Dog Eat Dog

Here writer/director Paul Schrader reteams with Nicolas Cage following 2014's Dying of the Light. Adapted from ex-con Edward Bunker's 1995 novel, it's an unfocused crime thriller that centres on a trio of small-time criminals led by Cage, who intend to pull off one last job - or die trying. The job here is the kidnapping of a mobster's baby for ransom, but it's no surprise that things soon go violently awry, especially with a drug-fuelled, trigger-happy time bomb like Willem Dafoe's "Mad Dog" in the mix - it makes a change for Cage not to be playing crazy on this occasion. So far, so Reservoir Dogs, but after a stylish, shocking opening, the caper lacks the kind of crisp, punchy dialogue that made Tarantino's early work so electrifying. Schrader shows off his slick film-making skills, but it's such a rambling, meandering experience that the effect is unconvincing.