A (very) loose remake of the classic 1948 Ray Milland film noir thriller The Big Clock, with Kevin Costner as a Pentagon man investigating the death of his goodtime girlfriend (who was also the lover of his boss, Gene Hackman).

The thriller element comes in when Costner's character slowly realises that he has been set up as the fall guy and the men beneath him are on the verge of identifying him as the killer.

The result is a slow builder that leans heavily on its clever plot contrivances.

The last twist of all is fiendishly ingenious, but does take a lot of swallowing when you think back over the plot.

Costner is unexpectedly mobile in the lead; Sean Young breathes amazing life into a fairly insignificant role; Hackman is splendidly ratty as the politician who changes his mind with such bewildering rapidity it's hard to keep up; and Will Patton is supremely slimy as Hackman's chillingly ruthless aide.

Fine performances in a film that's perhaps just too clever for its own good.