The theft of $35 million worth of gold bullion in Venice is going well until one of the group turns nasty. A year later, the remainder of the gang (together with an ex-gang member's daughter) re-forms, bent on revenge. As well as a strong desire to recover their stolen loot, I suspect there was also a strong desire to drive those zippy little Mini Coopers, which really are the stars of this movie ((mdash)) they provide at least as much entertainment value as the wooden acting and dull script. I'm not really a car-chase fan, but this flick provides little else to raise the heartbeat. It's a remake of a 1969 film starring Michael Caine, and from all accounts, it seems director F. Gary Gray should have left well enough alone. Perhaps that's a bit harsh... as a heist film, it's entertaining enough. It's Edward Norton I feel a bit sorry for - apparently he had to take the part to fulfil a contractual obligation - which seems pretty obvious from his disappointing performance. It's a steady flick (if a tad overlong) with some slick and stylish action scenes. Did I mention the cute cars?

Rather like Harry Potter 2, this movie dispenses with clumsy scenes designed to introduce the characters and just gets on with the cool stuff - and is all the better for it. Our intrepid heroine (Jolie as the titular Lara) discovers an orb that will reveal the location of Pandora's Box, which of course is also the ultimate weapon. Racing her for the prize is evil scientist Jonathan Reiss (played by a gleeful Hinds). Lara - commissioned by MI6 - seeks out an old flame to help her quest, but can she really trust him? Sounds familiar? Lara Goes Bond would make a less unwieldy title, and the comparisons don't stop there. Cue well-shot action sequences in exotic locales: a hidden temple in the Greek Islands, a secret lab in Hong Kong, and the final showdown in Kenya. In fact, the movie was largely filmed at Pinewood Studios, the traditional home of Bond moviemaking. Hollywood's become good at turning out effective action movies; this one is directed by Jan de Bont, whose credits include Speed and Twister. The fact that Lara was originally a game character is irrelevant. The Cradle of Life is miles better than the first movie.