Films of the day
What’s on the small screen this week
MIDNIGHT SPECIAL BBC1, 12.30AM
TV news report the abduction of eight-year-old Alton Meyer (Jaeden Lieberher), by a man from a religious cult. The kidnapper’s brief pit stop for petrol leads to devastation and reveals the boy’s otherworldly powers. (2016) ****
THE SISTERS BROTHERS BBC2, 10PM
Premiere. Eli Sisters (John C Reilly) and his brother Charlie (Joaquin Phoenix) are assassins for hire in 1851 Oregon. They agree to one final job for The Commodore (Rutger Hauer) – to kill gold prospector Hermann Warm (Riz Ahmed), who has perfected a volatile chemical compound that detects buried priceless nuggets of metal. Private detective John Morris (Jake Gyllenhaal) leads the unsuspecting target into the brothers’ clutches. (2018) ****
ERIN BROCKOVICH 5STAR, 11.30PM
Erin Brockovich (Julia Roberts) is a sassy single mum who talks her way into a job at Albert Finney’s law office, where she stumbles upon medical records relating to a community ravaged by an abnormally high number of serious illnesses. An Oscar-winning Roberts turns in the performance of her career, capturing the spirit of a woman whose desire to fight for the rights of the underdog rewrote American legal history. (2000) *****
FIRST MAN FILM4, 9PM
Biopic of the first man on the moon. Neil Armstrong (Ryan Gosling) is a key participant in the space race between America and the Soviet Union in the 1960s. He forges a close working relationship with fellow astronaut Ed White (Jason Clarke), who becomes the first American to walk in space. However, tragedy casts a long shadow over Neil and wife Janet (Claire Foy) as they struggle to cope with the death of their daughter Karen. (2018) *****
CRANK ITV4, 10.30PM
Hit man Chev Chelios (Jason Statham) wakes in his LA apartment to a message from a rival assassin stating that he’s been injected with a deadly poison and has just an hour to live. The only way to delay death is to keep his adrenalin pumping. So Chev does everything he can to keep his heart rate up as he sets out for revenge. A hyper-violent assault on the senses with a healthy disregard for good taste. (2006) ***
HOW THE WEST WAS WON BBC4, 8PM
John Ford’s epic Western helped to redefine the genre. All-star cast includes James Stewart, John Wayne, Gregory Peck, Henry Fonda, Debbie Reynolds, Lee J Cobb and Richard Widmark. The sprawling tale follows three generations of a pioneering family as they endure a series of ordeals and adventures in their endeavour to build a new life for themselves on the American frontier in the 19th century. (1962) ****
MUM’S LIST BBC1, 11.25PM
Based on a true story, Mum’s List is a moving drama about a terminally ill parent who leaves behind a bucket list of life lessons and recollections for her two young sons. With Rafe Spall, Emilia Fox, William Stagg and Matthew Stagg. (2016) ****