At The Movies: w/c 22 January 2010

This week on general release across the UK, we have: a French prison thriller, an armoured truck, a sports writer, the war in Afghanistan, ninjas, and toys in 3D...

"A PROPHET"

Crime drama. A young Arab man is sent to a French prison where he becomes a mafia kingpin.

Director: Jacques Audiard

Starring: Tahar Rahim, Niels Arestrup, Adel Bencherif, Hichem Yacoubi & Reda Kateb.

Tomatometer: 97% (Fresh; based on 34 reviews)




"ARMORED"

Action-thriller. A newbie guard for an armoured truck company is coerced by his veteran co-workers to steal a truck containing $42 million. But a wrinkle in their supposedly foolproof plan divides the group, leading to a potentially deadly resolution.

Director: Nimród Antal

Starring: Matt Dillon, Jean Reno, Laurence Fishburne, Amaury Nolasco, Fred Ward, Milo Ventimiglia & Skeet Ulruch.

Tomatometer: 43% (Rotten; based on 44 reviews) "This B-grade thriller has a good cast and director but is undone by plot holes and messy conclusion."

"THE BOYS ARE BACK"

Drama. A sports writer becomes a single parent in tragic circumstances.

Director: Scott Hicks

Starring: Clive Owen, Laura Fraser, George MacKay, Emma Booth, Natasha Little, Emma Lung & Julia Blake.

Tomatometer: 71% (Fresh; based on 93 reviews) "Great performances by Clive Owen and The Boys save this melodrama from entering into the sappy territory it might have in less competent hands."



"BROTHERS"

War drama. A young man comforts his older brother's wife and children after he goes missing in Afghanistan.

Director: Jim Sheridan

Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Natalie Portman, Tobey Maguire, Clifton Collins Jr., Sam Shepard & Bailee Madison.

Tomatometer: 58% (Fresh; based on 129 reviews) "It plays more like a traditional melodrama than the Susanne Bier film that inspired it, but Jim Sheridan's Brothers benefits from rock-solid performances by its three leads."


"NINJA ASSASSIN"

Action-thriller. A young ninja turns his back on orphanage that raised him, leading to a confrontation with a fellow ninja from the clan.

Director: James McTeigue.

Starring: Rain, Sung Kang, Randall Duk Kum, Jonathan Chan-Pensley, Ben Miles, Naomie Harris & Ill-Young Kim.

Tomatometer: 26% (Rotten; based on 103 reviews) "Overly serious and incomprehensibly edited, Ninja Assassin fails to live up to the promise of its title."



"TOY STORY 2 – 3D"

Animated adventure. When Woody is stolen by a toy collector, Buzz and his friends vow to rescue him, but Woody finds the idea of immortality in a museum tempting.

Directors: John Lasseter & Ash Brannon.

Voices: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Kelsey Grammer, Don Rickles, Jim Varney, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, Annie Potts & Wayne Knight.

Tomatometer: 100% (Fresh; based on 133 reviews) "Entertaining characters and eye-popping animation make this sequel an instant classic."