Top films to watch on TV this week

WEDNESDAY

Nobody (2021) Film4, 9p.m. Mild-mannered office worker Hutch Mansell (Bob Odenkirk) is a crushing disappointment to his wife (Connie Nielsen) and children (Gage Munroe, Paisley Cadorath). When two armed robbers break into the home late at night, Hutch freezes in the act of protecting the brood.

However, the father later tracks down the burglars and, on his way home by bus, Hutch protects a terrified female passenger from a drunken gang by savagely beating the thugs. One of the aggressors, Teddy (Aleksandr Pal), is the brother of a sadistic Russian mob boss Yulian Kuznetsov (Aleksei Serebryakov), who vows revenge…

Nobody is a slickly executed bloodbath with brilliantly staged fight sequences, but the extra ingredient is Odenkirk, who brings an appealing hangdog weariness to the role of a family man with a killer past.

THURSDAY

The Shining (1980) BBC4, 9p.m. Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of Stephen King’s best-selling novel is repeatedly named as one of the greatest horror films of all time, thanks to its creeping air of dread.

Jack Nicholson is on iconic form in the lead role of recovering alcoholic Jack Torrance, who takes up a position as winter caretaker of the Overlook Hotel in order to concentrate on writing a book. He brings along his wife Wendy (the late Shelley Duvall in one of her most memorable film roles) and son Danny (Danny Lloyd), who has a strange supernatural gift.

As the snow falls and the temperature plummets, Jack experiences strange visions in Room 237, which slowly drive him to the brink of insanity and place his family in grave danger.

FRIDAY

Rocky Balboa (2006) ITV4, 9p.m. The sixth film in the franchise finds Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) living back in his old neighbourhood, grieving for his late wife Adrian, and running a restaurant where he entertains customers with stories of the old days. When a computer simulation suggests that Balboa in his prime would have beaten the current heavyweight champion, the publicists lure him back into the ring for an exhibition bout.

Some people might have been sceptical about the prospect of Stallone putting the gloves back on, but Rocky Balboa turns out to be an unexpected treat. Rather than turning to the increasingly daft sequels for inspiration, this drama has the spirit of the first Rocky running through its veins – and paves the way for Stallone’s Oscar-nominated reprisal of the role in Creed.

SATURDAY

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) ITV, 4.25p.m.

When the sorcerer Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) escapes from prison, the wizarding authorities fear he’s heading straight to Hogwarts to get his hands on Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe).

In a bid to keep the teenager safe, the powers-that-be recruit the terrifying Dementors to guard the school, but Harry finds them almost as frightening as the prospect of being snatched by a dangerous fugitive. At least new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher Remus Lupin (David Thewlis) wants to help the teenager meet the challenges ahead – but is he all he seems?

After the first two scene-setting adventures, The Prisoner of Azkaban finds the franchise moving into darker territory – and future Oscar-winning director Alfonso Cuaron manages the tone beautifully. No wonder many Potter fans consider this to be the best in the series.

SUNDAY

Mission: Impossible (1996) ITV, 10.15p.m.

This blockbuster works on many levels: as a cracking spy yarn; a hi-tech thriller; a Bond-style blockbuster and a hip take on a classic series. Tom Cruise stars as Ethan Hunt, a secret agent who gets embroiled in international espionage while hunting down a Russian spy intent on selling a list of the world’s undercover agents to the highest bidder. The supporting cast includes Jon Voight, Emmanuelle Beart, Jean Reno and Vanessa Redgrave.

The franchise would go on to reach even greater heights, but director Brian De Palma delivers one of the most enjoyable movies of his long and distinguished career, and it contains a couple of set pieces in a computer room and the Channel Tunnel which should leave you on the edge of your seats.

MONDAY

The Piano (1993) BBC2, 11.05p.m. New Zealand writer-director Jane Campion had previously scored arthouse success with Sweetie and An Angel at My Table, but her striking drama The Piano became both a critical darling and a surprise box-office hit. Holly Hunter stars as Ada McGrath, a mute Scottish woman who is forced into an arranged marriage with New Zealand frontiersman Alisdair (Sam Neill). Ada communicates through sign-language, which is interpreted by her young daughter Flora (Anna Paquin), and by playing her beloved piano.

Alisdair doesn’t see the need for the instrument and allows it to fall into the possession of his gruff neighbour George (Harvey Keitel), which leads to a passionate affair between him and Ada. Hunter and the then 11-year-old Paquin deservedly won Oscars for their remarkable performances.

TUESDAY

Tropic Thunder (2008) Film4, 10.50p.m.

Inept British director Damien Cockburn (Steve Coogan) takes extreme action to keep his war movie from spiralling out of control by stranding his pampered stars – Tugg Speedman (Ben Stiller), Jeff Portnoy (Jack Black), Kirk Lazarus (Robert Downey Jr), Kevin Sandusky (Jay Baruchel) and rapper Alpa Chino (Brandon T Jackson) – in the jungle, hoping to capture the raw fear as they battle the elements for real. Unfortunately, the actors stumble into the domain of a bona fide drug lord (Brandon Soo Hoo).

Stiller’s directorial offering unites some of Hollywood’s finest comic talents in a slam-bang satire of war epics, and Downey Jr steals every scene as the blond, blue-eyed Australian thesp who undergoes a skin pigmentation procedure to portray a wisecracking African-American sergeant.