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What to Watch Before Watching Trackers

News
04 October 2019
Set the mood for Trackers.
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In less than a month Trackers hits your screens on M-Net channel 101. And. You. Just. Can’t. Wait. But there’s still plenty to entertain you and keep your mind off the agonising waiting period.

We’ve compiled a list of crime thrillers, as well as local movies and shows, to get you in the mood for the adaptation of Deon Meyer’s crime novel. There are even a few titles that allow you a glimpse of some the amazing talent you’ll watch in Trackers.

Blood Diamond
Trackers includes a bout of diamond smuggling, so what better gateway into the story than this movie focusing on the same topic? It’s set in Sierra Leone, but was shot in Mozambique and South Africa. Although many in the main cast are American and British, there are a lot of local faces too.

Watch Blood Diamond this month on M-Net Movies Action channel 110.

Cowboy Dan
The Cape meets the Western in this South African short film, which won Best Editing and Best Actor in the Short Film category at last year’s Silwerskermfees. Involving a cowboy, some cattle, and a car guard, you can’t miss this Blazing Saddles-style dramedy. It also stars Trix Vivier, who plays Flea van Jaarsveld in Trackers.

Cowboy Dan is available on Showmax.

The Hunt for Red October
Along with a list of what to watch before watching Trackers, we could compile a list of books to read before watching Trackers. The list would obviously include a towering pile of Deon Meyer’s books (Trackers amongst them), but it could also include other crime and espionage authors, not least amongst them, Tom Clancy. If you’re not an avid bookworm, not to worry: you’re like as not to find movie or TV adaptations of these books.

One of these is the much-loved, submarine-set The Hunt for Red October, starring Sean Connery and Alec Baldwin. The latter plays CIA man Jack Ryan, who has appeared in many Tom Clancy novels and has also been portrayed by Harrison Ford, Ben Affleck, Chris Pine, and John Krasinski. Meyer fans will be familiar with the author’s own adrenalin-fuelled protagonists, including Lemmer, who appears in two of Meyer’s books. In Trackers, he is portrayed by South African actor James Gracie.

Watch The Hunt for Red October this month on M-Net Movies Action channel 110.

Klein Karoo
Lemmer loves the Karoo (as does Deon Meyer) and has set himself up in Loxton, a Karoo town in the Northern Cape. So what better way to immerse yourself in the setting (unless you already live there) than watching a movie called Klein Karoo? Bonus point! It stars Sisanda Henna, who plays Julius “Inkunzi” Shabangu in Trackers.

Klein Karoo is available on Showmax.

Miss Sloane
We love a rogue agent, analyst, specialist, or spy as much as the next fan, but we don’t always want them to be men. And, of course, they’re not. In this political thriller you can watch Jessica Chastain as the title character, a lobbyist who doesn’t back down from a fight. Sound like the kind of female character you like? Then you’ll love Rolanda Marais, Sandi Schultz, and Trix Vivier in Trackers.

Watch Miss Sloane this month on M-Net Movies Action channel 110.

The Pelican Brief
Back on the book to movie wave, there’s this thrilling adaptation of John Grisham’s novel, starring Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington. Grisham’s stories usually have more of a legal bent, but if you love tension and suspense, then this one’s for you; and it’s a perfect mood-setter for Trackers.

Watch The Pelican Brief this month on M-Net Movies Action+ channel 106.

Sneakers
It’s 2019, so what would any crime show or movie be without the occasional hacking job or two? But it’s certainly nothing new. This early ‘90s crime caper involves a band of sneakers (i.e. security hackers), is a little more comedic in tone, and has a dazzling all-star cast.

Watch Sneakers this month on M-Net Movies Action+ channel 106.

Die Spreeus
This local series features a pair of detectives who form part of an elite unit, willing to take on cases others won’t. The crimes they investigate involve an element of the unusual and sometimes supernatural. It features Rolanda Marais and Trix Vivier (as well as her sister Lea), with Sandi Schultz cast in a main role as a backer of the Spreeus Investigating Unit.

Die Spreeus is available on Showmax.

Stroop
There are a couple of rhinos in Trackers, and if you want to brush up your knowledge of these amazing creatures and their awful plight, make sure you watch this award-winning South African documentary. Focusing on poaching and the rhino horn trade, it covers ground from South Africa to Vietnam to Laos exposing the greed and violence driving the trade.

Stroop is available on Showmax.
Watch the trailer here.

Table Manners
If you’re wired up after all that action and suspense, unwind with a local comedy. Like Milla in Trackers, the main character’s life is upended when her husband turns out to be much less than the fairytale prince she imagined. And like Milla, she takes charge of her life, turning to cooking and writing to find a new career path and a new lease on life. Spoiler alert: Milla does not become a foodie guru in Trackers.

Watch Table Manners this month on M-Net Premiere channel 104.
Walk the red carpet with the stars here.

Trackers starts on Sunday 27 October at 20:00 on M-Net channel 101.
Find out more about the show here.