20 Days in Mariupol (18)
Directed by Mstyslav Chernov
★★★★★

“FILM how these motherfuckers are killing civilians” an angry doctor screams out as he is trying to save the life of a young child in vain injured during the Russian siege of the Ukrainian town of Mariupol.  

The images shot by video journalist for the Associated Press turned filmmaker Mstyslav Chernov with photographer Evgeniy Maloletka, the last journalists left in the city, are harrowing and so distressing to watch that frankly I had to look away. 

They filmed the first 20 days of the Mariupol siege which lasted almost three months from February 24 2022 until May 20 and which heralded the beginning of the Russian invasion. 

This powerful film shows pregnant women injured and killed during the bombing of a maternity hospital, dying babies and makeshift mass graves. These pictures were sent round the world and became the defining images of the war. You see the uncut footage alongside what was used in news reports illustrating the importance of war reporting and the crucial role of journalists documenting the atrocities being carried out, which the Russians dismissed as fake news.  

Chernov and his team are incredibly brave, putting their lives on the line to capture these heartbreaking shots of destruction, of terrified and confused residents, and distraught parents wailing for their dead children. Plus doctors in tears working non-stop in hospitals without electricity, water and with dwindling medical supplies.  

This is an extraordinary documentary which needs to be seen but it is a tough watch. 
 

Out in select cinemas today

 
BlackBerry (15)
Directed by Matt Johnson
★★★★

 
DUBBED the CrackBerry for its addictiveness, this wonderfully entertaining comedy drama depicts the rise and catastrophic demise of the world’s first smartphone. 
 
The BlackBerry was the must-have mobile and status symbol of the early 2000s, which allowed users to message each other instantly for the first time on BBM. It had end-to-end encryption. 
 
Based on Jacquie McNish and Sean Silcoff’s book “Losing the Signal” and co-written and directed by Matt Johnson, it takes some artistic liberties with the timeline and the depiction of the phone’s Canadian creators, Mike Lazaridis (Jay Baruchel) and his business partner and best friend Douglas Fregin (Johnson channelling John McEnroe). 
 
In 1996 on the verge of creating a trailblazing new device they team up with the cunning and ruthless businessman Jim Balsilllie (Glenn Howerton) and seemingly overnight the three of them revolutionise the way people work and communicate. 
 
The film is hilarious, delightfully nostalgic, and riveting with Howerton stealing the show with his memorable larger-than-life performance. 
 
At its height BlackBerry controlled 45 per cent of the mobile market. Today it is zero as the advent of the iPhone signalled its death knell. 
 

Out in cinemas today

The Burial (15)
Directed by Maggie Betts
★★★★

 
INSPIRED by true events, this riveting David v Goliath courtroom drama exposes a complex web of race, power and injustice.
 
Based on The New Yorker article of the same name by Jonathan Harr, it follows funeral homeowner Jeremiah O’Keefe (Academy Award winner Tommy Lee Jones) who is forced to sell part of his business to a conglomerate run by Ray Loewen (Bill Camp). When Loewen starts dragging his feet over the contract O’Keefe opts to sue him in order to save his business and hires smooth-talking attorney Willie E Gary (Academy Award winner Jamie Foxx) who has never lost a case in 12 years.  
 
With stellar performances from Jones and Foxx, whose characters are poles apart, this proves a deliciously entertaining but eye-opening fight for justice as the two slowly become friends. Foxx is clearly enjoying himself as the charismatic and verbose Gary, while Jones is quiet and understated as the 75-year-old O’Keefe but determined not to let the greedy and ruthless Loewen get away with it.
 
By the end you will be punching the air in this inspirational crowd pleaser. 

Out in select cinemas today and on Prime Video October 13

The Great Escaper (12)
Directed by Oliver Parker
★★★

 
THIS moving drama is also inspired by a true story: that of an 89-year-old war veteran who escaped from a care home in Hove to join his comrades in Normandy to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the D Day landings. 
 
Set in the summer of 2014, it stars Michael Caine as Bernie Jordan who, unbeknown to him, made global headlines with his escape to France. Suffering from survivor’s guilt and PTSD as he recalls his time on board a navy ship during the war, this is also a celebration of enduring love and his 60-year marriage to his soul mate Rene (Glenda Jackson). 
 
Jackson is absolutely captivating in this, her last ever film role, as the razor-sharp and funny Rene, who understands that her husband has to face his war demons. Jackson and Caine are just wonderful together and the dream team in this touching exploration of growing old. 
MD
Out in cinemas today