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Movies & TV

31st Jan 2024

One of the best crime films ever is among the movies on TV tonight

Stephen Porzio

mean streets

It was the breakthrough movie for three people who would go on to be cinematic legends.

Round out January in style by watching one of these movies airing on TV tonight:

Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind – Sky Showcase – 9pm

An acclaimed documentary about the beloved late actor and comedian.

Patriot Games – Film4 – 9pm

Harrison Ford’s first outing as CIA man Jack Ryan.

Snitch – Sky Max – 9pm

Dwayne Johnson stars in this decent, gritty thriller as a man who goes undercover for the DEA after his estranged son is framed in a drug deal.

Taken 2 – ITV4 – 9pm

The not very good sequel to the beloved Liam Neeson action flick.

mean streets

Robert De Niro in Mean Streets, our TV movie pick for tonight

Aftermath – Legend – 9pm

Inspired by real events, this 2017 thriller centres on a man (Arnold Schwarzenegger) who seeks justice after his family are killed in a plane crash.

Hard Target – Legend – 10.50pm

Jean-Claude Van Damme uncovers a sinister group of wealthy men who hunt the homeless for sport in this action film that was Face/Off director John Woo’s first English-language movie.

Mean Streets – Film4 – 11.20pm

Last but not least is our pick for tonight – this 1973 crime film set in the Little Italy neighbourhood of New York City.

It centres around Charlie (Harvey Keitel), who is torn between his devout Catholicism and his illicit Mafia work, and his more reckless friend Johnny Boy (Robert De Niro), who gets in over his head with a vicious loan shark.

Serving as the breakthrough movie for future legends De Niro, Keitel and Scorsese, Mean Streets’ stylish direction, incredible sense of place and powerful performances have cemented it as an all-time classic.

Mean Streets is also available to rent on Apple TV, Curzon, Rakuten TV, the Sky Store and Volta. Check out one of the most iconic moments from the film below.

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