The latest releases reviewed
Directed by Mel Gibson. Starring Rudy Youngblood, Dalia Hernandez, Raoul Trujillo 15 cert
In Gibson's action-adventure set during the decline of the Mayan kingdom, a young warrior runs for his life to avoid becoming a human sacrifice. The production values are of a high standard, but the sadistic violence is graphic and relentless, and steeped in casual brutality. MD
Directed by Edward Zwick. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Connelly, Djimon Hounsou, Michael Sheen 15 cert
***
Hounsou, an honest fisherman, joins forces with DiCaprio's Rhodesian smuggler when insurrectionists corrupted by the international diamond industry kidnap his son. The frequent lectures on the dubious practices of the jewellery business often give the film the feel of an illustrated lecture, but there is enough juicy action to compensate. The two-disc edition is underwhelming. DC
Directed by Clint Eastwood 15 cert
In Flags, Eastwood punctures the myths surrounding the iconic image of six US soldiers raising the Stars and Stripes on the desolate Pacific island of Iwo Jima in February 1945. The battle sequences capture the conflict in all its chaos, cacophony, fear and destruction as the body count soars. In Letters, Eastwood's admirable companion film, the 1945 war in the Pacific is observed from the Japanese point of view. The film explores the human dimension as it singles out soldiers from different ranks, and its anti-war message is expressed eloquently and with wrenching power. The films are available separately or together in a special edition. MD
Directed by Robert De Niro. Starring Matt Damon, Angelina Jolie, Alec Baldwin, Tammy Blanchard, Billy Crudup, Robert De Niro, Keir Dullea, Michael Gambon, Martina Gedeck, William Hurt, Timothy Hutton, Mark Ivanir, Gabriel Macht, Lee Pace, Joe Pesci, Eddie Redmayne, John Sessions, John Turturro 15 cert
De Niro's second outing as a director is as cold and heartless as its protagonist (Damon), a Yale graduate who becomes one of the founders of the CIA. Although it includes some superfluous characters and sequences, this time-shifting espionage thriller features generally strong performances as it establishes a sinister atmosphere of paranoia and betrayal. MD
Directed by Peter Webber. Starring Gaspard Ulliel, Rhys Ifans, Gong Li, Dominic West, Kevin McKidd 18 cert
With this study of the early life of Hannibal Lecter, Thomas Harris finally sucks all the intrigue out of a character who was once fascinatingly obscure. Taking us back to a terrible incident in Lithuania during second World War, the film has its broad, chilling moments, but gets very repetitive very quickly. DC
