A thriller that might as well have been released in 1996, when everybody and their brother and their sister and their cousin twice-removed was trying to be Quentin Tarantino ...

You can almost see the moment when the super-talented Saoirse Ronan checks out in terms of character and I think James Gandolfini gave up before the end of rehearsal. I just felt bad for Alexis Bledel.

Of course, the violence is cringe-worthy and, at times, over the top. But view this as a modern comic book/fairy tale, and it's easier to accept this saga of girls with guns and the life lessons they eventually confront.

Gleefully amoral and esoteric, its destiny as a cult hit is probably already written, but otherwise it's a breath of fresh air that defies classification, despite the fact it comes at the expense of someone's last gasp.