The Prince Charles Cinema

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Anora
2024 139mins (18) Crime/Comedy
Directed by Sean Baker Starring Mikey Madison, Mark Eydelshteyn, Karren Karagulian

5 Academy Award Wins – Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay (Original), Best Editing, Best Actress

Anora, a young sex worker from Brooklyn, gets her chance at a Cinderella story when she meets and impulsively marries the son of an oligarch. Once the news reaches Russia, her fairytale is threatened as the parents set out for New York to get the marriage annulled.

Oldboy [Oldeuboi]
2003 120mins South Korea (18) Psychological Horror
Directed by Chan-wook Park Starring Min-sik Choi, Ji-tae Yu, Hye-jeong Kang

Dae-Su is an obnoxious drunk bailed from the police station yet again by a friend. However, he's abducted from the street and wakes up in a cell, where he remains for the next 15 years, drugged unconscious when human contact is unavoidable, otherwise with only the television as company. And then, suddenly released, he is invited to track down his jailor with a denouement that is simply stunning.

The Warriors
1979 93mins USA (15) Gang
Directed by Walter Hill Starring Michael Beck, James Remar, Dorsey Wright

A turf battle between New York City street gangs that rages from Coney Island to the Bronx. The Warriors are mistakenly fingered for the killing of a gang leader. Soon they have every gang in the city out to get revenge and they must make their way across the city to their own turf.

As Tears Go By
1988 98mins Hong Kong (18) Romance
Directed by Wong Kar Wai Starring Andy Lau, Maggie Cheung, Jacky Cheung

A low-level triad "big brother" has a hot-tempered "little brother" who can't keep out of trouble, and consequently is in constant need of being bailed out by his protector. The "big brother" is super cool, but lacks the ambition to rise in the ranks of the triad societies - and once he meets his cousin from Kowloon and falls in love with her, he even thinks about leaving "the life"

Reservoir Dogs
1992 100mins USA (18) Crime
Directed by Quentin Tarantino Starring Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Chris Penn, Quentin Tarantino

A botched robbery indicates a police informant, and the pressure mounts in the aftermath at a warehouse. Crime begets violence as the survivors – veteran Mr. White, newcomer Mr. Orange, psychopathic parolee Mr. Blonde, bickering weasel Mr. Pink and Nice Guy Eddie – unravel.

Pulp Fiction
1994 155mins USA (18) Crime
Directed by Quentin Tarantino Starring John Travolta, Bruce Willis, Uma Thurman, Samuel L. Jackson, Ving Rhames

Vincent Vega (John Travolta) and Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson) are hitmen with a penchant for philosophical discussions. In this ultra-hip, multi-strand crime movie, their storyline is interwoven with those of their boss, gangster Marsellus Wallace (Ving Rhames) ; his actress wife, Mia (Uma Thurman) ; struggling boxer Butch Coolidge (Bruce Willis) ; master fixer Winston Wolfe (Harvey Keitel) and a nervous pair of armed robbers, "Pumpkin" (Tim Roth) and "Honey Bunny" (Amanda Plummer).

True Romance
1993 119mins USA (18) Crime / Romance
Directed by Tony Scott Starring Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, Dennis Hopper

A comic-book nerd and Elvis fanatic Clarence (Christian Slater) and a prostitute named Alabama (Patricia Arquette) fall in love. Clarence breaks the news to her pimp and ends up killing him. He grabs a suitcase of cocaine on his way out thinking it is Alabama's clothing. The two hit the road for California hoping to sell the cocaine, but the mob is soon after them.

Taxi Driver
1976 113mins USA (18) Crime
Directed by Martin Scorsese Starring Robert De Niro, Albert Brooks, Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd

Suffering from insomnia, disturbed loner Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro) takes a job as a New York City cabbie, haunting the streets nightly, growing increasingly detached from reality as he dreams of cleaning up the filthy city. When Travis meets pretty campaign worker Betsy (Cybill Shepherd), he becomes obsessed with the idea of saving the world, first plotting to assassinate a presidential candidate, then directing his attentions toward rescuing 12-year-old prostitute Iris (Jodie Foster).

Assault on Precinct 13
1976 98mins USA (18) Action / Thriller
Directed by John Carpenter Starring Austin Stoker, Darwin Joston, Laurie Zimmer

When the LAPD kills several members of the South Central gang Street Thunder, the remaining members avenge themselves by way of a bloody war waged against cops and citizens alike. Caught in the crossfire is Lt. Ethan Bishop (Austin Stoker), who's managing a skeleton crew at the local and soon-to-be-closed police precinct. As the gang members close in, Bishop forms an unlikely alliance with a group of prisoners in order to defend the station and the lives of everyone in it.

The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover
1989 124mins France, UK (18) Crime
Directed by Peter Greenaway Starring Richard Bohringer, Michael Gambon, Helen Mirren

When churlish mobster Albert Spica (Michael Gambon) acquires an upscale French restaurant in London, he dines there nightly, effectively scaring off the clientele with his bad manners. His wife, Georgina (Helen Mirren), is especially disgusted by him, and soon begins an affair with another restaurant guest, Michael (Alan Howard). Despite their efforts to keep it a secret, however, Spica finds out about their trysts, and he plans to exact a terrible revenge.

Rear Window
1954 111mins USA (PG) Thriller / Mystery
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock Starring James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Wendell Corey

A wheelchair-bound photographer spies on his neighbors from his Greenwich Village courtyard apartment window and, despite the skepticism of his fashion-model girlfriend, becomes convinced one of them has committed murder.

Infernal Affairs
2002 101mins Hong Kong (15) Crime / Thriller
Directed by Alan Mak|Andrew Lau Starring Andy Lau, Tony Leung, Anthony Wong, Eric Tsang

Idealistic police cadet Chan Wing-Yan (Tony Leung) is recruited by Police Superintendant Wong (Anthony Wong) to go deep undercover as a member of the criminal Triad society. Into the same cadet class, crime boss Hon Sam (Eric Tsang) installs new Triad member Lau Kin Ming (Andy Lau) to become a long-term mole for the gang. A decade later, both have risen through the ranks in their respective aliases -- but when both of their covers are in danger of being blown, a game of life and death ensues.

Run Lola Run [Lola rennt]
1998 81mins Germany (15) Thriller
Directed by Tom Tykwer Starring Franka Potente, Moritz Bleibtreu, Herbert Knaup

Lola (Franka Potente) answers a red phone the same color as her punk rock hair. It’s her boyfriend Manni (Moritz Bleibtru), a small time courier for a big time gangster. He is at a pay phone with a big problem. His boss is coming to pick up 100,000 Deutsche Marks in twenty minutes, and Manni doesn’t have it. Due to an unfortunate series of events, he left it in a bag on a train. While the homeless man who grabbed the money is about to have a really good day, Lola is determined to figure a way out of this for Manni, so it’s not his last.

With Manni’s life on the line, Lola takes off running through the streets of Berlin to reach him and somehow pick up 100,000 marks along the way, making split-second decisions and encountering acquaintances, family, and strangers. She runs down sidewalks, into offices, through traffic and back again. As the clock ticks down, the tiniest choices become life altering (or life-ending) decisions, and the fine line between fate and fortune begins to blur.

Told in three variations with three endings, Run Lola Run is a fast-paced, kinetic exploration of destiny, set to a pumping dance music soundtrack and interspersed with animated interludes, flashbacks, and flashforwards that remind us of life's limitless possibilities.

The Conversation
1974 113mins USA (12) Crime
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola Starring Gene Hackman, John Cazale, Allen Garfield

THE CONVERSATION focuses on Harry Caul (Gene Hackman), a detached and paranoid surveillance expert who finds himself becoming a victim of the same modern technology he uses to destroy others. It begins with a seemingly routine job trailing an unfaithful wife and her lover. But when Harry visits the husband’s office to deliver the incriminating tapes he’s made of the couple, his client’s assistant tries to intercept him. Harry refuses to hand over the recordings and suddenly discovers that he may have captured a conversation about something that’s a lot more important than adulterous goings on.

 

Reported to be Coppola’s favourite of his films, THE CONVERSATION boasts an exceptional cast that includes Gene Hackman (The French Connection, Unforgiven), John Cazale (Dog Day Afternoon, The Godfather), Allen Garfield (Nashville, One From the Heart), Frederic Forrest (Apocalypse Now, Falling Down), Cindy Williams (American Graffiti, ‘Laverne & Shirley‘) and Michael Higgins (Angel Heart, The Stepford Wives) as well as featuring a notable early performance from Harrison Ford (Raiders of The Lost Ark, Witness). As well as the Palme D’or, the film won numerous other awards, including BAFTAs for Editing and Sound, recognising Walter Murch’s (The English Patient, Apocalypse Now) ground-breaking work. “Harry Caul is an invader of privacy. The best in the business. He can record any conversation between two people anywhere. So far, three people are dead because of him.”

 

The Long Goodbye
1973 107mins USA (18) Neo Noir
Directed by Robert Altman Starring Sterling Hayden, Elliott Gould, Nina van Pallandt

Private detective Philip Marlowe (Elliott Gould) is asked by his old buddy Terry Lennox (Jim Bouton) for a ride to Mexico. He obliges, and when he gets back to Los Angeles is questioned by police about the death of Terry's wife. Marlowe remains a suspect until it's reported that Terry has committed suicide in Mexico. Marlowe doesn't buy it but takes a new case from a beautiful blond, Eileen Wade (Nina van Pallandt), who coincidentally has a past with Terry.

Eyes Wide Shut
1999 159mins UK, USA (18) Thriller / Mystery
Directed by Stanley Kubrick Starring Todd Field, Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Sydney Pollack

Stanley Kubrick's daring last film is many things. It is a compelling psychosexual journey. A haunting dreamscape. A riveting tale of suspense. A major milestone in the careers of stars Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. And "a worthy final chapter to a great director's career" (Roger Ebert).

Cruise plays Dr William Hartford, who plunges into an erotic foray that threatens his marriage - and may even ensnare him in a lurid murder mystery - after his wife's (Kidman) admission of sexual longings. As the story sweeps from doubt and fear to self-discovery and reconciliation, Kubrick orchestrates it with masterful flourishes. Graceful tracking shots, controlled pacing, rich colours, startling images: bravura traits that make Kubrick a filmmaker for the ages are here to keep everyone's eyes wide shut.

Blow-Up
1966 111mins UK (15) Thriller/Suspense
Directed by Michelangelo Antonioni Starring David Hemmings, Sarah Miles, Venessa Redgrave, John Castle

A fashion photographer unknowingly captures a death on film after following two lovers in a park.

Blow Out
1981 107mins USA (18) Thriller/Suspense
Directed by Brian De Palma Starring John Travolta, John Lithgow, Nancy Allen

While recording sound effects for a slasher flick, Jack Terri (John Travolta) stumbles upon a real-life horror: a car careening off a bridge and into a river. Jack jumps into the water and fishes out Sally (Nancy Allen) from the car, but the other passenger is already dead -- a governor intending to run for president. As Jack does some investigating of his tapes, and starts a perilous romance with Sally, he enters a tangled web of conspiracy that might leave him dead.

Fargo
1996 100mins USA, UK (15) Crime/Comedy
Directed by Ethan Coen|Joel Coen Starring Frances McDormand, Steve Buscemi, William H. Macy

Minnesota car salesman Jerry Lundegaard's inept crime falls apart due to his and his henchmen's bungling and the persistent police work of the quite pregnant Marge Gunderson.

Brother
2000 114mins France, UK, Japan, USA (18) Crime / Thriller
Directed by Takeshi Kitano Starring Takeshi Kitano, Omar Epps, Claude Maki

A Japanese Yakuza gangster's deadly existence in his homeland gets him exiled to Los Angeles, where he is taken in by his little brother and his brother's gang.

Hardcore
1979 107mins USA (18) Crime
Directed by Paul Schrader Starring George C. Scott, Peter Boyle, Season Hubley

When Michigan businessman Jake Van Dorn (George C. Scott) lets his teenage daughter go on a church trip to California, she never returns. Jake hires Los Angeles investigator Andy Mast (Peter Boyle) to look for her, and Mast turns up a pornographic film she's recently appeared in. Both stunned and increasingly disappointed with the police, Jake travels to California where he poses as an adult-film producer in hopes of finding someone who's seen his little girl.

Heat
1995 171mins USA (15) Crime
Directed by Michael Mann Starring Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Val Kilmer

A group of high-end professional thieves start to feel the heat from the LAPD when they unknowingly leave a verbal clue at their latest heist.

Original Cut from a 35mm print. 

Manhunter
1986 117mins USA (18) Horror / Crime
Directed by Michael Mann Starring William Petersen, Kim Greist, Brian Cox, Joan Allen

An FBI Agent is called out of early retirement to catch a serial killer. He asks for the help of his arch-nemesis, Dr Hannibal Lecter.

Fight Club
1999 139mins USA, Germany (18) Action / Crime
Directed by Cher |David Fincher Starring Edward Norton, Brad Pitt, Meat Loaf

A depressed man (Edward Norton) suffering from insomnia meets a strange soap salesman named Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) and soon finds himself living in his squalid house after his perfect apartment is destroyed. The two bored men form an underground club with strict rules and fight other men who are fed up with their mundane lives. Their perfect partnership frays when Marla (Helena Bonham Carter), a fellow support group crasher, attracts Tyler's attention.

Memories of Murder [Salinui chueok]
2003 132mins South Korea (15) Crime / Thriller
Directed by Bong Joon Ho Starring Kang-ho Song, Sang-kyung Kim, Roe-ha Kim

In 1986, Park (Song Kang-ho) and Cho (Kim Roi-ha) are two simple-minded detectives assigned to a double murder investigation in a South Korean province. But when the murderer strikes several more times with the same pattern, the detectives realize that they are chasing the country's first documented serial killer. Relying on only their basic skills and tools, Park and Jo attempt to piece together the clues and solve the case in this thriller based on true events.

Le Samourai
1967 105mins France, Italy (PG) Crime
Directed by Jean-Pierre Melville Starring Alain Delon, François Périer, Nathalie Delon, Caty Rosier, Jacques Leroy, Michel Boisrond

After professional hitman Jef Costello is seen by witnesses his efforts to provide himself an alibi drive him further into a corner.

Goodfellas
1990 145mins USA (18) Crime
Directed by Martin Scorsese Starring Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci, Lorraine Bracco

Young Henry Hill (Ray Liotta), with his friends Jimmy (Robert De Niro) and Tommy (Joe Pesci), grows up in the mob and works very hard to advance himself through the ranks. He enjoys his life of money and luxury, but is oblivious to the horror that he causes. A drug addiction and a few mistakes ultimately unravel his climb to the top. Based on the book "Wiseguy" by Nicholas Pileggi.