The Assassin (12A)
(Hou Hsiao-hsien, 2015, Tai/Chi/HK) Shu Qi, Chang Chen. 106 mins
A feast for the eyes and a mild ache for the brain, Hou’s ancient Chinese fable unfolds in ravishing images, graceful movements and bursts of action. When it comes to working out exactly what’s going on, though, good luck. The bare bones of the story are clear enough: Shu’s silky, silent killer is tested when she’s ordered to kill her former fiance. The finer details are wilfully opaque, but somehow that only adds to the spell this extraordinary film casts.
The Big Short (15)
(Adam McKay, 2015, US) Christian Bale, Ryan Gosling, Steve Carell. 130 mins
The guy who made Anchorman tackling the 2008 crash? This fact-based financial comedy is the best of both worlds, following the oddballs who bet against the banks. It’s told with snappy energy and caustic humour, plus some ingenious explanations of complex financial instruments. But it’s morally grounded, too (see feature, p14).
Our Brand Is Crisis (15)
(David Gordon Green, US) Sandra Bullock, Billy Bob Thornton. 107 mins
Bullock has the smarts and slapstick skills to carry this offbeat satire, playing a formidable but flawed election consultant drafted into a Bolivian presidential campaign. That sets up a rematch with her arch rival, and an amusing study in political cynicism.
The 5th Wave (15)
(J Blakeson, 2016, US) Chloë Grace Moretz, Nick Robinson, Liev Schreiber. 112 mins
The title could refer to the endless tides of Hunger Games imitators this is part of, but it actually names the final stage of an apocalyptic alien attack – within which Moretz’s ordinary teen must locate her missing brother, negotiate romance and train up for the resistance. Sound familiar?
Ride Along 2 (12A)
(Tim Story, 2016, US) Ice Cube, Kevin Hart. 102 mins
Unreconstructed buddy antics with the law enforcement brothers-in-law, now on assignment in Miami, where the comedy is even skimpier than the bikinis.
Lost In Karastan (15)
(Ben Hopkins, 2014, Ger/UK/Geo/Fra) Matthew Macfadyen, Noah Taylor, MyAnna Buring. 96 mins
A washed-up British film-maker finds himself directing a propaganda film for a central Asian dictatorship in this absurdist low budget comedy.
The Last Diamond (15)
(Eric Barbier, 2014, Fra) Yvan Attal, Bérénice Bejo, Jean-François Stévenin. 108 mins
A serviceable, classical French heist thriller, complicated by safecracker Attal’s romantic liaison with Bejo’s auction dealer.
Attacking The Devil: Harold Evans And The Last Nazi War Crime (12A)
(David Morris, Jacqui Morris, 2014, UK) 102 mins
Rigorous, effective chronicle of the Sunday Times editor’s long campaign to gain compensation for those afflicted by Thalidomide – which was developed by the Nazis, it turns out.
The Visit: An Alien Encounter (PG)
(Michael Madsen, 2015, Den/Aus/Ire/Fin/Nor/Swe/Neth) 83 mins
What would really happen if aliens made contact? This documentary coolly explores the angles, talking to global officials and experts.
Out from Friday
Spotlight A team of Boston reporters uncover Catholic church abuse.
Youth Old age gets to Harvey Keitel and Michael Caine.
13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers Of Benghazi The story of the 2012 attack on a US compound in Libya, as told by Michael Bay.
Dirty Grandpa Robert De Niro and his grandson take a “last stand” road trip.
The 33 The famous case of the trapped Chilean miners gets its dramatisation.
Backtrack Psychologist Adrien Brody treats dead people, setting up a spooky mystery thriller.
Innocence Of Memories An Istanbul reverie based on the writings of Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk.
Lazer Team Super-powered slackers must save the planet.
One And Two Siblings with supernatural gifts in a mystifying American indie.
We Come As Friends A visit to South Sudan throws light on Africa’s new colonisation.
Capture The Flag Kids accidentally go to the moon.
Coming soon
In two weeks… Toby Jones spearheads the return of Dad’s Army… Strap in for the remake of Point Break…
In three weeks… Ryan Reynolds has another stab at superheroism in Deadpool… Ben Stiller is so this season in Zoolander 2…
In a month… Rebel Wilson explains How To Be Single… Another perilous western for Kurt Russell in Bone Tomahawk…
