"I'm sort of confused...but keep going," is the priceless comment from femme fatale Anne Grey as tortured Nick Moran explains his predicament.

He is Simon Puritan, a sottish hack and fraudulent medium - Mystic Nick? who has got in over his head after beginning an affair with the flighty Anne (Rylance).

She's the wandering wife of Eric Bridges (Soul), an American millionaire self-help guru whose right-wing think tank - the Chapman Group - has government connections.

As if this web of infidelity and dodgy political dealings isn't enough, Simes reveals he has knowledge of the mysterious "fourth dimension".

This is a place where past, present and future come together and everything that has ever happened to someone may now be happening again. All at once. No wonder Anne's confused.

Director Hadi Hajaig has conjured up an intriguing premise bolstered by first-class cinematography and a darkly brooding atmosphere of menance.

However, Moran - the jaded veteran of a string of ambitious failures - simply doesn't have the charisma to carry the role of protagonist who stares into the heart of darkness.

Rylance lacks the casual edge of a genuine femme fatale while the twist concerning a ghostly scarred man who frequently visits Simon wouldn't tax even the most unenthusiastic player of Cluedo.

Ultimately, it never convinces. Hajaig has produced a movie where the content never matches the style.

Tim Evans