The Secret Scripture

This is a honourable film that has hits and misses. Watch it for the performances, particularly Redgrave's. Its most telling line is this: Bravery in the face of the enemy

The Secret Scripture is a highly streamlined adaptation of Sebastian Barry's 2008 Man Booker finalist.

Its lack of nuance and persistent plotting issues frequently undermine much of the potential emotional heft.

Sebastian Barry's Costa prizewinning novel is gutted and reconstituted to the point of absurdity in this cockeyed adaptation.

Variously lukewarm and lugubrious ...

It's the construction, not the performances, which undermines The Secret Scripture.

Adapted from an award-winning novel that no doubt gave the time and space for its characters to breathe, the movie fails to give any emotional weight to those on screen.

In the end the plot falls back on melodramatic clichés of forbidden love.

In even the smallest expressions of this freedom, whether it's a rare grin from Mara or Redgrave playing a few bars of "Moonlight Sonata," "The Secret Scripture" soars.

On a positive note, Rooney Mara is a very talented actress and is as captivating as ever in the film - Bana and Redgrave also do their best with the material, but the strong cast is not enough to rescue this dud of an adaptation from Sheridan.