One of the greatest thriller movies ever made is on TV tonight

Stephen Porzio

It’s from the director of Apocalypse Now and The Godfather trilogy.

Our TV movie pick for tonight (Wednesday, 12 June) is The Conversation, the amazing 1974 thriller from writer-director Francis Ford Coppola (Apocalypse Now, The Godfather trilogy, this year’s Megalopolis).

Two-time Oscar-winner Gene Hackman in the film plays a surveillance expert named Harry Caul who is hired by a mysterious client’s brusque aide (Harrison Ford) to tail a young couple – Mark (Frederic Forrest) and Ann (Cindy Williams).

“Tracking the pair through San Francisco’s Union Square, Caul and his associate Stan (John Cazale) manage to record a cryptic conversation between them,” the plot synopsis reads.

“Tormented by memories of a previous case that ended badly, Caul becomes obsessed with the resulting tape, trying to determine if the couple are in danger.”

Made by Coppola in between The Godfather and The Godfather: Part II and also featuring Oscar-winner Robert Duvall – The Conversation’s intense lead turn by Hackman, its enigmatically sinister story and its dark exploration of surveillance and technology make it still the definitive paranoid thriller movie.

Reportedly set to be remade as a series soon, the 1974 classic is airing on TV tonight on BBC Two NI at 11.30pm.

It is also available to stream on Paramount+. You can check out its trailer right here:

Here are the other movies on TV tonight:

Bad Boys for Life – Film4 – 9pm

With the wickedly entertaining Bad Boys: Ride or Die in cinemas now, what better time to check out the equally good previous entry in the Will Smith/Martin Lawrence buddy cop series?

Total Recall – ITV4 – 9pm

Arnold Schwarzenegger leads the cast of this futuristic action film as a construction worker with a hidden past.

Nowhere to Run – Legend – 9pm

A ’90s thriller starring action man Jean-Claude Van Damme, which is widely considered one of his better movies.

George Best: All By Himself – BBC One NI – 10.40pm

A documentary about the legendary Northern Irish footballer.

Let Us Prey – Legend Xtra – 11pm

This creepy and violent Irish horror is set in a remote police station and follows a mysterious stranger (Liam Cunningham) who begins to take over the minds and souls of everyone inside.

Hustlers – Film4 – 11.25pm

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.