NEW YORK (CNS) -- The following are capsule reviews of theatrical movies on network and cable television the week of March 4. Please note that televised versions may or may not be edited for language, nudity, violence and sexual situations.

Sunday, March 4, 9:30-11 p.m. EST (TCM) "Shanghai Express" (1932). Classic romantic adventure in which a British officer (Clive Brook) and the woman he once loved (Marlene Dietrich) meet on a passenger train, which is captured by Chinese rebels whose ruthless leader (Warner Oland) agrees to spare the officer provided she becomes his consort. Directed by Josef von Sternberg, the melodramatic plot gains emotional credibility from Lee Garmes' Academy Award-winning camera work, which alternates stark images of the wartime Chinese setting with poetic visuals of the couple's romantic struggles. Stylized violence, romantic complications and sexual innuendo. The Catholic News Service classification of the theatrical version was A-III -- adults. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association of America.

Monday, March 5, 5:30-10 p.m. EST (AMC) "The Godfather Part 2" (1974). Lacking the original's grace, majesty and energy, the sequel follows the rise to power of a crime boss (Robert De Niro) and the subsequent use of that power by his son (Al Pacino). Produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola, the unmanageably complex scenario shifts interminably from Lake Tahoe in Nevada to the Kefauver hearings, from New York's lower East Side to the Florida base of a crime kingpin (Lee Strasberg). The effect is unsettling and there is much graphic violence. The Catholic News Service classification of the theatrical version was A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating was R -- restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

Wednesday, March 7, 8:15-11:15 a.m. EST (TCM) "Quo Vadis" (1951). After a Roman general (Robert Taylor) falls in love with a Christian maid (Deborah Kerr), the situation is complicated by the loony emperor deciding to burn Rome and blame the Christians. In director Mervyn LeRoy's version of the Henryk Sienkiewicz novel, the epic production overpowers the pallid love story and is less interested in the conflict between Christianity and paganism than that between the mad Nero (Peter Ustinov) and his rationalist adviser (Leo Genn). A mixed bag of religious fervor and pagan frolics, there's a lengthy suicide scene, some sexual innuendo and stylized violence. The Catholic News Service classification of the theatrical version was A-I -- general patronage. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association of America.

Thursday, March 8, 8-10 p.m. EST (Showtime) "Unbreakable" (2000). Melancholy thriller in which the sole survivor (Bruce Willis) of a devastating train wreck is befriended by a frail comic-book gallery owner (Samuel L. Jackson) who suggests the man has physical and psychic abilities that destine him to save others from evildoers. While writer-director M. Night Shyamalan's moody tale is engrossing and the angular camera work initially intriguing, the narrative falters with its ultimately unsatisfying conclusion. Brief violence, fleeting sexual menace and minimal profanity. The Catholic News Service classification of the theatrical version was A-II -- adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association of America rating was PG-13 -- parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

Saturday, March 10, 8-10:15 p.m. EST (Showtime) "Patriots Day" (2017). Effective but unsparing dramatization of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing and its violent aftermath. Director and co-writer Peter Berg approaches these events from multiple perspectives, predominantly that of fictional police Sgt. Tommy Saunders (Mark Wahlberg), who is among the first responders to the chaos unleashed by brothers Tamerlan (Themo Melikidze) and Dzhokhar (Alex Wolff) Tsarnaev. Other strands of the story involve lead FBI investigator Richard DesLauriers (Kevin Bacon), his local counterpart, Ed Davis (John Goodman), and Chinese-born app designer Dun Meng (Jimmy O. Yang), whom the murderous siblings carjacked and kidnapped. Berg ratchets up the suspense as authorities scramble to identify and capture the fugitives before they can carry out further attacks. And his script, penned with Matt Cook and Joshua Zetumer, is clear about the need to oppose evil with love and decency. But the bloody carnage caused by the assault is not kept off-screen, nor are viewers shielded from a torrent of tension-induced swearing. Disturbing and sometimes gruesome images of terrorist mayhem, considerable gore, drug use, a marital bedroom scene, several uses of profanity, pervasive rough and crude language. The Catholic News Service classification of the theatrical version was L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. The Motion Picture Association of America rating was R -- restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

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Mulderig is on the staff of Catholic News Service.