Two star

There are few things more annoying than thrillers which don't thrill - and this is one of them.

The plot is hardly original but the basic evil stepdad/godparents chestnut has potential which is sadly thrown out the window.

The movie plods through a formulaic plot before staggering to an edge-of-the seat denouement which is anything but.

One of the redeeming features of the package is the admittedly limited extra features.

The director's commentary is given by two guys who you would not normally want to be locked in a room with but if you can get past the drony, whiny voices it reveals the final cut was pretty much dictated by movie moguls who thought they knew best.

A number of seemingly pointless scenes are put into context because it's revealed they were originally tied into the plot by further scenes which were ruthlessly butchered.

Crucial decisions (including the film's opening characterisations and the ending) were taken by the production team only to be vetoed by the suits.

The filmography of the principal characters is well worth a look for an incredible list of completely unknown pictures - how can anyone take The Unbearable Lightness of Being to the big screen.

The sole deleted scene (which is, unsurprisingly, quite good) contradicts everything in the director's commentary - where are the multiple alternative endings?

Ultimately unsatisfying, the second star is purely for the eye candy supplied by Leelee Sobieski.

MH