Top 10 Julian Sands Movies Ranked

The late Julian Sands was a prolific actor who appeared in notable and unique films throughout his nearly three-decade Hollywood career, and left a lasting memory through his varied and complex performances. Sands was born in Yorkshire England on January 4, 1958 and began his professional acting career with a one-episode role in the British anthology series Play today. Shortly after this unnamed role, he won his first leading role in the Swiss horror film After Dark as Laurence Hunningford.

Thus began a long career for Julian Sands, appearing in leading roles, supporting roles, and even small roles in everything from clunky horror films to charming romantic comedies. He could play characters who were sweet and kind, and those who seemed to have nothing behind their eyes. In 2023, at age 65, Sands went hiking in the San Gabriel Mountains and never returned (via BBC). His remains were discovered months later (via People). A sad ending to the story, Sands still left an incredible legacy for his family and fans with his films.

10

The girl with the dragon tattoo (2011)

Young Henrik Vanger

David Fincher The girl with the dragon tattoo is the second adaptation of Steig Larsson’s bestselling novel after the 2009 Swedish version. In the film, Christopher Plummer co-stars as Henrik Vanger, the wealthy patriarch who hires Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) to investigate his granddaughter’s disappearance. Affable, gentle, and naive about the evil in his family, Henrik is a fascinating character in the Millennium series.

In flashback sequences, a younger Henrik is shown, played by Julian Sands. Not only does Sands easily pass for a younger Plummer, but his mannerisms, speech patterns, and facial movements immediately resemble the older version of the character. Sands makes the mime look easy and helps draw out even more humanity from the character, which the audience may not be completely sure of at that point in the film.

9

Ocean’s Thirteen (2007)

Greek Montgomery

Ocean’s Thirteenthe third film in the series by Steven Soderbergh Ocean franchise, follows the same team as the previous film. After Reuben Tishkoff (Elliott Gould) is scammed by his business partner Willy Bank (Al Pacino), Danny and the gang decide to ruin him as punishment for disrespecting another thief. Julian Sands plays Greco Montgomery, the creator of an advanced artificial intelligence system that the thirteen must bypass in order to steal from the Bank.

Sands basically stands in a glass room, barking orders and discussing technology, “The Greco”, but the clarity with which he speaks and his presence make the scenes much more interesting than they should be. He spends his scenes mostly face-to-face with Pacino, and it always feels like he belongs alongside the award-winning actor.

8

Helena Boxing (1993)

Nick Cavanaugh

Boxing Helena is an avant-garde thriller that follows Nick Cavanaugh (Julina Sands), a surgeon who kidnaps a woman he is in love with, the titular Helena (Sherilyn Fenn). Obsessed with her obedience, he puts her in a box and begins performing horrific surgeries on Helena, hoping that she will come to love him as much as he loves her. The film was negatively received upon release, with only 17% in Rotten tomatoesbut it has been somewhat claimed as a cult classic.

Sands is by far the best part of the film and his intensity is unnerving. It always seems believable that he would continue to descend to the depths that Nick does because of his careful and precise acting, which is also preventing something monstrous. It’s a brave role and emblematic of Sands’ fearlessness.

7

Naked Lunch (1991)

Yves Cloquete

In Naked Lunchfilm by David Cronenberg, an exterminator named William Lee (Peter Weller) discovers that his wife Joan (Judy Davis) exposed him to one of her insecticides, causing him to experience increasingly bizarre and frightening visions. There is much, much more to Naked Lunchand in true Cronenberg fashion, much of the psychologically horrific story is incomprehensible at first glance.

Julian Sands appears as Yves Cloquet, a young gay Swiss man, who eventually reveals to William that he is actually a giant centipede in disguise. It’s an absurdly funny performance from Sands, but he also manages to make what could be a ridiculous character threatening and unnerving. Naked Lunch is an abstract and difficult film that rewards multiple viewings. It takes a certain type of person to be successful in these films and Sands has the look and personality to match Cronenberg’s tone.

6

Improvised (1991)

Francisco Liszt

Julian Sands co-stars as Franz Liszt in Improviseda period drama about real-life creative types during the 19th century. The film stars Judy Davis as “George Sand”, the pseudonym of Amantine-Lucile-Aurore Dupin, a French novelist who adopted a masculine name, dressed masculinely, and was a fierce defender of women’s freedom and freedom of expression. women. Franz Liszt was another historical figure; a Hungarian composer and musician.

It’s a smart, modern film about gender expression at a time when most people disregarded the idea. Funny, charming and deeper than it seems at first glance, the same can be said of Sands’ performance, where he manages to be both a braggart and also someone who may be right. Sands turns Fritz into a gray character who can be pompous at times but is still easy to root for.

5

Leaving Las Vegas (1995)

Yuri Butsov

The Coen Brothers Leaving Las Vegas it received four Oscar nominations, with Nicolas Cage winning in the Best Actor category. Although Julian Sands didn’t receive any praise for his performance as Yuri Butsov, his role is a fantastic and memorable part of the film. As a Latvian pimp, Yuri is Sera’s (Elisabeth Shue) boss and occasional abuser. However, when Polish mobsters come after him, he cuts ties with Sera, fearing she might get hurt.

Sands is violent and frightening as Yuri, and it’s immediately obvious why Sera fears him. However, Sands manages to imbue the character with enough humanity that when he releases Sera for her safety, There’s the slightest sense that maybe there’s the seed of a decent person somewhere in him and that there is more to her story than is shown to the public.

4

Warlock and Warlock: Armageddon (1989, 1993)

Wizard

THE Wizard franchise is a supernatural horror trilogy starring Julian Sands as the titular Warlock, at least in the first two films, Wizard and Wizard: Armageddon. The Warlock is the son of Satan who travels from the past to the modern era to destroy the world. He is pursued by a witch hunter, Giles Redferne (Richard Grant), and a modern-day woman, Kassandra (Lori Singer).

Low-budget, exaggerated and sometimes ridiculous appearance, Wizard and its equally silly sequel are at the top of forgotten horror franchises. Sands is at his best in the role, chewing the scenery as he plays the malevolent character. It’s an impressively bold performance that alone keeps the films from falling into obscurity. His long blonde hair, mocking smile, and complete dedication to the ridiculousness of the role create an enduring character.

3

Arachnophobia (1990)

Dr.

A throwback to classic Hollywood creature features, Arachnophobia follows a small California town that is invaded by a deadly new species of spider. Julian Sands plays Dr. James Atherton, a British entomologist who inadvertently sends a new species of highly aggressive spider to a laboratory in Canaima, California, where it breeds with local spiders to create a super strain that threatens the town. Atherton must team up with the locals to destroy the hive he created.

It’s a silly, fun and often scary film, especially for viewers who are already afraid of the film’s central villain. Sands is perfectly comfortable in the roleand just as the film is a throwback to classic horror films about animals, Sands is making a throwback to the first horror roles he played early in his career.

2

Gothic (1986)

Percy Bysshe Shelley

Gothic is a unique psychological horror film that is a fictional retelling of Mary Shelley (Natasha Richardson) and Percy Bysshe Shelley (Julian Sands)’s trip to Lord Byron’s (Gabriel Byrne) home near Lake Geneva. It was during this trip that Mary was challenged to write a horror story, which she later turned into Frankenstein. It’s a strange, ghostly film that may seem overly stylized and dramatic, but it’s so unique that it’s hard not to enjoy it.

Sands is excellent as Percy, who becomes increasingly impressed by the events unfolding in the house. His toughness and confidence at the beginning of the film give way to fear in a realistic and disturbing way, and Sands can play both sides of the character and make them both feel true to Percy. It’s a hauntingly memorable film and Percy is a key part of making sure the audience understands that the events that unfold are not normal.

1

A Room with a View (1985)

George Emerson

Julian Sands’ first major leading role A room with a viewis a British romance film by James Ivory that follows a young woman, Lucy Honeychurch (Helena Bonham Carter), emerging from the restrictive culture of Edwardian England as she falls in love with the free spirit George Emerson (Julian Sands). The film received eight Oscar nominations and won in three categories. It also stars an incredible ensemble including Maggie Smith, Daniel Day-Lewis, Denholm Elliott and Judi Dench.

Sands still stands out among an elite cast as the carefree, romantic and charming George. It’s a true leading man performance, and he captures the joy and hope of youth incredibly well. It’s also a very intelligent film, one that tries to make the audience consider exactly what emotions are. With an actor like Julian Sandsthe story can be told in a deeper, more complex style without feeling pretentious or heavy-handed.