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Movies & TV

20th Dec 2023

A great ’90s thriller is among the movies on TV tonight

Stephen Porzio

river wild

It’s from the director of The Hand That Rocks the Cradle and L.A. Confidential.

Netflix recently added one of the best sports movies of recent years to its library, but if you need more to watch – here are the films on TV this Wednesday night (20 December):

The River Wild – Legend – 9pm
Our pick for tonight is this 1994 movie which follows a young family (led by Meryl Streep and David Strathairn) whose white-water rafting holiday is endangered when they are taken hostage by a pair of armed fugitives (Kevin Bacon and John C. Reilly).

Boasting a brilliant cast, a cool setting and taut direction from the great Curtis Hanson (L.A. Confidential, The Hand That Rocks the Cradle), The River Wild is well worth a watch or revisit.

The film is also available to rent on Apple TV+ and Google Play. Check out the trailer for The River Wild right here:

The River Wild trailer

Belfast – BBC Two – 9pm
Writer-director Kenneth Branagh’s Oscar-winning coming-of-age drama from 2021 (which was also recently added to Netflix) following a young boy’s childhood in the titular Northern Irish city at the beginning of The Troubles in 1969.

The Spy Who Dumped Me – Film4 – 9pm
Kate McKinnon and Mila Kunis star in this spy spoof.

The Resident – LegendXtra – 9pm
In this 2011 horror, a woman (two-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank) comes to suspect she is being stalked after moving into a new Brooklyn loft.

Bad Santa 2 – Sky Max – 9pm
This raunchy festive comedy sequel did not receive positive write-ups from critics.

Big Momma’s House 2 – Virgin Media Two – 9pm
Another poorly reviewed follow-up.

river wild

Meryl Streep and Joseph Mazzello in The River Wild, our pick for tonight

An American Werewolf in Paris – LegendXtra – 10.50pm
The not good sequel to An American Werewolf in London.

The Super – Legend – 11.10pm
Val Kilmer is among the cast of this 2017 horror thriller about a former cop (Patrick Flueger) who becomes the superintendent of a large New York City apartment building where people mysteriously go missing.

Bad Boys II – Film4 – 11.15pm
Will Smith and Martin Lawrence return in this very fun buddy cop follow-up.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar’s Revenge – BBC One – 11.30pm
The one with Javier Bardem.

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