SHOPLIFTERS
★★★★★
Directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda. Starring Lily Franky, Sakura Ando, Jyo Kairi, Miyu Sasaki, Kiki Kirin, Mayu Matsuoka, Kengo Kora, Chizuru Ikewake. 15A cert, limited release, 120 min
Kore-eda was a deserved winner of the Palme d'Or at Cannes with this Dickensian tale of a family of thieves who – out of common decency – adopt an abused young girl. The Japanese film-maker has been constructing quiet, nuanced masterpieces for 20 years and Shoplifters shows all his talents to advantage. The film creeps up on you. It yields its pleasures stealthily. It has, however, more to say about questions of public and private morality than whole libraries. DC
ASSASSINATION NATION
★★★★☆
Directed by Sam Levinson. Starring Odessa Young, Suki Waterhouse, Hari Nef, Abra, Bill Skårsgard, Bella Thorne, Joel McHale. 18 cert, gen release, 108 min
It's not always subtle, but Levinson's satire concerning a town where every second citizen has his browser history hacked has indecent zip and impressive edge. The messages are conveyed by a dizzying mass of violent, sexual images – some leering in the style of Larry Clarke – that throb to an excellent score by Ian Hultquist. Bravura shots abound. It falls apart a little in an anarchic last act, but the last line is an absolute killer. Full review DC
THE CAMINO VOYAGE
★★★★☆
Directed by Dónal Ó Céilleachair. Starring Danny Sheehy, Liam Holden, Brendan Begley, Breandán Moriarty, Glen Hansard. PG cert, limited release, 97 min
It takes some class of determination to row all the way from Ireland to Santiago de Compostela in Northern Spain. It takes more to do so in a traditional naomhóg. Yet four brave men -- poet Sheehy, artist Holden, musician Begley and stonemason Moriarty – set out to do just that in three gruelling yearly stages, beginning in 2014. Musician Glen Hansard joined them later. Ó Céilleachair's film records the journey with care and grace. You'll feel uplifted and a little exhausted by the close. DC
THE GIRL IN THE SPIDER'S WEB
★★★☆☆
Directed by Fede Álvarez. Starring Claire Foy, Sverrir Gudnason, Lakeith Stanfield, Sylvia Hoeks, Stephen Merchant, Vicky Krieps, Claes Bang. 15A cert, gen release, 115 min
Lisbeth Salandar is back in an adaption – keep up here – of the sequel to Steig Larsson's Millennium trilogy penned, after that author's death, David Lagercrantz. The film redraws Lisbeth as James Bond or possibly the Equaliser, as she gets drawn into a convoluted plot to capture all the nuclear launch codes in the world. Even the titles feature naked dancing lady silhouettes. Fede Alvarez is a fine action director, and his exciting set-pieces provide decent compensation for Lisbeth's now omnipotent skills. But the plot is a shaggy, loose-ended mess. Full review TB
WILDLIFE
★★★★☆
Directed by Paul Dano. Starring Carey Mulligan, Jake Gyllenhaal, Ed Oxenbould, Bill Camp. 12A cert, limited release, 105 min
In his directorial debut, actor Dano takes on a Richard Ford novel about a couple (Mulligan and Gyllenhaal) falling apart in early 1960s Montana. Mulligan is at her best when sulking like a cat confronted with a rainy garden and, as the film progresses, she gets more opportunities to wrinkle her snout and droop her whiskers. But the standout performance may be that of young Ed Oxenbould as the couple's son. A whole generation's coming disenchantment is captured in his drooping features. Full review DC
WIDOWS
★★★★☆
Directed by Steve McQueen . Starring Viola Davis, Colin Farrell, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki, Cynthia Erivo, Brian Tyree Henry, Daniel Kaluuya, Jacki Weaver, Robert Duvall, Liam Neeson. 16 cert, general release, 130 min
The director of Hunger takes another sharp turn as he attempts an adaptation of Lynda La Plante's 1983 TV series concerning a gang of hoodlums' wives who plan a heist. It's all terribly unlikely (let's have the babysitter drive the getaway car!) and a little over-stuffed with subplots (Duvall and Farrell as Irish-American crooks). But on a scene-by-scene basis it's quite magnificent. All the performances are excellent, but Debicki stands out from the distinguished crowd. Full review DC
And nearly the last chance to see
GOOD FAVOUR
★★★★☆
Directed by Rebecca Daly. Starring Vincent Romeo, Lars Brygmann, Clara Rugaard, Alexandre Willaume, Victoria Mayer, Helena Coppejans. 12A cert, IFI, Dublin, 101 min
Daly follows up her acclaimed Mammal with an enigmatic drama concerning a young man who stumbles into an odd Christian community. Good Favour casts enough of a spell to compensate for its ambiguities. The forest setting and the oddly pleasing sound of an English-language script delivered by a varied European ensemble makes for a space in which anything is possible. In common with its inscrutable protagonist, it requires you to follow deep into the woods. Full review TB
