"Actor: Hoffman"

• Tootsie | DVD | (04/02/2008) from £8.08   |  Saving you £4.91 (60.77%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Sydney Pollack directs Tootsie a touching gender-bending farce in which Dustin Hoffman plays actor Michael Dorsey. Dorsey who is fine actor but an irreproachable perfectionist can hardly make ends meet; the best he can do for his wallet is take on a couple of jobs as a part-time drama coach and a part-time waiter. But when with the help of a few accessories (including rouge and a padded bra) he transforms himself into Dorothy Michaels everything changes. Dorothy lands a hot job on a soap opera monopolizes the covers of glossy magazines and wins thousands of adoring fans. But when he falls head-over-heels for his co-star Julie (Jessica Lange) he's got a real problem: How can he tell Julie he loves her when she thinks he's a she? Michael desperate to relinquish his disguise proceeds as a she and endures a battle with his agent played by Pollack who refuses to end his contract with the soap; a fight with his best friend who is a woman; unwanted sexual advances from a fellow soap actor; and sweet affections from Julie's father.

• American Buffalo | DVD | (20/10/2010) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £2.99

  A plot to steal a potentially valuable buffalo-head nickel binds together two mistrusting, disaffected schlubs and their young, would-be accomplice. David Mamet adapted the screenplay from his hard-biting 1975 stage play.

• Montana | DVD | (27/10/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Claire tries to help the boss regain his authority after some money is stolen and a hit on him fails. But she soon finds that the police and a number of hitmen are after her....

• The Tale Of Despereaux / Open Season 2 / Surf's Up | DVD | (14/09/2009) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Titles Comprise: The Tale of Despereaux: Once upon a time there was a brave and virtuous mouse with comically oversized ears who dreamt of becoming a knight. Banished from his home for having such lofty ambitions Despereaux set off on an amazing adventure with his good-hearted rat friend Roscuro that eventually led him at long last on a very noble quest to rescue an endangered princess. Set in the far away kingdom of Dor this magical fable harkens back to a time of honour and chivalry inspiring fans of all ages to be the best mouse they can be! Open Season 2: Boog and Elliot are back for more crazy adventures. After falling head over hooves in love with Giselle Elliot's road to the altar takes a slight detour when Mr. Weenie is kidnapped by a group of pampered pets determined to return him to his owners. Boog Elliot McSquizzy Buddy and the rest of the woodland creatures launch a full-scale rescue mission for their sausage-shaped friend and soon find themselves in enemy camp: the world of the pets. Led by a toy poodle named Fifi the pets do not plan to let Mr. Weenie go without a fight. Can a toy poodle REALLY bring down an 900-pound grizzly bear? Will Elliot ever marry Giselle? Find out in Open Season 2. Surf's Up: A stylistically daring CGI feature Surf's Up is based on the groundbreaking revelation that surfing was actually invented by penguins. In the film a documentary crew will take audiences behind the scenes and onto the waves during the most competitive heartbreaking and dangerous display of surfing known to man the Penguin World Surfing Championship.

• Sideways/I Heart Huckabees | DVD | (28/05/2007) from £12.96   |  Saving you £-3.97 (-44.20%)   |  RRP £8.99

  Sideways (Dir. Alexander Payne 2004): A story about friendship and pinot envy. A wine tasting road trip to salute Jack's (Thomas Haden Church) final days as a bachelor careers woefully sideways as he and Miles (Paul Giamatti) hit the gas en route to mid-life crises. The comically mismatched pair who share little more than their history and a heady blend of failed potential and fading youth soon find themselves drowning in wine and women (Sandra Oh and Virginia Madsen). Emerging from a haze of pinot noir wistful yearnings and trepidation about the future the two inevitably collide with reality. Now the wedding approaches and with it the certainty that Miles and Jack won't make it back to Los Angeles unscathed or unchanged... if they get there in one piece at all. Winner of the 2005 Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. I Heart (Love) Huckabees (Dir. David O. Russell 2004): Convinced that a series of coincidences involving a doorman hold some secret to life's largest riddles Albert Markovski (Jason Schwartzman) seeks the help of a detective agency unlike any other . . . which leads him down a path that questions the essence of existence itself. In an attempt to ferret out the meaning of these flukes he consults Bernard and Vivian Jaffe (Dustin Hoffman Lily Tomlin) AKA the Existential Detectives a pair of married metaphysicians who fearlessly investigate the mysteries at the core of their clients secret innermost lives. When on a case these two follow their clients around closely observe their daily activities query their friends and employers and intently examine the lives they lead. The difference is that the Existential Detectives seek the solutions to the most persistent mystery of all -- the one that lies at the core of reality and existence itself . . . which means their investigations can get a little tricky. Bernard and Vivian kick off their existential exploration of Albert Markovski by probing his past and present reality. Along the way they uncover his festering conflict with Brad Stand (Jude Law) a golden boy executive climbing the corporate ladder at Huckabees a popular chain of retail super-stores that wants to sponsor Albert's Open Spaces Coalition for the PR value. The Existential Detectives are convinced that Brad -- seemingly Albert's opposite -- is the key to cracking Albert's case but then Brad turns the tables on their investigation by hiring the detectives himself. As Bernard and Vivian begin to dig deeper into Brads ambition and his relationship with Huckabees hot blonde spokesmodel Dawn (Naomi Watts) Albert begins to lose faith and rebels against their conclusions. Pairing up with another of the duo's clients -- firefighter tough guy and uncompromising soul searcher Tommy (Mark Wahlberg) -- he joins forces with the Jaffes arch nemesis the sexy French philosopher Caterine Vauban (Isabelle Huppert) who valiantly battles for the contrasting point of view.

• Charlie Wilson's War/Philadelphia/Apollo 13 | DVD | (22/09/2008) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Titles Comprise: Charlie Wilson's War: The true story of how a playboy congressman a renegade CIA agent and a beautiful Houston socialite joined forces to lead the largest and most successful covert operation in history. Their efforts contributed to the fall of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War with consequences that reverberate throughout the world today. Philadelphia: Up-and-coming young lawyer Andrew Beckett (Tom Hanks) has just been fired by his prestigious law firm. They say he hasn't got what it takes. Andrew knows it's because he's got AIDS. Determined to defend his professional reputation Andrew hires fierce brilliant personal-injury attorney Joe Miller (Denzel Washington) to sue his former employers for wrongful dismissal. Joe is initially reluctant to take on the case. Although he as grown up knowing the pain of prejudice he's never had to confront his own prejudices against homosexuality and AIDS...until now. One man is fighting for his reputation his life and for justice. The other is battling to overcome his own and society's ignorance and fear. 'Philadelphia' is one of the most powerful and critically acclaimed movies of our time. Apollo 13: Stranded 205 000 miles from Earth in a crippled spacecraft astronauts Jim Lovell (Hanks) Fred Haise (Paxton) and Jack Swigert (Bacon) fight a desperate battle to survive. Meanwhile at Mission Control astronaut Ken Mattingly (Sinise) flight director Gene Kranz (Harris) and a heroic ground crew race against time and the odds to bring them home.

• Marathon Man | Blu Ray | (03/06/2013) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  John Schlesinger (Midnight Cowboy) directed this gripping, entertaining 1977 thriller that centres on graduate student Dustin Hoffman (The Graduate, Tootsie). Hoffman plays a sullen and cowardly loner haunted by the suicide of his father, a suspected communist. He is drawn into a murky web of international intrigue when his brother, CIA agent Doc Levy, played by Roy Scheider (Jaws, The French Connection), is murdered by a former Nazi (Laurence Olivier) who has come to the United States to reclaim a valuable stash of diamonds. Babe (Hoffman) must confront his fears of the past as he runs for his life and tries to avenge his brother's death at the same time. Featuring a classic torture sequence and a terrific cast that includes William Devane and Marthe Keller, Marathon Man written by William Goldman (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, All the President's Men) stands as a great entertainment and as one of the seminal films of the 1970s. --Robert Lane

• Ah! My Goddess - The Movie | DVD | (24/03/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  There's trouble in paradise! Belldandy's mentor Celestin was imprisoned for attempting to overthrow the Goddess system but now he's back! Using a system virus Celestin corrupts the Goddess system and removes all of Belldandy's love for Keiichi! Will Belldandy's love for Keiichi prove to be the key to ruining Celestin's plans or will it be the final ingredient necessary to destroy our reality?

• Ben Stiller Collection | DVD | (06/10/2008) from £11.53   |  Saving you £8.46 (73.37%)   |  RRP £19.99

  The Heartbreak Kid Ben Stiller and the Farrelly brothers bring out the best in each other. In The Heartbreak Kid, Stiller plays Eddie Cantrow, who--persuaded by his father and friends that he's commitment-phobic--marries a gorgeous and seemingly ideal woman named Lila (Malin Akerman, The Brothers Solomon) that he's been dating for several weeks. But after the wedding, things start to go awry... the least of these being that on their honeymoon, Eddie meets a woman who might truly be the girl of his dreams (Michelle Monaghan, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang). As in There's Something About Mary, writers/directors Bobby and Peter Farrelly push Stiller away from his increasingly schticky "tense guy" persona and draw out his sweeter, more multilayered earnest side. On his end, Stiller provides a human core to what could just be a festival of raunch and absurdity (the movie features aroused donkeys, deviated septum jokes, and digitally-enhanced body hair, among other items of questionable taste). It only takes a quick comparison with Jim Carrey in Me, Myself & Irene or Jack Black in Shallow Hal to see what a surprisingly delicate balance that is. The Heartbreak Kid may not be quite as wildly sublime as There's Something About Mary, but it comes extremely close, with kudos to Akerman for her unrestrained nuttiness. --Bret Fetzer Meet the Parents Randy Newman's opening song, "A Fool in Love," perfectly sets up the movie that follows. The lyrics begin, "Show me a man who is gentle and kind, and I'll show you a loser," before praising the man who takes what he wants. Greg Focker (Ben Stiller) is the fool in love in Meet the Parents. Just as he's about to propose to his girlfriend Pam (Teri Polo), he learns that her sister's fiancé asked their father, Jack Byrnes (Robert De Niro), for permission to marry. Now he feels the need to do the same thing. When Greg meets Jack, he is so desperate to be liked that he makes up stories and kisses ass rather than having the courage of his convictions. It doesn't take an elite member of the CIA to see right through Greg, but that's precisely what Jack is. Directed by Jay Roach (the Austin Powers movies), Meet the Parents is an incredibly well-crafted comedy that stands in nice opposition to, say, the sloppy extremes of the Farrelly brothers. Stiller is great at playing up the uncomfortable comedy of errors, balancing just the right amount of selfishness and self-deprecating humour, while De Niro's Jack is funny as the hard-ass father who just wants a few straight answers from the kid. What makes the Jack character all the funnier is Blythe Danner as his wife, the Gracie to his George Burns, who is the true heart of the movie. Oh, and Owen Wilson turns in yet another terrific comic performance as Pam's ex-fiancé. --Andy Spletzer Meet the Fockers Meet the Parents found such tremendous success in the chemistry produced by the contrasting personalities of stars Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller that the film's creators went for broke with the same formula again in Meet the Fockers. This time around, Jack and Dina Byrnes (De Niro and Blythe Danner) climb into Jack's new kevlar-lined RV with daughter Pam (Teri Polo), soon-to-be son-in-law Gaylord (Stiller), and Jack's infant grandson from his other daughter for the trip to Florida to meet Gaylord's parents, Bernie and Roz Focker (Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand in a casting coup). The potential in-laws are, of course, the opposite of Jack, a pair of randy, touchy-feely fun-lovers. The rest of the movie is pretty much a sitcom: put Bernie and Roz together with Jack, and watch the in-laws clash as Gaylord squirms. As with the original, there is a sense of joy in watching these actors take on their roles with obvious relish, and the Hoffman-Streisand-Stiller triumvirate is likeable enough to draw you in. But the formula doesn't work as well in Fockers mostly because much of the humour is based on two obvious gimmicks: Gaylord Focker's name, and the fact that Streisand's character is a sex therapist. As a result, the movie itself is more contrived and predictable, and a lot less fun than the original. The casting is grand, but one wishes more thought was put into the script.--Dan Vancini Zoolander Charge your micro-mini cell phones and whip up some orange mocha Frappuccino, 'cuz Zoolander is on the runway, and you're gonna laugh your booty off! Based on a sketch created by writer-director Ben Stiller and cowriter Drake Sather for the 1996 VH1/Vogue Fashion Awards, Zoolander is a delirious send-up of New York's fashion scene as epitomised by male model Derek Zoolander (Stiller), a dimwitted preener who's oblivious to a Manchurian Candidate-like plot to turn him into a brainwashed assassin. Tipped off by a reporter (Christina Taylor), Zoolander teams with rival model Hansel (Owen Wilson) to foil the poodle-haired fashion designer (Will Ferrell) who's behind the nefarious scheme. The goofy plot's only half the fun; with roles for Stiller's parents (Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara), dozens of celebrity cameos, endlessly quotable dialogue, and improvisational energy to spare, Zoolander is very smart about being very stupid, easily matching the Austin Powers franchise for inspired comedic lunacy. --Jeff Shannon

• The 80s Movie Club - For Tough Guys - Platoon/Raging Bull/Rain Man/Die Hard/Terminator | DVD | (01/10/2007) from £22.93   |  Saving you £12.06 (52.59%)   |  RRP £34.99

  Rain Man (Dir. Barry Levinson 1988): Dustin Hoffman joins Tom Cruise to bring a funny and moving tale of brotherly love to the screen. Heartless Charlie Babbitt expects a vast inheritance after his estranged father dies. But Raymond his institutionalised older brother someone he's been totally unaware of is willed the entire fortune instead. Raymond is an 'autistic Savant' with severely limited mental abilities in some areas but with genius gifts in others. When Charlie kidnaps Raymond the crazy cross-country drive back to Los Angeles teaches them both a few lessons in life. For as they overcome their mutual distrust of each other a deep bond is forged as they painfully share past memories present problems and a possible shining future together. Die Hard (Dir. John McTiernan 1988: New York cop John McClane facing Christmas alone flies to Los Angeles to see his estranged wife Holly (Bonnie Bedelia) and their kids in an attempt to patch things up. He arrives at his wife's high tech office building in the middle of their Christmas party just as it is gatecrashed by the ruthless master criminal Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) and a dozen fellow activists intent on relieving the Nakatomi Corporation of six hundred million dollars in negotiable bonds... Platoon (Dir. Oliver Stone 1986): Writer/director Oliver Stone has created a personal and searing testament to the men who fought the war in Vietnam. Seen through the eyes of a college drop-out the war is a real nightmare a private hell of fears from outside and in with enemies on both sides of the line. His platoon's allegiance is split between leaders Sergeant Barnes and Sergeant Elias. Barnes is a scar-faced gung-ho fanatic bent on destroying the elusive Viet Cong and anyone who disagrees with him. Elias is a different type of soldier--he has lost faith in the war but not in man. Friction between the two sergeants leads to a second war as deadly as the one being waged against the enemy. Raging Bull (Dir. Martin Scorsese 1980): Raging Bull is arguably the finest work from the Scorsese and De Niro partnership. De Niro gives an amazing portrayal of a man whose animal side lurks just beneath the surface ever ready to erupt. Vivid and unremitting in its uncompromising brutality and honesty the fight sequences are famed for their realism. Violent throughout this film is a testament to Scorsese's and De Niro skills creating a thoroughly absorbing film about such an unlikable character. Renowned for throwing himself into the roles of the character De Niro went on a diet to gain fifty pounds during the production for the role of the faded star. Terminator (Dir. James Cameron 1987): In 2029 giant super-computers dominate the planet hell-bent on exterminating the human race! And to destroy man's future by changing the past they send an indestructible cyborg - a Terminator - back in time to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) the woman whose unborn son will become mankind's only hope. Can Sarah protect herself from this unstoppable menace to save the life of her unborn child? Or will the human race be extinguished by one mean hunk of mutant metal?

• Kramer vs Kramer | DVD | (26/01/2009) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £4.90

  Kramer vs Kramer is the box office smash that gathered 5 Oscars including Best Picture Best Actor for Dustin Hoffman and Best Supporting Actress for Meryl Streep. Returning home late from work one night a career-obsessed Ted Kramer is told by his wife that she is leaving him. After a life of being 'somebody's daughter' or 'somebody's wife ' she's going off to find herself - leaving Ted to care for their 6 year-old son. Ted while trying to hold down his job gets to really know his son: cooking his meals taking him to the park understanding every need and fear. For the first time in his life he feels like a fulfilled parent. But then Joanna returns. And she wants her son back...

• Aliens In The Attic (with Bonus Digital Copy and DVD) | Blu Ray | (01/02/2010) from £12.13   |  Saving you £12.86 (51.50%)   |  RRP £24.99

  "Aliens in the Attic" is an adventure/comedy about kids on a family vacation who must fight off an attack by knee-high alien invaders with world-destroying ambitions while the youngsters' parents remain clueless about the battle.

• Capote/All The King's Men/Ghandi | DVD | (19/11/2007) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Capote (Dir. Bennett Miller) (2005): In 1959 Truman Capote a popular writer for The New Yorker learns about the horrific and senseless murder of a family of four in Halcomb Kansas. Inspired by the story material Capote and his partner Harper Lee travel to the town to research for an article. However as Capote digs deeper into the story he is inspired to expand the project into what would be his greatest work 'In Cold Blood'. To that end he arranges extensive interviews with the prisoners especially with Perry Smith a quiet and articulate man with a troubled history. As he works on his book Capote feels some compassion for Perry which in part prompts him to help the prisoners to some degree. However that feeling deeply conflicts with his need for closure for the book which only an execution can provide. The conflict and mixed motives for both interviewer and subject make for a troubling experience that would produce a literary account that redefined modern non-fiction.... All The Kings Men (Dir. Steven Zaillian) (2006): Absolute power corrupts absolutely in writer-director Steven Zaillian's (Schindler's List) adaptation of Robert Penn Warren's classic novel ""All the King's Men"" featuring an all-star cast led by Sean Penn Jude Law Kate Winslet Patricia Clarkson James Gandolfini Mark Ruffalo Anthony Hopkins. All the King's Men charts the spectacular rise and fall of a charismatic Southern politician ""Boss"" Willie Stark (Penn). Law co-stars as Jack Burden the once idealistic now embittered ex-reporter who unwittingly fuels Stark's corrupt political ambitions. Gandhi (Dir. Richard Attenborough) (1982): In South Africa a young Indian lawyer is booted off a train for refusing to ride second-class. Upon his return to his native India and fed up with the unjust political system he joins the Indian Congress Party which encourages social change through passive resistance. When his ""subversive"" activities land him in jail masses of low-skilled workers strike to support his non-violent yet revolutionary position. Back in India Gandhi renounces the Western way of life and struggles to organize Indian labor against British colonialism. A strike costs many British soldiers their lives so the crown responds by slaughtering 1 500 Indians. Enraged the ascetic spiritual leader continues to preach pacifism until he has lead India out from under the tyranny of British imperialism.

• Puppet Master: Axis of Evil | DVD | (24/01/2011) from £7.31   |  Saving you £6.94 (114.71%)   |  RRP £12.99

  In a Stateside hotel during the height of World War II young Danny Coogan dreams of joining the war effort. Following the murder of hotel guest Mr. Toulon by Nazi assassins Danny finds the old man's crate of mysterious puppets and is suddenly thrust into a battle all his own. He discovers that Nazis Max and Klaus along with beautiful Japanese saboteur Ozu plan to attack a secret American manufacturing plant. After his family is attacked and his girlfriend Beth is kidnapped it is up to Danny and the living deadly Puppets to stop this Axis of Evil.

• Runaway Jury / Class Action | DVD | (31/05/2005) from £13.49   |  Saving you £5.49 (52.29%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Runaway Jury: The stakes are extremely high in an explosive trial when the widow of a gun massacre victim represented by attorney Wendell Rohr (Dustin Hoffman) sues the gun's powerful manufacturer. Now with millions of dollars in the balance 12 jurors must decide if the gun maker was negligent. However unscrupulous jury consultant Rankin Fitch (Gene Hackman) believes the verdict is too important to be left in the hands of a jury and will spare no expense to ensure the chosen jury remain sympathetic to his client. Tension mounts and tables are turned as it comes to light that the jury is being manipulated by one of its own Nicholas Easter (John Cusack) with the aid of a beautiful woman (Rachel Weisz) on the outside to swing the verdict in the direction of the highest bidder... Class Action: Lawyer Jebediah Ward devoted to defending victims of large corporations and the State is fighting for compensation for the victims of automobile accidents involving defective cars. However it turns out that the manufacturer in his latest case is being defended by none other than Ward's daughter...

• Jude Law - The Collection - I Heart Huckabees/Road To Perdition/Enemy At The Gates | DVD | (12/03/2007) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  I Heart Huckabees: Jason Schwartzman stars as Albert Markovski an environmental activist seeking the meaning behind a series of coincidental meetings with an enigmatic stranger. He enlists the help of existential detectives Bernard (Dustin Hoffman) and Vivian (Lily Tomlin) who agree to spy on his everyday activity in order to understand his psyche. The detectives discover that Albert is locked in a battle with Brad Stand (Jude Law) a smarmy executive at the Huckabees department store chain. Shallow and vain Brad defies Albert's protests about the proposed expansion of Huckabees into a nearby marsh... Road To Perdition: Two-time Academy Award-winner Tom Hanks stars as Michael Sullivan a father fighting to keep his only son from traveling the Road To Perdition. Directed by Oscar-winner Sam Mendes this towering motion picture achievement has been acclaimed by audiences and critics alike as one of the year's most extraordinary films. Enemy At The Gate: While the Nazi and Russian armies hurl rank after rank of soldiers at each other and the world fearfully awaits the outcome of the battle of Stalingrad the celebrated Russian sniper Vassili Zaitsev (Jude Law) quietly stalks his enemies one man at a time. His fame however soon thrusts him into a duel with the Nazi's best sharpshooter Major Konig (Ed Harris) and the two find themselves waging an intense personal war while the most momentous battle of the age rages around them... Final Cut: Eleven friends gather at the wake of a successful writer Jude. His grieving wife reveals that he has been making a film of their lives and forces them to watch as stories emerge of secrets lies and disloyalty. Husbands are turned against wives and friends against friends as the true colours of their lives are revealed. But the biggest revelation is yet to come. Little by little the truth comes out about the circumstances of Jude's death his own part in it and the parts played by all of his friends.

• Serial Experiments Lain - Vol. 1 | DVD | (16/02/2004) from £21.58   |  Saving you £-1.59 (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  We're all connected... There is the world around us a world of people tactile sensation and culture. There is the wired world inside the computer of images personalities virtual experiences and a culture all of its own. The day after a classmate commits suicide Lain a thirteen year-old girl discovers how closely the two worlds are linked when she receives an e-mail from the dead girl: ""I just abandoned my body. I still live here..."" Has the line between the real world and t

• Death Of A Salesman | DVD | (02/06/2008) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £28.99

  Death Of A Salesman is the outstanding adaptation of Arthur Miller's stage masterpiece about Willie Loman - the emotionally broken-down salesman coming to terms with his life and his family after being fired from his life-long job. This drama remains one of the most poignant and powerful stories in modern theatre...

• Shock Head Soul | DVD | (24/12/2012) from £20.23   |  Saving you £-2.24 (N/A%)   |  RRP £17.99

  This brilliant study of psychosis, religious freedom and deluded fanaticism is a moving and unique film based on a real story. In 1903, Daniel Paul Schreber published a shocking and celebrated autobiography about 'madness from within'. Up until middle age he was a highly respected judge until one morning he awoke having had a dream that would eventually lead to his long confinement in an asylum. Shock Head Soul follows Schreber from respectability to madness mixing reconstruction, live-action drama and comments from contemporary pyschiatrists to plot this mesmerising real-life event.

• Papillon / Midnight Express / Missing | DVD | (03/10/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Papillon (Dir. Franklin J. Schaffner 1973): They called him Papillon meaning butterfly. If only he had wings to go with the name. Unable to fly Henri Charriere virtually willed himself free. He persisted until he did the impossible: escape Devil's Island. Based on Charriere's bestseller and shot in Spain and Jamaica Franklin J. Schaffner's film of Papillon united two stars at key career junctions. After a decade of fine work in The Great Escape The Sand Pebbles and Bullitt Steve McQueen found in Charriere another ideal tough-guy role. Coming off The Graduate Midnight Cowboy and Little Big Man Dustin Hoffman again distinguished himself as Dega Charriere's scruffy friend. Midnight Express (Dir. Alan Parker 1973): Brad Davis and John Hurt star in this riveting true story of a young American's nightmarish experiences in a Turkish prison and his unforgettable journey to freedom. Busted for attempting to smuggle hashish out of Istanbul American College student Billy Hayes (Davis) is thrown into the city's most brutal jail. After suffering through four years of sadistic torture and inhuman conditions Billy is about to be released when his parole is denied. Only his inner courage and the support of a fellow inmate (Hurt) give him the strength to catch the Midnight Express (prison code for escape). Missing (Dir. Costa Gavras 1982): Director Constantin Costa-Gavras made his English-language film debut with this political thriller based on a true story. Although the nation depicted is never named directly the action clearly takes place in Chile after the military coup. Missing centers around the disappearance of Charles Horman (John Shea) an American expatriate who lives with his wife Beth (Sissy Spacek) in South America. One night armed soldiers enter their home and drag him away. In desperation Beth decides to contact Charles's father Ed (Jack Lemon) and ask for help. In contrast to his left-wing daughter-in-law Ed is staunchly patriotic. But as he gets the runaround from both American and Chilean officials Ed receives a cold hard lesson in political reality... and learns some ugly truths about US involvement in Latin America.