The latest releases reviewed.

THE DEPARTED *****

Directed by Martin Scorsese. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Ray Winstone, Vera Farmiga, Alec Baldwin 18 cert

Expertly constructed and dynamically staged, Scorsese's supremely stylish, thriller transposes Hong Kong drama Infernal Affairs to an Irish-American criminal milieu in Boston. Nicholson flamboyantly plays the amoral kingpin, with Damon as his mole inside the police force and DiCaprio as the detective who goes deep undercover within the criminal gang. In this enthralling morality tale, the mortality rate escalates in tandem with the tensions generated by its riveting narrative. DVD extras include additional scenes introduced by Scorsese and a documentary, Scorsese on Scorsese. Michael Dwyer

PAN'S LABYRINTH ****

Directed by Guillermo del Toro. Starring Sergi López, Maribel Verdú, Ivana Baquero, Doug Jones 18 cert

Del Toro imaginatively blends magic realism, fairytale trappings and extraordinary special effects for an ingenious fusion of fantasy and violent drama set at the end of the Spanish Civil War. López oozes sadistic malevolence as an army captain, the stepfather to a young girl who encounters a fantastical creature.

Michael Dwyer

VOLVER ****

Directed by Pedro Almodóvar. Starring Penélope Cruz, Lola Duenas, Blanca Portillo, Carmen Maura 15 cert

Two sisters' lives are disturbed by the apparent reappearance of their late mother. Volver is arguably the most respectable film Almodóvar has yet made. Packed full of incident, it is, nonetheless, gripping and moving throughout. The DVD features a charming commentary from Pedro and Penélope. Donald Clarke

Directed by Kevin Smith. Starring Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Rosario Dawson, Jason Mewes 18 cert

Following a fire in the convenience store, Randal and Dante, heroes of Smith's 1995 debut, have taken jobs in a nearby fast-food restaurant, but they are still as obsessed as ever with Star Wars and oral sex. Smith's least bad film in a decade arrives in a two-disc edition featuring six hours of decent extras.

Donald Clarke

Directed by Jill Culton and Roger Allers. Voices of Martin Lawrence, Ashton Kutcher, Debra Messing, Gary Sinise, Billy Connolly, Jon Favreau PG cert

So the mediocre digimations keep on coming. This one follows a civilised deer and a funky bear as they make their uncertain way in the wilderness. As ever, the animals shake their butts to top hits and make every effort to avoid saying anything even vaguely amusing.Better than Barnyard. Donald Clarke

Directed by Steve Oedekerk. Voices of Kevin James, Courteney Cox, Sam Elliott, Danny Glover, Andie MacDowell, Wanda Sykes PG cert

So the mediocre digimations keep on coming. This one follows a gang of cows and bulls - both with udders - as they party on down to the max. As ever, the animals shake their butts to top hits and make every effort to avoid saying anything even vaguely amusing. Worse than Open Season. Donald Clarke

Directed by Andrew Davis. Starring Kevin Costner, Ashton Kutcher, Melissa Sagemiller, Sela Ward, Clancy Brown, John Heard PG cert

Kutcher plays a cocky, ambitious swimmer training for an elite sea rescue unit, with Costner as the troubled mentor who inevitably bonds with him in this cliche-riddled, blandly formulaic yarn that that crawls along a duration in excess of two hours. Michael Dwyer

JOHN TUCKER MUST DIE *

Directed by Betty Thomas. Starring Jesse Metcalfe, Brittany Snow, Ashanti Douglas, Sophia Bush 12 cert

When Metcalfe's unkind lothario triggers a revenge plot among his ex-girlfriends, the repercussions are notably uninteresting. The first film starring that gardener out of Desperate Housewives is so worthlessly dreary one can only pity any DVD player unfortunate enough to be asked to play it. Still, that famous chest may appeal to more lascivious viewers.

Donald Clarke

STICK IT *

Directed by Jessica Bendinger. Starring Jeff Bridges, Missy Peregrym PG cert

Stupid film in which a supposed rebel gains balance (both literally and figuratively) while training for a gymnastics tournament. There's a lot of loud music and a great deal of strutting. Bridges was ill-advised to appear undisguised as the shouty coach. Donald Clarke

ACCEPTE *

Directed by Steve Pink. Starring Justin Long, Adam Herschman, Jonah Hill 12 cert

Pink, the screenwriter of Grosse Point Blank and High Fidelity, makes an inauspicious directing debut with an inane, moralising picture of a wily student turned down by eight colleges and setting up a fake institution to appease his parents. Michael Dwyer