"Director: Renny Harlin"

• Cleaner | Blu Ray | (03/08/2009) from £9.99   |  Saving you £8.00 (100.12%)   |  RRP £15.99

  The "Cleaner" is a sinister crime thriller from veteran action director Renny Harlin with a lead performance from Samuel L. Jackson.

• Five Days of War | Blu Ray | (13/06/2011) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £17.99

  A drama set centered around the war between Russia and Georgia and focused on an American journalist his cameraman and a Georgian native who become caught in the crossfire.

• Die Hard Quad Zavvi | DVD | (03/11/2008) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £29.99

  This DVD set features the 2 disc special editions of all four Die Hard films! Die Hard (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... Die Hard 2 - Die Harder (Dir. Renny Harlin) (1990): On a snowy Christmas Eve in the nation's capital a team of terrorists has seized a major International Airport and now holds thousands of holiday travellers hostage. The terrorists a renegade band of crack military commandos led by a murderous rogue officer (William Sadler) have come to rescue a drug lord from justice. They've prepared for every contingency except one: John McClane an off-duty cop seized by a feeling of deadly de-ja-vu. Die Hard With A Vengeance (Dir. John McTiernan) (1995): This time New York cop John McClane (Willis) is the personal target of the mysterious Simon (Jeremy Irons) a terrorist determined to blow up the entire city if he doesn't get what he wants. Accompanied by an unwilling civilian partner (Samuel L. Jackson) McClane careens wildly from one end of New York City to the other as he struggles to keep up with Simon's deadly game. Die Hard 4.0: Live Free Or Die Hard (Dir. Len Wiseman) (2007): A computer genius is systematically shutting down the computer infrastructure of the US. The mysterious figure behind the scheme seems to have figured out every digital angle but he hasn't counted on an old fashioned 'analogue' cop John McClane.

• Die Hard 2: Die Harder (Two Disc Special Edition) | DVD | (28/04/2003) from £6.97   |  Saving you £16.02 (69.70%)   |  RRP £22.99

  A band of commandos led by a murderous officer seize an international airport. Their aim is to rescue a drug baron (Franco Nero) from justice. Detective McClane (Bruce Willis) finds himself having to battle tough anti-terrorists squads and a deadly snowstorm to break the grip of the terrorists who have control of the plane that is carrying his wife...

• Die Hard/Die Hard 2/Die Hard With A Vengence | DVD | (16/10/2006) from £19.95   |  Saving you £0.04 (0.20%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Die Hard: 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... Die Hard 2: On a snowy Christmas Eve in the nation's capital a team of terrorists has seized a major International Airport and now holds thousands of holiday travellers hostage. The terrorists a renegade band of crack military commandos led by a murderous rogue officer (William Sadler) have come to rescue a drug lord from justice. They've prepared for every contingency except one: John McClane an off-duty cop seized by a feeling of deadly de-ja-vu. Die Hard With A Vengeance: This time New York cop John McClane (Willis) is the personal target of the mysterious Simon (Jeremy Irons) a terrorist determined to blow up the entire city if he doesn't get what he wants. Accompanied by an unwilling civilian partner (Samuel L. Jackson) McClane careens wildly from one end of New York City to the other as he struggles to keep up with Simon's deadly game.

• The Long Kiss Goodnight/The Assassin Double Pack | Blu Ray | (17/09/2012) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  The Long Kiss Goodnight: An ordinary woman discovers that her life was not always ordinary in this action thriller. Samantha Caine (Geena Davis) is a typical, well-mannered single mother working as a schoolteacher when she isn't looking after her children. Nothing on the surface would seem to be remarkable about Samantha's life, but every once in a while she has vague memories and unexplained impulses that don't add up with her current life experience. When an auto accident and a telev...

• WWE Collection - 12 Rounds / Marine / Bel 3 / Walking Tall | DVD | (12/10/2009) from £6.97   |  Saving you £21.01 (527.89%)   |  RRP £24.99

  12 RoundsWhen Detective Danny Baxter's girlfriend is kidnapped by an ex-con seeking retribution he must complete 12 challenges in return for her safety. WWE champion John Cena dominates the big screen as Marine John Triton. Wherever there's danger Triton is usually smack dab in the middle of it... and he doesn't play by rules! After he's unwillingly discharged from Iraq Triton's beautiful wife Kate (Nip And Tuck's Kelly Carlson) is kidnapped by merciless jewel thieves led by a vicious killer (Robert Patrick)! Now Triton must fight to save her utilizing his most powerful weapon - himself! Behind Enemy Lines: Colombia: Escape is only the beginning... Starring Joe Manganiello (Spider-Man) and WWE's Mr. Kennedy this thrilling action-packed sequel delivers an all-new level of excitement! In the jungles of Colombia there's nowhere to run... forcing a covert team of U.S. Navy SEALs to make their own solutions in this riveting and explosive new film that takes the Behind Enemy Lines franchise into bold new territory! Colombia is in chaos caught in a bitter war between its government and insurgent guerillas.While on a secret mission to observe a meeting between the two factions the SEALs suddenly find themselves framed for the murder of leaders from both sides! Now abandoned by their own government the group must survive long enough to prove their innocence and prevent the brutal war from spilling over the border. Walking Tall: When former member of the U.S. Army Special Forces Chris Vaughn (Johnson) returns to his small hometown in rural Washington he finds that the once peaceful idyll has been shattered by an influx of drugs and outbreaks of violence. Sensing that his wealthy former high-school rival Jay Hamilton (McDonough) is behind the closing down of the town's once thriving lumber mill Vaughn stands for election as the town's sheriff and once he has his badge takes his deputy (Knoxville) and a sturdy 2 by 4 to clean up the town... Wrestler 'The Rock' stars in this latest action thriller based on the real life events of lawman Buford Pusser.

• Die Hard 2 | UMD | (17/12/2007) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Director Renny Harlin (Cutthroat Island) took the reins of this 1990 sequel, which places Bruce Willis's New York City cop character in harm's way again with a gaggle of terrorists. This time, Willis awaits his wife's arrival at Dulles Airport in Washington, DC, when he gets wind of a plot to blow up the facility. Noisy, overbearing and forgettable, the film has none of the purity of its predecessor's simple story; and it makes a huge miscalculation in allowing a terrible tragedy to occur rather than stretch out the tension. Where Die Hard set new precedents in action movies, Die Hard 2 is just an anything-goes spectacle. -- Tom Keogh, Amazon.com

• Die Hard/Die Hard 2: Die Harder | DVD | (25/06/2007) from £11.82   |  Saving you £1.17 (9.90%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Die Hard: 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...

• Die Hard / Die Hard 2: Die Harder | DVD | (04/02/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £39.99

  Exceptionally well directed by John McTiernan, Die Hard made Bruce Willis a star back in 1988 and established a new template for action stories. Here the bad guys, led by the velvet-voiced Alan Rickman, assume control of a Los Angeles high-rise with Willis' visiting New York cop inside. The attraction of the film has as much to do with the sight of a barefoot mortal running around the guts of a modern office tower as it has to do with the plentiful fight sequences and the bond the hero establishes with an LA beat cop. Bonnie Bedelia plays Willis' wife, Hart Bochner is good as a brash hostage who tries negotiating his way to freedom, Alexander Godunov makes for a believable killer with lethal feet and William Atherton is slimy as a busybody reporter. Director Renny Harlin took the reins for the 1990 sequel, Die Harder, which places Bruce Willis in harm's way again with a gaggle of terrorists. This time, Willis awaits his wife's arrival at Dulles Airport in Washington DC when he gets wind of a plot to blow up the facility. Noisy, overbearing and forgettable, the film has none of the purity of its predecessor's simple story; and it makes a huge miscalculation in allowing a terrible tragedy to occur rather than stretch out the tension. Where Die Hard sets new precedents in action movies, Die Hard 2 is just an anything-goes spectacle. --Tom Keogh, Amazon.com

• 12 Rounds / the Marine | DVD | (04/08/2010) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £6.99

  12 Rounds: When Detective Danny Baxter's girlfriend is kidnapped by an ex-con seeking retribution he must complete 12 challenges in return for her safety. The Marine: WWE champion John Cena dominates the big screen as Marine John Triton. Wherever there's danger Triton is usually smack dab in the middle of it... and he doesn't play by rules! After he's unwillingly discharged from Iraq Triton's beautiful wife Kate (Nip And Tuck's Kelly Carlson) is kidnapped by merciless jewel thieves led by a vicious killer (Robert Patrick)! Now Triton must fight to save her utilizing his most powerful weapon - himself!

• Die Hard 2 - Die Harder | DVD | (03/06/2013) from £4.96   |  Saving you £5.03 (101.41%)   |  RRP £9.99

  On a snowy Christmas Eve in the nation's capital, a team of terrorists has seized a major International Airport, and now holds thousands of holiday travellers hostage. The terrorists, a renegade band of crack military commandos led by a murderous rogue officer (William Sadler), have come to rescue a drug lord from justice. They've prepared for every contingency, except one: John McClane, an off-duty cop seized by a feeling of deadly de-ja-vu. Bruce Willis returns as the heroic cop who battle...

• 12 Rounds | Blu Ray | (08/04/2013) from £9.07   |  Saving you £18.91 (311.02%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Finnish director Renny Harlin (Cliffhanger Die Hard 2) brings first-time screenwriter Daniel Kunka's story to life in this fast-paced action film. When New Orleans police officer Danny Fisher apprehends Miles Jackson (Aidan Gillen The Wire) a villainous Irishman being pursued by the FBI Jackson’s girlfriend is accidentally killed. One year later Jackson is out of prison and seeking revenge kidnapping Fisher's girlfriend Molly (Ashley Scott) and setting up an elaborate game of cat and mouse that traverses the city. Now a detective Fisher with the help of the FBI and his fellow officers has to survive 12 rounds of Jackson's game--each more mentally and physically challenging than the last-if he wants to see Molly alive again. Meanwhile the roguish Jackson may be seeking more than just retribution.  

• Covenant, the | DVD | (03/10/2011) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Four young men who belong to a supernatural legacy are charged with stopping the evil force they released into the world years earlier. Another great force they must contend with is the jealousy and suspicion that threatens to tear them apart.

• Deep Blue Sea / Space Cowboys / Sphere | DVD | (08/10/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £30.99

  With a voracious trio of mako sharks wreaking havoc, Deep Blue Sea dares to up the ante on Jaws, but director Renny Harlin trades the nuanced suspense of Spielberg's 1975 blockbuster for the trickery of the digital age. In other words, why build genuine terror when you can show ill-fated humans getting torn into bloody chunks? It's inevitable that Saffron Burrows should end up in her underwear like Sigourney Weaver in Alien, but even then the movie offers a credible reason for the strip-down; that Deep Blue Sea can be simultaneously ridiculous and sensible is just another one of its shlocky charms. Space Cowboys is a slice of cornball Americana that's so much fun you'll be tempted to stand up and salute. Director and costar Clint Eastwood manages to turn what might have been ludicrous into a jubilant tribute to age and experience, and Space Cowboys succeeds as two movies in one--a comedy about retired pilots given one last shot at glory and an Apollo 13-like thriller with all the requisite heroics. Space Cowboys earns its wings, once again demonstrating Eastwood's comfort with any genre he chooses. From yet another derivative science fiction novel by Michael Crichton comes the equally derivative and flaccid movie Sphere, in which three top Hollywood stars struggle to squeeze tension and excitement out of material that doesn't match their talents. There are moments of high intensity and psychological suspense, and the stellar cast works hard to boost the talky screenplay. But it's clear that this was a hurried production (Hoffman and director Barry Levinson made Wag the Dog during an extended production delay), and as a result Sphere's look and feel is like a film that wasn't quite ready for the cameras. Though it's by no means a waste of time, it's undeniably disappointing. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com

• Die Hard 2 (Special Edition) | DVD | (08/02/2006) from £13.48   |  Saving you £9.51 (70.55%)   |  RRP £22.99

  Die Harder. A band of commandos led by a murderous officer seize an international airport. Their aim is to rescue a drug baron (Franco Nero) from justice. Detective McClane (Bruce Willis) finds himself having to battle tough anti-terrorists squads and a deadly snowstorm to break the grip of the terrorists who have control of the plane that is carrying his wife...

• A Nightmare On Elm Street 4: The Dream Master | DVD | (25/06/2001) from £12.98   |  Saving you £10.00 (100.10%)   |  RRP £19.99

  By this time, A Nightmare on Elm Street series was definitely flagging and no amount of overkill style from promising Finnish director Renny Harlin (Die Hard 2) covers for the fact that the screenplay (partially by LA Confidential Oscar winner Brian Helgeland) is a hash of thrown-together scenes and ideas with no coherence whatsoever. The pizza-faced child murderer returns from that limbo he inhabits between sequels and kills off all the characters left over from Part Three (the wonderfully named Tuesday Knight briefly takes over Patricia Arquette's role) before going after a new batch of uncharacterised, blatantly only-in-this-film-to-be-killed teens. The special effects highlight is a girl turning into a giant cockroach, though Harlin also includes more imaginative recurring and repeating nightmares. Lisa Wilcox is the new heroine, and Robert Englund finally gets top billing. --Kim Newman

• The Blu-ray Horror Collection (5 titles - Hostel/Hostel 2/Vacancy/Dracula/The Covenant) | Blu Ray | (10/12/2007) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £99.99

  Hostel The hallowed tradition of the post-college European backpacking trip turns into an unimaginable nightmare for two unsuspecting American 20-somethings in Eli Roth's (Cabin Fever) sensational second outing. Paxton (Jay Hernandez) and Josh (Derek Richardson) have embarked upon a hedonistic tour of the continent, and somewhere along the way pick up travelling companion Oli (Eythor Gudjonsson). In Amsterdam the trio partakes of the pastimes most dear to frat boys everywhere: weed, prostitutes, and nightclubs. But when a fellow traveller tells these thrill-seekers about the decadent scene that awaits them in Bratislava, they find themselves unable to resist its lures. Enticed by the promise of a hostel full of beautiful girls who love Americans, they set out for the remote areas of Eastern Europe. There, the sex farce to which the film's first half is devoted slowly turns ominous, as the boys hook up immediately with the gorgeous Natalya (Barbara Nedeljakova) and Svetlana (Jana Kaderabkova), whose eagerness masks more sinister intentions. Soon, the disagreeable backpackers find themselves on the other side of the flesh trade, sold by the girls into an exclusive human trafficking operation that gives its customers the opportunity to torture and kill a helpless victim. Much of what follows consists of the squirm-inducing surgical horrors that characterise precursors such as Saw, with the implications regarding the capitalist system and the human soul becoming ever darker. Produced by Quentin Tarantino, the film amps up the gore factor as much as it can get away with, and, in the tradition of the best horror films, offers a satirical socially conscious commentary. Hostel Part II The inevitable sequel to one of the decade's most intriguing and well-made horror films, Hostel Part II, as the title implies, picks up pretty much where the last film left off. And it doesn't take too long for the sequel to find the same groove that earned its predecessor so much attention. The setting is once again an underground club, where people bid for the right to torture residents at the hostel of the title. Hostel Part II, however, lets us see events from the other perspective too, as we meet the wealthy businessmen who are availing themselves of the club's services. It's a logical dynamic for the movie, and it does bring a fresh perspective to a film that does eventually settle down to a cavalcade of gore and shock. As a director, Eli Roth has clearly improved since last time around, even if this time he too often succumbs to the temptation to show rather than imply, and Hostel Part II as a result feels a little less fresh and more uncomfortable than its predecessor. Yet it's most certainly an unsettling piece of cinema, and one likely to find favour with Roth's increasing fanbase. A word of warning, though: Hostel Part II isn't shy about pulling its punches, and it very much justifies its 18 certificate. It's also a cut above many of its modern day contemporaries in the genre, even though it fails to measure up to part one. --Jon Foster Vacancy A confined setting is a useful tool for thriller-makers, and Vacancy is definitely boxed in: a run-down motel way, way off the Interstate, the kind of place where unsuspecting movie characters go to get stabbed to death in the shower. If Vacancy doesn't quite live up to its Hitchcockian forebears, at least it provides 80 minutes of well-designed mayhem. You know somebody's paying attention just from the opening credits, a clever vortex with pounding music by Paul Haslinger. Then we meet unhappy couple Luke Wilson and Kate Beckinsale, driving along in the dark and forced to stay at the Pinewood Motel after a car breakdown. There's a night man (Frank Whaley, World Trade Center) in the tradition of Dennis Weaver's Touch of Evil gargoyle, but the real mess of trouble is waiting in room number four. Director Nimrod Antal, who scored a stylish international hit with the Hungarian thriller Kontroll, squeezes maximum juice out of the Route 66 atmosphere of the motel, although the movie doesn't get under your skin the way Kontroll did. Wilson and Beckinsale are a little too marquee-namish for this kind of heavy-breathing work, and the script doesn't give them much to play with. But hey, it's not that kind of movie. Where it really belongs is on the top half of a drive-in double bill, or maybe as a nightmare-scenario TV movie from the Seventies. Either way, it works. --Robert Horton, Amazon.com Bram Stoker's Dracula Francis Ford Coppola's take on the Dracula myth is visually stunning and overflows with passionate seduction and Gothic romance. In Bram Stoker's Dracula, Coppola draws from the original source of the Dracula story to create a modern masterpiece. Gary Oldman's metamorphosis as Dracula, who grows from old to young, from man to beast, is breathtaking. Winona Ryder brings as much intensity to the character of the beautiful young woman who becomes the object of Dracula's devastating desire. Anthony Hopkins co-stars as the famed doctor who dares to believe in Dracula and then dares to confront him. Opulent and irresistible, Bram Stoker's Dracula is an unforgettable film. The Covenant Renny Harlin (Die Hard 2, Deep Blue Sea) directs this supernatural thriller about descendants of powerful New England families. The sons of Ipswich are legendary at Spenser Academy, the local boarding school. Handsome and popular, these four teenage friends can trace their roots to the founding families of the Ipswich Colony, settled in the late 1600s. For years these Massachusetts families have harboured the secret that they possess supernatural powers. Their descendants--Caleb (Steven Strait), Reid (Toby Hemingway), Tyler (Chace Crawford), and Pogue (Taylor Kitsch)--have inherited magical powers that first manifested themselves when the boys turned 13 years old. In a nutshell, they can do anything. As they approach their 18th birthdays, they are preparing to 'ascend', which means their powers will grow stronger. The downside? The magic is seductive and addictive, and causes premature aging with each use. Ringleader Caleb tries to keep his friends from using magic recklessly, but as the school year begins, strange events and a strong gut instinct convince Caleb that someone is using very powerful magic. Meanwhile, Caleb is exploring his newfound affection for transfer student Sarah (Laura Ramsey). To Caleb''s dismay, Sarah becomes a pawn in a power struggle with a descendant of the fifth founding family of Ipswich, a line thought to be lost during Salem''s witch trials. Is Caleb strong enough to maintain his power and keep his family and friends safe, or will he yield to this new threat and sacrifice himself? The film draws interesting parallels between the luring, addictive power of magic and the addictions real teenagers face. The sufficiently creepy setting echoes New England and sets the stage for supernatural phenomena. The Covenant also stars Sebastian Stan as Chase Collins, a wealthy newcomer to Spenser, and Jessica Lucas as Kate, Sarah's roommate and Pogue's girlfriend.

• The Nightmare On Elm Street Collection (Five Disc Box Set) | DVD | (25/06/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £53.99

  The flagship horror film series of the second half of the 1980s was the Elm Street cycle, inaugurated in 1984 by Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street. A low-budget, high-imagination effort, the film revived the moribund teenage slasher genre by adding a fantastical premise (just as Craven's Scream would do 10 years later) playing post-modern games. A ghost story about a murdered murderer who can haunt the night terrors of the children of the mob who burned him to death, A Nightmare on Elm Street is the ultimate instance of horror taking its tone from a bad dream. The fact that the monster's powers are irrational is the film's greatest strength rather than a script weakness. Freddy Krueger, who was just plain Fred to start with, is the 80s monster par excellence, a razor-fingered, scarfaced pervert in a hideous jumper and battered hat, lurking in the shadows of the unconscious from which he emerged rather too often in the follow-ups. Craven made him scary, but the directors who followed treated him as the star and he gradually became a ridiculous, comic creation, more tiresome than terrifying. The sequels are what they are: none aspire to the status of the original, though A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors is a rip-roaring fantasy adventure that always pleases, and even the weakest entries (2 and 5) have their moments. From 3 onwards, the dreams become showpieces for the effects men, which makes for sequences at once startling and silly, but sadly bereft of the power to chill. As the 80s recede into the stuff of nostalgia television, other aspects of the series seem more prominent: like a parade of the ghastliest haircuts ever worn by human teenagers (Johnny Depp's cockatoo pompadour or the roach-girl's fluffy perm in 4 as the worst offenders) and several soundtrack album's worth of bland MTV tie-in pop music that never manages to be as memorable as the simple, nursery rhyme theme carried over movies.-- Kim Newman DVD extras. The most desirable add-on feature is a lively, informative commentary track on the original film, with contributions from Wes Craven Heather Langenkamp, John Saxon and cinematographer Jacques Haitkin; this was recorded for a US laserdisc release, and it's a shame that we don't get the outtakes and deleted scenes present on that version. Otherwise, it's the usual trailers, animated menus (all very imaginative) and cast and crew bios (with odd omissions - Nick Corri rates a write-up, but not Johnny Depp), and music videos keyed into sequels three to five, with clips from the films inter-cut with lousy rock and/or rap. A nice gimmick on all the discs is a "jump straight to a nightmare" feature, allowing instant access to the gruesome effects set-piece of your choice. All the discs are good-looking widescreen transfers, with rich sound and optional English sub-titles. Among the most notably absent extras, of course, are the sixth and seventh films, Rachel Talalay's Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare and, most importantly, Wes Craven's New Nightmare. -- Kim Newman