THE BOURNE IDENTITY (2002)
ITV1, 9pm
An old-fashioned spy yarn given a 21st-century makeover, Doug Liman’s punchy European thriller stars Matt Damon as a fugitive CIA assassin suffering from amnesia after a botched mission. Based on the doorstop novel by the veteran espionage writer Robert Ludlum, The Bourne Identity makes good use of its wintry locations and a strong international cast, including Franka Potente, Brian Cox, Julia Stiles and Clive Owen. Following on from The Bourne Supremacy in 2004, a final chapter in the trilogy is scheduled to start shooting early next year. (119 min)
REMEMBER THE TITANS (2000)
BBC One, 11.05pm
Based on real events in early 1970s Virginia, Boaz Yoakin’s syrupy drama stars Denzel Washington as a black football coach who controversially replaces his white counterpart (Will Patton) when their schools are integrated. This politically correct appointment causes friction not just between the coaches but also among their new team of racially mixed players. The producer Jerry Bruckheimer sanitised Gregory Allen Howard’s original screenplay, removing sex and drug references to secure a more family-friendly rating for Yoakin’s sledgehammer parable of racial tolerance. (113 min)
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TRUE BLUE (1996)
Channel 4, 2.30am
Based on real events, but with most of the names changed to avoid legal complications, Daniel Topolski’s book about the 1987 boat race between Oxford and Cambridge inspired this moderately gripping sports drama from the director Ferdinand Fairfax. Played here by Johan Leysen, Topolski is the former Oxford coach who battled an American-led team mutiny before masterminding the dramatic showdown with Cambridge. Much like the book, the film is a shamelessly partisan affair, but with enough explosive egos and picturesque winter landscapes to interest even non-sports fans. (118 min)