Political Thriller

There's no wasted motion in "The Package" (citywide), a post- glasnost political thriller in which an Army sergeant, wrongly wanted for murder, stumbles onto an international anti-disarmament conspiracy. The movie races from scene to scene, moment to moment, country to country, with the breakneck velocity of a motorcycle crashing through a computer room.

Acclaimed director Mira Nair's ("Salaam Bombay!) latest film, the political thriller "The Reluctant Fundamentalist," will be among the more than 30 features, documentary and short films screening at the upcoming 11th Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles. The festival , which is celebrating the 100th year of Indian cinema, opens Tuesday at the Arclight Hollywood and continues through April 14. Festival highlights include Ashim Ahluwalia's "Miss Lovely," a look at the underbelly of Bollywood; Vasan Bala's debut film, "Peddlers," a crime thriller about young drug runners; and Kim Longinotto's "Salma," a documentary about a South Indian woman who was locked up by her family for 25 years.

After opening strong with "Late Summer Blues," the current Israeli series at the Monica 4-Plex has presented one disappointing film after another. Consequently, "The Owl" comes as a pleasant surprise. Indeed, it's not too much to say that this taut and bluntly critical political thriller is one of the best, most sophisticated Israeli films within memory. Its typically convoluted plot and its references to Israeli policies and government institutions may confuse you, thanks to mediocre subtitles.

A few weeks ahead of the trifecta of fall film festivals, Sony Pictures Classics has purchased all U.S. rights to Robert Redford's new film "The Company You Keep. " Redford stars in the film that he also directed opposite Shia LaBeouf, Julie Christie and Susan Sarandon. The movie centers on a former Weather Underground activist (Redford) who goes on the run from a journalist (LaBeouf) who has discovered his identity. Lem Dobbs ("Haywire") adapted the script from the 2003 novel by Neil Gordon.

Tom Clancy is a modern King Midas. Everything he touches turns to gold. His political thrillers are instant bestsellers. The movie versions of "The Hunt for Red October," "Patriot Games" and "Clear and Present Danger" have struck the box-office mother lode, raking in a combined domestic box-office gross of $300 million. And now the former insurance salesman has set his sights on television. He's making his first foray into the medium with "Tom Clancy's 'Op Center,' " premiering Sunday on NBC.

God save the king . . . from Francis Urquhart. When we last looked in on F.U. (as his closest associates call him), he was heaving Mattie Storin from the roof of the House of Commons to stop the young reporter (who was his lover) from blabbing about his homicidal ways. Her jolting demise ended "House of Cards," the 1991 political thriller that PBS has just rerun on "Masterpiece Theatre" in advance of Sunday's start of the exquisitely sinister four-part sequel, "To Play the King."

"The question of who the heroes and villains are today is extremely complicated," says director Wolfgang Petersen of "In the Line of Fire," the political thriller opening Friday that stars John Malkovich as an assassin and Clint Eastwood as the Secret Service agent tracking him.

When a political thriller is called "The Ides of March," it's safe to presume it's not going to celebrate the gracious pleasures of good government. Referencing the betrayal and assassination of Roman emperor Julius Caesar lets us know that darker forces are going to be given free rein, the darker the better. Directed by George Clooney (who headlines along with a powerhouse cast that includes Ryan Gosling, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, Evan Rachel Wood, Marisa Tomei and Jeffrey Wright)

Whatever might be flawed in Oliver Stone's searing, full-torque 1986 war movie, one thing is right: it's alive. It broils, snaps and explodes with energy. Condensed from two years of battles and political upheavals in El Salvador, the events fly pass at a murderous clip, hurtling you along almost demonically. The movie is based on the experiences of combat photojournalist Richard Boyles (James Wood) as a paragon of sleazy outlaw journalism.

When a political thriller is called "The Ides of March," it's safe to presume it's not going to celebrate the gracious pleasures of good government. Referencing the betrayal and assassination of Roman emperor Julius Caesar lets us know that darker forces are going to be given free rein, the darker the better. Directed by George Clooney (who headlines along with a powerhouse cast that includes Ryan Gosling, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, Evan Rachel Wood, Marisa Tomei and Jeffrey Wright)

The Dow Jones industrial average was plummeting and President Obama was on the air, seeking to calm the nation and the markets. Inside the Studio City offices of his production company Smoke House, George Clooney searched the TV screen, looking for the charismatic senator the actor had supported in the 2008 election. But Obama this August morning looked defensive and a bit gassed; life in the White House, it seemed, was grinding him down. "I think he's getting beat around," Clooney said, the way a Little League dad might cheer on a son struggling on the pitching mound.

SERIES The Singing Bee: This new episode features the music of Brad Paisley, Martina McBride and Sugarland (8 p.m. CMT). Whale Wars: Capt. Paul Watson realizes that the Steve Irwin and the Bob Barker will soon be intercepted by the harpoon ships they're tailing, and he orders the scout vessel to meet them at the rendezvous, where the captains discuss strategy in this new episode (9 p.m. Animal Planet). Dual Survival: Dave and Cody survive in the scorched desert of Baja, Mexico, in this new episode (9 p.m. Discovery)

Kyle Patrick Alvarez's totally captivating "Easier With Practice" is the kind of film that can make going to the movies so rewarding. This fresh and flawless adaptation of an autobiographical story by Davy Rothbart is a joy to behold. Its people are in their 20s, but what they experience is ageless, timeless and universal. With "The Hurt Locker" and several other key films before that, notably "Jarhead," Brian Geraghty emerges as an engaging actor of impressive range and depth and a winning understated manner.

Before signing on to star as the lead detective in CBS' missing-persons drama "Cold Case," Kathryn Morris was courted by Steven Spielberg and Rod Lurie. She played every male's fantasy in HBO's "The Mind of the Married Man" and in John Woo's "Paycheck." Now, seven years into playing "Cold Case's" Lilly Rush, Morris says she's more content than ever. Spielberg sought you out after seeing your performance in Lurie's political thriller "The Contender." He later cast you in "Minority Report" and "AI."

In February, more than three decades after movie director Roman Polanski decided the judge in a child-sex case was giving him a raw deal and fled to France, another Los Angeles judge extended an olive branch: There's evidence you weren't treated fairly, the judge said. But if you want to ask that the charges be dismissed, he added, you must return to the U.S. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Peter Espinoza gave Polanski 2 1/2 months to turn himself in.

Acclaimed director Mira Nair's ("Salaam Bombay!) latest film, the political thriller "The Reluctant Fundamentalist," will be among the more than 30 features, documentary and short films screening at the upcoming 11th Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles. The festival , which is celebrating the 100th year of Indian cinema, opens Tuesday at the Arclight Hollywood and continues through April 14. Festival highlights include Ashim Ahluwalia's "Miss Lovely," a look at the underbelly of Bollywood; Vasan Bala's debut film, "Peddlers," a crime thriller about young drug runners; and Kim Longinotto's "Salma," a documentary about a South Indian woman who was locked up by her family for 25 years.

"Do you think a man should become vice president of the United States just because he looks good on television?" It could be an anti-Quayle line from a Dukakis-Bentsen spot. Instead, it's dialogue from "Favorite Son," NBC's six-hour miniseries (airing 9-11 p.m., Oct. 30-Nov. 1), based on the novel by former NBC veep Steve Sohmer. The plot revolves around the instant celebrity status of Sen. Terry Fallon (Harry Hamlin) after he survives an assassination attempt.

Andrew Hauptman, producer of the new film "State of Play," remembers what he thought while watching the original six-hour miniseries in London when it was first broadcast in 2003. "The reaction was, 'This is the best piece of television I've ever seen,' " says Hauptman, who is American. "And I've gotten that reaction from so many people I've shown it to. It just grabbed you by the neck and didn't let go."