A Western movie with 100% on Rotten Tomatoes is on TV tonight

The Oscar-winning Western is particularly renowned for its music.

Set in the late 19th century, the film follows the retired and wealthy sea captain, Jim McKay (Oscar-winner Gregory Peck, To Kill a Mockingbird), as he arrives in the Old West.

There, he becomes embroiled in a feud between his future father-in-law, Major Terrill (Charles Bickford, A Star is Born), and the rough and lawless Hannasseys over a valuable patch of land.

The Big Country was directed by legendary filmmaker William Wyler (Ben-Hur, Roman Holiday), with the movie also starring Academy Award-winner Charlton Heston (Planet of the Apes) and Jean Simmons (Spartacus).

On top of this, Burl Ives (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof) is part of the cast and actually won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role in the 1958 Western.

Acclaimed for its epic story, its wide-open vistas, its performances, its famous fist fight between Heston and Peck's characters, and its soundtrack by Jerome Moross, The Big Country holds a perfect 100% Rotten Tomatoes score.

Popular film magazine Empire once even placed the nearly three-hour epic in the 187th position in a list of the 500 greatest movies of all time.

The Big Country is airing on TG4 at 9.15pm in the channel's Friday night Western slot. It's also available to rent on Apple TV, Google Play, Prime Video and the Sky Store.

The Big Country Trailer

Here are the other movies airing on TV tonight:

The Great Wall - Film4 - 9pm

An odd but fun period action flick where Matt Damon and Pedro Pascal play European mercenaries who journey to The Great Wall in 11th-century China just as alien monsters attack.

Stealth / Virtuosity - Legend - 9pm / 11.20pm

A double bill of action sci-fi movies about the dangers of artificial intelligence.

Death of a Ladies' Man - RTÉ2 - 9.20pm

Irish actor Gabriel Byrne plays a womaniser who discovers he is dying in this 2020 comedy-drama with 88% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Prey - E4 - 10pm

Recent JOE interviewee Dan Trachtenberg's reboot of the Predator franchise, in which he drops a vicious alien hunter killer into 18th century America.

Striking Distance - Legend Xtra - 10.50pm

Bruce Willis plays a former homicide detective in Pittsburgh, now demoted to river duty, who hunts for a serial killer in this watchable ’90s thriller.

Lollipop - BBC Two - 11pm

An acclaimed 2024 British indie drama about a young woman released from prison who struggles to regain custody of her children.

John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum - Film4 - 11.05pm

Probably the weakest of the four main John Wick films, yet still pretty incredible.

Central Intelligence - Channel 4 - 11.05pm

An action comedy with Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson and Kevin Hart.

Being the Ricardos - RTÉ One - 11.15pm

Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem play Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz in this biopic about the married couple who starred in the hit sitcom I Love Lucy.

The Blackening - BBC One - 12am

A very fun meta horror comedy about seven friends who go away for the weekend, only to find themselves trapped in a cabin with a killer who has a vendetta.

Turn your home into a cinema with this projector 

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.

This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission on any sales generated from it.