Crime pays for Butler

Den of Thieves (15) ●●● ●●

Gerard Butler is as good as he’s been in years and O’Shea Jackson Jr gives another impressive turn in this watchable crime-thriller.

Writer-director Christian Gudegast’s story holds your attention and throws in a few curve balls.

However, it all ends up feeling like a retread of superior flicks like Heat, Inside Man and The Usual Suspects.

Journey’s End (12) ●●●● ●

This is the fourth time the WWI-set play has been adapted in movie form but it might just be the finest take yet.

That’s because the acting is top drawer throughout, particularly from Sam Claflin and Paul Bettany. There’s no holding back on the gut-punches and dark turns of combat as toughness mixes with tenderness.

Darkest Hour (PG) ●●●● ●

Gary Oldman nails what could have been a very difficult test as iconic British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

Yes, he is adorned with jowly prosthetic make-up, but his Oscarwinning performance amounts to much more than just a gimmick-fuelled impression.

He brings as much vulnerability to Churchill as powerful speech-making intensity and you can’t take your eyes off him.

There’s more to the film than its lead, though, as the story hits all the beats you’d expect and gives us a peek behind the corridors of power.

But a latter, fictional, scene involving Churchill canvassing opinions on a subway train feels out of place.