The story is intriguing, although as it progresses we begin to worry about where it's going (and once we get there, we realise we should have worried a lot more!). Writer-director Needs seems to lose his grip on the material from the very beginning as the actors (and the narrative) rattle around the cheap-looking sets, struggling through each increasingly improbable plot turn and straining our credibility to the point where we giggle at what should be serious climactic scenes. Both story strands are extremely uneven: The 1930s cast is very good, even though the characters and their intertwined relationships never register on screen (for example, Richardson wriggles seductively in extremely tight dresses, but her instant romance with Thomas isn't believable). On the other hand, the modern-day mystery is much more compelling and interesting, but this cast is simply not up to par (Ross should be the film's heart and soul, but never convinces us for a moment). The whole film has a slightly slapped-together feel to it, like Needs himself wasn't confident in his material and yet goes for it anyway. Although he strangely shies away from raw, authentic scenes that would help pull us into the complex story. There's skill here but not nearly enough passion.