Clemency review - devastating death row drama
Alfre Woodard gives a powerhouse performance as a death row prison warden
“All we want is to be seen and heard,” explains a lawyer to a death row inmate, paraphrasing a line from Ralph Ellison’s novel Invisible Man, from which Chinonye Chukwu’s new film Clemency takes inspiration.
The Old Guard review - serious silliness
Netflix immortality action flick is predictable but pleasurable, thanks to a winning cast
Artemis Fowl review - flash bang nothing
A poor adaptation of a magical world
It’s taken over 18 years for Artemis Fowl to reach the big screen, with Miramax originally buying the rights in 2001. Finally, Disney have brought the world’s youngest criminal mastermind to life, but was it worth the wait? Well, the fact it’s appearing on streaming service Disney+ rather than waiting for a cinematic release probably answers that question.
Blu-ray: The Thousand Eyes of Dr Mabuse
A Weimar supervillain reborn in Cold War Berlin for Fritz Lang's archaic, prophetic farewell
The Thousand Eyes of Dr Mabuse (1960) was Fritz Lang’s final film, resurrecting his Weimar villain in Cold War Berlin and forming a satisfying circle with his career’s German first half, which included Metropolis and M.
John Grisham: Camino Winds review - morality tale with a light touch
Grisham’s latest thriller is a playful and topical take on the thriller formula
John Grisham is a brand, in the sense that the reader relies on some sense of what the product is going to be. He is well up in the millions of sales, along with other writers under the “thriller/mystery” umbrella – Michael Connelly, David Baldacci, Ken Follett and Harlan Coben, to name but four. Still, as eagerly as his fans may await their yearly fix, he always manages to surprise.
Defending Jacob, Apple TV+ review - does murder run in the family?
Chris Evans and Michelle Dockery impress in adaptation of hit novel
Since it debuted in November last year, Apple TV+ has barely made a dent in a market largely shaped by Netflix, but this eight-part adaptation of William Landay’s bestselling novel is a decisive step in the right direction.
The Whistlers review – a smart, self-aware noir concerning a crooked cop
Playful and cunningly crafted neo-noir is a delight from start to finish
Romanian filmmaker Corneliu Porumboiu has made a career crafting perceptive and cerebral examinations of his native country. From his 2006 debut 12:08 to Bucharest to The Treasure, they were cerebral films that powerfully embodied the Romanian New Wave.
Van der Valk, ITV review - can the Dutch detective make a successful comeback?
Marc Warren reincarnates the Amsterdam investigator after a 30-year absence
Gangs of London, Sky Atlantic review - bloody terrifying
Gripping and brutal crime epic gets off to an explosive start
You might consider equipping yourself with a shotgun and kevlar body armour before you start watching Gangs of London (Sky Atlantic), because this is a bruising, hair-raising ride. Created by Gareth Evans and Matt Flannery, it began with the televisual equivalent of being thrown from a fast-moving vehicle, as we saw a terrified man dangling on a rope over the edge of a high-rise building.