LONDON FIELDS: Matthew Cullen and Roberta Hanley's adaptation of Martin Amis' novel. Or is it producer Chris Hanley's cut?

At this point in her career, the very beautiful actress Amber Heard is probably best known for her seven-year, off-and-on relationship with the notorious Johnny Depp, as well as for playing gorgeous femme fatales, and for getting involved with movies that end up in lawsuit-land, sometimes remaining in limbo for years -- as did All the Boys Love Mandy Lane and now the finally-released-theatrically-after-three-years-on-the-shelf, LONDON FIELDS.

The film-- it premiered a few years back at the Toronto film festival -- was not well-received, resulting in a nasty disagreement between director (Matthew Cullen) and producer (Chris Hanley). TrustMovies is not quite sure of what that result actually is. He also does not know if the streaming link for the film he recently viewed (which was nearly one quarter-hour shorter than the running time listed for the film on the IMDB, the soundtrack of which was not quite in sync with the lip-movements for about half of the film) was the Toronto cut or something quite else.

Not having read the original novel by Martin Amis, I can't compare the film to it. On its own merits (or demerits), this version seems to have a very "writerly" screenplay/dialog (by Roberta Hanley, the producer's wife, courtesy, I am guessing, of Mr. Amis), some of which is rather fun. It is classily photographed (Guillermo Navarro), and its plot -- about a beautiful young woman juggling at least three different lovers who is said to be clairvoyant and thus foresees her own death -- is certainly serviceable.

Yet the result, as seen here, is too heavy-handed by half, and even unnecessarily repetitive. In the leading role, the gorgeous Ms Heard is an eyeful and fun to view, whether in her "demise" dress (two photos above) or her skivvies (just above) or playing a bespectacled caseworker (below). She makes a believable femme fatale in all her several forms.

As the satellite fellows who circle round her, Billy Bob Thornton (below, left) proves the most interesting, playing the writer who intends to use her story as entryway to a best-selling novel.

Jim Sturgess (below, right) and Theo James (below, left) complete the trio. Mr. Sturgess, who more often plays sensitive types, here appears in uber-crass mode, and unfortunately the screenplay does not allow him to be be anything more. Mr. James is, as usual, handsome, hot and hunky, even if his character is also a bit too one-note. (The character does have a very amusing, if scary, young son.)

The ubiquitous Mr. Depp (below) makes what I am told is an uncredited appearance in what is a quite large supporting role, while Jason Issacs appears briefly as a famous writer, the London flat of whom Billy Bob has traded for his own Hell's Kitchen apartment. (Do stay around for the final sequence in which we note, via a comic literary television interview, the lengths to which a writer will go to achieve a new success.) There is some satire here, and some of it is fairly funny, though I feel certain that the novel, as is usually the case, is a good deal better.

All told, the film is pretty (sometime very), campy (probably unintentionally) and rather dumb fun. Whoever gets the credit for what we see here, I have experienced a lot worse times at the movies and, I wager, so will you.

From GVN Releasing and running 105 minutes, London Fields opens theatrically nationwide this Friday. October 26. In New York City it plays the AMC Empire 25, and in the Los Angeles area it opens all over the place, including Laemmles' Monica Film Center and the Cinemark 18 & HD in L.A. proper. Here in South Florida look for it at AMC's Aventura 24, Sunset Place 24, Indian River 24 and CityPlace 20, and at the Cinepolis Grove 14.  To see all currently playdates, cities and theaters around the country, click here.

Charlotte Rampling gets another (semi) juicy role in Barnaby Southcombe's (semi) mystery thriller -- I, ANNA

It's usually an unalloyed pleasure to watch Charlotte Rampling work -- whether in an odd-but-revealing documentary like The Look, or giving a grand and probing performance in the recent 45 Years, or as here, in the made-in-2012-but-only-now-getting-a-video-release movie I, ANNA. Ms Rampling is often better than the films she's in (45 Years in an exception, but this one is not), although paired with that very capable actor Gabriel Byrne and surrounded by support that comes from Eddie Marsan, Hayley Atwell and Jodhi May, these actors bring enough luster to keep you interested and alert.

As directed and adapted (from the novel by Elsa Lewin) by Barnaby Southcombe (shown at left), who has worked in television for some fifteen years (this is his first full-length feature), the movie tracks the tale of an older woman named Anna (Ms Rampling), as she goes out for the first time to one of those "dating" evenings that take place in the meeting rooms of large hotels, and at which she uses the pseudonym, Allegra.

Just previous to this, we've seen her in a phone booth (no cell phone for this lady!) asking if she might join someone (lover? ex-husband?) on some sort of trip. We only see one side of the conversation, but the answer appears to be negative. Sure enough, Anna meets someone at the dating night, but  before you can say "Have fun, honey," our girl suddenly appears to come awake and rise from the floor next to her date -- who is now a very bloodied corpse.

What happened here -- and how -- is what the movie is mostly about. That, and the not-very-professional police work done by our "hero," the investigating detective played by Mr. Byrne (above), who meets our heroine in the building's elevator, where she has left her umbrella, and appears to fall in love at first sight (well, hell: the object of that love is Ms Rampling, so why not?).

Does our Anna (above) return that interest? Yes, sort of, but this lady, particularly as brought to life by the actress, is a rather complicated person. Divorced, she has a daughter and grandson with whom she lives and in whom (the daughter, at least, played with loving annoyance by Ms. Atwell) she confides.

Slowly and bit by bit (a little too slowly, in fact, and with too many of those bits), the filmmaker lets us have a closer look at what happened on that fateful night. Other possible suspects come to the fore -- the man's ex-wife (Ms May) and his son -- yet back and back we keep coming to the Rampling character. And the actress does not disappoint.

Unlike Dominique Sanda (whom we viewed only yesterday), Catherine Deneuve, Stefania Sandrelli, as well as other actress of this age range, Rampling has not grown matronly. She is as stunning and svelte as ever -- just older. And I think she is more able now than ever before to be expressive and deepen her performances.

Mr. Southcombe does have a major surprise in store for us, and the fun of this lies in how we suddenly see the ways in which we've been misled all along. For his finale, the filmmaker clearly has a choice of two directions. While I would have chosen the other one, the needs of today's marketplace surely predicated the unjustified and less-than-believable ending of I, Anna.

From The KimStim Collection and running 93 minutes, the movie is being distributed in the USA by Icarus Films Home Video, and will appear on DVD this Tuesday, June 21, for rental or purchase.