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Don MacPherson

Writer · Born September 7, 1954 (72) · Durham - United Kingdom

​From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.   Don Macpherson (born 7 September 1954) is a British screenwriter working in films and television.

Biography from TMDB.

Born
September 7, 1954 (72)
From
Durham - United Kingdom
Works as
Writer
Titles
7 on MovieCove · 10 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 36% in 30 days

What are Don MacPherson's films like?

Across their 7 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.

Themes

share of theme weight
Self
23%
Bonds
20%
Survival
18%
Morality
17%
Society
11%
Power
10%
Survival3 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 6 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 2 · Serious 1 · Dark 3

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 3 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 2

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

A split, not a type: Gentle 1 · Charged 1 · Intense 4

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 5 · Shifting 1 · Whiplash 0

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 3 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 1

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 1 · Even-paced 5 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 2 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 2

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 2 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 3

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 5 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
4
Thrilling
2
Dread
3
Romantic
3
Hopeful
2
Other
6

How their films linger

Hopeful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy3
  • Bittersweet4

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Don MacPherson's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 3 of their 7 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Don MacPherson's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

10 credits, 7 with a MovieCove page.

  • Thirteen Lives(2022)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • The Gunman(2015)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • Fleming(2014)

    Show 4 episodes · Writer

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all shows

  • The Avengers(1998)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films

  • Fallen Angels (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Show 1 episode · Teleplay

  • Crossing the Line(1990)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • The Dark Angel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Show 3 episodes · Writer

  • The Dark Angel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    Writer

  • Absolute Beginners(1986)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • The Bawdy Adventures of Tom Jones(1976)

    Musical

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films

Career shape

A full career of 10 titles from 1976 to 2022.

Biggest box office

The Gunman (2015)

$24M worldwide

Highest rated

Thirteen Lives (2022)

Midcredits 97th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Writing10 of 10: 10 only writing, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score30th

By decade

1970s1 · crew1980s3 · crew1990s3 · crew2010s2 · crew2020s1 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Don MacPherson's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 29th percentile, the median of all 6; across their 6 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 31st percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

31stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Approval · how many liked their films

28thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Reach · how many have seen their films

84thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Midcredits score across 7 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up1
  • 50th to 74th1
  • 25th to 49th3
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

3 of their 7 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Universally Panned1
  • Crowd Pleaser1
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed3

Most divisive · writer

The Bawdy Adventures of Tom Jones (1976)

71st percentile spread · 45% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · writer

Thirteen Lives (2022)

Midcredits 97th · 91% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 35/100 and the plot and story 40/100 in their films, across 5 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Don MacPherson's work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 3 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Violence & Gore3 titlesmedian 44 · moderateMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity3 titlesmedian 18 · mildMedian of all films: 32
Profanity3 titlesmedian 49 · moderateMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs3 titlesmedian 41 · moderateMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense3 titlesmedian 55 · moderateMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does Don MacPherson work with?

People who share at least 2 of Don MacPherson's MovieCove titles; Stephen Woolley shares the most, 2.