Kicks (2008)

It's an intriguing idea, but the film is too timid and awkward to really get going Full Review

All at once a sensitive coming-of-age drama, a mildly implausible abduction thriller and a bittersweet love letter to Liverpool, Heymann's film plays like This Is England for the celebrity-obsessed No... Full Review

The initial stages of this film -- just hanging out with Nicole and Jasmine -- are considerably more interesting than the rather strained denouement. Full Review

Look for your kicks elsewhere. Full Review

It doesn't quite sustain itself all the way through, but Kicks displays an intelligence and verve that are hard to deny.

It's a promising feature debut... Full Review

The film moves in and out of credibility as if on a dimmer switch, but Hayes and Burley give it the wattage they have. Full Review

The film disappoints because, just like Lee's young kidnappers, once the set-up's out of the way, it has no idea what to do next. Full Review

Fatally undermined by the implausibility of the situation and the banal dénouement's disappointing lack of drama. Full Review

What's most alluring, though, on an intimate scale, is how far Heymann tries to tell her story not through talk but through physical observation and music (even if she relies on a lot of Ladytron). Full Review