This week Liam Neeson does comedy in the Naked Gun reboot and Jason Momoa and Dave Bautista play estranged brothers in The Wrecking Crew. Elsewhere, there’s family fun with Super Charlie, Guillermo del Toro takes on Frankenstein and there’s a shocking true-crime documentary in Nicholas Rossi: Conman and Predator.
The Wrecking Crew (Prime Video)
Two estranged half-brothers, played by Jason Momoa and Dave Bautista, reunite after the suspicious death of their father in this high-octane action comedy. As they begin to investigate family secrets, the pair realise that their father’s death is just the start of the conspiracy. Cue high-speed chases, explosions and brawls, all staged against a Hawaiian backdrop.
The Naked Gun (Now/Sky)
Liam Neeson can do comedy. Yes, he doesn’t just do tough guys. Just watch this reboot of the slapstick classic, where he plays Frank Drebin Jr, the son of Leslie Nielsen’s original clueless cop. The plot centres on a plan by Danny Huston’s evil billionaire to infect the nation’s youth via their smartphones, but really that’s all secondary to the endless stream of gags, including ones about OJ Simpson, Janet Jackson and a karate fight that turns into a game of rock-paper-scissors. Plus, there’s Pamela Anderson as a femme fatale. This is silly Saturday night fun.
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Super Charlie (Now/Sky)
Kids will enjoy this animated adaptation of the children’s book series by the bestselling Swedish crime novelist Camilla Lackberg. It tells the story of Willie, a ten-year-old frustrated by the birth of his baby brother. But when he discovers that Charlie has superpowers, he decides they will take on a series of crimes. Nothing can rival the magic of a Pixar movie, but this is playful fun.
Frankenstein (Netflix)
Guillermo del Toro’s adaptation of Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel is the perfect horror treat to catch up on this weekend, especially now that it’s been nominated for eight Oscars. Released on Netflix during the pre-Christmas rush, this is a sumptuously crafted film, as is typical of a del Toro picture, featuring striking set designs and impressive costumes. Oscar Isaac stars as the mad scientist, while Jacob Elordi, hidden under heavy prosthetics as the Creature, delivers a performance that feels like the closest anyone has come to the author’s original intention.
Nicholas Rossi: Conman and Predator (Prime Video)
There’s no shortage of true-crime documentary films, but the story of Nicholas Rossi is one of the more shocking and disturbing of the recent crop. This film attempts to get under the skin of a case in which this convicted American sex offender and former child welfare activist faked his own death in 2020, only to be discovered in a hospital in Scotland in 2021 being treated for Covid-19.