By James Whittington, 23rd May 2023
Female avengers, waring brothers and a coffin-bound Ryan Reynolds spearheads and dangerously heart-racing May line-up on LEGEND, highlighted by the UK TV premieres of Howard J. Ford's award-winning child-abduction horror drama NEVER LET GO, revenge Western ANY BULLET WILL DO, action thriller ACTS OF VENGEANCE, starring Antonio Banderas and British action-adventure war film MERCENARIES.
Plus, there are Channel premieres for English-language Spanish survival thriller BURIED, starring Ryan Reynolds, and INTERVIEW WITH A HIT MAN, starring Luke Goss as a deadly hitman with a secret past.
THE VINTAGE VAULT continues to chill Sunday nights with its popular classic genre double-bills, which, this month, include the channel premieres of Robert Young's erotic masterpiece VAMPIRE CIRCUS and THE UNCANNY, a gruesome, blood-curdling collection of horror short stories, starring Peter Cushing, Ray Milland, Joan Greenwood, Susan Penhaligon and Donald Pleasence.
Here's the LEGEND LOWDOWN for June:
We kick-off with the UK TV premiere of ANY BULLET WILL DO. During the great American Civil War, two brothers find themselves on opposing sides. Ten years later, Hollis Ransom, now a ruthless head hunter, sets out on a bloody path through Montana and Wyoming, fighting outlaws, evading Indians, and finally meeting his brother in an epic battle that will seal both men's fates once and for all. Moving to the 3rd and another UK TV premiere, Howard Ford's NEVER LET GO. Lisa Brennan (Angela Dixon), a single mother on vacation in a foreign land, takes the law into her own hands when her child is abducted. Trusting no one, and stopping at nothing, she weaves her way through the murky backstreets and barren landscapes in an epic journey to find her daughter against incredible odds.
THE HOUSE THAT DRIPPED BLOOD on the 4th is part of THE VINTAGE VAULT. Adapted by Psycho author Robert Bloch from his own short stories, this Amicus horror anthology is set in an English country home where. Inspector Holloway (John Bennett) is called on to investigate the bloody deaths of four tenants. Directed by Peter Duffell, this superior anthology stars Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Denholm Elliott, Ingrid Pitt and Jon Pertwee. The as part of the same strand don't miss BLOOD ON SATAN'S CLAW. When a mysterious corpse is accidentally dug in a small town, a group of local teens starts acting very strangely. The adolescents, led by a girl named Angel (Linda Hayden), are convinced the corpse was once possessed. They start to act out a series of demonic rituals, with devastating consequences. This 17th century British supernatural horror film is directed by Piers Haggard and stars Patrick Wymark, Linda Hayden, and Barry Andrews.
Another UK TV Premiere comes to Legend on the 10th, ACTS OF VENGEANCE. Action speaks louder than words when a fast-talking criminal lawyer, Frank Valera (Antonio Banderas) takes a vow of silence - transforming his body and his mind to embark on a quest to avenge the murder of his wife and daughter. We're back in THE VINTAGE VAULT on the 11th where we have a tickert booked for VAMPIRE CIRCUS. A circus arrives at a Serbian village to perform a show for the local inhabitants. Many of them believe that the plague that has gripped their village is the result of a curse inflicted on them years before by Count Mitterhouse, a vampire. Unbeknown to them, the leader of the circus is the Count's cousin intent on reviving his relative and having his revenge. Keep hold of those tickets for after we've been to the circus we're taking a trip on the DEATH LINE. Set on the London Underground, this moody shocker features brilliant horror icon Donald Pleasance in the lead role as a cockney copper. Hammer Horror star Christopher Lee also shows up in a small cameo. Directed by Gary Sherman this is one of Guillermo del Toro's all-time favourites.
How about yet another UK TV premiere? On the 15th we meet the MERCENARIES. When the Serbian Prime Minister is assassinated, an elite special ops team, led by ex-British S.A.S serviceman turned mercenary Andy Marlow (Robert Fucilla) is called in to pull Europe back from the brink of war. Also stars Billy Zane. More action on the 17th as we conduct an INTERVIEW WITH A HITMAN. Ater his final mission goes wrong, an elite hitman known as Viktor (Luke Goss), travels to London in an attempt to erase his past, and being a new life. But he encounters a deadly threat and is forced to confront buried secrets.
BEWARE MY BRETHREN on the 18th kicks off another VINTAGE VAULT double. Led by a sinister minister (Patrick Magee), zealous religious sect The Brethren have taken control of widow Birdy Wemys, sending her unstable son, Kenny, into a descent of madness and murder. No woman is safe when Kenny's religious mania overpowers him and leads to a rampage of carnage and chaos. This gritty story of lust, murder and terror, now a favourite cult horror, is directed by Robert Hartford-Davies. Following on from this we've an appointment at HORROR HOSPITAL. Jason Jones (Robin Askwith), a disillusioned songwriter, checks into Brittlehouse Manor, a 'health resort' where people are supposedly cured of all their hang-ups. It is run by the sinister Dr Storm (Michael Gough). who performs lobotomies on his young patients, and it isn't long before Jones realises that his life is in danger.
A claustrophobic contemporary hit on the 24th, take a deep breath for BURIED. Imagine waking up in the dark and realising that you've been buried alive with nothing but a lighter, a mobile phone and only 90 minutes of oxygen left. Ryan Reynolds delivers a compelling performance as everyman, Paul Conroy who has to that his fears, frustrations and dark emotion in order to remain focused on staying alive. Our final VINATGE VAULT on the 25th is a multi-story masterpiece, THE UNCANNY Author Wilbur Gray (Peter Cushing), who is convinced that cats are conspiring to replace the human race as masters of the earth, narrates three bizarre tales of feline terror. This blood-curdling collection of horror short stories also stars Ray Milland, Joan Greenwood, Susan Penhaligon and Donald Pleasence. Then it's Hammer time with TO THE DEVIL A DAUGHTER. Henry Beddows (Denholm Elliott) asks occult novelist John Verney (Richard Widmark) to protect his young daughter, Catherine (Natasha Kinski), who, although in the sanctuary of the Order of the Children of the Lord. has attracted the attention of ex-communicated priest Father Michael Rayner (Christopher Lee), who wants Catherine to become the incarnation of one of the crowned princes of Hell, Astaroth. Pitted against black magic, ancient rituals and a clan of Satanists, Verney battles to save the young girl from a diabolical fate.
Related show tags: ACTS OF VENGEANCE, ANY BULLET WILL DO, BEWARE MY BRETHREN, BLOOD ON SATAN'S CLAW, BURIED, DEATH LINE, HORROR HOSPITAL, MERCENARIES, NEVER LET GO, THE UNCANNY, TO THE DEVIL A DAUGHTER, VAMPIRE CIRCUS MORE FEATURES Crime and sci-fi adventures headline May 2024 premieres on LEGEND
Crime dramas, action thrillers and sci-fi adventures headline the May line-up on LEGEND, with UK TV premieres for prison drama A VIOLENT MAN, starring an outstanding Craig Fairbrass and UNCHAINED, a riveting crime thriller starring Adrien Brody, Antonio Banderas and John Malkovich.
Channel premieres include two Dominic Cooper thrillers, STRATTON and THE ESCAPIST, which also stars Brian Cox and Joseph Fiennes. Then there's hard-hitting Brit gangster drama WE STILL KILL THE OLD WAY, and superior sci-fi drama THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT, starring Ashton Kutcher.
Plus, there are first time showings for the star-studded LUCKY NUMBER SLEVIN, with Josh Harnett, Bruce Willis...
Posted on 25th April 2024 LEGEND steals the limelight with Crime Wave Season
From Monday 22nd to Saturday 27th of April, at 9pm, LEGEND presents a CRIME WAVE SEASON, where cops and criminals collide in a collection of robberies, heists and getaways movies, highlighted by the Channel premieres of Steven Seagal's crime-busting HALF PAST DEAD, and heist action thriller ARMORED, starring Matt Dillon and Laurence Fishburne.
Then we have a double dastardly dose of Bruce Willis in two crooked thrillers - as a wronged crime boss in PRECIOUS CARGO, and a corrupt bank owner in MARAUDERS. Plus, there's Walter Hill's classic getaway thriller THE DRIVER, starring Ryan O'Neil and Brit old-school burglary caper THE HATTON GARDEN JOB, with Joely Richardson and...
Posted on 12th April 2024 Thrills, kills and The Blob as LEGEND serves up April premieres
LEGEND springs into action this April with eleven Channel premieres, including the UK TV premieres of two action thrillers starring the legendary Bruce Willis - AMERICAN SIEGE and HARD KILL.
There are also Channel premieres for sci-fi cult classic DEATH RACE 2000, Italian spaghetti Western A REASON TO LIVE, A, REASON TO DIE, starring Telly Savalas and James Coburn, Alan J. Pakula's THE DEVIL'S OWN, starring Harrison Ford and Brad Pitt, Brit crime drama VILLIAN, and highly-rated mystery thriller BUTTERFLY ON A WHEEL, starring Piece Brosnan and Gerard Butler.
This month's THE VINTAGE VAULT, which journeys into the history of genre cinema eve...
Posted on 29th March 2024 LEGEND celebrates 'The Duke' with a John Wayne weekend
Saturday 30th and Sunday 31st of March sees LEGEND celebrate the cinematic career of one of Hollywood's screen legends with JOHN WAYNE WEEKEND, a collection of films starring 'The Duke'. This is highlighted by the Channel premiere of classic comedy western MCLINTOCK!. Also featured are Henry Hathaway's deeply affecting drama THE SHEPHERD OF THE HILLS, Cecil B. DeMille's historical spectacle REAP THE WILD WIND, the gun-slinging ANGEL AND THE BADMAN, THE CONQUEROR, in which Wayne stars as Genghis Khan, and cold-war thriller JET PILOT.
John Wayne Weekend films in transmission order:
We start at 2pm on the Saturday with THE SHEPHERD OF THE HILLS. Based on Harold Bell Wr...
Posted on 21st March 2024 LEGEND swings into action with ten premieres for March
LEGEND swings into action with ten Channel premieres, including U-TURN, Oliver Stone's superior neo-noir thriller, starring Sean Penn and Jennifer Lopez, JAGGED EDGE, Richard Marquand's tense hit drama, starring Glenn Close and Jeff Bridges and DRIVE HARD, a fast-paced Aussie buddy movie starring John Cusack and Thomas Jane. Thomas Jane also turns up in riveting crime thriller BULLETPROOF and there's hard-boiled detective action in EYE FOR AN EYE, starring John Travolta and Morgan Freeman.
The other channel premieres this month are NOWHERE TO RUN, an action adventure starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and Rosanna Arquette, survivalist thriller WHILE SHE WAS OUT, starring Kim Basinger and ...
Posted on 28th February 2024 LEGEND prepares for battle with War Stories Season
From Monday February 19th - Saturday February 24th, at 9pm, LEGEND goes into battle with WAR STORIES, a season of warfare action and drama, spearheaded by the Channel premieres of Enzo G. Castellari's terrific WW2 exploitation actioner THE INGLORIOUS BASTARDS (which inspired Tarantino's 2009 movie) and the Battle of the Bulge thriller COMPANY OF HEROES, starring Tom Sizemore and Vinnie Jones.
Other titles deployed are hard-hitting WW2 thrillers WAR PIGS, starring Dolph Lundgren and Mickey Rourke and WHEELS OF TERROR, starring Bruce Davison, Oliver Reed and David Carradine. Then there's desert sniper thriller THE WALL, starring John Cena and Sidney J. Furie's aerial action sequel IRON E...
Posted on 29th January 2024 LEGEND announces ten channel premieres for January
The new year on LEGEND kicks off in action-packed style with ten Channel premieres including Hal Ashby's electrifying murder thriller 8 MILLION WAYS TO DIE, starring Jeff Bridges and Rosanna Arquette, the mystery serial-killer thriller STRIKING DISTANCE, starring Bruce Willis, hard-hitting historical epic ROBERT THE BRUCE, brutal crime drama KILLERMAN, and Rutger Hauer stars as a blind, sword-swinging Vietnam vet in Philip Noyce's BLIND FURY, a US adaptation of Japan's popular Zato-ichi films.
Other channel premieres include Aussie sci-fi mend-bender PREDESTINATION, starring Ethan Hawke, slick, gun-toting neo-noir thriller. HITMAN REDEMPTION, starring Ron Perlman, ASSASSINATION GAMES, in w...
Posted on 19th December 2023 LEGEND unwraps a seasonal tsunami of action and suspense this December
Strap yourself in for a seasonal tsunami of action and suspense this December as LEGEND unwraps a six-pack of Channel premieres including ESCAPE PLAN 2, the second instalment of the electrifying franchise, with Sylvester Stallone and Dave Bautista once again starring. There's also a first showing for MAN DOWN, with Shia LaBeouf and Gary Oldman headlining this gripping, post-apocalyptic thriller.
Other channel premieres include gruelling crime thriller SOUTHERN FURY, starring Nicolas Cage, siege drama ROGUE HOSTAGE with Tyrese Gibson and John Malkovich, cult Western THE SPOILERS, starring screen legends John Wayne and Marlene Dietrich and BONE TOMAHAWK, in which Kurt Russell stars as a vengeful gunslinger in a g...
Posted on 23rd November 2023 LEGEND reveals twelve turbo-charged premieres for November, including an All-Out Action Season
Get ready to kick, punch and shoot your way through a star-studded season of explosive action premieres on LEGEND this November, including the UK TV premieres of James Cullen Bressack's tense, against-the-clock thriller HOT SEAT, starring Kevin Dillon and Mel Gibson, and his dazzling action cyber-thriller FORTRESS, starring Bruce Willis.
From Monday 13th - Saturday 20th November there's an All-Out Action Season, which includes the channel premieres of Walter Hill's ultra-violent TREPASS, starring Bill Paxton, and John Woo's deadly HARD TARGET, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. Other titles in the season include hard-boiled thriller BOILING POINT (1993), starring Dennis Hop...
Posted on 24th October 2023 PICK OF THE WEEK
