The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

F Scott Fitzgerald's brief tale of a man who ages in reverse provides an unlikely springboard for such a rich, vibrant, and yes, lengthy film.

It engages the audience with questions of love and overseas escapades, but also addresses the philosophical concerns raised by Mr Button's extraordinary condition, and the effects of the passage of time upon all of us.

Steering the ship is David Fincher (Fight Club, 1999; Zodiac, 2007), a rare breed of director capable of bringing both precision and warmth to his films. He's aided by screenwriter Eric Roth and his two stars, Cate Blanchett and Brad Pitt.

Blanchett is Daisy, a dancer whose magnetic, restless spirit makes her a compelling screen presence and brings the sadness of her natural ageing into a ghostly, gasping figure seem all the sadder.

Pitt meanwhile is her life-long friend Button: born to a leading New Orleans family in 1918, he is abandoned at birth and raised by a caretaker before sailing off to Europe on a steamboat, canoodling with Tilda Swinton in Russia, and enjoying an adventure through the 20th Century.

On the way, the wizened Button of birth develops into the Pitt we recognize, before the baton is passed on to a succession of younger actors. It makes for an elusive character, of course. But if he seems to slip through our fingers that is perhaps the point - Button, like time itself, never stands still.

It's a hearty performance from Pitt, but, as ever, it is Blanchett who grips us, with a performance that is beautiful, fading and human. ·