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17th January 2026
10:48am GMT

Our TV movie pick for today (Saturday, 17 January) is Dunkirk, the 1958 World War II epic.
The film follows a group of British soldiers led by Corporal 'Tubby' Bins (Oscar-winner John Mills, Ryan's Daughter) who are stranded in France and must make their way to the shores of Dunkirk in hopes of a rescue.
"Back in Britain, Charles Foreman (Bernard Lee, M in the James Bond franchise), a newspaper reporter, desperately tries to raise awareness among the public of the horrible reality of the war," the plot synopsis reads.
"When the British navy calls for all civilian ships to aid in a rescue, Foreman takes out his own small boat and attempts to bring Tubby and his men home safely."
Co-starring Oscar-winner Richard Attenborough (Jurassic Park), the war movie was a hit in cinemas and later became a staple of TV broadcasts for decades.
Recently, there has been a renewed interest in the 1958 film, thanks to writer-director Christopher Nolan's acclaimed 2017 thriller of the same name, which also retells the story of the historic World War II evacuation.
The 1958 version of Dunkirk is airing on BBC Two today at 1.20pm. It is also available to rent on Apple TV and Sky.
Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning - Channel 4 - 8.30pm
Super spy Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) goes up against an all-powerful villainous AI called "The Entity" in this fun action sequel.
Heat - Film4 - 9pm
In Michael Mann’s seminal heist thriller, Al Pacino and Robert De Niro finally shared the screen, albeit briefly.
De Niro plays a professional thief. Pacino plays the cop on his tail. The pair’s charisma, a stacked supporting cast, and incredibly muscular action set pieces make this an all-time classic.
A Few Good Men - RTÉ2 - 9pm
"You can't handle the truth!"
Big Daddy - Comedy Central - 9pm
In this beloved Adam Sandler comedy, the actor plays a man who adopts a five-year-old to prove to his ex that he’s ready to grow up.
Hunter Killer - Legend - 9pm
Gerard Butler leads the cast of this 2018 submarine thriller.
Primal - Legend Xtra - 9pm
Nicolas Cage plays a big-game hunter trapped on a ship with a notorious assassin (Kevin Durand) and a whole host of killer animals in this 2019 thriller that apparently isn’t as fun as it sounds.
The Bourne Identity - Sky Showcase - 9.30pm
The first entry in the great action franchise where Matt Damon plays a mysterious man with amnesia trying to uncover his dark past.
Sleepless in Seattle - TG4 - 10pm
From the writer of When Harry Met Sally, this wonderful romantic comedy-drama follows a journalist (Meg Ryan) who becomes enamoured with a widowed architect (Tom Hanks) after his son calls in to a radio show requesting a new wife for his grieving father.
A Fistful of Dollars - Sky Arts - 11pm
The classic Western we recommended last week.
The Enforcer - Legend Xtra - 11pm
A 2022 action thriller starring Antonio Banderas as a mob enforcer who turns against the criminal organisation he works for.
A Walk in the Clouds - RTÉ2 - 11.30pm
A ’90s period romantic drama starring Keanu Reeves.
The Transporter - Channel 4 - 11.40pm
Jason Statham is... the transporter.
28 Days Later - Sky Showcase - 11.45pm
Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle’s classic post-apocalyptic horror thriller about a young man (Cillian Murphy) who awakes from a coma in the UK after a zombie-like virus has swept the nation.
A sequel, titled 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, is in cinemas now. Check out JOE’s articles about it here and here.
The MisEducation of Bindu - RTÉ One - 11.45pm
This 2019 US indie flick revolves around a bullied Indian American teen (Megan Suri).
Do you love movies? Have you ever dreamt of turning your home into your own cinema?
If so, then you may be interested in a home theatre projector we spotted on sale on Amazon with “impressive quality”.
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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