Three star

EASY to dismiss as the latest in a line of Stallone turkeys, this is a mixed bag but is probably worth borrowing, if not splashing out for.

The DVD extra features are thin on the ground amittedly, but are often just dull afterthoughts tagged on to the end of the main feature which remain unwatched.

As usual a 'deleted scenes' compilation serves only to show the director made the right choice and the trailer is, well, a trailer.

The complete voiceover commentary would be an interesting feature but the movie is simply not good enough to demand sitting through it for anyone but aspiring directors.

That said, it is not a turkey - the storyline is still the biggest selling point which serves only to illustrate the brilliance of the 1971 original and Stallone is very much the wrong choice but director Stephen Kay's cinematography is impressive.

The scenes are stylishly done in a Baz Luhrmann-esque fashion and make you wonder what he would have done directing Caine in the original.

The decision to cast Caine opposite the Jack Carter he made his own thirty years ago was also inspired - but serves again to highlight Stallone's weaknesses as he mumbles at the master 'You're a big bloke, but you're out of shape...'

MH