THE WEEK’S BEST FILMS

SATURDAY Pain and Gain (2013) (Channel 4, 10pm) Bone Tomahawk (2015) (Film4, 11.20pm)

Wheeler-dealer Danny Lugo (Mark Wahlberg) secures a position as manager of the Sun Gym, where he grows envious of the rich and fabulous lifestyle of some of his unfit clients. In particular, Danny yearns to splash the cash like Victor Kershaw. So the money-oriented meathead devises a hare-brained scheme to abduct Kershaw. Based on an outlandish true crime, screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely attempt to mix a heady cocktail of violence and dark humour in the style of the Coen brothers.

No-good thieves Purvis (David Arquette) and Buddy (Sid Haig) desecrate the burial ground of a tribe of troglodytes and steal artefacts, which they subsequently bury on the outskirts of a small town. The cannibalistic cave dwellers attack the town, kidnapping Purvis, doctor’s wife and sheriff’s deputy. Sheriff Franklin Hunt (Kurt Russell) and his deputy Chicory (Richard Jenkins) launch a suicidal rescue mission accompanied by Samantha’s husband Arthur (Patrick Wilson) and resident womaniser John Brooder (Matthew Fox). This unlikely quartet journeys over rough terrain in search of the troglodytes, but the brave men are unprepared for the horrors that await them in S Craig Zahler’s stylish yet gruesome western.

SUNDAY Rock of Ages (2012) (ITV2, 7.30pm)

Wannabe singer Sherrie Christian (Julianne Hough) leaves Oklahoma for the bright lights of Los Angeles. Aspiring rocker Drew Boley (Diego Boneta), who works as a bartender at the Bourbon Room, persuades owner Dennis Dupree (Alec Baldwin) and right-hand man Lonny Barnett (Russell Brand) to hire Sherrie as a waitress. Lovebirds Drew and Sherrie don’t stop believing in their dreams, even when rocker Stacee Jaxx (Tom Cruise) comes between them. Punctuated by breathlessly choreographed renditions of Pat Benatar, Europe, Foreigner, Journey and Poison among others, Rock of Ages is 118 minutes of unabashed joy. Hough is adorable, while Cruise embraces the spirit of Axl Rose in his scenes, sparing us only a few blushes in a jewel-encrusted dragon-shaped codpiece and leather chaps.

World War Z (2013) (Channel 4, 9pm)

Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt) is a retired United Nations investigator who devotes his time to his wife Karin (Mireille Enos) and daughters Constance (Sterling Jerins) and Rachel (Abigail Hargrove). During a drive through Philadelphia, the Lanes witness the spread of a disease which transforms people into merciless predators with a single bite. Gerry’s old boss at the UN, Thierry Umutoni (Fana Mokoena), guarantees Karin, Constance and Rachel safe passage on an aircraft carrier if Gerry agrees to travel behind enemy lines to discover the source of the outbreak.

MONDAY The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2012) (BBC2, 10.30pm)

Adapted from the novel by Mohsin Hamid, The Reluctant Fundamentalist is a taut drama directed by Mira Nair about a conversation between a Pakistani professor and an American investigative journalist