Cillian Murphy’s underrated twisty thriller is on TV tonight

'A tense and tight 90-minute thriller.'

The film sees the Irish Oscar-winner and Thandiwe Newton (Line of Duty, Westworld) play a married couple named Martin and Kate. Their relationship has grown tense after Kate experiences a miscarriage.

To get some R&R, Martin takes Kate on a getaway to Blackholme, a small, remote, uninhabited island off Scotland's west coast, a place they shared happy memories years ago.

What should have been a peaceful getaway quickly spirals into a nightmare. This is when Kate spots an injured, armed man (Jamie Bell – All of Us Strangers, Snowpiercer) near their holiday house.

When the stranger awakens, he informs the couple that his name is Jack, that he is a soldier, and that a deadly airborne virus has reached the UK. Because of this, he says the three must barricade the cottage to avoid becoming infected.

Watch the trailer for Retreat right here:

Taking place entirely on and around the island and mostly in the holiday cottage, Retreat is a tense and tight 90-minute thriller that hits a couple of classic beats very well.

The script by director Carl Tibbets (Black Mirror) and novelist Janice Hallett (The Examiner) is more psychological than you might expect given the premise. It's about three people thrust into a situation where they can’t trust and must constantly manipulate each other to get what they need.

That said, whether or not Jack is telling the truth, the character’s claims of global collapse do serve to ratchet up the stakes.

As Retreat nears its end, the screenplay has some sharp stings in its tail. These will have you reconsidering everything that’s happened before, something which makes the thriller a nifty rewatch.

Having only received a sadly limited release in cinemas, Retreat is airing on TV tonight/tomorrow morning on BBC Two at 12am. It's also available to rent on Apple TV, Google Play, Prime Video, and the Sky Store.

Here are the other movies airing on TV tonight (Tuesday, 20 October):