In the Mood for Love **

There wasn't a lot to get excited about in the nineties, but Kar Wai was that rarity, a modern director whose name can get you excited about a movie. Well, it seems even he has run out of ideas.

His latest has none of the charm and character that distinguished his output of the last decade. Leung and Cheung are neighbours who discover their spouses are cheating on them. Maybe I'm dumb, but it took me half the movie to realise this. I'm all for subtlety, but this is taking it to extremes. The pair decide that if you can't beat them, join them, embarking on their own affair. This could possibly be the most boring on screen romance ever, full of pregnant pauses, pretentious dialogue that would be laughed off the screen in a western movie, and so much slo-mo that the movie would be considered a short if played at normal speed.

When you've said all you have to say on a subject, move on.