This movie has an opening sequence which promises much. Joaquin Phoenix bears down on a scantily clad Eva Mendes, exposing some bits and massaging others, all to the tune of Blondie’s “Heart of Glass”. Sadly nothing subsequently equals these moments in either erotic appeal or dramatic impact.

Phoenix plays the black sheep in a family of cops. Running with the wrong crowd, he’s drawn back into the light when brother Mark Wahlberg gets shot. Solidly acted, and impressive of set piece (a classy car chase, and a tense climax in swamp land), there are a few too many loose ends and underwritten parts for it to be truly memorable. Still, it’s got an intelligence not always evident in contemporary thrillers.

Richard Swainson