"Actor: Janet Coleman"

• Thirteen Days | DVD | (04/02/2002) from £13.16   |  Saving you £2.83 (21.50%)   |  RRP £15.99

  On its theatrical release Thirteen Days was pummelled by American critics for taking liberties with the facts of the Cuban missile crisis and smothering its compelling drama with phoney Boston accents by its primary stars. But anyone who enjoys taut, intelligent political thrillers will find little to complain about here. Co-star and co-producer Kevin Costner drew criticism for fictionally enhancing the White House role of presidential aide Kenneth O'Donnell, but while Costner's Boston accent may be grating, his fine performance as O'Donnell offers expert witness to the crisis, its nerve-wracking escalation and the efforts of John F Kennedy (Bruce Greenwood) and Robert F Kennedy (Steven Culp) to negotiate a peaceful settlement with Russia. While Soviet missiles approach operational status in Cuba, director Roger Donaldson (who directed Costner in No Way Out) cuts to exciting US Navy flights over the missile site, ramping up the tension that history itself provided. Donaldson's occasional use of black and white is self-consciously distracting, and he's further guilty of allowing a shrillness (along with repetitive, ominous shots of nuclear explosions) to invade the urgency of David Self's screenplay. Still, as Hollywood history lessons go, Thirteen Days is riveting stuff. You may find yourself wondering what might happen if reality presented a repeat scenario under less intelligent leadership.--Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com

• Cop And A Half: New Recruit | DVD | (14/08/2017) from £6.49   |  Saving you £2.49 (71.14%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Grizzled veteran detective Mark Simmons (Lou Diamond Phillips) can't seem to catch the Badge Bandit the city's serial prankster who's causing mischief and embarrassing the police. Karina Murphy (Lulu Wilson) is a spunky 12-year-old who dreams of being a cop. She stumbles on Simmons' stakeout where she proves she's got serious detective skills and tech-savvy smarts. While Simmons wants to ignore Karina, the police captain does the unthinkable and teams them up. While on their mission to stop the Badge Bandit, the unlikely duo goes on a hilarious, action-filled adventure! Bonus features: The Making of Cop and a Half: New Recruit Lou and Lulu: Partners in Crime Solving