This week's television schedule offers a compelling mix of high-octane thrillers, heart-warming comedies, and timeless classics for UK viewers. From a long-awaited reunion of Hollywood stars to a poignant British comedy, here are the seven best films to add to your watchlist.
The Rip: A Tense Narcotics Thriller
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon star together for the first time since 2023's Air in this propulsive cop thriller, The Rip. Premiering on Friday 16 January on Netflix, the film casts the duo as best friends and officers in a Miami tactical narcotics team.
Affleck plays the maverick Det Sergeant JD Byrne, while Damon is the more sensible but jaded Lieutenant Dane Dumars. Their dynamic is tested when, at the end of a shift, they receive a tip-off about drug cash in a stash house. The operation is thrown dramatically off course by their discovery inside and by growing suspicions of a corrupt cop within their own unit, which includes officers played by Teyana Taylor and Steven Yeun.
Director Joe Carnahan masterfully keeps the plot bustling, with a single location helping to stoke up almost unbearable tension. This is a must-watch for fans of gritty, character-driven action.
Britcom Charm and Classic Cinema
Also arriving on Friday 16 January is the quirky Britcom The Ballad of Wallis Island, showing on Sky Cinema Premiere at 10.25am and 8pm. The film is full of the excruciating puns and awkward situations trademark to its writer and star, Tim Key.
Directed by James Griffiths, it tells the story of folk singer Herb McGwyer (co-writer Tom Basden), who is won over during a stay on a private island owned by a wealthy uberfan, Charles (Key). The plot thickens when Herb's former romantic and musical partner, Nell (Carey Mulligan), unexpectedly arrives as Charles attempts to get the band back together for a private performance.
The reunion unearths Herb's lingering pain, which competes with widower Charles's loneliness for the film's most significant emotional impact. It's a heart-warming balancing act between the funny and the forlorn.
Westerns, Prison Dramas, and Legal Thrillers
The week also serves up a feast of classic cinema. On Saturday 10 January, catch Henry King's tense 1950 western The Gunfighter on Great! Action at 2.50pm. Gregory Peck stars as ageing sharpshooter Jimmy Ringo, a man weighed down by his own lethal legend who seeks solace in a town called Cayenne.
Later that day, at 5.50pm on Sky Cinema Greats, don't miss Paul Newman in Cool Hand Luke. Stuart Rosenberg's sweat-soaked prison drama features Newman's iconic performance as the charismatic convict Lucas Jackson, a born rebel who becomes a mythic figure to his fellow inmates.
In tribute to the late director Rob Reiner, Channel 4 is broadcasting his acclaimed 1992 legal thriller A Few Good Men on Saturday 10 January at 10.35pm. The film boasts Aaron Sorkin's razor-sharp script and powerhouse performances from Tom Cruise, Demi Moore, and Jack Nicholson as a formidable military antagonist.
Compelling Contemporary Dramas
For viewers seeking more modern, unsettling fare, Film4 presents The Integrity of Joseph Chambers on Sunday 11 January at 11.20pm. Clayne Crawford stars as an inexperienced deer hunter whose solo trip into the woods goes terribly wrong in this painfully perceptive takedown of trite masculinity from director Robert Machoian.
Finally, BBC Two offers a devastating and enraging look at the housing crisis with Daisy-May Hudson's debut fiction feature, Lollipop, on Friday 16 January at 11pm. Posy Sterling delivers an electric performance as Molly, a young mother released from prison and trapped in a bureaucratic catch-22 as she tries to regain custody of her children.
From the star power of Affleck and Damon to the unique charm of Tim Key and the enduring brilliance of cinematic legends, this week's TV film lineup has something to captivate every viewer.
