Hollywood ruin another classic...

Rating: 4/10 (30 January 2006)

Competent acting, a brisk plot and some spectacular set-pieces do little to satisfy me. Having recently watched the outstanding original once more, I am reminded of exactly how little charm this movie possesses. Where the original had a captivating personality, this has just another white-washed Hollywood sheen to it. The new minis are quite nice, but have none of the cheeky character of the old ones and with Micheal Cain replaced by the competent, if frankly uninspiring Wahlberg, this movie disappointed me in almost every way possible. Don't even get me started on the happy go-lucky ending either. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not simply worshipping the original because it was there first. I worship the original because it's a classic, and quite rightfully so. Admittedly, this film had a hell of a lot to live up to, but with such a cast and even the original scriptwriter, Troy Kennedy-Martin, the fact that it didn't made me hate it even more. To even associate this film with the original is to do Peter Collinson's masterpiece a huge injustice.