Last week I scribbled down my thoughts about Gladiator II in this blog because I was a bit annoyed by some of the snark around it but also out of loyalty to the brand because I had liked the original and other Ridley Scott films, especially The Duellists. The truth is the sequel has its flaws but it’s a film bound to lose a certain kind of critic in the trees, when the (holly)wood is staring out at them with a cheeky Irish smile.

This week I reviewed a quite different new release, The Last Dance, a human drama from Hong Kong about how we cope with change and death that moved me to tears while delighting me with its quality as a piece of film – the acting, script, cinematography, even the English subtitles.

I was the only one in the auditorium at the cinema in a town near London (which has a large community of Hong Kong emigres). Ironically given that this is a film haunted by the recent pandemic, it felt a bit like lockdown – maybe the approach of Storm Bert had kept people away? – but still, I do hope more people go and watch this film. I would happily go back.

Oh, it does also feature a sword – but fewer sandals.