ALSO SHOWING

HARRIET (12A)

★★★★★

WORTHY but formulaic biopic of he

19th century African-American abolitionist Harriet Tubman.

In 1849 Dorchester County, Araminta

Ross (Cynthia Erivo, pictured) and most of her family are slaves owned by Edward Brodess (Mike Marunde), who coldly refuses to acknowledge the clan’s claim to freedom. Minty’s husband John Tubman (Zackary Momoh) and father Ben (Clarke Peters), both free men, are powerless to intervene.

Minty prays aloud for Brodess to pay dearly for his heartless transgression and, on cue, he dies.

Widow Eliza Brodess (Jennifer Nettles) and venomous son Gideon (Joe Alwyn) assume control of the plantation and advertise Minty for sale.

In response, she escapes and finds her way to fervent abolitionist William Still (Leslie Odom Jr) in Philadelphia, where she assumes the name Harriet Tubman. Landlady Marie Buchanon (Janelle Monae) offers Harriet sanctuary but freedom without loved ones weighs heavily on the escapee.

She defies William’s advice and returns to Maryland to liberate family and neighbours until the “monster called slavery is dead”.

LAST CHRISTMAS (12A)

★★★★★

SEASONAL rom-com set to a soundtrack by George Michael.

Thirtysomething hot mess Kate

(Emilia Clarke) works as a sales elf at the Yuletide Wonderful shop in Covent Garden.

Staring out of the shop’s window one morning, she is irresistibly drawn to handsome stranger Tom (Henry Golding), who volunteers at a homeless shelter. Tom’s wholesome, positive influence compels Kate to think of others. She engineers romance between her boss Santa (Michelle Yeoh) and a smitten Dutch customer (Peter Mygind) and slowly repairs fractured relationships with her Croatian mother (Dame Emma Thompson) and older sister (Lydia Leonard).

Last Christmas cloys and contrives when it should charm and serenade us.

LE MANS ‘66 (12A)

★★★★★

THE battle royale between carmakers

Ford and Ferrari at the 1966 Le Mans 24-hour endurance race is recreated here in muscular fashion.

Marketing executive Lee Iacocca (Jon Bernthal) persuades boss Henry Ford II (Tracy Letts) that the key to revitalising the ailing brand is to make Ford sexy. The chief executive dispatches Lee to Italy to court Enzo Ferrari (Remo Girone) and draw on Ferrari’s expertise. Discussions break down and the Italian insults the Americans.

In response, Ford orders his company’s racing division to build a car capable of humiliating Ferrari at the 1966 Le Mans. Car designer Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) accepts the challenge and he approaches daredevil Ken Miles (Christian Bale, above) to sit behind the wheel of the Ford GT40.

Le Mans ‘66 excels during breathlessly staged racing sequences while Damon and Bale jumpstart a winning on-screen partnership.