PICK OF TV MOVIES

SATURDAY

Mr Holmes (2015) (BBC2, 8pm)

The year is 1947 and Sherlock Holmes (Ian McKellen), now 93, is a shadow of the brilliant logician who once held court at 221b Baker Street, flanked by Dr Watson (Colin Starkey). The ageing sleuth has retired to Cuckmere Haven, where he fusses over his beehives and infuriates his widowed housekeeper, Mrs Munro (Laura Linney, with a very shaky accent). Her spirited son Roger (Milo Parker) is fascinated by Sherlock and inspires the sleuth to delve into the fog of the past to recall his only unsolved case - a missing person enquiry from 1919. Bill Condon’s slow-burning drama is distinguished by McKellen’s measured central performance and strong support from Parker.

Copshop (2021) (C4, 9pm)

Self-anointed “high-end consultant” Teddy Murretto (Frank Grillo) has grubby fingers in numerous pies including the affairs of the recently murdered attorney general of Nevada. On the run from professional hitman Bob Viddick (Gerard Butler) after a car bomb fails to silence his loose lips, Teddy suckerpunches diligent Gun Creek police officer Valerie Young (Alexis Louder) during a public fracas to secure a holding cell for the night. The plan backfires when Viddick poses as a drunk driver and is detained in the opposite cell. A tense stand-off heralds a hail of bullets when rival gunman Anthony Lamb (Toby Huss) arrives at the police station to kill Teddy. Copshop is a testosterone-soaked tale of law and disorder, which relies on wanton violence to divert attention from the occasional clunks of the script.

SUNDAY

Calamity Jane (1953) (BBC2, 4pm)

It’s whip-crack-away with Doris Day and Howard Keel in David Butler’s Oscar-winning 1953 musical inspired by the life of the rootin’ tootin’ heroine, replete with unforgettable songs like I Can Do Without You, A Woman’s Touch and Secret Love. Calamity Jane (Day) arrives in the aptly named Deadwood to discover the men at the local saloon in a state of unrest. In order to placate the drinkers, Calamity makes a bold promise that she will lure revered singer Adelaid Adams (Gale Robbins) to Deadwood. Wild Bill Hickox (Keel) scoffs at such a ludicrous notion and to underline his point, he makes a bet with Calamity: if she can get Adelaid to perform at the saloon, he will don the garb of a Sioux woman.

Gone Girl (2014) (GREAT! movies, 9pm)

On the morning of his fifth wedding anniversary, Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) calls the police to his home. There are signs of a struggle and his wife Amy (Rosamund Pike) is missing. Amy’s distraught parents (David Clennon, Lisa Beth) join Nick to front a highprofile media campaign to secure the safe return of their daughter, but in the glare of the spotlight, fractures appear in the Dunnes’ marriage and the cops and public openly question Nick’s innocence. Gone Girl is a spiky satire, skilfully adapted by Gillian Flynn from her 2012 bestseller. Admittedly, you have to dig deep beneath the surface of David Fincher’s polished film to find the jetblack humour but it’s there, walking hand-inhand with sadism and torture that propel the narrative towards its unconventional denouement at breakneck speed.

The Young Offenders (2016) (BBC3, 9.50pm)

Inspired by a true story, writer-director Peter Foott’s comical road movie centres on teenage best friends Conor (Alex Murphy) and Jock (Chris Walley), who are always getting into scrapes in inner-city Cork. In particular, bike-thief Jock drives Garda Sergeant Healy (Dominic MacHale) to the brink of distraction with his antics. One day, news reaches Connor and Jack that a boat has capsized off the coast of West Cork and 61 bales of cocaine, each worth seven million Euros, have been seized. Rumours persist that one bale is missing. So, the boys steal a pair of bikes and embark on an epic quest to locate the drugs. Unfortunately, Sergeant Healy is on their trail - and he intends to catch them red-handed. The film inspired a spin-off sitcom, which recently returned to BBC1 for a fourth series.

MONDAY

12 Strong (2018) (Film4, 9pm)

Captain Mitch Nelson (Chris Hemsworth) resigns his commission to spend more time with his family. Then their TV screen fills with shocking images of the smouldering twin towers of the World Trade Centre. Mitch petitions Lieutenant Colonel Bowers (Rob Riggle) to be reinstated so he can spearhead a retaliatory strike against Osama bin Laden’s network. Chief Warrant Officer Cal Spencer (Michael Shannon), Sergeants First Class Sam Diller (Michael Pena) and

Ben Milo (Trevante Rhodes), and senior medic Bill Bennett (Kenny Sheard) volunteer to be part of the classified mission. Based on Doug Stanton’s non-fiction book Horse Soldiers, 12 Strong adds Hollywood sheen to the remarkable true story of a covert US Special Forces mission in northern Afghanistan in the immediate aftermath of the September 11 attacks.

Wish You Were Here (1987) (Talking Pictures TV, 11.10pm)

After penning the film Personal Services inspired by the British ‘madam’ Cynthia Payne, writer-director David Leland made this touching comedy drama, which was loosely based on her early life. Lynda (Emily Lloyd) grows up on the south coast of England in the early 1950s. Starved of affection after her mother’s death, she seeks attention by shocking her family and friends with her precocious behaviour. However, when she starts to experiment with sex, her composure is shaken by an older man (Tom Bell) who is