Grand Piano

A virtuoso pianist on the comeback trail experiences his own personal symphony of horror in this tantalising thriller from Agnosia director Eugenio Mira. Elijah Wood stars as Tom Selznick, who returns to play a concert five years after bottling out of completing his late mentor's most difficult composition. As if that wasn't nerve-racking enough, Selznick (or "Failznick" as one wag calls him) is soon targeted by a nefarious, unseen sniper who demands that he gives the perfect concert or else. It may not be quite as claustrophobic as the similarly themed Phone Booth, but Mira's sweeping ode to Hitchcock nevertheless looks grand and has plenty of cinematic brio and edgy, well-edited moments. Wood is a suitably jittery as he tries to overcome his stage fright and extricate himself from his tortuous plight, as well as keep his watching wife safe. But the tension fizzles once the reasons for the gunman's motives become evident. A shame, as it's an intriguing conceit.