MONEY MONSTER 
Dir: Jodie Foster (12A, 111 mins)
A timely thriller set in real time, this return to the director’s chair for Jodie Foster boasts a stellar cast, with a much hyped Black List screenplay. Mr Smooth himself George Clooney puts down his Nespresso to play a slick financial TV host, Lee Gates, whose popular show is produced by Julia Roberts. Irate and crucially, armed, investor Jack O’Connell, bursts into the studio to dispense his own form of justice after he has been left penniless. The hostage situation plays out live on TV as Clooney dons a bomb vest and tries with Roberts to uncover the financial conspiracy that has left O’Connell’s character destitute. It’s a tense setup with some real Hollywood firepower and O’Connell’s star is on the rise, his edgy but righteous plight powering events. Clooney goes from smug to picked to vengeful as Roberts tries to keep it all together. Strong support comes from dodgy Dominic West and police chief Giancarlo Esposito. This should be a gripping thriller from Foster, making her first foray behind the camera since the bizarre hand puppet drama The Beaver with Mel Gibson. This has a lot more going for it, hopefully providing a celluloid payday.
