Certificate: 15 Running Time: 126 mins Starring: Adrien Brody, Diane Lane, Ben Affleck and Bob Hoskins
Hollywood is not all it seems in the stylish film noir 'Hollywoodland', beautifully acted by a stellar cast including Academy Award winner Adrien Brody, Ben Affleck, Diane Lane and Bob Hoskins. The film takes its name from the iconic sign originally erected to advertise the land above the Hollywood hills of Los Angeles. Both glorified, but not without gaining notoriety, the area provides a perfect backdrop for the story of the life of struggling actor George Reeves (Ben Affleck) whose once rising career came to an abrupt end following an unfortunate series of events. When the 'The Adventures Of Superman' star is found dead in his home, private investigator Louis Simo (Adrien Brody) refuses to believe what studio bosses and police wish to brush under the carpet as suicide. The drama unfolds as Simo, convinced of a dirty cover-up, begins to trace the last tense days of the actor, once revered, who had to battle the realisation that not all dreams come true in Hollywood. Ending his affair with the much older and strong minded Toni (Diane Lane) who, in an unfulfilled marriage with MGM general manager Eddie Mannix, throws herself into Reeves' career, he moves to New York to pursue a 'serious' acting career and gets engaged to the sultry and scheming Leonore Lemmon (Robin Tunney). Certainly there is motive for murder - scorned and left for a younger woman, Toni is consumed with rage and her sympathetic husband scuppers Reeve's plans to direct a movie in New York - being well connected, a contract killing would not have been beyond him. Or was it the fiesty Leonore who maybe got bored of the actor's drinking and unemployment? While the beauty of the film lies in the ambiguous ending, one can not ignore the email sent out by LA's premier PR guru Edward Lozzi at the opening of Hollywoodland: "All I know is that what she (Toni) told me soon before she died became an anchor around my neck for a long time. I am just the messenger, and for me at this time, it was right to bring it into the record.” Brody's languid style is well suited to the genre, playing a man who is fighting demons of his own with a difficult professional and private life. Lane is perfectly cast as the sexy, powerful older woman and Affleck proves he is worth his salt with a convincing portrayal of the troubled actor. If you're reading Ben, leave the romantic comedies to Hugh Grant, you may have found your niche... Davina Sands
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Female Acts To The Four...
