Reviewed - Ask the Dust: ONE of Hollywood's most respected screenwriters and script doctors, Robert Towne has also directed four films in 24 years: Personal Best, Tequila Sunrise, Without Limits and, now, Ask the Dust, which he adapted from the celebrated 1939 novel by author and screenwriter John Fante.

That source material provides Towne with an ideal companion piece to his greatest screenplay, for Chinatown, and an opportunity to pursue his fascination with the development of Los Angeles as a city. The film, set in LA during the 1930s, was shot on South African sets and locations that are so detailed in their meticulous recreation that they seem entirely authentic.

Colin Farrell plays Arturo Bandini, an ambitious young first-generation Italian writer who arrives in the city with dreams of success. Soon, however, he is a broke and blocked writer living on oranges and cigarettes and down to his last nickel, which he spends in a cafe. His life becomes even messier when he falls for a volatile Mexican waitress (Salma Hayek).

Farrell radiates charisma in his subtle and thoughtful portrayal of Bandini, and the chemistry between him and Hayek is palpable as their relationship seesaws between passion and antagonism. The film is photographed in beautifully burnished images by the gifted Caleb Deschanel - this is as handsome a movie as we are likely to see all year - as Towne propels the drama at a measured pace towards its moving conclusion.