The warning signs about Gasper Noé’s new film, Climax, were there early on. Anyone who releases a poster declaring themselves to be a daring provocateur is more likely to rely on obvious shock tactics than subvert expectations in their attempt to try something truly outlandish. And so it proves, with the Argentinian director picking on the easy targets in his latest attempt to shock and revile.

It’s not as if Noé doesn’t have form for it, but you always felt…

“There are loads of people here who can empathise with what it’s like to have a dad who became a banker, a lawyer, a judge, or whatever. And this is what happened to a kid whose dad went off and became a terrorist. And this is how it fucked up the family. And fucked up a country.” These are the powerful opening words of an explosive artist, in a documentary pieced together from over 700 hours of footage shot across…

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 in the thickness of the black atmosphere.

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

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…