Blood Simple

In this re-make of the Coen brothers' tourniquet-tight thriller about what happens to best laid plans, sweaty Texas is swapped for the scorched deserts of ancient China. Here an adulteress and her lover brainstorm about bumping off her rich husband. The big boss gets wind of their affair, however, and sets his own plan in motion – greasing a policeman to do away with both. When the copper brings his own schemes to the mix, it’s not long before arses can’t be told from elbows.

With its slapstick comedy, bizarre setting and psychedelic filters, watching Zhang Yimou's Blood Simple is like blearing at an episode of Monkey through a bong cloud. It’s a look that works with the nightmarish quality of the story. Because the characters are so outlandish though, it’s hard to buy into the base instincts behind their actions. Gaudy and ridiculous, Yimou’s re-imagining is a welcome change from Hollywood’s paint-by-number re-makes of Asian cinema. [Alastair Roy]