FILM PICKS

TODAY

In the Heat of the Night (1967) (BBC2, 10pm)

When a wealthy industrialist in found murdered in a Mississippi town, the racist local sheriff Bill Gillespie (Rod Steiger) is quick to accuse black newcomer Virgil Tibbs (the late Sidney Poitier, on terrific form) who has been spotted in the town. However, he soon discovers that his chief suspect is actually a decorated homicide detective from Philadelphia. Despite this disastrous start, the pair work together to find the real killer, reaching a new respect along the way. Released in 1967 at the height of the US civil rights movement, director Norman Jewison’s drama boasts great performances and at least one truly iconic line from Poitier.

MONDAY

Lady Macbeth (2016) (BBC2, 11.15pm)

She had a breakout year in 2019 thanks to Midsommar and Little Women, but Florence Pugh first gained critical attention for her role in director William Oldroyd’s gripping adaptation of Nikolai Leskov’s 19th-century Russian novella Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk, which moves the action to Victorian England. Teenage bride Katherine (Pugh) is sold by her father as part of a property deal and she is consigned to a miserable, loveless marriage to a swarthy brute called Alexander (Paul Hilton). When Alexander is unexpectedly called away to deal with an explosion at a colliery, Katherine seeks out excitement in the company of rebellious groomsman Sebastian.

THURSDAY Rio Bravo (1959) (BBC4, 8pm)

A small-town sheriff must keep a murderer behind bars until a marshal arrives to deal with him. It sounds simple, but the only people on the lawman’s side are a drunk and an ageing deputy, while the prisoner is the brother of a powerful rancher who will stop at nothing to break him out. Throw in a young gunslinger and a mysterious beauty fresh off the stagecoach, and the scene is set for high drama. John Wayne gives one of his best performances as Sheriff Chance, and has a convincing chemistry with Angie Dickinson, even if she is half his age.

FRIDAY

The Magnificent Seven (2016) (STV, 11.05pm)

Grieving widow Emma Cullen (Haley Bennett) and her friend Teddy (Luke Grimes) enlist the services of bounty hunter Sam Chisolm (Denzel Washington) to kill greedy industrialist Bartholomew Bogue (Peter Sarsgaard), who is terrorising the God-fearing folk of Rose Creek. Moved by Emma’s tearful plight, the gunslinger corrals six men of dubious character to wage war in Rose Creek. The Magnificent Seven is a stylish western remake that lassos a stellar cast and a rollicking soundtrack.