Crime Thriller

• The Organization | DVD | (03/02/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  The Organization was the second and final sequel to 1967's In the Heat of the Night and sees Sidney Poitier's homicide detective Virgil Tibbs called in to investigate the murder of a factory manager. In a lengthy, dialogue-free opening (the film's best sequence), it appears that we are witnessing the culprits in action. However, this group turns out to be a gang of idealistic young vigilantes who knew that the factory was a front for an international drugs cartel--the Organization of the title--and have made off with a haul of heroin secreted there. Suspected of the manager's murder, they meet Tibbs and seek his cooperation. He agrees to help them, pitting himself not only against the Organization but his own police department. Set in San Franscisco, The Organization invites invidious comparisons with Bullitt: its somewhat cheesy contemporary soundtrack, derived from Miles Davis' Bitches Brew, certainly marks it as a piece of its period, as do the occasionally less-than-convincing action sequences, risible acting and far-fetched plot. Poitier, as ever, lends the film a certain dignity and poise, worthy of better material to work with than this. The film is also notable for providing early showcases for two of Cop TV's most famous Captains: Daniel J Travanti (Hill Street Blues) and Bernie Hamilton (later Captain Dobey in Starsky & Hutch) are both assigned minor roles here. On the DVD: The Organization comes to disc in an adequate transfer, though still a little grainy. The sole extra is the original trailer. --David Stubbs

• Out of The Furnace | Blu Ray | (02/06/2014) from £9.86   |  Saving you £15.13 (153.45%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Acclaimed director Scott Cooper takes audiences on a vivid and intense journey into the heart of a fading American Dream in Out of the Furnace, as fate, family and loyalty drive an ordinary man to take heroic measures to fight for those he loves.

• Hard Eight | DVD | (07/04/2008) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Sydney (Philip Baker Hall - Psycho) is a poker-faced professional gambler with a soft heart for a hard luck story. He plays guardian angel to unlucky John (John C. Reilly - The Thin Red Line) and a hooker Clementine (Gwyneth Paltrow - Shakespeare In Love) whom he grows to love like family. When Johns and Clementines honeymoon night leads to a disastrous hostage situation Sydney takes care of it as usual. But when slick casino pro Jimmy (Samuel L. Jackson - Star Wars: The Phantom Menace) threatens to reveal a secret from Sydneys past that could destroy his relationship with the newlyweds Sydney decides to hedge his bets and not leave anything to chance.

• Passengers | DVD | (11/04/2016) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  A grief counselor working with a group of plane-crash survivors finds herself at the root of a mystery when her clients begin to disappear.

• Dirty Pretty Things | DVD | (06/10/2003) from £9.99   |  Saving you £6.00 (60.06%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Acclaimed director Stephen Frears returns with a thriller set in the London of illegal immigrants, with "Amelie" star Audrey Tautou.

• Inspector Morse - Disc 13 And 14 - The Sins Of The Fathers / Driven To Distraction | DVD | (15/07/2002) from £6.54   |  Saving you £8.45 (56.40%)   |  RRP £14.99

  When Inspector Morse first appeared on television in 1987, nobody could have predicted that it would run into the next century, maintaining throughout a quality of scripts and story lines that raised the genre of the detective series to a new level. Much of its success can be attributed to John Thaw's total immersion in the role. Morse is a prickly character and not obviously easy to like. As a detective in Oxford with unfulfilled academic propensities, he is permanently excluded from a world of which he would dearly love to be a part. He is at odds with that world--and with his colleagues in the police force--most of the time. Passionate about opera and "proper beer", he is a cultural snob for whom vulgarity causes almost physical pain. As a result, he lives from one disillusionment to another. And he is scarred--more deeply than he would ever admit--by past relationships. But he also has a naïve streak and, deep-down sensitivity, which makes him a fascinating challenge for women. At the heart of Morse's professional life is his awkward partnership with Detective Sergeant Lewis, the resolutely ordinary, worldly sidekick who manages to keep his boss in an almost permanent state of exasperation while retaining his grudging respect. It's a testament to Kevin Whateley's consistently excellent performance that from such unpromising material, Lewis becomes as indispensable to the series as Barrington Pheloung's hypnotic, classic theme music. Morse's investigations do occasionally take him abroad to more exotic locations, but throughout 14 successful years of often gruesome murders, the city of Oxford itself became a central character in these brooding two-hour dramas: creator Colin Dexter stating he finally had to kill Morse off because he was giving Oxford a bad reputation as a dangerous place! --Piers Ford

• Mona Lisa | Blu Ray | (09/10/2012) from £11.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• The Da Vinci Code 10th Anniversary | 4K UHD | (17/10/2016) from £24.89   |  Saving you £5.10 (20.49%)   |  RRP £29.99

  Critics and controversy aside, The Da Vinci Code is a verifiable blockbuster. Combine the film's huge worldwide box-office take with over 100 million copies of Dan Brown's book sold, and The Da Vinci Code has clearly made the leap from pop-culture hit to a certifiable franchise (games and action figures are sure to follow). The leap for any story making the move from book to big screen, however, is always more perilous. In the case of The Da Vinci Code, the story is concocted of such a preposterous formula of elements that you wouldn't envy Akiva Goldsman, the screenwriter who was handed a potentially unfilmable book and asked to make a filmable script out of it. Goldsman's solution was to have the screenplay follow the book as closely as possible, with a few needed changes, including a better ending. The result is a film that actually makes slightly better entertainment than the book. So if you're like most of the world, by now you've read the book and know that it starts out as a murder mystery. While lecturing in Paris, noted Harvard Professor of Symbology Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) is summoned to the Louvre by French police help decipher a bizarre series of clues left at the scene of the murder of the chief curator, Jacques Sauniere. Enter Sophie Neveu (Audrey Tautou), gifted cryptologist and Sauniere's granddaughter. Neveu and Langdon are forced to team up to solve the mystery, and from there the story is propelled across Europe as it balloons into a modern-day mini-quest for the Holy Grail, complete with alternative theories about the life of Christ, ancient secret societies headed by historical figures like Leonardo Da Vinci, secret codes, conniving bishops, daring escapes, car chases, and, of course, a murderous albino monk controlled by a secret master who calls himself "The Teacher." Taken solely as a mystery thriller, the movie almost works--despite some gaping holes--mostly just because it keeps moving forward at the breakneck pace set in the book. Brown's greatest trick might have been to have the entire story take place in a day so that the action is forced to keep going, despite some necessary pauses for exposition. Hanks and Tautou are just fine together but not exactly a memorable screen pair; meanwhile, Sir Ian McKellen's scenery-chewing as pivotal character Sir Leigh Teabing is just what the film needs to keep it from taking itself too seriously. In the end, this hit movie is just like a good roller-coaster ride: try not to think too much about it--just sit back and enjoy the trip. --Daniel Vancini, Amazon.com

• Keys To Tulsa | DVD | (28/07/2003) from £8.94   |  Saving you £-2.95 (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Keys To Tulsa is a murderously irreverent tale of sex intrigue and humour in the deep dark South. Eric Stoltz heads an all-star cast as Richter Boudreau the black sheep son of a black sheep manoeuvring through a wonderfully bizzare coterie of characters as he finds himself pushed back into the world of wealth and provilege that spawned him. As he becomes the inadvertent pawn in a dangerous scheme of blackmail Richter must at last face the hypocritical values and petty jealousies of smalltown America. What emerges is a dramatic and potentially deadly journey through his past present and future.

• Into The Night | DVD | (28/06/2004) from £6.73   |  Saving you £3.26 (48.44%)   |  RRP £9.99

  When two strangers stumble into international intrigue in the middle of a Los Angeles night anything can happen... and it does in this zany comedy directed by John Landis! Ed Okin is an insomniac with a cheating wife and a dull job. His chance for excitement looks hopeless until a mysterious blonde named Diana drops onto the bonnet of his car. She is being pursued by a gang of Iranian gunmen and despite Ed's reluctance he gets involved and Diana leads him on a murderous chase where

• Inside | Blu Ray | (09/10/2023) from £14.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  TBC

• Killing Machine, The | DVD | (16/08/2010) from £6.38   |  Saving you £9.61 (150.63%)   |  RRP £15.99

  The Killing Machine

• Captivity | Blu Ray | (20/07/2009) from £9.99   |  Saving you £6.00 (60.06%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Elisha Cuthbert stars as a supermodel who's taken prisoner by a psychotic torturer in this psychological horror.

• Agatha Christie's The Pale Horse | DVD | (04/03/2013) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £17.99

  From the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, comes a tale of dark forces, black magic and murder. Sculptor Mark Easterbrook finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time when he stumbles across a murdered priest and the murder weapon turns out to be his. What is the meaning of the list of names the priest was clutching in his hand? And why are the people on that list dying one at a time of apparently natural causes? Money continues to be the root of all evil - but where those roots lead, and how Easterbrook is to prove his innocence, makes for a tale of foul black magic, a misplaced bet, deep deception and of course, 'the pale horse' upon which 'our visitors become the rider.'

• Rogue Cops and Racketeers: Two Crime Thrillers from Enzo G. Castellari | Blu Ray | (18/04/2022) from £37.85   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Over a long and wide-ranging career, director Enzo G. Castellari (Keoma, The Inglorious Bastards) helmed some of the most infamous of all the poliziotteschi the gritty, action-packed crime films that proliferated in Italy throughout the 70s. Buckle up for a heart-stopping thrill ride through the seedy underbelly of Italian society in two of his most celebrated thrillers! In 1976's The Big Racket, Inspector Nico Palmieri (Fabio Testi, What Have You Done to Solange?) is hot on the heels of a gang of ruthless racketeers. Realizing he's not going to get anywhere within the confines of the law, Nico recruits a crack squad of civilians to dole out their own brand of justice. Then, in 1977's The Heroin Busters, rule-flouting cop Fabio (Testi) goes deep undercover, chasing a globe-trotting ring of drug-smugglers suspected to be operating out of Rome. But can he and Mike Hamilton (David Hemmings, Deep Red), an Interpol agent with a hair-trigger temper, stay one step ahead of the criminals long enough to bring them down from the inside? Featuring death-defying stunts, explosive shoot-outs and a pair of addictive, toe-tapping soundtracks courtesy of the De Angelis brothers (Torso) and legendary prog rock group Goblin (Suspiria), these two films represent the crème de la crème of the Italian crime thriller, both making their high definition debuts with stunning new restorations in this feature-packed box set from Arrow! 2-Disc Limited Edition Contents: Brand new 2K restorations of both films from the original 35mm camera negatives by Arrow Films High Definition Blu-ray™ (1080p) presentations Original Italian and English front and end titles Restored original lossless mono Italian and English soundtracks Newly translated English subtitles for the Italian soundtracks Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtracks New audio commentaries on both films by critics Adrian J. Smith and David Flint Illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing on the films by Roberto Curti and Barry Forshaw Limited edition packaging with reversible sleeves featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Colin Murdoch Twelve double-sided, postcard-sized lobby card reproduction artcards Disc One - The Big Racket: The Years of Racketeering, a new video interview with co-writer/director Enzo G. Castellari Violent Times, a new video interview with actor Fabio Testi Angel Face for a Tough Guy, a new video interview with actor Massimo Vanni King of Movieola, a new video interview with editor Gianfranco Amicucci The Great Racket, a new appreciation and career retrospective of composers Guido and Maurizio De Angelis by musician and disc collector Lovely Jon Theatrical trailer Image gallery Disc Two - The Heroin Busters: Endless Pursuit, a new video interview with co-writer/director Enzo G. Castellari Drug Squad, a new video interview with actor Fabio Testi The Drug Dealer, a new video interview with actor Massimo Vanni How They Killed Italian Cinema, a new video interview with editor Gianfranco Amicucci A Cop on the Set, a new video interview with retired poliziotto and criminologist Nicola Longo The Eardrum Busters, a new appreciation and career retrospective of composers Goblin by musician and disc collector Lovely Jon Theatrical trailer Image gallery

• The Last Embrace | DVD | (26/10/2015) from £12.99   |  Saving you £7.00 (53.89%)   |  RRP £19.99

  This taught thriller, from the acclaimed director of Silence of the Lambs, stars Roy Scheider (Jaws, The French Connection) as Harry Hannan, an ex-government agent fearing for his life and unable to trust even his closest friends after the violent death of his wife. Infused with the spirit of Alfred Hitchcock, and featuring outstanding performances by John Glover, Christopher Walken and Charles Napier, Last Embrace is a stylish, edge-of-your-seat experience that you will never forget. Audio commentary with film expert David Thompson Original theatrical trailer

• Martin (Limited Edition 4K) | Blu Ray | (27/03/2023) from £42.98   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  A troubled young man, who believes himself to be a vampire, goes to live with his elderly and religious cousin in a small Pennsylvania town where he tries to redeem his blood-craving urges after he falls for a lonely housewife, all the while his hostile cousin becomes convinced that the young man is actually Nosferatu. Product Features A new Second Sight 4K restoration supervised and approved by Director of Photography Michael Gornick UHD presented in HDR10+ Audio commentary by George A Romero, John Amplas and Tom Savini Audio commentary by George A Romero, Richard P Rubinstein, Tom Savini, Michael Gornick and Donald Rubinstein A new audio commentary by Kat Ellinger A new audio commentary by Travis Crawford Taste the Blood of Martin: A new feature length documentary including location tour Scoring the Shadows: A new interview with composer Donald Rubinstein 'J Roy - New And Used Furniture': a short film by Tony Buba Making Martin: A Recounting Trailer, TV and radio spots Limited Edition Contents Rigid slipcase with original classic artwork Soft cover book with new essays by Daniel Bird, Miranda Corcoran, Travis Crawford, Heather Drain, Kat Ellinger, Andrew Graves, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, Elena Lazic, , Stephen Thrower, Jon Towlson, Simon Ward and Tony Williams Original Soundtrack CD by Donald Rubinstein 5 collectors' character art cards illustrated by Adam Stothard

• Unknown | Blu Ray | (17/08/2009) from £6.75   |  Saving you £9.24 (136.89%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Five men wake up in a locked-down warehouse, none of them able to remember how they got there or even who they are.

• Don't Let Go | DVD | (29/06/2020) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  After a man's family dies in what appears to be a murder, he gets a phone call from one of the dead, his niece. He's not sure if she's a ghost or if he's going mad, but as it turns out, he's not. A classic thriller with a supernatural twist from Blumhouse, the producers of Get Out.

• Tesis | DVD | (26/12/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Alejandro Amenabar's first film Tesis has impressive restrain for a debut, as you might expect from the man who went on to make Open Your Eyes and The Others. It's also the most intelligent consideration of the urban myth of snuff films seen onscreen in recent years. Ana Torrent is a priggish young student writing a thesis on violence in movies and finds out more than she wants to know. From the opening shots of her fascinated attempt to see a suicide victim mashed on the Madrid metro to her ambivalent involvement with Chemo (Fele Martinez)--a sinister nerd, obsessed with collecting dubious videos--and her flirtation with one of their principal suspects, Torrent portrays a traditionally plucky heroine along with her darker, more complicit and self-destructive side. As in his later work, Amenabar achieves maximum terror with minimum effect--dark rooms, gazes averted from torture we never see--because of his rich sense of the complexity of human character. What terrifies us here is the sense of our own demons. On the DVD: the DVD, which is presented in a 1.85:1 letterboxed video ratio and has Dolby Digital sound, comes with optional English subtitles, an intelligent, if slightly earnest documentary about the making of the film, a filmography, the theatrical trailer and a review article by the excellent Roger Clark. --Roz Kaveney