FILMS OF THE WEEK

THE BIG MOVIE Midnight Special (2016) 12 Saturday, 11pm, BBC2

There’s a big surprise at the end of this sci-fi mystery. More than just a surprise twist, it’s also an audacious change of tone that turns your expectations on their head. The opening scenes, shot in the dead of night, follow two sallow men (Michael Shannon and Joel Edgerton) who are on the run with eight-year-old Alton Meyer (Jaeden Martell, above). As news of the boy’s abduction flashes up on the TV, we already have a sense that this is no ordinary kidnapping, and that Alton is no ordinary boy. As the story opens out – while still keeping its central mystery intact – we learn that Alton has been rescued from a religious cult (by his father, Shannon), and that the US government also has an interest in him – and in his unusual abilities.

CLASSIC FILM CHOICE The Third Man (1949) PG Sunday, 12.40pm, BBC2

Directed by Carol Reed from a screenplay by Graham Greene, this British noir thriller is as close to perfect as a film can get. The plot is sturdy and unpredictable, the characters are strong and complex, the location is steeped in history and intrigue. From the moment pulp fiction writer Holly Martins (Joseph Cotten) arrives in Vienna, a city still bearing the scars of the Second World War, the tension and suspense start to build as he tries to unravel the mystery of old friend Harry Lime – played memorably by Orson Welles (above). As Martins investigates Lime’s apparent death, the bodies pile up, and Vienna’s glistening cobbles and dark alleyways yield more secrets. The film and its distinctive theme music were a huge international hit. It’s the complete package.