6 Days

In 1980, six Arab gunmen stormed the Iranian Embassy in London. Taking 26 hostages, they demanded that 91 of their comrades be released from prison. But after six days, the situation was brought to a close by a dramatic raid (shown live on TV), conducted by an elite team of highly trained SAS soldiers. These events are dramatised in terrific fashion thanks to decent performances and plenty of simmering tension. Mark Strong is excellent as a compassionate police negotiator who wants to avoid bloodshed, Jamie Bell is convincing as a diligent soldier and Abbie Cornish makes quite an impression as a young Katie Adie, who was the BBC reporter on the spot. Importantly, most of the running time focuses on the days of siege leading up to the raid, so don't expect 90 minutes of action. Instead, writer Glenn Standring (The Dead Lands) and director Toa Fraser (Dean Spanley) take a different approach, providing us with a taut, detailed thriller that re-creates a significant chapter in the history of international terrorism.