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| The Shawshank Redemption |
The Shawshank Redemption, BBC2 10.30pm, Monday, January 2
Jennie Kermode writes: Most Stephen King stories suffer from weak endings. This film, based on one of his novellas, gained cult status because of its ending, and while we don’t wish to spoil it if you haven’t seen it yet, it’s worth noting that there are little clues to what’s coming all the way through. This is important because there’s also a great deal of brutality, including sexual violence. At the centre of it is Tim Robbins as Andy, a man determined to serve his time usefully, trying to improve conditions for his fellow prisoners and slowly, very slowly, setting in motion an elaborate plan to bring abusive members of the staff to justice. The questions that director Frank Darabont ultimately wants you to ask is why he didn’t escape sooner, and that’s when you need to drop some of the assumptions that people make about the central character and take another look at the title. There’s more than one kind of nightmare that Andy needs to break free from.
Laura, Talking Pictures TV (Freeview Channel 82), 1.20pm, Tuesday, January 3
Otto Preminger's superior film noir tells the tale of a detective (Dan Andrews) investigating the murder of Laura Hunt (Gene Tierney), who becomes increasingly obsessed - although it's arguably Clifton Webb as Laura's charming and sarcastic pal Waldo Lydecker, and the film's narrator, who steals the show. With its unpredictable plot and haunting ambiguity, this is every bit as gripping now as it was back in 1944. If you watch it and find you're as much of a fan of the film as we are, you can read the script by Jay Dratler (with revisions by Ring Lardner Jr, Samuel Hoffenstein and Betty Reinhardt online here.
You Were Never Really Here, Film4, 11.55pm, Tuesday, January 3
Lynne Ramsay delivers a viscerally tense consideration of abuse wrapped up inside this taut thriller, starring Joaquim Phoenix as a suicidal hitman. The plot may be familiar turf - an assassin hunts for a missing girl - but Ramsay dives into the psychological waters of Joe's past and present at the same time as he is going through the motions of his job. Phoenix has rarely been better than here, damaged and determined, with scenes alongside Joe's mother (Judith Roberts) achieving a particularly heartbreaking poignancy. As Ramsay and Phoenix burrow deeper into the psyche of Joe, the mood intensifies - and it is us who find ourselves struggling to breathe.
American Animals, Film4, 11.25pm, Wednesday, January 4
Director Bart Layton goes one step further than the usual 'based on a true story' routine for his second feature, which was an early entry in the documentary/fiction hybrids that have become increasingly popular in recent years. Warren Lipka (Evan Peters), Chas Allen (Blake Jenner), Spencer Reinhard (Barry Keoghan) and Eric Borsuk (Jared Abrahamson) were the men with the plan - and Layton dovetails interviews with the real-life perpetrators with his re-enactment of a college library heist. What starts as a thrill ride becomes a much more interesting examination of toxic masculinity and the nature of memory that doesn't let anyone off the hook. Read our interview with Bart Layton and the cast, including Barry Keoghan, who told us he "never broke" his American accent for eight weeks in order to stay in character.
Fatal Attraction, Channel 4, 11.15pm, Thursday, January 5
The film that gave the world the phrase "bunny boiler" is still well worth a look more than 30 years on, first and foremost for the powerhouse performances of its leads. Michael Douglas plays a married Dan - could the name be more Everyman? - who gets a lot more than he bargains for following a one-night stand with Alex (Glenn Close). After getting the brush-off, Alex begins to stalk Dan with increasing intensity and Close brings the complexities of her character to the fore, before the more melodramatic elements really crank up. Sadly shorn of its more intelligent ending - that had much less of a "hurrah, for masculinity" vibe and a more multifaceted, tragic sweep - this is nonetheless a solid and cerebrally inclined thriller. Close, incidentally, hated the revised ending. If it puts you in the mood for Nineties erotic thrillers and/or Douglas, Basic Instinct shows on Friday on the same channel at 11.30pm.
Manhunter, BBC2, 11.05pm, Friday, January 6
Anthony Hopkins may have become cinema's best known Hannibal Lecter - but seven years earlier Brian Cox put in an equally chilling performance as the serial killer (spelled Lecktor in the Michael Mann film). Cox's performance is much subtler and less melodramatic but the psychological sparring between his killer and William Peterson's damaged FBI agent Will Graham is every bit as satisfying. Graham faces a race against time to discover the true identity of another killer, known as the Tooth Fairy. Although a film regular these days, this role marked a step up for Cox - recommended to Mann for the role by Brian Dennehy - who had mostly been confined to the small screen before then. Strong visual styling from Mann, including careful use of colour to heighten the mood, elevates things further.
Fighting With My Family, Channel 4, 11.30pm, Friday, January 6
Florence Pugh shows off her versatility in this enjoyable comedy drama, written by Stephen Merchant and based on the true story of a teenage wrestler from Norfolk who gets a shot at the WWE bigtime. The film sticks to a tried and tested formula, all coated with Hollywood shine, but Pugh gives the action some emotional dynamite as the feisty Paige, who finds herself increasingly at odds with her equally ambitious brother (Jack Lowden). Dwayne Johnson, who is also executive producer, also has plenty of fun in a cameo role. You can watch Max Fisher's documentary, on which the story is based, over on Vimeo.
This week's short film is Alice Nelson's documentary Vocation - which you'll need to pop over to Vimeo for. You can read more about Nelson's work on her website.
