7 TV FILMS OF THE WEEK
1 THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR
Tonight, BBC1, 10.30pm
THE 1968 Steve McQueen movie is given a makeover, with Pierce Brosnan taking the title role. Bored billionaire Thomas Crown decides to steal a valuable Monet piece from the New York Museum. However, Catherine Banning’s (Rene Russo) insurance company underwrite the painting, and the feisty woman is determined to retrieve it. You can guess the rest – bad boy billionaire meets sexy wannabe detective, and romance blossoms, but both have their own motives. The chemistry between the pair makes for a thrilling and absorbing plot, doing the original movie justice without losing any of its intrigue or gutsiness.
2 JACK RYAN: SHADOW RECRUIT Tomorrow, Film4, 9pm
CHRIS PINE, pictured, takes on the role of soldier-turned-CIA analyst Jack Ryan. When investigations suggest an imminent strike that could cripple the US economy, Jack is dispatched to Moscow to probe businessman Viktor Cherevin (Kenneth Branagh, who also directs). This is an old-fashioned espionage thriller with briskly edited action sequences.
3 GET CARTER
Tuesday, ITV4, 9pm
WHEN his brother is killed in their hometown of Newcastle, Jack Carter (Michael Caine) journeys north to take revenge. Vindictive, ruthless and determined to get his man, he investigates the area’s underworld. Get Carter is a gritty, low-budget masterpiece. Britt Ekland, pictured with Caine during filming, plays gangster’s moll Anna.
4 CHEF
Wednesday, Film4, 11.10pm
CARL CASPER (Jon Favreau) is the star chef at an LA restaurant owned by Riva (Dustin Hoffman). When a food critic pens a scathing review, Carl quits his job and heads to Miami with ex-wife Inez (Sofia Vergara, pictured with Favreau) and their young son. In familiar surroundings, Carl transforms a worn-out truck into a mobile eaterie par excellence.
5 FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL Thursday, Film4, 9pm
THIS first collaboration between writerdirector Richard Curtis and Hugh Grant, right, was the movie that put them both on the map. This rom-com makes full use of Grant’s natural charm and boasts a superb cast. Grant plays Charles who finally finds the stirrings of true romance after a one-night stand with beautiful American Carrie (Andie MacDowell).
6 WE’RE THE MILLERS
Friday, ITV2, 9pm
SMALL-TIME drug dealer David Clark (Jason Sudeikis) reluctantly agrees to clear his debts by picking up drugs from Mexico. To throw customs officers off the scent, David asks stripper Rose (Jennifer Aniston, pictured with Sudeikis) to pose as his wife and a homeless girl (Emma Stone) and neighbour (Will Poulter) to be their kids. A comical road movie.
7 MADE IN DAGENHAM
Saturday, BBC4, 10.30pm
THIS is based on the true story of the Ford sewing machinists’ strike of 1968 that fought for equal pay for women and led to the Equal Pay Act 1970. Sally Hawkins (third from right) stars as Rita O’Grady, a fictional character who leads the strike. A moving look at a turning point in British history, Bob Hoskins and Miranda Richardson also appear.