The Air I Breathe

By Robbie Collin

IT'S been months since we've had a good old, honest-to-God depressing film. But holy cow, The Air I Breathe more than makes up for lost time.

Because it's not just one misery-packed story we've got here, but four.

The plot follows four strangers whose lives connect up after they get involved with Andy Garcia, playing a gangster called Fingers (so-called because he's axed more digits than the guy who added up Macca's pre-divorce fortune).

Forest Whitaker is a gambling stockbroker; Sarah Michelle Gellar is a fledgling pop star; Brendan Fraser is a bodyguard who can see the future and Kevin Bacon is a doctor in love with his best friend's missus.

All four stars do a solid job of making their bleak tales interesting and the music vid-style camera work gives the film a much-needed energy boost.

This film went down like a damp guff in a stuck lift when it was released in the US in January. It's nowhere near as bad as all that.

Heck, it's not even the worst thing out this week. As long as you're prepared to buy into the laughable coincidences that tie the whole thing together, it's worth a look.