By James Whittington, 12th April 2024
From Monday 22nd to Saturday 27th of April, at 9pm, LEGEND presents a CRIME WAVE SEASON, where cops and criminals collide in a collection of robberies, heists and getaways movies, highlighted by the Channel premieres of Steven Seagal's crime-busting HALF PAST DEAD, and heist action thriller ARMORED, starring Matt Dillon and Laurence Fishburne.
Then we have a double dastardly dose of Bruce Willis in two crooked thrillers - as a wronged crime boss in PRECIOUS CARGO, and a corrupt bank owner in MARAUDERS. Plus, there's Walter Hill's classic getaway thriller THE DRIVER, starring Ryan O'Neil and Brit old-school burglary caper THE HATTON GARDEN JOB, with Joely Richardson and Larry Lamb.
Let's start with HALF PAST DEAD on the 22nd where Alcatraz has become a battleground as criminal-mastermind Donny (Morris Chesnut) assembles a commando team, the 49ers, to infiltrate the refurbished high-tech fortress to force Lester (Bruce Weitz), a death row inmate, to reveal the whereabouts of $200 million in gold. Undercover FBI agent Sascha (Steven Seagal) must rally the other inmates to stop the invaders. Then on the 23rd in PRECIOUS CARGO International thief Jack (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) and his highly trained team get a run for their money when Karen (Claire Forlani), Jack's gorgeous femme fatale ex, shows up and drags him into a dangerous billion-dollar heist. Little does Jack know they're stealing from Eddie, (Bruce Willis) Karen's ex-boss. If you want classic actin then THE DRIVER on the 24th is for you. Ryan O'Neal plays a get-away driver. Bruce Dern plays the relentless detective who sets out to trap him and Isabella Adjani plays the mysterious gambler who goes along for the thrill of the game. It is a tale of confrontation between two men of iron will. Each of the characters is the best at what they do; each is committed to a lifestyle that thrives on competition. Who will come out on top?
MARAUDERS on the 25th is a more contemporary crime thriller. While investigating a brutal robbery-homicide at a bank, a team of FBI agents (Christopher Meloni, Dave Bautista and Adrian Grenier) begins to unravel a sinister conspiracy involving the bank's powerful owner (Bruce Willis). The action-packed crime thriller is directed by Steven C. Miller from a script by Michael Cody and Chris Sivertson. One of the most audacious crimes of the last few decades comes vividly to life on the 26th in THE HATTON GARDEN JOB. A remarkable true story set follows four ageing East End criminals - led by 76 year-old Brian Reader (Larry Lamb) who pull off the largest heist in English legal history. With everyone from the Hungarian mob to Scotland Yard on their tail, these old-school - and just plain old - villains set about achieving the seemingly impossible. But will they commit the crime of the century or pay with their lives? The season ends on the 27th, ARMORED. A crew of officers at an armored transport security firm risk their lives when they embark on the ultimate heist - against their own company. Armed with a seemingly fool-proof plan, the men plan on making off with a fortune, no harm done. But when an unexpected witness interferes, the plan quickly unravels, and all bets are off. Directed by Nimrod Antal. With Matt Dillon, Jean Reno, Laurence Fishburne, Amaury Nolasco.
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