Round-up of the new cinema releases: Battle Of Hastings; Samuel Pepys Diary; and French masterpiece Mal Chance.

Battle Of Hastings

(Miramax, directed by James Cameron)
Matt Damon, Cameron Diaz, Alan Rickman

American self-congratulation continues apace with this back-slapping parade of pride surrounding their glorious victory in the Norman invasion of 1066. Damon excels as Lieutenant Holmes, the courageous young soldier who leads his small band of men against a catapult nest atop Senlac Hill, while Cameron Diaz turns in a passable performance as the table-dancer-with-a-heart-of-gold love interest. Rickman, as the delightfully evil Count DuChamps, does what he can with a script which relies more on cliché than subtle character development, but this is essentially a chance for Hollywood’s finest special effects shops to flex their not inconsiderable muscle. Sound FX guru Danny Speck actually sampled exact replicas of 11th century arrows and spears exploding violently upon impact, lending an air of authenticity that so many historical dramas lack. Watch out for the twist at the end, when we discover that William the Conqueror and King Harold are actually the same person.
At cinemas nationwide from Friday

Samuel Pepys’ Diary

(Merchant Ivory, directed by James Merchant)
Jim Carrey, Hugh Grant, Dame Judi Dench

The traditionally sombre period powerhouse turn to light comedy with this delightful rendition of the surprise best-seller of 1672. Although a few liberties have been taken with the plot (where is Pepys’ hilarious encounter with the snooty headwaiter at Le Champignon?) the film remains essentially true to the overall feel that made the book a must-read. Carrey proves wrong those detractors who whinged so vocally when the American wunderkind landed the role ahead of several British stars, and has certainly assisted in making Samuel… a box-office smash across the pond. His mastery of physical comedy surpasses even that of the much-missed Sid James, who last played Pepys in Carry On Dropping Dead Of The Plague in 1976. Grant is on form as hard-drinking, straight-talking best friend Harry, and Dench is surely in line for a BAFTA nomination for her depiction of the troubled King Charles II. One for the ladies.
Everywhere, for ages

Mal Chance (Bad Luck)

(Independent, director Jean-Paul Sarin)
Michel Devare, Marie Guillemot

Sarin’s debut as feature director (he was previously responsible for Chanel France’s Smack ads) is a stormer, blending shaky black and white camera work with distorted, sometimes barely audible sound to wondrous effect. Deliberately obscure angles and discordant cinematography (from new kid on le block Jaques Bastille) combine to remind the viewer of the essential lack of form and order that characterise life in suburban Paris. Although unable to speak a word of French and relying entirely on the subtitles, this reviewer is convinced that the acting was a veritable tour de force, strengthening what may at first appear, to the filmic illiterati, as a desperate chaotic mishmash of half-baked ideas and hackneyed imagery, but is in fact the best film so far this millennium.
In Repertory until tomorrow

Also Out This Week:

2001: A Space Odyssey (The Interminably Long Cut)
The Alan Titchmarsh Story
A New Guinness Commercial That Won’t Be On Telly For A Month