Movie Type: Crime Thriller, Post-Noir (Modern Noir)
Themes: Cons and Scams, Criminal's Revenge, Blackmail
Main Cast: Lucy Akhurst, Christopher Biggins, Amanda Donohoe, John Hannah, Eddie Izzard, Famke Janssen, Tom "Tiny" Lister, Jr., Peter Stormare, Fred Ward
Release Year: 2000
Country: UK
Run Time: 95 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
A confidence man discovers too late that he's on the other end of a dangerous scam in this tense thriller from England. Leo Garfield (John Hannah) is a small-time gambler and con artist who is eager to get out of the business. Bruno (Brian Conley), a brutal underworld leader, wants Leo to manage his gaming operations. While he's in no position to say no, Leo doesn't want to work for the unstable gangster. Hoping to raise enough money so that he and his wife Lily (Famke Janssen) can leave the country, Leo agrees to murder Gloria (Amanda Donohoe), the wife of a mobster named Julius (Peter Stormare). However, Bruno's brother Caspar (Ian Burfield) is convinced that Leo is up to no good, and he hopes to get some information from Lily by passing on unwelcome news -- Elmo (Fred Ward), Lily's former partner in crime, has just been released from prison, and he wants revenge for her betrayal of him after a bungled robbery. Leo goes through with his assignment to kill Gloria, only to discover that he's been set up -- the woman in question was a prostitute hired by Julius, who videotaped her death and is now demanding $500,000 in blackmail from Leo. Circus was the feature film debut for director Rob Walker, who had previously worked in British television. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Hinda Hicks - Old Tramp; Jason Watkins - Dom; Brian Conley - Bruno Maitland; Neil Stuke - Roscoe; Michael Attwell - Magnus; Ian Burfield - Caspar Gilt; Julie Saunders - Hotel Receptionist; Louis Hammond - Jeweller; Evelyn Duah - Jeweller's Assistant; Marcus Heath - Paul; Louise Rolfe - Kelly; Steve Toussaint - Black; Christopher Tune - Boy Racer; Che Walker - Nightclub Worker
Credit
Peter Wenham - Art Director, Michelle Guish - Casting, Anna Sheppard - Costume Designer, Richard Hewitt - First Assistant Director, Matthew Penry-Davey - First Assistant Director, Toby Sherborne - First Assistant Director, Andrea Slater - First Assistant Director, Rob Walker - Director, Oral Norrie Ottey - Editor, Alberto Ardissone - Executive Producer, Casper Mill - Location Manager, Simon Boswell - Composer (Music Score), Iain Jones - Musical Direction/Supervision, Alison Bell - Makeup, Peter Cavaciuti - Camera Operator, Ben Seresin - Cinematographer, Alan Latham - Producer, James Gibb - Producer, Gina Cromwell - Set Designer, Tom Harris - Special Effects, Paul Kelly - Special Effects, Bill Dodkin - Sound Mixer, Peter Brayham - Stunts Coordinator, Jay Coquillon - Supervisor/Manager, Steve Harrow - Supervisor/Manager, Simon Crook - Unit Production Manager, David Logan - Screenwriter, Animals O Kay - Animal Trainer/Wrangler, Diane Chittell - Production Coordinator, Ron Purdie - Production Supervisor, John Cormican - Prosthetic Makeup Effects, Campbell Askew - Supervising Sound Editor, Ross Adams - Dialogue Editor, Andy Shelley - Dialogue Editor, Bill Trent - Dialogue Editor, Andi Derrick - Foley Artist, Paula Boram - Foley Artist, Bob Gavin - Foley Editor, Dereck Cowie - Scenic Artist, Alister Plant - Scenic Artist, Paddy Hamilton - Scenic Artist, Magnus Irvine - Scenic Artist, Helen Gillilan - Scenic Artist, John Bateman - Foley Mixer, Moving Picture Company - Title Design, Richard Morrison - Title Design, Dena Johnson - Title Design
