Latest releases reviewed
CINDERELLA MAN ****
Directed by Ron Howard. Starring Russell Crowe, Renée Zellweger, Paul Giamatti, Paddy Considine, Bruce McGill, Craig Bierko 15 cert
Howard's unashamedly populist story of the rise from poverty to glory of a Depression-era boxer is the director's most entertaining film since Apollo 13. Yet it bombed at the box-office and has fared poorly during the current awards season. Blame the star's phone-throwing incident and an inappropriate summer release. The current DVD is underwhelming, but the luxury Region 1 edition may eventually arrive in this territory. Donald Clarke
RED EYE ***
Directed by Wes Craven. Starring Cillian Murphy, Rachel McAdams, Brian Cox 15 cert
Playing passengers on an overnight flight, McAdams is resourceful as a Miami hotel manager and Murphy switches from charm to menace without missing a beat. Craven's thriller is neat and satisfying until the final reel, when the plane touches the ground. Michael Dwyer
FOUR BROTHERS **
Directed by John Singleton. Starring Mark Wahlberg, Tyrese Gibson, André Benjamin, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Fionnula Flanagan 15 cert
An unacknowledged updating of the western The Sons of Katie Elder, this ho-hum blue-collar thriller, in which Wahlberg and his chums seek to avenge the murder of their stepmother, took in a surprising amount of dough on release. Despite going completely haywire in its last reel, it will probably do even better on DVD. Go figure. Donald Clarke
THE BUSINESS ***
Directed by Nick Love. Starring Danny Dyer, Tamer Hassan, Geoff Bell, Georgina Chapman 18 cert
Everyone's amoral in Love's vigorous film of a young Londoner (Dyer) seduced by the proceeds of crime when he gets involved with English gangsters on the Costa del Sol in the 1980s. The period detail is perfect, from the jukebox of hit singles on the soundtrack to the era's lurid "leisure sportswear". Michael Dwyer
THE ARISTOCRATS ****
Directed by Paul Provenza 18 cert
A huge bunch of comedians tell the same notorious dirty joke over and over again. The result is a semiotic autopsy that could provide the material for several academic careers. No more visually arresting than you might expect, the film should, once all maiden aunts have been shuffled out of the house, offer ideal home entertainment. Donald Clarke
THE SECRET LIVES OF DENTISTS **
Directed by Alan Rudolph. Starring Campbell Scott, Hope Davis, Denis Leary, Robin Tunney 15 cert
Rudolph's belatedly released 2002 serious comedy stars Scott and Davis as dentists whose marriage comes under pressure when he suspects her of infidelity. Promising and satisfying in its early stages, the movie loses its grip when Scott acquires a loud-mouthed alter ego (Leary) to express his marital fears. Michael Dwyer
