Franklyn

There's the air of the cult movie surrounding Franklyn, a sci-fi adventure that flits between present-day London and a noir-ish, Blade Runner-esque city of the future. And if it doesn't entirely work, it does, at least, remain intriguing.

We commence in the future, with a masked figure named Jonathan Preest (Ryan Phillippe) announcing that he intends to kill a man (it seems he is bent on revenge for the abduction of a young girl some years earlier, and that the killing is sanctioned by the city authorities).

In present-day London, conceptual artist Emilia (Eva Green) is arguing with her mother, before attempting suicide and ending up in the same hospital as a Cambridge pastor (Bernard Hill). Meanwhile, a man named Milo (Sam Riley) is jilted at the altar and goes in search of his childhood sweetheart (also played by Green). Inevitably, of course, the two worlds and their characters do eventually collide.

It's a good-looking movie, informed by director Gerald McMorrow's past career in music videos. But it's also awkwardly cast, and all the to-ing and fro-ing, bobbing and weaving quickly grows to be frustrating. Still, its sheer fantasy weirdness means it is bound to accumulate a following of sorts. ·