Crime Thriller

• The Bride of Frankenstein | Blu Ray | (03/11/2025) from £29.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  In one of the most popular horror films of all time, The Bride of Frankenstein, Boris Karloff reprises his role as the silver screen's most misunderstood monster who now longs for a mate. Continuing exactly where the original left off, the critically acclaimed sequel introduces Dr. Pretorius (Ernest Thesiger) as a deranged scientist who forces Henry Frankenstein (Colin Clive) to help him create a companion for the monster. Once again directed by James Whale and adapted from Mary Shelley's classic novel, the sequel features outstanding makeup and special effects, instantly making the Bride of Frankenstein (Elsa Lanchester) one of the most recognizable monsters of all time. Special Features SHE'S ALIVE! CREATING THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN ARCHIVE 100 YEARS OF UNIVERSAL: RESTORING THE CLASSICS TRAILER GALLERY FEATURE COMMENTARY WITH SCOTT MACQUEEN

• Chucky Season 3 Good Guys III Edition | Blu Ray | (30/09/2024) from £41.98   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Chucky is back with a vengeance in Season 3 of the hit series from Chucky franchise creator Don Mancini. This time, the infamous killer doll (voiced by Brad Dourif) has managed to find his way inside the White House as the new favorite toy of the president's young son. With Chucky threatening to wreak havoc in America's highest office, Jake (Zackary Arthur), Devon (Björgvin Arnarson) and Lexy (Alyvia Alyn Lind) must travel to the nation's capital and somehow find a way inside the world's most secure house to thwart Chucky again before it's too late.'Good Guys III' Edition includes: · Improved more robust Lenticular Slipcase · Double-Sided Poster· 4 x Artcards · 32-page booklet Bonus features:- Deleted Scenes

• Hellraiser Tetralogy 4K UHD | Blu Ray | (15/04/2024) from £41.98   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  WE HAVE SUCH SIGHTS TO SHOW YOU...In the 1980s, Clive Barker changed the face of horror fiction, throwing out the rules to expose new vistas of terror and beauty, expanding the horizons for every genre writer who followed him. With Hellraiser, his first feature film, he did the same for cinema.Hedonist Frank Cotton (Sean Chapman) thinks he has reached the limits of earthly pleasure. But a mysterious puzzle box will take him further than he can possibly imagine, opening the doors to a dominion where pain and pleasure are indivisible and summoning the Cenobites, whose experiments in the higher reaches of experience will tear his soul apart. When he manages to escape, Frank returns to the world skinless and in need of help. Now his former lover Julia (Clare Higgins) must kill to make him whole again. But the Cenobites want Frank back, and there'll be hell to pay when they find him.Hellbound: Hellraiser II expands on Barker's original vision as screenwriter Peter Atkins takes Julia Cotton, her stepdaughter Kirsty (Ashley Laurence) and the sinister Dr Channard (Kenneth Cranham) into the dominion of the Cenobites themselves. Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth sees Pinhead set loose on the sinful streets of New York City to create chaos with a fresh cadre of Cenobitic kin. Then, Hellraiser IV: Bloodline sinks its hooks into past, present and future with the story of Philip LeMarchand, the 18th-century toymaker who made the lament configuration puzzle box, his descendent John Merchant - a 20th-century architect whose most recent building bears a striking resemblance to the lament configuration - and Dr Paul Merchant, a 22nd-century engineer and designer of The Minos, a space station which is a great deal more than it seems.Experience the sublime agony of the original Hellraiser tetralogy with these 4K restorations from the original camera negatives. Hell has never looked better!4 DISC ULTRA HD SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS4K restorations of all four films from the original camera negatives by Arrow Films4K Ultra HD Blu-rayTM (2160p) presentations of all four films in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)Original lossless stereo and DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround audio for all four filmsOptional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearingSpecial edition packaging featuring newly commissioned artwork by Matt GriffinReversible sleeves featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Matt GriffinDISC 1 - HELLRAISERAudio commentary featuring genre historian (and unit publicist of Hellraiser) Stephen Jones with author and film critic Kim NewmanArchival audio commentary with writer/director Clive Barker and actor Ashley Laurence, moderated by Peter AtkinsArchival audio commentary with writer/director Clive BarkerPower of Imagination, 60-minute discussion about Hellraiser and the work of Clive Barker by film scholars Sorcha Ní Fhlainn (editor of Clive Barker: Dark Imaginer) and Karmel KniprathUnboxing Hellraiser, visual essay celebrating the Lament Configuration by genre author Alexandra Benedict (The Beauty of Murder)The Pursuit of Possibilities, 60-minute discussion between acclaimed horror authors Paula D. Ashe (We Are Here to Hurt Each Other) and Eric LaRocca (Everything the Dark Eats) celebrating the queerness of Hellraiser and the importance of Clive Barker as a queer writerFlesh is a Trap, visual essay exploring body horror and transcendence in the work of Clive Barker by genre author Guy Adams (The World House)Extended EPK interviews with Clive Barker and stars Andrew Robinson, Clare Higgins, Ashley Laurence, and effects artist Bob Keen, shot during the making of Hellraiser, with an introduction by Stephen Jones and Kim NewmanOriginal 1987 Electronic Press KitBeing Frank: Sean Chapman on Hellraiser, archival interview with the actorUnder the Skin: Doug Bradley on Hellraiser, archival interview with the iconic actor about his first appearance as 'Pinhead'Soundtrack Hell: The Story of the Abandoned Coil Score, archival interview with Coil member Stephen ThrowerTrailers and TV spotsImage galleryDraft screenplaysDISC 2 - HELLBOUND: HELLRAISER IIAudio commentary featuring Stephen Jones and Kim NewmanArchival audio commentary with director Tony Randel, writer Peter Atkins and actor Ashley LaurenceAudio commentary with director Tony Randel and writer Peter AtkinsHell Was What They Wanted!, 80-minute appreciation of Hellbound, the Hellraiser mythos and the work of Clive Barker by horror authors George Daniel Lea (Born in Blood) and Kit Power (The Finite)That Rat-Slice Sound, appreciation of composer Christopher Young's scores for Hellraiser and Hellbound: Hellraiser II by Guy AdamsArchival on-set interview with Clive BarkerArchival on-set interview with cast and crewBehind the scenes footageBeing Frank: Sean Chapman on Hellbound, archival interview about the actor's return to the role of Frank CottonUnder the Skin: Doug Bradley on Hellbound, archival interview with the iconic actor about his second appearance as 'Pinhead'Lost in the Labyrinth, archival featurette including interviews with Barker, Randel, Keen, Atkins and othersTrailers and TV spotsImage galleryDISC 3 - HELLRAISER III: HELL ON EARTHAlternative Unrated version (contains standard definition inserts)Audio commentary featuring Stephen Jones and Kim NewmanArchival audio commentary with screenwriter Peter Atkins (Theatrical Cut only)Archival audio commentary with director Anthony Hickox and actor Doug Bradley (Unrated Version only)Extended EPK featuring interviews with Clive Barker and Doug BradleyFX dailiesTime with Terri, archival interview with actor Paula MarshallRaising Hell on Earth, archival interview with director Anthony HickoxUnder the Skin: Doug Bradley on Hellraiser III, archival interview with the iconic actor about his third appearance as 'Pinhead'Theatrical trailerImage galleryDISC 4 - HELLRAISER: BLOODLINEAudio commentary featuring screenwriter Peter Atkins, with Stephen Jones and Kim NewmanThe Beauty of Suffering, featurette exploring the Cenobites' connection to goth, fetish cultures and BDSMWorkprint version of the film, providing a fascinating insight into how it changed during post-productionHellraiser Evolutions, archival documentary on the evolution of the franchise and its enduring legacy, featuring interviews with Scott Derrickson (director, Hellraiser: Inferno), Rick Bota (director, Hellraiser: Hellseeker, Deader and Hellworld), Stuart Gordon (director, Re-Animator, From Beyond) and othersBooks of Blood and Beyond: The Literary Works of Clive Barker, archival appreciation by horror author David Gatwalk of Barker's written work, from The Books of Blood to The Scarlet GospelsTheatrical trailerImage galleryEaster egg

• The Call | DVD | (27/01/2014) from £3.99   |  Saving you £12.00 (300.75%)   |  RRP £15.99

  In the high-stakes edge-of-your-seat thriller The Call a thin thread of survival separates a teenage kidnap victim from her only hope: a compassionate steady voice on the other end of a cell phone marshalling all the resources she can to find her. Veteran 911 Emergency Call Centre operator Jordan (Halle Berry) has the kind of job that's not for the faint of heart: navigating the public's distress in order to save lives. But when a young woman's frantic report of a prowler ends tragically Jordan is devastated. Reassessing her life Jordan wonders if perhaps she's experienced her last fraught-filled phone call. With a supportive cop (Morris Chestnut) for a boyfriend maybe it's time to step back enjoy life and teach others the ins and outs of her high-pressure profession. That lifeline to strangers isn't over yet though. When average American teenager Casey (Abigail Breslin) is abducted by a serial killer (Michael Eklund) she manages to place a 911 call from the trunk of the killer's car. Jordan leading a group of new recruits through the massive Call Center operation is in earshot of the call. It's an all-too familiar scenario for this experienced public servant but before long Casey's situation reveals itself as eerily shockingly familiar. There's only one thing Jordan can do: take charge in a way she's never done before. She must turn Casey into a partner in helping them track down the killer and prove that this call is Jordan's calling. TriStar Pictures and Stage 6 Films present in association with Troika Pictures WWE Studios and Amasia Entertainment A Troika Pictures and WWE Studios production The Call starring Halle Berry (Monster's Ball Cloud Atlas) Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine New Year's Eve) Morris Chestnut (Identity Thief Think Like a Man) Michael Eklund (The Divide) and Michael Imperioli ('The Sopranos'). Brad Anderson (The Machinist) directed the screenplay written by Richard D'Ovidio (Exit Wounds Thir13en Ghosts) from a story written by Richard D'Ovidio and Nicole D'Ovidio and Jon Bokencamp (Perfect Stranger). Jeff Graup Michael J. Luisi Robert L. Stein Michael A. Helfant and Bradley Gallo are the film's producers. William C. Gallo Philip M. Cohen Dale Rosenbloom and Guy J. Louthan are executive producers. Rounding out Anderson's team are director of photography Thomas Yatsko ('Fringe') production designer Franco-Giacomo Carbone (The Expendables) film editor Avi Youabian music by John Debney costume designer Magali Guidasci and casting by Sheila Jaffe and Vanessa Spencer.

• The Birds | DVD | (17/10/2005) from £9.98   |  Saving you £0.01 (0.10%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Vacationing in northern California, Alfred Hitchcock was struck by a story in a Santa Cruz newspaper: "Seabird Invasion Hits Coastal Homes". From this peculiar incident, and his memory of a short story by Daphne du Maurier, the master of suspense created one of his strangest and most terrifying films. The Birds follows a chic blonde, Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren), as she travels to the coastal town of Bodega Bay to hook up with a rugged fellow (Rod Taylor) she's only just met. Before long the town is attacked by marauding birds, and Hitchcock's skill at staging action is brought to the fore. Beyond the superb effects, however, The Birds is also one of Hitchcock's most psychologically complicated scenarios, a tense study of violence, loneliness, and complacency. What really gets under your skin are not the bird skirmishes but the anxiety and the eerie quiet between attacks. The director elevated an unknown model, Tippi Hedren (mother of Melanie Griffith), to being his latest cool, blond leading lady, an experience that was not always easy on the much-pecked Ms. Hedren. Still, she returned for the next Hitchcock picture, the underrated Marnie. Treated with scant attention by serious critics in 1963, The Birds has grown into a classic and--despite the sci-fi trappings--one of Hitchcock's most serious films. --Robert Horton

• Jaws 2 | DVD | (06/04/2009) from £7.99   |  Saving you £2.00 (25.03%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Judged entirely on its own merits, Jaws 2 isn't a bad film. It even has some passably scary moments (Brody discovering a charred body in the waves; the swimming boy racing the shark back to his dinghy). But it's absolutely impossible to judge this movie on its own merits. Despite being given a great big Panavision camera to play with director Jeannot Szwarc can't hide his TV-movie origins, nor can the script, both of which spend far too long landlocked with the bickering inhabitants of Amity Island. Where the original film boldly set out to sea with Robert Shaw's Ahab-like Quint, in a misplaced desire to attract a teenage audience this movie dwells at interminable length on the courting rituals of the local youth; where Spielberg's original is a masterpiece of pacing and carefully timed tension-building, Jaws 2 sags terribly whenever the plastic shark swims out of sight. Roy Scheider comes off best, reprising his role as Chief Brody, while Lorraine Gary's role as his wife is expanded (she must be a glutton for punishment: she also starred in Jaws 4: The Revenge). Taken as a sequel Jaws 2 is inferior in every way; taken as an unassuming TV movie it's a respectable, workmanlike effort; but looking forward at what was to follow, it begins to look like a minor masterpiece. --Mark Walker

• THE CAT AND THE CANARY and THE GHOST BREAKERS (Eureka Classics) | Blu Ray | (05/12/2022) from £15.69   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Eureka Entertainment to release, The Cat And The Canary And The Ghost Breakers, a charming double-bill of horror-comedies starring Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard. Presented as part of the Eureka Classics range in their UK Blu-ray debuts. Available from 5 December 2022, the first print-run of 2000 copies will feature a Limited-Edition O-card Slipcase & Collector's Booklet. Ghosts and gags galore in this charming double-bill of horror-comedies starring Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard. The Cat and the Canary (dir. Elliott Nugent, 1939) - A decade after the death of an eccentric millionaire, his remaining relatives gather for the reading of the will at his abandoned mansion set deep in the Louisiana bayous. His niece Joyce (Paulette Goddard) is named the sole inheritor, but under the condition that she does not go insane within the next 30 days. The timid Wally (Bob Hope) vows to protect Joyce who must spend the night in the haunted mansion along with her jealous relatives, a creepy maid and a homicidal maniac who has just escaped from a nearby sanitarium. The Ghost Breakers (dir. George Marshall, 1940) - Larry Lawrence (Hope), sought in connection with a murder he did not commit, eludes New York police by hiding in a steamer trunk. Soon the trunk (and Larry) are aboard a ship bound for Cuba, where the trunk's owner, pretty Mary Carter (Goddard), is sailing to take possession of a recent inheritance: a haunted castle. Sensing that Mary is in danger, Larry and his valet precede her to the island, which is inhabited by a ghost, a zombie and perhaps even a flesh-and-blood fiend. There's romance, comedy and chills as Hope and Goddard contend with earthly and un-earthly foes-and try to keep from ending up as ghosts themselves. Eureka Classics is proud to present both films in their UK debuts on Blu-ray. Product Features Limited Edition slipcase (2000 copies) 1080p presentation of both films from scans of the original film elements supplied by Universal with The Ghost Breakers presented from a new 2K master Optional English SDH Brand new audio commentary tracks on both films with Kevin Lyons and Jonathan Rigby Kim Newman on The Cat and the Canary and The Ghost Breakers The Ghost Breakers 1949 radio adaptation Trailers Reversible sleeve featuring original poster artwork PLUS: A limited edition collector's booklet (2000 copies) featuring new writing by Craig Ian Mann

• Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry | DVD | (13/10/2014) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Larry Rayder(Peter Fonda) is an aspiring NASCAR driver, Deke Sommers (Adam Roarke) his mechanic. As they feel they collectively are the best, the only thing that is holding them back is money to build the best vehicle possible. As such, they decide to rob a supermarket's office of the money in it's safe to pursue their dream. On the most part, their robbery is successful, although their plan breaks down in it's end phase, which doesn't allow them as much getaway time as they wanted. Another problem they face is an unexpected third person in their getaway, Larry's one night stand Mary Coombs (Susan George), who doesn't like the fact that Larry ran off on her, although she eventually says that she doesn't want any of the money. With a police scanner and two-way radio in their souped up Chevy Impala, they try to outrun the police, who have an identification of their vehicle, and a general description of the three. The police pursuit is led by the tenacious Sheriff Everett Franklin (Vic Morrow), who knows he and his team can catch them, but also knows that the three may be able to get out of the state to freedom through a grove of walnut trees, which Larry, Deke and Mary may or may not know. At every literal and figurative turn, Larry needs to show his superiority as a driver, while trying to ditch Mary, who is a little more resourceful in staying with them than he anticipates. If you're an aspiring writer/director or just a fan of the cinema,then you have to watch 'Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry'. The film isn't just another car chase movie of the 70's. It's the car chase movie that borrows heavily (or steals?) elements from films like, 'Bonnie and Clyde', 'Bullitt' and 'Vanishing Point' then mixes them up in such an original way that, 'Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry' becomes the 70's car chase movie, that eventually influenced more popular films of the same genre like, 'Smokey and the Bandit', 'The Blues Brothers' and Quentin Tarantino's 2007 'Death Proof'. One of the enjoyable experiences of watching this film, is to identify the many different stunts and characters that 'Smokey and the Bandit' and 'Death Proof' borrowed or stole from 'Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry'. There must be at least three stunts in 'Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry' that Quentin Terantino watched and said, 'I like that!' and wrote it into the 'Death Proof' screenplay. Other obvious cinema influences are the ego-maniacal sheriff played by Vic Morrow who's obsessed with catching both dirty Mary and crazy Larry. A very funny variation of this character is later played by Jackie Gleason as Buford T. Justice in 'Smokey and the Bandit'.

• Exiled (1998) A law and Order movie | DVD | (21/03/2011) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £4.99

  In the first ever Law and Order movie, Chris Noth reprises his role of Detective Mike Logan which he originated on the series from 1990-1995. Exiled to Staten Island after punching a city councilman, Detective Mike Logan is bored with “chasing stolen lawn mowers”. But a prostitute’s murder may be his ticket back to Manhattan Homicide. His world-weary lieutenant reluctantly assigns Logan to the case and teams him with Detective Frankie Silvera. Along the way, they encounter a mob figure and his father and learn that there’s a dirty cop in Logan’s old precinct.

• The St Valentine's Day Massacre | DVD | (27/05/2013) from £11.98   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Roger Corman directs this gangster thriller, using docu-drama styles to depict the notorious gangland killings in 1929. Al Capone (Jason Robards) is consolidating his grip on Chicago's underworld, with only the Moran gang standing in his way. After Capone wipes them out in the St Valentine's Day shootings, the film goes on to explore how the murders affected the lives of those involved.

• Disturbia | DVD | (21/01/2008) from £17.98   |  Saving you £4.00 (25.02%)   |  RRP £19.99

  A teen living under house arrest becomes convinced his neighbour is a serial killer.

• Exam | DVD | (07/06/2010) from £7.73   |  Saving you £8.26 (106.86%)   |  RRP £15.99

  A life or death test. A blank exam paper. A race against time...eight strangers prepare to sit a test together, competing for a top-secret, high-level position.

• Fallen | DVD | (23/10/1998) from £10.35   |  Saving you £3.64 (35.17%)   |  RRP £13.99

  Although it received mixed reactions from critics and audiences alike when released in 1998, this supernatural thriller benefits from a sustained atmosphere of anticipation and dread, and its combination of detective mystery and demonic mischief is handled with ample style and intelligence. Under the direction of Gregory Hoblit (who fared better with Primal Fear), Denzel Washington plays detective John Hobbes, who witnesses the gas-chamber execution of a serial killer (Elias Koteas). But when another series of murders begins, Hobbes suspects that the killer's evil spirit has survived and is possessing the bodies of others to do its evil bidding. Even Hobbes's trusted partner (John Goodman) thinks the detective is losing his grip on reality, but the dire warnings of a noted linguist (Embeth Davidtz) confirm Hobbes's far-out theory, and his case intensifies toward a fateful showdown. Although its idea is better than its execution, and the story's film noir ambitions are never fully accomplished, this slickly directed thriller has some genuinely effective moments in which evil forces are entwined into the fabric of everyday reality. Among the highlights is a memorable scene in which Detective Hobbes must track the killer as the evil spirit is transferred between many people via physical contact. Even if the film is ultimately less than the sum of its parts, it's an intriguing hybrid that resides in the same cinematic neighbourhood as Seven and The Silence of the Lambs with a cast that also includes Donald Sutherland and James Gandolfini. Included on the DVD is a full-length audio commentary by director Hoblit, screenwriter Nicholas Kazan and producer Charles Roven. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com

• Those Who Wish Me Dead | DVD | (30/08/2021) from £5.40   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Angelina Jolie stars as Hannah, a smoke jumper reeling from the loss of three young lives she failed to save from a fire. When she comes across a bloodied and traumatized 12-year-old boy, they set out together to cross the miles of thick forest with two assassins in pursuit. Braving deadly lightning storms that threaten even Hannah's well-honed survival skills, they are caught between two relentless killers hunting the boy from one direction, and a massive fiery blaze coming straight for them, quickly consuming everything in their path.

• Van Der Valk: Series 1/2/3 | DVD | (06/11/2023) from £29.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  All nine episodes from the first three series of the reimagined crime drama set in Amsterdam, in which Dutch detective Commissaris Piet van der Valk (Marc Warren) must solve all manner of cases involving Amsterdam's darkest vices. Series 1 episodes are: 'Love in Amsterdam', 'Only in Amsterdam' and 'Death in Amsterdam'. Series 2 episodes are: 'Plague On Amsterdam', 'Blood in Amsterdam' and 'Payback in Amsterdam'. Series 3 episodes are: 'Freedom in Amsterdam', 'Redemption in Amsterdam' and 'Magic in Amsterdam'.

• This Is Personal - The Hunt For The Yorkshire Ripper | DVD | (07/01/2013) from £6.45   |  Saving you £6.54 (101.40%)   |  RRP £12.99

  David Richards directs this fact-based drama exploring the case of 'The Yorkshire Ripper'. Throughout the 1970s and early '80s, the serial killer preyed on young women and committed a total of 13 murders in the West Yorkshire area. This film shows a dramatisation of the investigation led by Detective George Oldfield (Alun Armstrong) which took its toll on both his career and personal life but which also led to the conviction of Peter Sutcliffe (Craig Cheetham) in 1981.

• High Crimes | DVD | (21/06/2004) from £6.62   |  Saving you £6.37 (96.22%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Ashley Judd plays a succesful lawyer shocked to find her husband as a secret past as a military operative. When he is committed of a terrible war crime she must defend him in a top secret military courtroom, where none of the rules she knows apply.

• The Invisible Man (Blu-ray) | Blu Ray | (29/06/2020) from £11.85   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Golden Globe & Emmy winner Elisabeth Moss stars in a terrifying modern tale of obsession, inspired by Universal's classic monster character. Available exclusively to the Home Entertainment release, this is the uncut version of the film which was not shown in cinemas or At Home On Demand. Trapped in a violent, controlling relationship with a wealthy and brilliant scientist, Cecilia Kass (Moss) escapes in the dead of night and disappears into hiding, aided by her sister, their childhood friend and his teenage daughter. But when Cecilia's abusive ex commits suicide and leaves her a generous portion of his vast fortune, Cecilia suspects his death was a hoax. As a series of eerie coincidences turns lethal, threatening the lives of those she loves, Cecilia's sanity begins to unravel as she desperately tries to prove that she is being hunted by someone nobody can see. Bonus Features Uncut Feature Commentary with writer/ director Leigh Whannell Deleted Scenes Moss Manifested Director's Journey with Leigh Whannell The Players Timeless Terror

• Mexican, The | DVD | (02/07/2006) from £4.97   |  Saving you £15.02 (302.21%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Part road film, part romantic comedy, part thriller, and a whole lotta fun, The Mexican could get by on star power alone, but it offers Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts and a clever plot full of delightful surprises. It's a thoroughly enjoyable shaggy-dog story in which the downtrodden Jerry Welbach (Pitt) copes with a dual dilemma: his girlfriend Samantha (Roberts) has just dumped him to pursue solo ambitions in Las Vegas, and a manipulative mobster has ordered Jerry to Mexico to retrieve a coveted antique pistol (the "Mexican" of the title) that carries a legacy of legend, death and danger. Jerry soon has his hands full with bandits, bloodshed and a grizzly hound dog that vanishes and reappears with amusing regularity. En route to Vegas, Samantha's taken hostage by a burly assassin (James Gandolfini) who's attached to the gun-fetching scheme and is, in more ways than one, not who he seems to be. Like a good magic act, JH Wyman's original screenplay distracts you from its gaps of logic using unexpected revelations to fuel its strategic vitality. It also provides a wealth of character development, director Gore Verbinski (Mouse Hunt) giving his stellar cast equal time to shine. It hardly matters that Pitt and Roberts spend most of the film apart; their time together is worth waiting for, and the machinations that separate them play out like a cross between vintage Peckinpah and Romancing the Stone. And why is the accursed pistola so valuable? That's just another surprise, setting the stage for the arrival of yet another big-name star, whose motivations are pure in a film full of double-crosses and darkly shaded humour. With a giddy plot such as this, star power is just icing on the cake. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.co.uk

• Flood | DVD | (14/08/2023) from £7.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A