STARTING THIS WEEK

THE BRAVE ONE (18) (All major cinemas)

VIGILANTE justice is a frequently discussed topic in what is perceived as an increasingly lawless society and it comes under the microscope in this intelligent thriller.

Jodie Foster is outstanding as the bride-to-be who is left for dead in a brutal mugging which claims the life of her fiance (Lost’s Naveen Andrews).

She survives but is an emotional wreck who first has to overcome crippling agoraphobia. But buying a gun for her peace of mind inevitably results in her using it – and she finds the experience worryingly liberating.

Thankfully, this has far more in common with Taxi Driver than Death Wish as director Neil Jordan allows time to explore the psychology of Foster’s character (who becomes embroiled at one point with the fate of a child prostitute – a role she, of course, played in Martin Scorsese’s 70s classic).

Although this is vastly superior to Foster’s last outing as a woman on the edge in Flightplan, it does share that film’s disappointingly conventional ending which leaves you feeling that everyone involved here lacked the courage of their convictions.

STAR RATING: ***

MICHAEL CLAYTON (15) (All major cinemas)

GEORGE Clooney makes an early bid for Oscar glory with his showy role in this corporate law drama as a specialist in fixing difficult cases.

It is probably wise not to check out the plot synopsis which reads like one of the more technical stories you might find in any edition of the Financial Times.

Suffice to say that Clooney is an ace at bringing corporate suits to their knees in the courtroom but we find him at a point in his career where the strain of doing this has left him jaded and cynical.

Great acting from a superb cast (Tom Wilkinson, Tilda Swinton, Sydney Pollack), this is the directorial debut of Tony Gilroy who scripted the Bourne series.

STAR RATING: ***

HALLOWEEN (18) (All major cinemas)

WHY can’t studios leave well alone? John Carpenter’s 1978 original is a horror classic simply because it is all tension and very little gore.

Remake director Rob Zombie - as his name suggests – has decided to produce a new version that is exactly the opposite.

Even more unforgivably, he spells out all the motivations behind Michael Myers’ actions, thereby robbing the character of all his mysterious boogeyman appeal.

STAR RATING: *

MR WOODCOCK (12A) (All major cinemas)

BILLY Bob Thornton was so wonderful in Bad Santa, it was inevitable he’d be asked to tap into his nasty side again - but even moreso as a gym teacher who loves nothing better than to sadistically humiliate his students.

The story has one of his former ‘victims’, Seann William Scott - now a successful author - return home to find his mother (Susan Sarandon) is dating the monster who made his high school life hell.

It is played for laughs but you get the uncomfortable feeling it could just as easily have become a chilling thriller!

STAR RATING: **

WAR (18) (All major cinemas)

IF YOU put two action stars together in the same picture – Jet Li and Jason Statham – it makes commercial sense to have them as rivals on opposite sides of the law.

And so you have Statham’s FBI agent trying to track down the ruthless hitman who killed his partner - chief suspect being Li’s deadly and resourceful assassin.

STAR RATING: **

MRS RATCLIFFE’S REVOLUTION (12A) (All major cinemas)

BEFORE she rejoins David Tennant to travel in the Tardis in the next season of Doctor Who, Catherine Tate has been receiving great reviews for her role in this intriguing family comedy.

British Communist Iain Glen decides to movie his family to East Germany in 1968 but when they get there, it is his wife Tate who emerges as the strong one who fights to keep her loved ones together.

STAR RATING: ***

THE KINGDOM (15) (All major cinemas; Wednesday previews)

COMBAT and politics feature heavily in this drama with a decent cast – headed by Jamie Foxx and Jennifer Garner – which has a team of US government agents sent to the Middle East to investigate a terrorist bombing. Midweek previews take place ahead of next Friday’s official release.