The Cold Light of Day - Jason Bourne's long distance cousin 

The Bourne films seemed to herald a new genre in movies, i.e. `the chase' film. These are the ones where our hero, always wrongly accused on something and on the run from gun-totting agents from some black-ops government agency or another, has to leg it from one location to another, narrowly getting away each time (and picking up a helpful girl along the way who will serve as the `love interest.'

The Cold Light of Day is one of these sorts of films. But is it up to the `Bourne standard?' In short - no. It's like some sort of distant cousin of the Bourne films that no one really talks about and has been left locked in an attic for most of its like while feeding off live rats and dust sandwiches.

There's a guy (name unimportant). His family get kidnapped by a shady government agency (it doesn't really matter which one) and he has to get something he doesn't know about for them, in exchange for his family's safety. Oh, and along the way he meets a girl. It's one of those movies where you can either just listen to it, or maybe even watch it with the sound turned down - you'll still understand everything that happens.

Basically, it's `Bourn by the numbers,' Everything here, despite trying hard to be good, is distinctly average. The only real surprises are how this film managed to attract action heavyweights such as Sigourney Weaver and Bruce Willis. I can only think they fancied a trip to Spain (oh, yeah, it's set in Spain by the way) for a few days filming. They're not in it that much, despite featuring prominently on advertising campaigns.

If you've never seen a chase movie before, this may come off as highly entertaining and original. However, if you have, just stick to Bourne, or any of its other clones.

Failing that, it's a nice film to have on if you're doing other things at the same time, i.e. you can pop out to get a cup of tea or answer the phone and come back without missing any of the plot.

6/10 May just keep you awake if Freddy Krueger was haunting your nights