TV FILMS of the week

1

CLEMENCY

Tonight, BBC2, 10pm

Warden Williams (Alfre Woodard) is carrying a lot of guilt in Clemency

Prison warden Bernadine Williams (Alfre Woodard) is haunted by the bungled execution of prisoner Victor Jimenez (Alex Castillo). She seeks solace in a local bar rather than the arms of her husband Jonathan (Wendell Pierce). Now, Bernadine must prepare for the execution of inmate Anthony Woods (Aldis Hodge), who has served 15 years for the murder of a police officer but has always asserted that his accomplice pulled the trigger. Clemency is a quietly devastating drama, which delivers its knockout blows in prolonged silences on both sides of the bars.

2

THE TWO FACES OF JANUARY Tomorrow, BBC2, 11.15pm

Hossein Amini’s slow-burning film version of Patricia Highsmith’s thriller, shot on location in Greece and Turkey, opens at the Acropolis, where Rydal (Oscar Isaac), a conman masquerading as a tour guide, is drawn to American businessman Chester MacFarland (Viggo Mortensen) and his younger wife Colette (Kirsten Dunst).

3

THE BEACH

Tuesday, BBC1, 10.40pm

Backpacker Richard (Leonardo DiCaprio) is working his way around Thailand when he meets a fellow traveller (Robert Carlyle), who gives him the directions to a remote, unspoilt island. When Richard reaches his destination, he finds it’s inhabited by a community, led by Sal (Tilda Swinton), but is life there as idyllic as it seems?

4

LITTLE WOMEN Wednesday, Film4, 6.15pm

In Greta Gerwig’s acclaimed take on Louisa May Alcott’s much-loved novel, Marmee (Laura Dern) presides over the March family home while her husband (Bob Odenkirk) is enlisted in the American Civil War. Her four daughters pursue their dreams. The siblings’ paths diverge courtesy of romantic dalliances and grave sickness.

5

THE GODFATHER: PART III Thursday, Film4, 9pm

The first two gangster dramas were among the most acclaimed films of all time, so Francis Ford Coppola’s third movie was going to struggle to live up to expectations. It didn’t help that when Winona Ryder dropped out, Coppola cast his daughter, Sofia, in a key role – she’s proved to a be fine director, but she didn’t wow with her acting.

6

THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA Friday, Film4, 6.45pm

New graduate Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) lands a plum job as second assistant to the fearsome Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep), esteemed editor of Runway magazine. Andy hopes the position will be a stepping-stone to serious political journalism and is unprepared for the immense challenges that lie ahead...

7

FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL Saturday, Channel 4, 10.30pm

Charles (Hugh Grant) seems destined always to be the best man at weddings and never the groom. However, he finds the stirrings of true romance after a one-night stand with beautiful American Carrie (Andie MacDowell, pictured with Grant). This hilarious romantic comedy boasts a superb cast giving their best.