What happens when one of America’s finest living writers teams up with one of  its most laughable? James Ellroy’s mastery of the crime genre is by now indisputable. Kurt Wimmer is the creative force behind sci-fi underachiever ‘Equilibrium’. When they met it was… mediocre.

Numerous well- worn Ellroy themes crop up as Keanu Reeves’ morally ambiguous cop investigates the murder of his treacherous former partner, presided over by Forest Whitaker’s paternalistic but shadowy captain. Director Ayer’s stated aim was a police procedural free of the usual stereotypes, but every aspect of this production is riddled with the worst kinds of cliché.

For British viewers, the sight of Hugh Laurie cursing a blue streak still has a certain undeniable charm. And as the plot contrivances pile up and the bodycount spirals the film threatens to tip into outright pastiche, transforming a commonplace thriller into a low rent camp classic.

But sadly this never happens – Ayer’s grip on his abysmal material is too sure, and what could have been endearingly daft remains merely forgettable.

Director: David Ayer

Time Out rating: 2/6