Gritty town cut above average
The Great British Bake Off 7.30pm, Prime As season five reaches its finale, the three remaining bakers begin by creating a pastry that normally takes a whole day in just three hours. Then there’s a technical challenge for which they’ve got no recipe for, followed by a five-hour showstopper marathon where they must make the perfect sponge, caramel, choux pastry and petit fours. Man on Wire 8.30pm, Maori TV James Marsh’s 2008 account of Philippe Petit’s audacious 1974 walk between New York’s twin towers boasts more tension in it than most conventional Hollywood thrillers. It’s the combination of interviews, actual footage, recreations and an evocative score that make this such a compelling and, thanks to the events of 9/11, poignant watch. Monday, 10.55pm Duke Returning to the scene of the crime of his acting breakthrough ( Good Will Hunting) and directorial debut, Gone Baby Gone, Ben Affleck again uses Boston as not only an effective backdrop, but an essential character to his story.
Although allegedly not reflective of the city’s Charlestown today (it’s not the crime capital it was 15 years ago), this 2010 film provides a gritty setting for this tale of a career criminal desperately trying to go straight. Affleck mixes up the film speeds, stocks and an atmospheric, minimalist score with terrific results. For action fans, as well as three central heists, there’s also a thrilling Ronin- esque car chase and a lengthy high-stakes shootout.
Adapted from Chuck Hogan’s 2005 Prince of Thieves novel, the script provides plenty of opportunities, not only for a close-cropped Affleck, the luminous Rebecca Hall ( Vicky Cristina Barcelona) and a believably unhinged Jeremy Renner ( The Hurt Locker) to shine, but also allows for some scene-stealing cameos from John Hamm as a relentless FBI Agent and Pete Postlethwaite as a callous florist/crime-boss.
While by no means faultless, The Town is a cut above the average crime drama, thanks to its emphasis on character over carnage. – James Croot