James Gray directs Charlie Hunnam, Robert Pattinson and Sienna Miller in this true life tale of a career soldier and family man who became obsesssed with exploring the South American wilds for proof of a hidden civilisation.

I have struggled with my feelings for this one. Like Gray’s previous gangster flicks it has a rich golden warmth, an intricate nostalgic look and an air of intelligent mediation that suggests a work of quality and lasting merit. Yet like We Own the Night or The Yards it also just passively sits up there on the screen, distant and uninvolving, echoing better movies (in this case Fitzcarraldo and Apocalypse Now). Now there is Leanian ambition here and a riveting enough story here that my mind has drifted back more than a few times to it over the week as an experience. Retrospectively I’m struggling to dismiss its grand narrative, enthusiastic mysticism and measured visual metaphors. And a middle expedition hampered by an absolutely pompous shit of a human added a little much needed fun and humanity to the endeavour, which I loved. Fuck, I’m going to have to watch this again to be sure, aren’t I?

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