Dredd, Quartet, Cliffhanger: films on TV today

One of the UK’s most enduring comic-book characters, the fascistic, square-jawed policeman/judge/jury/executioner Judge Dredd enjoyed a surprisingly effective reboot in 2012, after 38 years in the pages of future-set anthology 2000AD and a disappointing first big-screen adaptation in 1995 with Sly Stallone under the helmet. New Zealander Karl Urban fills the role for director Pete Travis (Vantage Point) and writer and 2000AD fan Alex Garland (Ex Machina); and his excellent chin fills the screen – Dredd is never unmasked in the film, in line with the comic’s mythology. His action-movie physique and Christian Bale-like bass growl are put to good use, too, in a story built around a tower-block siege, in which Dredd and rookie Olivia Thirlby must kick and shoot their way to the top in order to confront Lena Headey’s criminal kingpin. The effect of a deadly new drug, Slo-Mo, is brilliantly achieved, but there’s nothing slow about the bulk of the action. A sequel remains in the balance.

WALL-E ★★★★★
5.10-6.40pm BBC1

Shifting rubbish on a barren planet Earth makes for a lonely existence even for a robot, until he finds love with another droid. Pixar impresses again with this enchanting, eco-conscious animated tale.

Quartet ★★★★
9.30-11.00pm BBC2

Dustin Hoffman's delightful directorial debut sees feathers fly at a home for retired opera singers. Maggie Smith leads a cast that any other rookie could only dream about.

Cliffhanger ★★★★
10.15pm-12.15am ITV

Troubled rock climber Sylvester Stallone takes on John Lithgow's ruthless criminal gang in Renny Harlin's nail-biting, vertigo-inducing mountain adventure.

Perfume: the Story of a Murderer ★★★
11.50pm-2.00am BBC2

With its extraordinary visuals and evocative soundtrack, Tom Tykwer's period horror does justice to Patrick Suskind's offbeat novel. Ben Whishaw stars as the young Parisian with a nose for trouble.

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