Brad revisits the mini-series MERLIN (1998), starring Sam Neill!

Posted on July 14, 2026 by Bradley Crain

I hated reading the news that Sam Neill had recently passed away. As an obsessed movie fan going back to the mid-80’s, I had especially enjoyed his work in films like DEAD CALM (1989) and THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER (1990) prior to him starring in Steven Spielberg’s juggernaut JURASSIC PARK (1993)! Like so many others, I was wowed in the theater watching the film, and Neill was so good in it. From that point forward, he was a part of our lives no matter what the film or television series. We all kind of felt like we knew him. When I was looking back through his filmography, I was reminded of the TV mini-series MERLIN, that I made sure to watch each night when it premiered on NBC in April of 1998. I have not watched it since the original broadcast, but in tribute to Sam Neill, I decided I’d revisit the series again this week.

To somewhat set the stage, some TV mini-series were extremely big deals back in the ‘90’s, and MERLIN was a major “event!” This was before streaming services like Netflix or Amazon were pumping out a new 6-part series every other week. In those days, when something like MERLIN premiered on network TV, a lot of people would make sure they were at home every night so they could be sure to see these ambitious stories play out. With an extraordinary cast led by Sam Neill, and its fresh take on the Arthurian legend, MERLIN would be a massive ratings and critical success for NBC.

In complete honesty, at that time in my life, I had my eye on the series because one of my favorite actors, Rutger Hauer, has a role as the evil, power mad King Vortigern. I have also been a big fan of the legend of King Arthur, I guess going all the way back to when I was a kid and watching Disney’s THE SWORD IN THE STONE! But this time I was here to celebrate Sam Neill, and I must say he’s very good as Merlin. Neill’s Merlin is much more than an all-knowing wizard guiding King Arthur. Rather, he’s a man who experiences the full spectrum of human emotion. We see him fall in love, suffer heartbreak, admit his own mistakes, and then fight on behalf of the world when just about everyone else is gone. The character of Merlin was personalized for me for the first time in my life, and I give Neill’s likable performance full credit for that. In a career with so much great work, this is another excellent achievement.

MERLIN has an incredible supporting cast. Rutger Hauer, Helena Bonham Carter, Miranda Richardson, John Gielgud, James Earl Jones, Isabella Rossellini, Martin Short, Billie Whitelaw, Lena Headey, and many others bring the story to life and remind us just how big a production this really was. Of the supporting performances, Miranda Richardson, who plays dual roles, Helena Bonham Carter, and Martin Short really stood out the most to me. Hauer leaves a memorable impression despite relatively limited screen time. Neill, Carter, and Short would all be nominated for Primetime Emmy Awards for their acting, but none would win the award. The series would be nominated for a total of 15 Primetime Emmy awards, taking 4 of them home, mostly in technical categories.

Looking back on MERLIN after thirty years, I would have to say I appreciate it more now than I did then. I like the fact that it takes its time exploring big ideas like good vs. evil, destiny, sacrifice, and the unstoppable passage of time. I also like the visual effects, which may very much be a product of 1998, but I think they provide a charm that helps sell this timeless story. There’s a reason some stories are told for centuries, and this series does honor to the legend.

Just this past week, I made arrangements for my wife and I to spend a week on the beach in Perdido Key, FL at the end of the summer. The last time I was there was during the summer of 2019. As I sat on the beach back at that time, I received a notification on my phone that Rutger Hauer had passed away. Having been a fan of his for over thirty years, I just remember being sad that another one of my movie heroes was gone. Time doesn’t stop for anyone, and while my wife and I will be enjoying that same beach next month, there’s no doubt that I’ll think about Hauer, and now Sam Neill. Actors leave us, but their work lives on forever, and sometimes that work is legendary. Thanks for all the great memories, Sam.

Excalibur (1981, directed by John Boorman)

Posted on January 18, 2025 by Jedadiah Leland

During the Dark Ages, Britain is at war. King Uther Pendragon (Gabriel Byrne) leads his men against The Duke of Cornwall (Corin Redgrave). Uther and his men swear their allegiance to God and St. George but they trust in the magic of the mysterious Merlin (Nicol Williamson).

Merlin negotiates peace between Uther and Cornwall but Uther throws that peace away when he becomes obsessed with Cornwall’s beautiful wife, Igrayne (Katrine Boorman). Merlin uses his magic to disguise Uther as Cornwall so that Uther can spend one night with Igrayne. When Cornwall is killed in battle, Uther marries Igrayne and realizes it was never necesarry to use Merlin’s magic and that Merlin, who has the power to see the future, knew that. Merlin takes Uther and Igrayne’s infant son from them and then disappears. Later, Uther is killed by by three of Cornwall’s men. Before dying, Uther drives his magic sword, Excalibur, into a stone. On the true king of England will be able to remove it.

Uther’s son, Arthur (Nigel Terry), grows up with no knowledge about his parentage. When he accidentally draws Excalibur out of the rock, Merlin returns to counsel the new king. And the new king has much to learn, as not all of the nobleman are willing to accept him as their ruler. Arthur proves himself worthy to be king while his half-sister, Morgan (Helen Mirren), waits for her chance to get revenge.

Excalibur is one of the most ambitious films made about King Arthur. John Boorman fits the entire legend of Arthur, Lancelot (Nicholas Clay), Percevel (Paul Geoffrey), Guinevere (Cherie Lunghi), and the search for the Holy Grail into one movie and, as a result, there’s not a dull moment. Boorman presents the reign of King Arthur as a conflict between England’s pagan past and the new era of man. Merlin and Morgan’s magic is powerful but, in the end, power is determined by bloody battles fought by men encased in clunky armor. Arthur, Lancelot, and the other knights claim to live by the honorable, chivalric code but only one of them is able to live up to the ideal. The others become consumed by lust, jealousy, and a thirst for power.

In my opinion, Excalibur is the best movie made about King Arthur, mostly because John Boorman takes the story seriously and makes us feel like we are watching people who truly are living in different world and a different time. The chivalric code is necessary to keep the peace in a time when there are multiple pretenders-to-throne. Mordred (Robert Addie) is not just a villain because he seeks to overthrow his father but also because he is the one person to have no respect for the code or the mystic power of the Holy Grail.

Excalibur has a large cast with many familiar faces. Keep an eye out for Patrick Stewart as one of Arthur’s earliest supporters and also Liam Neeson as a surly Sir Gawain. Of all the Lancelots who have appeared in the movies, Nicolas Clay is the best and Helen Mirren is the perfect Morgan. Nicol Williamson steals the movie as the mysterious Merlin. And while Nigel Terry was too old for the scenes where Arthur is supposed to be a callow teenager, he grows into the role just as Arthur grew into being king of the Britons.

Monty Python and The Holy Grail will always make me laugh but John Boorman’s big, beautiful, and bloody Excalibur is the best film about Camelot.

International Horror Film Review: The Night Digger (dir by Alistair Reid)

Posted on October 15, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

The 1971 British film, The Night Digger, revolves around three people.

Maura Prince (Patricia Neal) lives in a dilapidated mansion out of London. She has never married and spends almost all of her time taking care of her blind mother, Edith (Pamela Brown). Edith goes out of her way to make sure that Maura will never have the courage to leave her and find happiness on her own. However, with the mansion falling apart around them, it’s becoming obvious that Maura cannot take care of the entire place on her own. That’s when a mysterious but handsome man named Billy Jarvis (Nichols Clay) rides up on his motorcycle and asks if the women need a handyman.

Billy has a dramatic story about his past, claiming that he lost almost everything that he owned as the result of a fire in a barn, one which also led to the death of his mother. Billy is charming and handsome and he ride a really impressive motorcycle and he looks good in a leather jacket. He represents youth but he’s also the epitome of the rebel without a cause, the sensitive but inarticulate Marlon Brando of The Wild One or the biker played by Peter Fonda in The Wild Angels. Some may look at him and only see a somewhat seedy character on a motorcycle but others look at him and see someone who is running from something and needs someone to take care of him. They see the soul of poet within the body of a drifter, someone who needs to escape from his past and who can also provide a better future. He’s the rebel without a cause, the one that everyone dreams about, even if some of those dreams are dreamt in secret. Though one may have rode a bicycle and the other was knight of the round table, there is much Nicholas Clay’s future performance as Lancelot in John Boorman’s Excalibur to be found in his performance in The Night Digger. Much like a groundkeeper in a D.H. Lawrence novel, he represents the secret and potentially dangerous earthy sensuality of Britain.

As a result, You certainly can not blame Maura for starting to fall in love with him. Nor can you blame Edith for wanting to have an athletic young man around as there have been stories about a madman who stalks the night, killing women. The Traveling Maniac, some have taken to calling him. Complicating the matter, though, is the fact that Billy just happens to be The Traveling Maniac. With Maura falling in love with him, will she discover the truth or will she become his next victim?

The Night Digger took me by surprise. I wasn’t expecting much from this film when I watched it last year but it turned out to be rather clever and suspenseful thriller, one that told its story with a good combination of black humor and emotional honesty. Atmospherically directed by Alistair Reid and featuring a trio of excellent lead performances, The Night Digger was compelling compelling thriller, a gothic horror story with a great ending. This is definitely one to keep an eye out for!