Out this week: Act Of Valour, Agent Vinod, The Hunger Games, The Kid With The Bike, Wild Bill, Pirates! In An Adventure With Scientists

Act Of Valour

Promising stories based on “real life” Navy Seal missions, Act Of Valour looks perfect for those of us who are desperate for… well… stories based on real life Navy Seal missions. Offering an intriguing mix of actors and actual Navy Seals crewmen, at best it will be an insightful, heart-thumping look at the world of combat, at worst it’s going to be large men awkwardly mumbling “Dammit, I just want to go home to little Jimmy” directly into the camera.

Agent Vinod

That’s right, it’s an Western-looking Indian spy flick – a remake of the 1977 spy flick of the same name, in fact. After the death of a trusted colleague the no-nonsense Agent Vinod is sent on a globe-trotting mission in order to figure out who killed his friend and why – with sexy results. It looks like big-budget flashy fun along the Steven Soderbergh lines – sure it’s nothing we haven’t seen before, but when has that ever been a hinderance, eh?

The Hunger Games

Gary Ross beefs up Suzanne Collins’ Young Adult novel The Hunger Games into a true blue block-buster, channelling the collective strength of a brilliant cast as well as a juicy concept – 24 teens, one arena, a fight to the death. Sure, it’s Battle Royale for the Twilight generation, but damn if it isn’t done brilliantly.

The Kid With The Bike

A subtle, heart-wrenching tale of a young boy desperate to re-connect with his dead-beat father and the woman who ends up coming along for the ride, The Kid With The Bike promises to be poignant, beautiful and heart-wrenching. A bike also features, we’re told.

Wild Bill

By all accounts doing for the Brit-gangster genre what 21 Jump Street is currently doing for the teen-comedy, <em>Wild Bill seems to be single-handedly re-vitalising the ‘ard man flick by being all at once funny, heart-felt, gritty and damn entertaining. The directorial debut for Dexter Fletcher (yep, him out of Lock Stock), any fan of classic English crime-dramas simply have to watch. And everyone else too, while we’re at it.

Pirates! In An Adventure With Scientists

FINALLY! Hugh Grant is The Pirate Captain, a salty sea-dog determined to win this year’s Pirate Of The Year Awards at all costs. Yep, it’s our beloved Aardman studios back to their plasticine-tastic best, with a tale that promises mutiny, rum, some swashbuckling catchy shanties and, for some reason, Charles Darwin.

What’s snapping at your fancy this week? Talk to us, dammit.