Random Hearts

A weepy romantic melodrama for the wrinkled generation, Random Hearts is shamelessly sentimental stuff, but it's effective in its own manipulative way. I expected to hate it, but it was far too classy for that - and if the film isn't exactly in the Wings Of Desire league, it has a certain Club-Class style and sophistication which should sucker 90% of viewers in before they've even realised it.

The plot throws tough cop Ford and high-flying politico Scott-Thomas together in the most tragic of circumstances: a plane crashes in Florida, claiming the lives of their respective spouses. It soon becomes apparent that Ford's wife and Scott-Thomas' hubby were on their way to enjoy a weekend of unrestrained extramarital lust - not for the first time, or even the tenth - and this realisation hits both bereaved parties like a bombshell.

Ford mounts a rigorous one-man investigation of every little detail pertaining to the affair - while Scott-Thomas, a Republican congresswoman in the middle of an election campaign, prefers to draw a line under the whole episode. Of course, a massive mutual attraction simmers under the surface for an hour or so, before exploding into life - at which point the film's momentum flags a little. Ford looks more haunted and vulnerable than I've ever seen him, and might as well have "MY WIFE HAS JUST DIED" engraved on his forehead throughout - but Scott-Thomas seems content to recycle her usual English Patient thing, and neither character is really likeable enough to have you rooting for them.

There are hints of political dodginess here and there, as well. Scott-Thomas character addresses Republican Party meetings at which not a single black, Asian or Hispanic face can be seen, and the film's only black characters are sociopathic criminal scum (apart from one token good cop). Still, it would be churlish to deny Random Hearts' efficiency: you know you're being manipulated, but you don't feel any need to argue. When you find yourself almost moved by a cinematic love affair between a cop and a right-wing politician, you know it deserves credit.