Captain Corelli's Mandolin

In 1940, on the Greek island of Cephalonia, Pelagia (Cruz) defies the wishes of her father Dr Iannis to become engaged to the fiercely patriotic fisherman Mandras, who enlists to fight the Italians in Albania. Though the letters she writes to her fiancé receive no reply, she firmly resists overtures from Capt Antonio Corelli (Cage), a music-loving bon viveur of sophistication, kindness and charm billeted at Iannis' house when the Italians occupy the island - at least, until attraction gets the better of her. But this is war: loyalty, betrayal and hatred run deep. What fans of Louis de Bernières' bestseller will make of this glossy period romance will depend partly on their reactions to the changes made by Shawn Slovo's screenplay - notably, the elimination of a gay subplot and a lightening of tone. Cage makes a decent stab at the rather implausibly fine Corelli, Hurt is his reliable self as Iannis, and Bale is mostly effective as the troubled Mandras; Cruz, however, neither looks Greek, nor brings much depth to her role. The film's perfectly watchable, but it's never more than that.