Search: Starring Paul Bettany

Russell Crowe carries the can and he does so with honour and the can becomes a trophy, richly deserved.

There simply isn't anything here that will surprise anyone who is a veteran of cop films, with characters' actions, plot twists, misdirections and revelations quite easy to see coming.

This is a film which seeks to convey emotional truth rather than historical accuracy.

The adaptation is heavy-handed and crushes the life out of the story.

Ron Howard directs without flair, but with respect for the source material.

Nicole Kidman, as the mysterious fugitive Grace, is luminous and breathtaking, capable of evoking strong emotions from the basis of an enigmatic outline.

A creaky thriller with less suspense than Reese Witherspoon and an awards ceremony.

Perhaps not as good as the sum of it’s parts, McGuigan’s second effort is visually impressive, a great comeback for McDowell and a launching pad for Bettany.

He manages not only to reveal a thesis statement on his entire career, but also dive into the experimental territory like never before.

Frankly, it’s a muddle.

Things do explode. Lots of things. The difference between this and the previous outing is that we care why they're exploding and about the people who are standing next to them when they do.

What matters more is whether this mixture of stunt riding spectacle and tongue-in-cheek works. Surprisingly, it does. Almost.

The fast pacing allied to some dark humour and a few absurd moments certainly makes for entertaining viewing, even though over time you keep waiting for the film to hit some deeper note.

The thriller elements are, on the whole, so meagre and limply staged that the film is better seen as an examination of divinely dysfunctional families.

Everything seems predictable, dealing as it does with stereotypes, and yet you appreciate the effort.

Chandor makes good use of his acting assets and there's no doubt that he knows how to direct, but ultimately, the dullness of the script is just a little too toxic.

Has the courage of its convictions.

It’s all very Oprah chick flick, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have a real soul.

Solo is an exercise in retroactive continuity, and its ability to create peril is itself imperilled by what we know to follow after.

There are moments of distress, high tension, but there's never much doubt that there will be a happy ending.

Despite its dense plot, the story is as predictable as the route back to Creekville and it is testimony to Bettany and Lillis that Ball gets as much mileage out of it as he does.

Consistently funny.

Well framed and assembled, with plenty of good performances.