Incredibly underrated thriller with huge twist is on TV tonight

Stephen Porzio

Based on a graphic novel, the film mines a universal fear for maximum tension.

Our TV movie pick for tonight (Thursday, 8 August) is Old, the 2021 horror thriller from writer-director M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense, Signs, the upcoming Trap).

Based on the Swiss graphic novel Sandcastle, the film revolves around a group of people – including a husband (Gael García Bernal, Y tu mamá también) and wife (Vicky Krieps, Phantom Thread) whose marriage is on the rocks – that find themselves trapped on a secluded beach while on a luxurious holiday.

The group of strangers also quickly realise that the beach is aging them super fast – one year for every 30 minutes to be exact.

Also apart of the cast of Old is Aaron Pierre (Foe), Abbey Lee (Horizon), Alex Wolff (Hereditary), Eliza Scanlen (Little Women), Ken Leung (Industry), Nikki Amuka-Bird (The Outfit), Rufus Sewell (Zen), Thomasin McKenzie (Jojo Rabbit) and Shyamalan himself in an ingenious cameo.

A box office hit upon release, the movie received mixed reviews – with many critics taking issue with its ending.

While we here at JOE would agree the film’s conclusion is not as successful as what came before, we’d also say this is only because what came before was incredibly strong.

Old sees Shyamalan turning humans innate existential fear of aging – both parents watching their children age, children watching their parents age, as well as what aging does to your body – into a propulsive ticking clock thriller.

On top of this, the filmmaker does such a brilliant job – through stunning make-up work and the deployment of different actors to play the same characters at various ages – at capturing the effects of this rapid aging.

And with the director’s new thriller Trap arriving in theatres this weekend, what better time to revisit this under sung gem of his?

Old is airing on TV tonight at Film4 at 9pm. It is also available to rent on Apple TV, Google Play, Microsoft and Rakuten TV.

You can also check out JOE’s interview with Shyamalan about Old right here:

Here are the other movies on TV tonight:

All the President’s Men – BBC Four – 9pm

The beloved biographical political thriller about the journalists (played by Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford) who investigated the Watergate scandal that ended Richard Nixon’s US presidency.

Bird on a Wire – Legend – 9pm

A ’90s action comedy starring Mel Gibson and Goldie Hawn.

Mindscape – Legend – 9pm

In this 2013 thriller, a detective (Mark Strong) who can probe people’s minds must determine if a troubled teenager (Taissa Farmiga) is a sociopath capable of murder, or a victim of trauma.

Alien: Resurrection – ITV4 – 10.10pm

With Alien: Romulus arriving in cinemas next week, also what better time is there to revisit the fun fourth entry in the legendary horror franchise?

Safe – Sky Showcase – 10.10pm

A quite underrated Jason Statham action flick where he plays a homeless man who must protect a young child with a deadly secret.

Hustlers – RTÉ2 – 10.30pm

The very fun 2019 crime comedy thriller based on true events stars Jennifer Lopez, Constance Wu, Keke Palmer and Lili Reinhart and tells the story of a group of exotic dancers who run a con on their most wealthy clientele.

The Running Man – Film4 – 11.10pm

The cult Arnold Schwarzenegger dystopian action flick based on a Stephen King novel that we recommended recently.

Mud – BBC Two – 11.35pm

An excellent thriller drama with Matthew McConaughey that we’ve also recommended before.

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