With the Covid-19 lock-down in full effect, here are a few offerings for viewing at home…

Troop Zero
This is a by the numbers coming of age tale set in Georgia in 1977, as a band of socially awkward kids join the scouts and learn about friendship, acceptance etc etc. I’m sure this probably has more resonance in the US than here, but it felt way too tired and cliched to make any impression on me. Not even Viola Davis and Alison Janney could raise it above pleasant but totally unmemorable, and the climatic jamboree scene was embarrassing rather than uplifting.
Available on Amazon Prime
Rating: 5 out of 10

24 Hours in London
As a just released criminal, a disgraced cop (aren’t they all…) tries to redeem herself by cracking the case. This is laughably bad. Incompetently directed by Paul Knight from his own dreadful script. The low budget is painfully obvious and the acting ranges from the merely adequate to the awful (Fiona Skinner).
Available on Amazon Prime
Rating: 2 out of 10

Twin Murders: The Silence of the White City
A troubled cop (and again, aren’t they all!?) tries to track down a serial killer who resumes his crimes after a break of many years. I was hoping for something along the lines of the Department Q series from Denmark but this Spanish thriller falls short of the standard set by those films. All the leads (Javier Rey, Belen Rueda and Auro Garrido) are impressive, there are some good chases, and I liked the locations used. However, the jumbled plot didn’t flow well and the decision to reveal the identity of the killer early on was bad one that lessened the tension.
Available on Netflix
Rating: 6.5 out of 10

In the Line of Duty
Like Twin Murders, this cop thriller has a number of foot chase sequences. One early on in the film is particularly well staged. Whilst it is easy to pick holes in what is a pretty silly plot, the breakneck speed makes those problems seem inconsequential, with the sinple race against time element working very well. The chemistry between Aaron Eckhart’s cop, Frank, and Courtney Eaton’s reporter, Ava, is very pleasing. The rest of the cast are not fleshed out at all though and Jessica Lu gives a horrible performance as Ava’s partner.
Available to rent on all the usual services
Rating: 7 5 out of 10