Stylish, biting re-telling of the story of Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be hanged in Britain, shot in appropriately harsh colours by Peter Hannan. Though one can understand filmmakers' obsession with Ellis, first played 28 years earlier by Diana Dors in Yield to the Night, the events of the case are perilously close to the monotonous to sustain a full-length movie. One row, reconciliation, love-making session or beating between Ellis and her lover are, after all, very much like another, despite the excellent performances of Miranda Richardson (who conjures up a remarkable physical resemblance) and Rupert Everett. Ian Holm offers his customary skilled support as Ruth's oft-rejected older suitor, and Stratford Johns also scores in a role far removed from his old image as Chief Inspector Barlow. The film's finally a narrow victory for style over content.

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