That's Not How It Went Down

After cementing his place in the action/thriller genre with an Oscar for his performance as the corrupt Alonzo Harris, Denzel Washington began a period of starring in an action film almost every year for the next decade and a half. Whilst always brilliant in whatever he does, there is one film from this collection that is held in a similar regard to 2001's Training Day, and it's probably unsurprising that it shares similar themes. As we found with Catch Me If You Can, stories that end with cooperation between a criminal and their pursuer can sometimes be exaggerated but so long as you stick to the theatrical cut of this film, we can keep our focus on the journey that leads to this conclusion. Did Frank Lucas really establish the 'Cadaver Connection'? How much of Ritchie Roberts' actions actually occurred? And was there money under the doghouse..? Join us to find out on That's Not How It Went Down!

They say that a man's best friend is his dog. But surely a filmmaker's best bet is to avoid our four-legged pals. The danger of unpredictability, lack of potty training and a tendency to lean into the sentimentality of pet owning are surely all reasons to steer clear of a canine-centric picture. The challenge of movies like Turner & Hooch, Air Bud and Beethoven all providing evidence that you can't teach an old dog new tricks... but what about a new one? John Grogan's smash-hit memoir "Marley & Me", which spent an incredible 76 weeks on the bestseller chart telling the story of "the worst dog in the world", was hounded down by movie execs and turned into a surprise Christmas hit in 2008. But how accurate to history can a comedy starring Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston really be? Was Marley actually known as "Clearance Dog"? Were they kicked out of puppy training sessions? And what's the best way to clean a gold necklace?! Join us to find out on That's Not How It Went Down!

Here we are again. The Warrens - this time back on US soil after virtually zero involvement in Enfield - become major instigators, rather than investigators, in the explanation for the brutal murder of Alan Bono in 1981. Again, this film retelling is determined to showcase the brilliant work the Warrens did and the help they offered to poor suffering souls in need of demonic liberation, but again again, when we remove the testimony of these two (insert synonym of choice for 'charlatans'), what are we left with? Even after a Netflix documentary containing interviews from the people affected was released in 2023, there is still more to uncover in what is undoubtedly the least scary film of the franchise so far. Did Ed Warren have a heart attack? What actually happened in court? And who on earth wants a second hand waterbed?! Join us to find out on That's Not How It Went Down!

To fact check, or not to fact check, that is the question. Whether it is nobler in the cinema to suffer the inaccuracies and anachronisms of outrageous filmmaking, or to take umbrage against a sea of errors and by a podcast correct them. For although Shakespeare may perhaps be the most famous name in western civilisation we know dramatically little about the Bard of Avon and even less so... about his family. But what did Chloe Zhao's award-winning film get right? Did Agnes really have a premonition about her children? Did Will really leave the family home in his wife's time of need? And what is so special about the second best bed?! Join us to find out on That's Not How It Went Down!

Sometimes there's no watch more comforting than an unapologetically outrageous spy thriller - but unfortunately for us, so few of them seem to be submerged in reality. Surprisingly however, that can't be said for this 1990 classic adaptation of Tom Clancy's debut novel. Jack Ryan's search for the truth in the ocean depths inspired me to do something similar, and even though a Scottish sounding Russian submarine commander might be the least likely indicator of hidden truths, there is plenty going on beneath the surface. How did Tom Clancy know so much about submarines? Was the mutiny a success? And what's the best way to deter Russian submarines from a nation's shores?! Join us to find out on That's Not How It Went Down!

It's never easy to tell a sympathetic story when war is the main focus. But following the invasion of Iraq in 2001, the opportunity to reinvent the war movie genre on a different battlefield seemed like too goood a chance to ignore. Jarhead, The Hurt Locker and Green Zone all take place amidst conflict in the Gulf Wars, but few movies are as deeply "patriotic" and culturally divisive as Clint Eastwood's 'American Sniper'. Despite becoming the highest-grossing war movie of all time upon its release, questions soon began to be asked about the message the film was making as well as the veracity of some of its claims - not just about Middle Eastern warfare, but about the movie's protagonist himself. Was Chris Kyle the deadliest sniper in US history? Was he really up against an ex-Olympian Iraqi sniper? And what the hell happened during Hurricane Katrina?! Join us to find out on That's Not How It Went Down!

It took Adam McKay over ten years to prove that he could write and direct a film that didn't star his legendary comedic collaborator Will Ferrell. And he did so with aplomb - cementing his reputation as a creative who knows exactly how to handle whatever story he decides. And I know what you're thinking - what else can be learned from a film that literally goes out of its way to make sure we know exactly what went down in the build up to the global recession in 2008? Well, here's award-winning podcaster Lewis Howard, and award-winning podcaster Elliot Fitzpatrick, sitting in a recording studio to explain. Was Mark quite as tempestuous? Did people really get mortgages under their dog's name? And why can't people just admit when an acronym doesn't work?! Join us to find out on That's Not How It Went Down!

The challenge of following up a smash-hit that happens to be the first of a series is commonly referred to in the world of music as the difficult second album. And with writer/director team George Lucas and Steven Spielberg wishing to make each of their sequels canonically disparate from their forebear, what better way to achieve this than by not making a sequel at all. Enter the (seldom-used) prequel then to establish a new timeline for Indy and introduce a darker storyline featuring Hindu goddesses, ancient Indian relics and mysterious cults to create the most heart-stopping adventure yet. But how much of this slice of Indian folklore and legend happens to be true? Are the Sankara Stones real? Did Shanghai have great nightlife in 1935? And was there really a demonic Thuggee cult?! Join us to find out on That's Not How It Went Down!

"The average table tennis player is different from most other sports buffs. He is unable to comprehend the enormous gulf in ability that separates him from the professional." So says the enigmatic prodigy that inspired the Chalamet-driven, white-knuckle, globetrotting romp through the lesser known theatre of post-war table tennis competition - and it's easy to see why this world appealed to Josh Safdie when we see the theatre it serves up. But how supreme was he? Was he robbed of his greatest opportunity by a layer of sponge? And what's with all the Penn's?! Join us to find out on That's Not How It Went Down!