THE original title of this batty thriller was The Hungry Rabbit Jumps, a coded phrase that crops up early as we open on a man being secretly filmed while being questioned by persons unknown.

Moments later he's in his car and being pushed off the roof of a car park by another vehicle, and how these events are connected with husband and wife Will and Laura (Nicolas Cage and January Jones) soon becomes clear.

He is a New Orleans teacher and she a musician whose lives are turned upside down when she is brutally assaulted.

Will is approached by someone calling himself Simon (Guy Pearce) who says he is with an organisation who will 'take care' of the problem.

After a bit of thought, it's an offer Will accepts, and sure enough, Laura's attacker ends up dead, killed by the husband of a previous victim of crime.

But, just like in The Godfather, Will may be called upon by Simon to provide a service, which starts out innocuously enough, with just deliveries and observation.

But soon he's being asked to murder a suspected criminal as payback for the service provided for him, and if he refuses, things are likely to turn very nasty indeed for Laura and him.

Vigilantism always makes for an interesting and provocative subject matter, though one that's rarely treated well by modern movies.

But Justice doesn't really ask any moral questions of the audience, preferring to quickly turn into the usual innocent man wronged melodrama.

It also doesn't take very long at all to go from silly to preposterous.

It's one of those daft thrillers where practically everyone in it is part of a network of operatives, a springboard for moronic twists that provide absolutely no clue just whose side Xander Berkeley's cop is supposed to be on.

It is cheap looking and over-egged when it is being serious, and twee and unconvincing when it is trying to be a bit lighter, and all you really get in the way of excitement is shady guys watching and doing things unseen and some extremely low rent chases.

Cage in normal guy mode is like Fun Bobby from Friends when he's sober – just not enjoyable for anyone to be around, and you realise you miss the wacky, off the wall Cage, who at least brings a certain manic energy to films that are invariably rubbish anyway.

Director: Roger Donaldson

Running time: 104 mins

OSLO, AUGUST 31ST (15) Intimate talky drama fades in second half

ANDERS, a recovering drug addict living at a rehab facility attempts suicide, even though he's been clean for a while.

He's struggling with his return to normal life, but things might be looking up, with a job interview which takes him on to the streets of Oslo for a day.

There he catches up with an old friend who has his own frustrations, and their time together is shown in a touching but not overplayed manner.

Unusually centring on middle class characters, this is a small and intimate drama that is very talky, but that's fine when it offers a number of strong scenes, and it is mournful but not depressing in the way it questions whether anyone is ever really happy.

Unfortunately Anders Danielsen Lie, right, isn't quite up to the mark in the lead, with a performance that lacks charisma.

But that's only part of the reason the film dips so badly in a second half that becomes much too meandering and unfocussed, which somewhat dampens the emotional kick.

Director: Joachim Trier

Running time: 94 mins

SNOWTOWN (18) Raw, gritty, with a chilling lead performance

THE murders committed by Australia's most notorious serial killer, John Bunting, are recounted in gruesome detail in this coldly effective drama.

It is told from the point of view of 16-year-old Jamie, who lives in a deprived Adelaide suburb with his mother and two younger brothers.

When Bunting befriends their mother, he at first seems friendly, but is soon taking out savage reprisals against those in the neighbourhood whom he deems deficient in some way.

Cast largely with newcomers and unknowns, whose lived-in faces provide authenticity, this is raw, gritty and often repellent, but filmed and acted with such natural immediacy that it attains a certain power, with a chilling performance from Daniel Henshall as Bunting, who remains alarmingly placid throughout.

Director: Justin Kurzel

Running time: 120 mins