Appalling

Rating: 2/10 (5 June 2006)

Having always been wary of Summer Blockbuster books whose title clearly follows the magic formula of : Definite Article + Classical Reference (a name, or letter from the Greek alphabet) + Code/Conspiracy/Affair, I wouldn't have gone to see it, but a couple of friends asked me along. Well, it was nice seeing them and having a beer beforehand.
The film itself? Two and a half hours which could be usefully reduced to two, removing all the pointless flashbacks for a start. Even so, the film still lacks pace - 80% of the point in a thriller, as it creates suspense even when the scenario is painfully thin, as is the case here. It is much too easy to see what's coming next.
The acting? Apart from Ian McKellen, who does his considerable best to make something out of a two-dimensional character, it's frankly wooden. Some of these people have won awards for performances in other films, but you'd never guess. No doubt the lacklustre direction nobbled them.
All in all, an extremely disappointing film which fully merited its panning by professional critics when shown at Cannes. Don't waste time and money on it: it'll leave a sour taste in your mouth and might even put you off going to see better films with the same actors *actually being allowed to act*.
Incidentally, nobody it going to make me believe that a professor in an obscure branch of theology writes bestselling books and can afford to stay at the Ritz, any more than you can see the stars through the pollution in any major city anywhere in the world. I apologise to the other people in the cinema for bursting out laughing at this point: it really is far too over the top.