Netflix’s first big-name narrative release of the year sees Oscar-nominated director Dees Rees working with her most starry cast to date, overseeing an investigative thriller led by Anne Hathaway and with support from the likes of Ben Affleck, Willem Dafoe and Rosie Perez. But her adaptation of Joan Didion’s novel, The Last Thing He Wanted, quickly identifies itself as an incoherent mess that eventually winds its way towards delivering an early contender for one of 2020’s most ridiculous endings.

Miscast…

There’s little mystery as to who Greed is really about. While the character played by Steve Coogan is called Sir Richard ‘Greedy’ McCreadie, the perma-tanned, arrogant ‘King of the High Street’ turned "unacceptable face of capitalism" takes his inspiration from Sir Philip Green. Aside from having the retail mogul trained firmly in his sights, director Michael Winterbottom also has a thing or two to say about the unscrupulous nature of the fashion industry, although his messy approach continually pulls its…

There is Daniel Day Lewis' performance, a standard which has become almost ludicrously normal for the man now. Paul Thomas Anderson's assured writing and direction instils an epic feel within the stripped down surroundings. Then there is the music. The score by Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood will be the first thing that coats you with the thickness of the film’s black atmosphere.

Greenwood's compositional skills have developed over the arc of Radiohead's career, pushed forward after the group dropped their guitars…

By choosing Alain Delon for the role of Jef Costello - the brooding, silent assassin who slinks through the murky shadows of the Parisian night - Jean-Pierre Melville highlights the importance of casting. Finding the right person who can disappear into their character and embody their spirit. When the frame can be focused on a face that so clearly tells a story of its own, the symbiotic relationship between director and performer evolves beyond the expectations of standard storytelling.

Very…