The film is also one of Guy Ritchie and Jason Statham’s best.
Our TV movie pick for tonight (Saturday, 26 April) is Wrath of Man, the excellent 2021 heist revenge thriller that reunited director Guy Ritchie and star Jason Statham (Lock Stock, Snatch) after 15 years.
A remake of the 2004 French flick Cash Truck, Wrath of Man follows a mysterious and wild-eyed new cash truck security guard in Los Angeles nicknamed H (Statham).
H surprises his coworkers during an attempted heist when he is able to take on the perpetrators all by himself, demonstrating in the process expert marksmanship and merciless efficiency.
Following this, H’s security guard crew (comprising Holt McCallany, Josh Hartnett and Niamh Algar) is left wondering who he is and where he came from.
It isn’t long, however, before the enigmatic figure’s ultimate motive becomes clear as he takes dramatic and irrevocable steps to settle a score.
Wrath of Man’s ensemble cast also includes Andy Garcia (The Godfather Part III), Babs Olusanmokun (Dune), Chris Reilly (Slow Horses), Eddie Marsan (Ray Donovan), Jeffrey Donovan (Sicario), Laz Alonzo (The Boys), Raúl Castillo (Army of the Dead), Rob Delaney (Catastrophe), Scott Eastwood (Fast and Furious) and rapper Post Malone.
The film is notable for toning back the humour typically associated with Ritchie’s work. Instead, Wrath of Man is a hard-hitting, tense blend of heist and revenge thrillers.
It’s also further elevated by a commanding and almost mythic lead turn from Statham, Ritchie’s muscular direction and a clever, jumbled-up narrative structure that slowly reveals H’s motivations.
Wrath of Man is airing on Channel 4 at 9pm. It should also be available to watch on Channel 4’s website after it airs.
Here are the other movies airing on TV tonight:
Free Guy – Film4 – 9pm
The hit 2021 action comedy about an ordinary guy (Ryan Reynolds) who discovers that he is a non-player character in a massively popular multiplayer online game.
Aquaman – Sky Showcase – 9pm
Jason Momoa stars as the titular rightful king of Atlantis in this fun superhero flick that grossed over $1.15 billion at the box office.
Bad Neighbours – Comedy Central – 9pm
The very funny comedy in which Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne play a happily married couple who discover to their horror that the house next door has been bought by a rowdy college fraternity (headed by Zac Efron).
The Power of One – Legend Xtra – 9pm
Stephen Dorff, Morgan Freeman and Daniel Craig (in his film debut) star in this 1992 drama about an English boy growing up in ’30s and ’40s South Africa.
Jerry Maguire – TG4 – 9.05pm
Tom Cruise is brilliant in this extremely quotable romantic comedy drama about a smarmy sports agent who has a crisis of conscience.
It’s Complicated – RTÉ One – 9.35pm
A fun rom-com about a woman (Meryl Streep) and her ex-husband (Alec Baldwin) who begin to fall in love again, despite the fact that he’s now remarried, and she’s dating someone new (Steve Martin).
Legally Blonde 2: Red, White and Blonde – RTÉ2 – 9.50pm
Lawyer Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon) heads to Washington in this comedy sequel.
Resident Evil: Apocalypse – MTV – 10pm
The second entry in the long-running zombie franchise.
The Terminator – ITV4 – 10.30pm
The action sci-fi horror classic that made Arnold Schwarzenegger an A-lister.
Basic Instinct – Legend – 10.45pm
Legendary filmmaker Paul Verhoeven (RoboCop, Starship Troopers) directs this iconic erotic thriller about a crime novelist (Sharon Stone) accused of murdering her rock star lover and the troubled cop (Michael Douglas) investigating her.
Carry On Matron – Virgin Media Three – 11pm
The 23rd release out of 31 in the British comedy film franchise.
Benedetta – Film4 – 11.15pm
One of the most provocative movies of recent years, Benedetta sees the aforementioned Paul Verhoeven (Basic Instinct, Showgirls) tell the story of a notorious 17th-century nun in Italy (played by an excellent Virginie Efira).
Carlito Way’s – Channel 4 – 11.20pm
The excellent ’90s crime thriller directed by Brian De Palma (Scarface) in which Al Pacino plays a recently released from prison career criminal who wants to go on the straight and narrow.
However, he gets drawn back into the mire by his shady lawyer (Sean Penn).
Get Up and Go – RTÉ2 – 11.35pm
In this Irish comedy drama, two best friends – a struggling musician (Peter Coonan) and a struggling comedian (Killian Scott) – spend 24 hours together in Dublin together, just as one of them is set to move to London for good.
The Killing Fields – RTÉ One – 11.50pm
This ’80s best picture nominee at the Oscars tells the true story of a journalist’s struggle for survival amidst the ravages of war in Cambodia.
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