Burton and Taylor

Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton were a riveting couple and Burton And Taylor was a wholly riveting 90 minutes.

Bonham Carter has a firm hand on a fundamental conflict within Taylor, which is that she seems like such an impossibly elegant, self-possessed woman at some moments and like such an infuriating flake at others.

Bonham Carter offers up a sympathetic Liz who is in the process of squandering her talent; West makes Burton's brokenness seem like a noble resignation. And both seem surprised that each other's company is no longer the cure for what ails them.

The film is a fascinating window into two very turbulent celebrities.