Amber Heard, Billy Bob Thornton, Jim Sturgess, Theo James, Johnny Depp

Catastrophically accepted by critics; officially the second worst film in American box office opening; on IMDb’s assessment 4.1 (albeit on the number of votes of 6600, which was not much of a measure)… Perhaps the film’s failure was caused by years of legal disagreements between the director and the production.

A.Heard was nominated for worst actress of the year ??? There are countless comments about how her terrible acting ruined both the film and the character from the book. Although unforgivable that she gave our Johnny (if she did) so much trouble in personal life, as an actress I absolutely love her (gossip and proving the truth should be dealt with by lawyers).

And I will again go against the whole world… I believe that the role of the fascinating ‘femme fatale’ was played exactly as it should have been – a film turmoil from sexiness, but without any vulgarity. As explained in her 2013 film ‘Syrup’ – ‘It’s not the naked body that’s exciting, it’s the possibility of it’.

Further : I liked the complete neo-noir performance very much, the characters that everyone condemns as unbelievable on the contrary are played very well, as the director imagined I think.

A mystery is also on the edge of unreal, throughout the action there is doubt whether the story the narrator is telling us is really happening, or is it all a figment of the writer’s imagination – the expression of the novel he is currently working on, in which case he is the real narrator, instead the character of the story?

A tribute must also be given to a perfectly chosen musical number, in a scene where J.Sturgess walks away from her, receiving money to pay back the debt, while in the background comes a well-known tune from ‘Dire Straits’ with a perfectly appropriate verse: ‘Money for nothing, and chicks for free’.

If we approach in one-dimensional way to scenario where a fatally attractive blonde flirts with multiple male characters (to find out which one of them will be her killer), then disappointment is guaranteed.

But since it’s a fictional neo-noir crime mystery with a lot of good actors, it was interesting to see J.Sturgess as a sleaty tramp/darts contestant, B.Thornton as a lone writer/narrator, and T.James as a well-to-do young businessman, all of them mesmerized by the emergence of a mysterious heroine.