Daniel Espinosa

Fullplot:

Matt Weston (Ryan Reynolds) is a CIA rookie who is manning a safe house in Cape Town, South Africa, when Tobin Frost (Denzel Washington) the CIA's most wanted rogue agent is captured and taken to the safe house. During Frost's interrogation, the safe house is overtaken by mercenaries who want Frost. Weston and Frost escape and must stay out of the gunmen's sight until they can get to another safe house.

Edge of Tomorrow

Edge of Tomorrow

Basic Info:

Released Date:

2014-06-06

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA, Canada

Runtime:

113 min

Rated:

PG-13

IMDB Ratings:

7.9 (357609 Reviews)

Director:

Doug Liman

Cast:

Writer:

Christopher McQuarrie (screenplay)

Jez Butterworth (screenplay)

John-Henry Butterworth (screenplay)

Hiroshi Sakurazaka (novel)

Fullplot:

An alien race has hit the Earth in an unrelenting assault, unbeatable by any military unit in the world. Major William Cage (Cruise) is an officer who has never seen a day of combat when he is unceremoniously dropped into what amounts to a suicide mission. Killed within minutes, Cage now finds himself inexplicably thrown into a time loop-forcing him to live out the same brutal combat over and over, fighting and dying again...and again. But with each battle, Cage becomes able to engage the adversaries with increasing skill, alongside Special Forces warrior Rita Vrataski (Blunt). And, as Cage and Vrataski take the fight to the aliens, each repeated encounter gets them one step closer to defeating the enemy!

Stonehearst Asylum

Stonehearst Asylum

Basic Info:

Released Date:

2014-10-24

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

112 min

Rated:

PG-13

IMDB Ratings:

6.8 (25545 Reviews)

Director:

Brad Anderson

Cast:

Writer:

Joe Gangemi (screenplay)

Edgar Allan Poe (based on a short story by)

Fullplot:

A recent medical school grad who takes a position at a mental institution soon finds himself taken with one of his colleagues -- though he has no initial idea of a recent, horrifying staffing change.

Song of the Sea

Song of the Sea

Basic Info:

Released Date:

2014-12-10

Languages:

English, Irish, Scottish Gaelic

Countries:

Ireland, Denmark, Belgium, Luxembourg, France

Runtime:

93 min

Rated:

PG

IMDB Ratings:

8.2 (14885 Reviews)

Director:

Tomm Moore

Cast:

Writer:

Will Collins

Tomm Moore (story)

Fullplot:

Saoirse is a child who is the last of the selkies, women in Irish and Scottish legends who transform from seals into people. She escapes from her grandmother's home to journey to the sea and free fairy creatures trapped in the modern world.

The Smurfs 2

The Smurfs 2

Basic Info:

Released Date:

2013-07-31

Languages:

English, French

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

105 min

Rated:

PG

IMDB Ratings:

5.4 (24746 Reviews)

Director:

Raja Gosnell

Cast:

Writer:

J. David Stem (screenplay)

David N. Weiss (screenplay)

Jay Scherick (screenplay)

David Ronn (screenplay)

Karey Kirkpatrick (screenplay)

J. David Stem (story)

David N. Weiss (story)

Jay Scherick (story)

David Ronn (story)

Peyo (characters and works)

Fullplot:

The evil wizard Gargamel creates a couple of mischievous Smurf-like creatures called the Naughties that he hopes will let him harness the all-powerful, magical Smurf-essence. But when he discovers that only a real Smurf can give him what he wants, and only a secret spell that Smurfette knows can turn the Naughties into real Smurfs, Gargamel kidnaps Smurfette and brings her to Paris, where he has been winning the adoration of millions as the worldès greatest sorcerer. It's up to Papa, Clumsy, Grouchy, and Vanity to return to our world, reunite with their human friends Patrick and Grace Winslow, and rescue her! Will Smurfette, who has always felt different from the other Smurfs, find a new connection with the Naughties Vexy and Hackus or will the Smurfs convince her that their love for her is True Blue?

Calvary

Calvary

Basic Info:

Released Date:

2014-04-11

Languages:

English

Countries:

Ireland, UK

Runtime:

102 min

Rated:

R

IMDB Ratings:

7.4 (33679 Reviews)

Genres:

Drama

Fullplot:

Father James is a small-town priest in Ireland whose Sunday confessionals suddenly include a threat to kill him in a week's time as a matter of principle. Deeply troubled and conflicted about how to respond, Father James tries to go on with his calling through that week. However, that proves impossible as he is confronted with a troubling variety of spiritual challenges from both his estranged daughter and his own parishioners. In those dispiriting struggles, Father James' life begins to fall apart as time runs out towards a confrontation that seems to crystallize his values and what he wants his life to be.

The Grand Seduction

The Grand Seduction

Basic Info:

Released Date:

2014-05-30

Languages:

English

Countries:

Canada

Runtime:

113 min

Rated:

PG-13

IMDB Ratings:

(9252 Reviews)

Director:

Don McKellar

Genres:

Comedy

Cast:

Writer:

Ken Scott

Michael Dowse

Ken Scott (film "La Grande Sèduction")

Fullplot:

The small harbor of Tickle Cove is in dire need of a doctor so that the town can land a contract to secure a factory which will save the town from financial ruin. Village resident Murray French (Gleeson) leads the search, and when he finds Dr. Paul Lewis (Kitsch) he employs - along with the whole town - tactics to seduce the doctor to stay permanently.

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