1999 and Sierra Leone is in the midst of civil war, the rebels infamously using an army of indoctrinated children to do their genocidal work. In the midst of this bloodshed two unlikely men are drawn together, one a desperate father whose son has become a rebel soldier, the other a self-serving white Rhodesian mercenary in search of an immense uncut diamond. The two are bound together by their wildly divergent, but inextricably linked, quests and it is here that the action of the film lies as th find out more...

Los Angeles, 1928; Saturday morning in a working-class suburb, Christine Collins says goodbye to her son Walter and leaves for work. When she comes home she discovers he has vanished. A fruitless search ensues, and months later, a boy claiming to be her nine-year-old lad is returned. Dazed by the swirl of police, reporters and her conflicting emotions, Christine allows him to stay overnight, but in her heart she knows he is not Walter. As Christine pushes the authorities to keep looking, she swi find out more...

An excellent black comedy, handsome thriller and a tall story that keeps you guessing as it unwinds. The genuinely ridiculous plot (a man pays a couple of goons to 'pretend' to kidnap his wife in order to get his paws on his in-laws' 'ransom' money) is completely credible as mighty plans fall apart, spiralling ever more beyond the protagonist's control and leaving us marvelling at the complex stupidity of human nature. A modern classic.

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A cat and mouse hostage drama as one of New York's finest negotiates with a bank heist gang who've seized a bank, with military style precision, and are demanding a getaway plane. Things are not that straightforward, though, as the reptilian owner of the bank seems rather over concerned with the discovery of whatever's been stashed in his private deposit box and is hiring a fixer to intervene. And what are the motives of the leader of the gang? One of the best suspense thrillers of recent years find out more...

What do you do if you can't have a baby? Simple - steal one from someone with too many! The trouble is that's where your problems REALLY begin, especially given a pair of ex-cons and a Rambo-like baby-repo-man! Slapstick satire and farce in this bizarre and unrelenting comedy. Another Coen gem. find out more...

A gripping, Oscar nominated, reconstruction of the rise of the Baader-Meinhof Group, a bunch of radical terrorists who rose in the mid-70s using military means, arson, bank raids, assassinations and kidnappings, to attempt the overthrow of the German state, many of whose personnel had their roots in the country's Nazi state. find out more...

DeNiro plays a delusional inadequate, a wannabe, but talentless, stand-up comedian, obsessed with the thought of becoming famous and joining the glittering TV paradise that exists in his imagination. When his favourite star (played by Jerry Lewis) won't give him a break he dreams up an incredible scheme, involving abducting him, to get the attention he requires. Watch this film! find out more...

A formidable gangster thriller later to be cribbed by Tarantino. An itchy crew of criminal cronies grab a metro carriage of civilians and demand $1 million ransom, causing the kind of chaos in New York City that a traditional train heist causes the cavalry. But, once they've got the ransom, how on earth do they expect to get away? find out more...

On holiday in France Rex and Saskia stop at a garage, she walks to the shops and disappears. Three years later Rex starts receiving postcards from her abductor promising to reveal her fate. Reminiscent of Blue Velvet, the understated direction creates a sinister and shocking atmosphere. find out more...

A disturbing and emotionally cathartic account of the hijacking of the fourth of the 9/11 planes. Told with great verve we follow the stories of both the abductors and their captives and the chaos in the civilian and military air-control rooms. While the terrible truth dawns on the passengers, those on the ground watch helplessly as the terrible events of the day unfold. As for political comment, Brit director Paul Greengrass makes no overt judgement; we just observe an initial reaction amongst find out more...