DVDs

Rumble Fish (18) Universal [pound]11.99

A tale of teenage isolation, Francis Ford Coppola's 1983 companion piece to The Outsiders stars Matt Dillon as Rusty James, a foul-mouthed street thug who idolises his absent older brother, Motorcycle Boy, played by Mickey Rourke. Rusty's mother has left, his father is a drunk and school has no relevance to his life. Thus his days are spent at the billiard hall waiting for something to happen. Stylistically, Coppola pulls out all the stops. If the drama is overly mannered and the symbolism overblown, Rumble Fish is still visually arresting and comes with a hypnotic score from the Police's Stewart Copeland. Bonus features include a making-of documentary and commentary by Coppola. HHH

Unknown (15) Optimum [pound]11.99

Inspired by Reservoir Dogs and Memento, Simon Brand's thriller (right) sees five men waking up locked in a warehouse in the California desert, their memories wiped after inhaling nerve gas. One has been shot, another tied to a chair. How did they get there? And who are the kidnappers and who the hostages? The decent cast maintains the tension in this chillingly effective picture. HHHH

Inland Empire (15) Optimum [pound]11.99

This typically oblique offering from David Lynch begins with Laura Dern's fading actress getting freaked out when she hears that the picture she is working on is cursed. At this point, the narrative is pretty much dispensesd, with and the screen overtaken by bizarre images, including people in rabbit masks sitting around on sofas. Lynch fans will love it, but for the rest of us deciphering it is too much like hard work. HH

The Painted Veil (12) Momentum [pound]11.99

Edward Norton and Naomi Watts successfully grapple with English accents in this lush adaptation of W Somerset Maugham's novel. With their marriage on the rocks after an infidelity, an introverted bacteriologist and a spoilt socialite set off for a remote, cholera- stricken corner of China. While the political context is too faintly sketched, both actors turn in intelligent performances and the photography is stunning. HHH

Fiona Sturges

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