SHE SHOT THE SHERIFF (THE UNFORGIVABLE)

Have you ever had the cinematic equivalent of a fly in your soup?

You know, the kind of film that is going great guns until a stupid plot twist?

Welcome to Nora Fingscheidt's thriller 'The Unforgivable' - the cinematic equivalent of watching an equestrian rider and their horse about to have a winning clear round, only to clip the final fence.

Based on the hit 2009 ITV series 'Unforgiven' with Suranne Jones, the German director casts Sandra Bullock as a woman who has spent 20 years in prison for the murder of a sheriff.

Assigned Rob Morgan's parole officer Vincent Cross, she moves into a hostel for ex-prisoners in Seattle while trying to find work as a carpenter.

Bullock's Ruth Slater has been hardened by jail - a fact that is rammed home by her furious reaction when she catches her roommates rifling through her belongings.

In addition to trying to remain on the straight and narrow, Ruth is also determined to track down her much younger sister.

Aisling Franciosi's Kate was five when Ruth was arrested and jailed for the gunning down of W Earl Brown's Sheriff Mac Whelan.

Adopted and raised by Linda Emond and Richard Thomas' well to do Rachel and Michael Malcolm alongside their daughter Emma Nelson's Emily, she is a promising young pianist.

However she is plagued by brief flashes of memory about what happened the day she was separated from Ruth.

She is so troubled that she is injured while driving in a car accident while drifting off to sleep at the wheel.

As Fingscheidt's film progresses, we see Ruth's memories of that fateful day in flashbacks.

We realise that when he was tragically shot, Sheriff Whelan was trying to cajole Ruth and Neli Kastrinos' five year old version of Kate to leave their farmhouse during an eviction that had turned into a tense stand-off.

Unable to find work on building sites, Ruth is referred to a salmon gutting business in Seattle by Vincent that takes on ex-cons and is assigned to work alongside Jon Bernthal's Blake on the night shift.

It's hard work but she's a quick learner and Blake is quickly drawn to her, despite Ruth's nervousness around others.

Making it her mission to track Kate down, Ruth catches a bus out to the farmhouse where they once lived which is now occupied by Viola Davis and Vincent d'Onofrio's Liz and John Ingram and their two teenage sons.

Observing Ruth staring at their house, Liz sends John outside to find out why she is standing at the bottom of their field.

Explaining she did some work on the house, John invites her inside to see how they transformed the place.

As Ruth rushes off to catch her bus while struggling with the emotion of being back in the house, John gives her a lift to the terminal.

Sensing there's more to Ruth's story, he asks her to tell him what's really going on.

Ruth reveals her conviction for the murder of Sheriff Whelan in the farmhouse and tells him of her desire to track Kate down.

A corporate attorney who does pro bono work, John offers to take up her case.

But with Sheriff Whelan's sons, Will Pullen and Tom Guiry's Steve and Keith Whelan fuming about her release and gradual reintegration into society, can Ruth keep safe as they monitor her every move and contemplate revenge?

Will she be able to track Kate down without violating the conditions of her parole?

Will John be able to pursue her case when Liz discovers who Ruth really is?

Will Rachel and Michael be even open to a discussion with her, given that they have prevented any of the letters she wrote to Kate from prison getting to their adopted daughter?

How will Blake react if she also reveals her prison past?

There are many positives to shout about Fingscheidt's film.

Working from Peter Craig, Hillary Seitz and Courtenay Miles' well crafted adaptation of Sally Wainwright's three part ITV miniseries, she draws out a strong central performance from Sandra Bullock.

Few movies or dramas depict the struggles of offenders released from jail as they reintegrate into society as vividly as 'The Unforgivable' does.

A lot of that is down to Bullock's committed performance which isdevoid of any vanity and unquestionably the best Bullock has ever delivered onscreen.

However the rest of the cast are also superb.

The always reliable Viola Davis and Vincent d'Onofrio are excellent as the couple who are reluctantly drawn into Ruth's attempts to rebuild her life and are wary about the consequences.

Davis is her usual, no nonsense self - compelling every time she is onscreen.

It is a joy to see D'Onofrio sinking his teeth into a role as substantial as this.

Linda Emond and Richard Thomas are also very convincing as Kate's proud and protective adopted parents.

Irish actress Aisling Franciosi grabs her opportunity to impress in her first major American screen role and works really well with an equally impressive Emma Nelson as her adopted sister Emily.

Will Pullen and Tom Guiry do sterling work as brothers indulging their revenge fantasy.

Guiry, in particular, does an effective job as the more feckless sibling who talks a big game but who you doubt will really see his threats through.

Rob Morgan provides the tough love of a concerned parole officer, while Jon Bernthal turns out some of his best work of recent times as the co-worker who falls for Ruth.

Fingscheidt, who inherited the project from 'Mission Impossible' and 'Jack Reacher' director Christopher McQuarrie, also does a really good job in her English language feature debut for Netflix.

Working alongside Mexican cinematographer Guillermo Navarro and film editors Joe Walker and Stephan Bechinger, there is a real grittiness to the movie.

Navarro's use, in particular, of helium cameras and ultra prime lenses and his willingness to get into the heart of Seattle's bustling city streets brilliantly conveys Ruth's anxiety as she ventures into an unfamiliar and hostile world.

Hans Zimmer and David Fleming's score also works, with a really effective version of Radiohead's 'Everything In Its Right Place' in the climactic moments of the film.

All of this excellent work by Fingscheidt, her cast and crew, however, is undone by a plot twist that was also the Achilles Heel of the original British miniseries.

It's the kind of twist that torpedoes the credibility of what was up to that point a really credible film and it blows such a hole in it that it quickly starts to take in water, while not completely sinking.

What should be a tense, nerve shredding conclusion is unfortunately undermined by a twist that is excessive.

Were it not for this narrative blunder, more people would be shouting about Fingscheidt, Navarro, Bullock, Davis, D'Onofrio and Bernthal's work as we head into awards season.

A film that bravely shines a light on the struggles of ex-prisoners in society is undermined by a failure to confront and ditch the miniseries' big weak spot.

And, while there is much to celebrate in this film, that lack of ruthlessness really is unforgivable.

('The Unforgivable' received a limited cinema release in the United States on November 24, 2021 before being made available for streaming worldwide on Netflix on December 10, 2021)

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