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Triangle

6/10

Stars: Melissa George, Rachael Carpani, Michael Dorman, Liam Hemsworth, Henry Nixon, Joshua McIvor, Emma Lung

Director: Christopher Smith

Stories in which the characters are trapped in a circular series of events are among the cinema's most fascinating. This one will send shivers up your spine - for as long as its secrets remain hidden. Once the jig is up, however, similar happenings are repeated too often for comfort, especially once you succumb to the idea that the plot can have no real resolution.

Even so, there are still some clever touches along the way.

Set in Florida, but made in Queensland, with an Australian cast doing American accents, the story follows Jess (George), young mother of an autistic son, as she joins a group of friends for a trip on board a yacht. Once out at sea, the vessel suddenly becomes becalmed, then hit by an immense electrical storm, which drowns one of the party and leaves the rest clinging to the upturned hull.

A mysterious liner hoves into sight, and the remaining five from the yacht board it. There seems to be no one on board but Jess has the feeling that she's been there before. Then people start getting killed and, as the plot progresses, there seems to be no escape for anyone from lethal events that continue to repeat themselves.

The plot doesn't quite play fair, even by its own rules, but George is easy on the eye in heels, singlet and shorts, and chiller fans will find the first half of the film at least to be fascinating and too-rarely-attempted stuff.

David Quinlan

UK/Australia 2009. UK Distributor: Icon. Colour by Atlab.
98 minutes. Widescreen. UK certificate: 15.

Guidance ratings (out of 3): Sex/nudity 0, Violence/Horror 2, Drugs 0, Swearing 2.

Review date: 11 Oct 2009