By James Whittington, 27th October 2024
Sixteen action-packed Channel premieres light up LEGEND this November, including a double-dose of weird, stylish and depraved action with CRANK, starring Jason Statham and Any Smart, who both team up again for the sequel CRANK: HIGH VOLTAGE. There are also two of legendary director Sidney Lumet's films - the intense crime saga FAMILY BUSINESS, starring Sean Connery, Dustin Hoffman and Matthew Broderick and his critically acclaimed crime-legal drama Q & A, starring Nick Nolte and Timothy Hutton.
Plus, there are first showings for John Irvin's underrated Vietnam war drama HAMBURGER HILL, Peter Berg's PATRIOTS DAY, based on the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings, Brad Furman's slick Hollywood thriller RUNNER RUNNER, starring Ben Affleck and Justin Timberlake, and the Billy The Kid inspired Western YOUNG GUNS, starring 80's Brat Packers Charlie Sheen, Emilio Estevez, Kiefer Sutherland and Lou Diamond Phillips.
Other primetime premieres are, Scott Mann's action potboiler HEIST, starring Robert De Niro, crime thriller LORDS OF WAR, starring Nic Cage, political thriller THE SENTINEL, starring Michael Douglas, diabolical thriller CRIMINAL, starring Kevin Costner, Gary Oldman, Tommy Lee Jones and Ryan Reynolds, intense, psychological thriller, UNDER SUSPICION, starring Gene Hackman, Carl Rinsch's action fantasy 47 RONIN, starring Keanu Reeves, who also shines in the gritty cop thriller STREET KINGS, and SABOTAGE, from Suicide Squad director David Ayer, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Here's everything you need to know.
Let's start on the 2nd where we meet the STREET KINGS. Keanu Reeves stars as Tom Ludlow, a veteran LAPD cop who finds life difficult to navigate after the death of his wife. When evidence implicates him in the execution of a fellow officer, he is forced to go up against the cop culture he's been a part of his entire career, ultimately leading him to question the loyalties of everyone around him. There's another star-studded channel premiere on the 3rd, FAMILY BUSINESS. The McMullens are a family of career criminals, led by patriarch Jessie (Sean Connery). His son, Vito (Dustin Hoffman) has left the family "business", and Vito is hopeful that his son Adam (Matthew Broderick), college-educated and with no criminal past, will have a bright future. But when Adam approaches his grandfather about the possibility of a big-time heist, Vito reluctantly joins his father and son in the burglary scheme. RUNNER RUNNER on the 8th concerns hustler and Princeton grad student Richie (Justin Timberlake), believing he's been swindled, travels to Costa Rica to confront online gambling tycoon Ivan Block (Ben Affleck). Richie is seduced by Block's promise of immense wealth, until he learns the disturbing truth about his benefactor. When the FBI tries to coerce Richie to help bring down Block, Richie faces his biggest gamble ever. This is followed by one of the most brutal and uncompromising movies depicting the Vietnam War, HAMBURGER HILL. 
More from Keanu Reeves on the 9th in 47 RONIN. Outcast Kai (Reeves) joins the leader of the 47 Ronin. Together, they seek vengeance upon the treacherous overlord who killed their master and banished their kind. To restore honour to their homeland, the warriors embark upon a quest that challenges them with a series of trials that would destroy ordinary warriors. We take you back on the 9th to a time when the Brat Pack ruled the box-office, YOUNG GUNS. John Tunstall (Terence Stamp), a distinguished British gentleman, employs downtrodden youths to tend his herd on the New Mexican frontier. When Tunstall is gunned down by the crooked Lawrence G. Murphy (Jack Palance), a ragtag group of cow hands including Doc Scurlock (Kiefer Sutherland), Richard Brewer (Charlie Sheen) and young William "Billy the Kid" Bonney (Emilio Estevez), ride forth in search of bloody vengeance for the death of their beloved mentor. Crime drama with a twist on the 16th, Q & A. When NYPD detective Mike Brennan (Brad Pitt) shoots a Hispanic drug dealer, the case is given to Assistant D.A. Al Reilly (Timothy Hutton). Brennan's boss says it's justifiable homicide, but Reilly can't ignore the growing evidence pointing to murder and an old boys' network based on ethnic loyalties.
Genres collide on the 17th in LORD OF WAR. Yuri Orlov (Nicolas Cage), an ambitious gunrunner from New York's Little Odessa, dodges bullets and betrayal on his way to success. But after reaching the top, he must face his conscience-and the consequences of his criminal life-in this taut thriller co-starring Ethan Hawke, Jared Leto, and Bridget Moynahan. This is followed by the political powerhouse of a movie, THE SENTINEL. Pete Garrison (Michael Douglas) is a U.S. Secret Service agent who once saved a president's life by jumping in front of a hail of bullets. He now heads the First Lady's detail, but deadly secrets begin to unravel his tightly controlled career. A fellow agent and friend, hints at wanting to share critical and confidential information but before he can do so, he is shot dead. Suspicion falls on Garrison, who must clear his name and find out who is framing him. Fans of Jason Statham have a real treat this month starting on the 22nd with CRANK. Ace hitman Chev Chelios (Statham), learns that he has been injected with a poison that will kill him if his heart rate drops below a certain point. Racing against time and against his own body, Chev must keep keeps his adrenaline cranked up as he tracks down the men responsible and exact his violent revenge. The brutal follow-up CRANK: HIGH VOLTAGE is on the 29th.
In CRIMINAL on the 23rd a CIA operative (Ryan Reynolds) dies while traveling to a secret location to meet a hacker who can launch missiles at will. A neurosurgeon implants his memories and skills into an unpredictable and dangerous death-row inmate (Kevin Costner) in a last-ditch effort to stop an international terrorist plot. Based on the Boston Marathon bombings in 2013 and the subsequent terrorist manhunt, PATRIOT'S DAY on the 24th looks at the aftermath, as Police Sergeant Tommy Saunders (Mark Wahlberg) joins courageous survivors, first responders and investigators in a race against the clock to hunt down the Boston Marathon bombers before they strike again. Also stars Kevin Bacon, John Goodman, J.K. Simmons and Michelle Monaghan. We end the month with twisty thriller from Emmy award winning director Stephen Hopkins and the producers of Fight Club, UNDER SUSPICION. A wealthy attorney (Gene Hackman) is questioned about the murders of two girls but is let free over a paucity of conclusive proof. However, his wife gives the police a conflicting version. Morgan Freeman and Monica Bellucci also star in this acclaimed movie.
Related show tags: THE SENTINEL, UNDER SUSPICION, CRANK, CRANK: HIGH VOLTAGE, FAMILY BUSINESS, Q & A, HAMBURGER HILL, PATRIOTS DAY, RUNNER RUNNER, YOUNG GUNS, HEIST, LORDS OF WAR, CRIMINAL, 47 RONIN, STREET KINGS, SABOTAGE MORE FEATURES RAMBO, ZORRO and CONAN join LEGEND schedule for September Posted on 21st August 2025
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