Five things to watch this week
THE GENTLEMEN — NETFLIX
Guy Ritchie makes his entry into the series universe with this expansion on the premise and world of his 2019 caper. This time around, Theo James stars as Eddie Horniman, British son of an aristocratic family who, after he inherits his family estate, is surprised to find that it is home to a booming marijuana growing operation. The syndicate that runs it has no plans to leave, and Eddie soon faces a series of confrontations with a cast of dangerous and eccentric madmen.
TO KILL A TIGER — NETFLIX Director Nisha Pujab’s film tackles rape in India, where a rape is reported every 20 minutes and only 30% of cases result in successful convictions. Ranjit is a farmer who, after his 13-year-old daughter is brutally gang raped, embarks on a quest for justice that sees him fight against the prejudices of his community and the indifference of the justice system.
STRANGE WAY OF LIFE — RENT OR BUY FROM APPLE TV+
Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal star in this short film from Spanish master of mischief Pedro Almodóvar as a pair of long-lost cowboy lovers who reconnect after many years. Its two leads give dedicated performances and Almodóvar’s visual flair and melodramatic touches help to make it an entertaining, emotionally satisfying affair.
ZEROZEROZERO — SHOWMAX
Though it only ran for one season, Italian creator Leonardo Fasoli’s international-spanning examination of the web of modern drug smuggling is gripping. Written by renowned journalist and enemy of the Italian mafia, Roberto Saviano, the story focuses on a shipment of cocaine from South America and draws in a wide cast of characters who are all linked with the fortune of the shipment to weave an engrossing and often brutal narrative.
NETWORK — PRIME VIDEO Almost five decades since Peter Finch immortalised the line, “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it any more” in legendary screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky’s dark comedy about the US media industry, Sidney Lumet’s classic film remains a bitterly funny takedown of the nefarious damage caused to journalism by ruthless corporatism. Finch, who won a posthumous Oscar for his role as disillusioned, end-of-histether-and-career news anchor Howard Beale, leads a brilliantly shining cast that includes Faye Dunaway, Robert Duvall and veteran Hollywood Golden Age star William Holden.