It comes from the director of the Stephen Graham-starring Boiling Point.
Our TV movie pick for tonight is Villain, the very tense and gritty 2020 British crime thriller.
Starring Craig Fairbrass (Avengement, Cliffhanger, Rise of the Footsoldier), he in the film plays Eddie – a man just released from jail after serving a ten-year sentence.
Determined to leave the crime life behind, reconnect with his daughter (Izuka Hoyle) and return to managing his family’s London pub, he finds that his now drug addict brother Sean (co-writer George Russo) has not been taking care of the bar – letting it become seedy and decrepit.
It soon becomes clear that Sean has also accrued a large debt to some very nasty gangsters who want to take control of the pub as payment.
As such, Eddie finds himself pressured to break the law to protect his brother and bar.
The crime thriller was directed by Philip Barantini, who would go on to make the acclaimed movies Accused and Boiling Point.
And we would argue Villain is also worth a look, thanks to Fairbrass’ commanding lead turn, the film’s sense of authenticity and its story which grows only more and more dark as it reaches its conclusion.
In fact, we’d place the movie amongst the higher echelon of modern gritty British crime flicks alongside Avengement, Bull, Hyena, Kill List and Muscle.
Villain is airing on TV tonight on the channel Legend at 11.10pm. It is also streaming on Netflix in Ireland and the UK right now.
Here are the other movies airing on TV tonight:
Se7en – Virgin Media One – 9pm
“What’s in the box?!”
Transporter 2 / Wild Card – Film4 – 9pm
It’s a Jason Statham double bill on Film4.
The Girl on the Train – Sky Showcase – 9pm
Emily Blunt leads the cast of this solid psychological thriller about an alcoholic divorcée who becomes involved in a missing person investigation.
The Devil’s Own – Legend – 9pm
The poorly received ’90s thriller about the IRA starring Brad Pitt (again after Se7en) and Harrison Ford.
Kingsman: The Golden Circle – E4 – 9pm
The not very good first sequel to the excellent spy comedy Kingsman: The Secret Service.
Yellow Sky – TG4 – 9.35pm
As always, Friday night is Western night on TG4. This one from the ’40s stars Gregory Peck.
Molly’s Game – RTÉ2 – 10pm
Oscar-winning writer Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network) makes his directorial debut with this biographical crime thriller about a woman (Jessica Chastain) who gets in over her head after her underground poker empire gets exposed.
American Pie: The Wedding – Channel 4 – 11.05pm
The third film in the raunchy comedy franchise.
The Player – RTÉ One – 11.15pm
This terrific Hollywood satire from the ’90s from director Robert Altman (M*A*S*H, Short Cuts) revolves a Hollywood film studio executive (Tim Robbins) who winds up killing an aspiring screenwriter.
Magic Mike – BBC One – 11.35pm
Channing Tatum stars in this fun comedy-drama that is loosely based on the actor’s experiences as an 18-year-old stripper in Florida
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