A Western movie starring an Oscar-winner is on TV tonight

Also currently streaming on Prime Video, the Western has been compared to A Fistful of Dollars and The Dirty Dozen.

The film stars future Oscar-winner James Coburn (Affliction, The Magnficent Seven, Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid) and is also known as Massacre at Fort Holman (also a great title) in some territories.

Set in the 1860s during the US Civil War, its story follows Col. Pembroke (Coburn) who, after surrending Fort Holman to the Confederacy, faces public disgrace and a potential court-martial unless he's able to recapture the fort. It's now being held by the power-mad Maj. Ward (Telly Savalas, The Dirty Dozen).

To help him on this mission, Pembroke enlists a ragtag bunch of condemned men (including Bud Spencer, They Call Me Trinity) who are promised their freedom should they survive.

"Despite much internal strife, the group gradually comes together in time for the assault," the plot synopsis adds.

Directed by Tonino Valerii, A Reason to Live, A Reason to Die's plot has drawn comparisons to The Dirty Dozen, as well as to Sergio Leone's A Fistful of Dollars.

The latter comparison is interesting, since Valerii actually got his big break working as an assistant director on A Fistful of Dollars and its sequel For a Few Dollars More, before moving on to direct by himself.

Valerii later helmed another Western based on an idea by Leone titled My Name is Nobody.

A Reason to Live, A Reason to Die is airing on TV tonight on Legend Xtra at 11pm.

It is also currently streaming on Prime Video, under the title Massacre at Fort Holman.

Here are the other movies on TV tonight:

Lethal Weapon - ITV4 - 9pm

Danny Glover and Mel Gibson star in this buddy cop action classic that launched a franchise.

Braveheart - Film4 - 9pm

“They may take our lives, but they’ll never take… OUR FREEDOM!”

Escape Plan - Legend - 9pm

In this fun thriller, action icons Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone play prisoners who hatch a plan to escape the world’s most secret and secure jail.

Hercules - Virgin Media Two - 9pm

Backed by a great cast of British thespians, Dwayne Johnson stars in this entertaining action-adventure fantasy.

The Remains of the Day - BBC Four - 9pm

Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson star in this period drama as the butler and housekeeper for a doltish lord (James Fox) in 1930s Britain.

A hit adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro's Booker Prize-winning novel of the same name, The Remains of the Day was nominated for eight Oscars.

Jack Reacher - Sky Showcase - 10pm

Tom Cruise is a former soldier turned drifter who becomes entangled in a conspiracy in this hugely watchable first screen outing of author Lee Child’s most famous creation.

Letter to Brezhnev - BBC Four - 11.10pm

The beloved British romantic comedy about two young women in Thatcher-era Liverpool (Alexandra Pigg and Margi Clarke) who meet a pair of Soviet sailors (Alfred Molina and Peter Firth) who are on shore leave.

Deep Rising - Legend - 11.15pm

From the director of The Mummy and The Mummy Returns, this decent action horror focuses on a newly unveiled luxury cruise ship that is targeted by both heavily armed hijackers and murderous sea creatures while on its maiden voyage.

Starship Troopers - ITV4 - 11.45pm

It’s humans versus alien bugs in this cult action sci-fi satire from legendary filmmaker Paul Verhoeven (Basic Instinct, RoboCop).

The Mission - Film4 - 12.30am

Jeremy Irons and Robert De Niro star in this beloved ’80s historical drama about the experiences of a Jesuit missionary in 18th-century South America.

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Do you love movies? Have you ever dreamt of turning your home into your own cinema?

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The 4K projector has the likes of YouTube, Netflix and Prime Video built-in, so you can access thousands of films and shows without an additional TV stick, and you can also connect it to Bluetooth on your phone and laptop.

It’s currently priced at €53.52 in a limited-time deal on the Amazon website.

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