TV FILMS OF THE WEEK
1 DEADPOOL Tonight, Channel 4, 9pm
FORMER Special Forces operative Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) is a low-rent assassin who discovers he has inoperable cancer. A recruiter (Jed Rees) from an experimental program known as WeaponX invites Wade to undergo a radical procedure, which aggressively attacks the cancerous cells. Sadistic program director Ajax (Ed Skrein) and henchwoman Angel Dust (Gina Carano) torture Wade, transforming him into a hideously deformed mutant with the power of self-healing. Reborn as Deadpool, Wade sets out to wreak revenge on Ajax and his underlings. Deadpool is a relentlessly lurid and unapologetically foul-mouthed treat.
2 ABOUT TIME Tomorrow, Channel 5, 4.35pm
BITTERSWEET rom-com written and directed by Richard Curtis. After he turns 21, Tim (Domhnall Gleeson) learns he hails from a line of male time travellers, who can correct past mistakes. He uses this skill after bungling his first meeting with Mary (Rachel McAdams, pictured with Gleeson). However, every correction risks ripples through time and Tim learns some imperfections must be left alone.
3 DARK RIVER Monday, Film4, 11.15pm
GRITTY drama. Alice (Ruth Wilson) left home years ago, after being left emotionally scarred by her father. When she learns her father has died and the family farm is on the verge of ruin, Alice returns and prepares to apply for sole tenancy of the business. She clashes with her brother Joe (Mark Stanley, pictured with Wilson), who cared for their father and resents Alice after her years away.
4 DEPARTURE Tuesday, Film4, 11.45pm
SENSITIVELY handled drama. Beatrice (Juliet Stevenson) and her 15-year-old only child Elliot (Alex Lawther, pictured) arrive at their French holiday home for the final time. The relationship between Beatrice and her husband has deteriorated beyond repair and the family is selling up. In the midst of this turmoil, Elliot develops a crush on local boy Clement (Phenix Brossard).
5 KILL BILL: VOLUME 2 Wednesday, 5STAR, 11.10pm
RETIRED assassin the Bride (Uma Thurman, left) is out for revenge on the former colleagues who left her for dead on her wedding day. She bumped off two of the squad in the first film, but she’s still keen to punish the eye-patch wearing Elle Driver (Daryl Hannah) and her mysterious mentor, Bill (David Carradine). It’s not quite as action-packed as the first instalment, but it’s still a thrilling movie.
6 NORTH BY NORTHWEST Thursday, BBC4, 8pm
ADVENTURE starring Cary Grant as an advertising exec who is mistaken for a US intelligence agent by foreign thugs and drawn into all sorts of action. James Mason, Eva Marie Saint (pictured with Grant) and Martin Landau co-star in this legendary thriller. Memorable set pieces in Alfred Hitchcock’s film include Grant’s escape from a crop-duster plane and an edge-of-the-seat fight on Mount Rushmore.
7 THE DAM BUSTERS Friday, Film4, 12.35pm
SECOND World War movie starring Richard Todd as Wing Commander Guy Gibson, a skilled pilot ordered to assemble a crack squadron of fliers for a top-secret mission. After weeks of training, they will drop a new explosive designed to destroy three German dams. Michael Redgrave, pictured, is on fine form as Barnes Wallis, the man who created the bouncing bomb at the heart of the story.