The best films on the box this week
FRIDAY SHANGHAI NOON (2000) (BBC One, 11.50pm)
JACKIE Chan plays 19th-century Chinese Imperial Guard Chon Wang (pronounced John Wayne), who works as a servant to the beautiful Princess Pei Pei (Lucy Lui) in the Forbidden City. When the princess is kidnapped by traitorous Lo Fong (Roger Yuan) and held hostage in America’s Wild West, Chon Wang sets out to deliver the ransom to her captors. En route, Chon runs into hapless train robber Roy O’Bannon (Owen Wilson).
SATURDAY THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY – PART 2 (2015) (C4, 9pm) Premiere
KATNISS Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) recovers from a skirmish with brainwashed Hunger Games competitor Peeta (Josh Hutcherson), only to discover the unified Districts are preparing for an assault on the Capitol. Katniss must lead the charge, guided by District 13’s president Alma Coin (Julianne Moore), gamesmaker Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and lovestruck childhood friend Gale Hawthorne (Liam Hemsworth).
SUNDAY THE SWEENEY (2012) (C4, 10pm)
FLYING Squad hard man DI Jack Regan (Ray Winstone) and sidekick George Carter (Ben Drew) hunt a gang of European thieves led by Francis Allen (Paul Anderson). Frustratingly, the team cannot find sufficient evidence to charge Allen, and Regan is forced to let him go after hours of intense questioning. Tensions within the department explode when Internal Affairs officer Ivan Lewis (Steven Mackintosh) vows to bring down Regan, who just happens to be bedding Lewis’ wife Nancy (Hayley Atwell).
MONDAY 08/01/18 LIFE OF PI (2012) (E4, 8pm)
AN INQUISITIVE writer (Rafe Spall) turns up at the door of Pi Patel (Irrfan Khan), having been told his life story deserves to be immortalised in print. In flashback, Pi recounts his youth as the son of a circus owner (Adil Hussain) who decided to sell the business in Pondicherry and emigrate to Canada with his family. A raging storm causes the freighter to overturn and young Pi (Suraj Sharma) escapes in a lifeboat along with a zebra, orang-utan, hyena and a tiger called Richard Parker.
TUESDAY THE FAULT IN OUR STARS (2014) (Film4, 9pm)
SIXTEEN-YEAR-OLD Hazel Grace Lancaster (Shailene Woodley) was diagnosed with cancer at an early age. At the behest of her mum (Laura Dern), Hazel reluctantly attends a cancer patients’ support group, where she meets acerbic survivor Gus (Ansel Elgort). As the relationship intensifies, Hazel attempts to keep Gus at arm’s length, warning that she “is a grenade” destined to obliterate everyone around her.
WEDNESDAY CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON (2000) (Sony Movie Channel, 6.25pm)
AT THE dawn of the 19th century, legendary warriors Li Ku Bai (Chow Yun-Fat) and Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh) are reunited when Li’s magnificent Green Destiny sword is stolen by his arch-enemy Jade Fox. Laying a trap for the wily adversary, Li and Yu cross paths with a governess (Cheng Pei-Pei) and her aristocratic ward Jen (Zhang ZiYi), who is secretly betrothed to outlaw Lo (Chang Chen).
THURSDAY TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY (2011) (Film4, 11.15pm)
THIS labyrinthine drama, based on John Le Carre’s novel, centres on George Smiley (Gary Oldman), deputy to the head of British intelligence, who is forced into retirement after an operation ends in disaster. He is later recruited by the government to return to duty and investigate the possibility of a Soviet infiltrator in a high-ranking position in MI6.