Search: Starring Ben Mendelsohn

Michod has created a deeply pessimistic but fascinating world lit by excellent cinematography and set to a moody score.

Australia undercuts its cinematic insecurities with heart, soul and imagination.

Milla might be dying but she's also, paradoxically, finding her way in the world and working out what she wants, even if time is short.

The performances fill the space between appeals and commissions with enough sincerity to retain your interest.

Beautiful Kate challenges familiar narratives of incest and abuse, presenting a far more subtle portrait of the disintegration of a group of people in a quietly desperate situation.

Retains a tight grip on your imagination

Cap Marvel is another powerful woman hero to add to the line-up.

There has simply never been a better Cyrano than Peter Dinklage.

There is an awkward balance here between the focus on capturing real events and a clear desire to play to the gallery.

Throw away The Bible and let's look at this thing afresh

It's hard not to recommend Killing Them Softly as there is plenty of Tarantino-esque vim to its icy world of contracts and crims, but the mix of styles and muddled message ultimately rob the film of greatness.

What at first seems a simple premise with a dumb-assed popcorn resolution might well unravel in your head into something altogether more resonant and perplexing (or not).

The plot quickly runs out of narrative drive, preferring to deluge the senses with symbolic and surrealistic images.

As a road movie it is surprisingly static

Whatever expectations are carried in are brought to a stop, hard.

So much to like. Where this film falls down is in not moving beyond the standard quest envelope.

Maclean shows a land where loss of innocence is ever-present.

Mackenzie shows everyone, inmates and guards alike, to be trapped in a corrupted, corrupting system that resists all change.

The characters need a personality infusion and the killer’s motivation is on life support.