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SCMP Reporter

The January Man (World, 9.30pm) was Kevin Kline's first film after the hugely successful A Fish Called Wanda.

  Given the strong cast and twisting plot, it ought to have been a surefire success.

  Sadly, it's a muddled mess. Set in New York, 11 murders have taken place in as many months and the serial killer is about to strike again.

  The mayor (Rod Steiger) reluctantly reinstates maverick sleuth Nick Starkey (Kline) and, despite the reservations of the police commissioner (Harvey Keitel), who's also Starkey's estranged brother-in-law, he is put on the case, soon establishing where the killer is going to strike again.

  Susan Sarandon as Keitel's wife and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio as Steiger's daughter are enigmatic but the cast can't save what turns into a muddled mess, part cop caper, offbeat comedy and romantic drama.

     Predator (Pearl, 9.30pm) is the predictable monster mayhem we have come to know and love from Arnold Schwarzenegger.

  The action takes place in a South American jungle where Arnie and his crack platoon have been sent on a rescue mission but where they soon find themselves battling an invisible adversary which is picking off the team members one by one.

  The expensive production takes time getting started but when it does it gathers momentum quickly; strangely, it has the film of a B movie which only adds to its charm.

     There's nothing original about the storyline of The Indian Fighter (Pearl, 2.30am), but its delivery in 1955 is considerably more sophisticated than many of the era's other Westerns.

  Kirk Douglas leads a wagon train through Sioux country and falls for an Indian girl (Elsa Martinelli) along the way.

  The movie is beautifully photographed and takes, compared to most, a genuine interest in the Indians and their closeness to nature. Martinelli, incidentally, achieved some notoriety at the time for what was considered a fairly explicit bathing scene.

     Set against the backdrop of Alaska, Legend of the Spirit Dog (Pearl, 1am) tells the story of Jed, an 11-year-old boy who finds a curious soulmate in a wounded wolf-dog named Spirit.

  Jed and Spirit soon become entangled in a story of intrigue and danger as evil forces threaten to destroy the environment around them.

     The Five Heartbeats (Pearl, 1.50pm) is a corny but entertaining saga plotting the rise and fall of a band. It tells the story of five buddies with the same dream of 'making music' who join forces as the 1960s are unfolding.

  The film stands mainly on the characterisations; the plot is a rather predictable illustration of the familiar pitfalls of fame.

     The Greatest Show On Earth (Pearl, midnight) is a fly-on-the-wall documentary about the ill-fated 1996 Olympics which paints a colourful portrait of the backstage chaos in Atlanta.

  Billy Payne, who led Atlanta's successful Olympics bid, is the man whose reputation is on the line.

   But his number two, A D Frazier, a workaholic who sleeps in his office and is too busy to watch any of the events, vows: 'Not a chance. I will never do anything like this again.'   But it is through the eyes of the little people, like turf expert George Toma, that the true story is told.



Kline's muddled month