Film: This Means War (12A)

Director: McG

Big bang specialist McG adds to his action back catalogue of Charlie’s Angels 1 and 2, and Terminator Salvation with this pithy romcom about two best mate CIA agents who fall for the same girl. Using all the options at their disposal to win the lady around brings up so many more possibilities than your usual office rivalry, and with Star Trek’s maverick Kirk, Chris Pine clashing swords with upcoming The Dark Knight Rises nemesis Bane, Brit Tom Hardy.

Both chaps are more well known for their action CVs than romantic comedy experience (Pine’s 2006 Just My Luck with Lindsay Lohan debacle notwithstanding), so it will be interesting to see how the muscle-bound action bunnies take to the comic timing and light touch delivery. Obviously, perky femme fatale Reese Witherspoon is an old hand at the genre. It’s a simple premise, much like Mr. & Mrs Smith: The Courting Years might have been, but whether there’s anything more than that remains to be seen. With the script coming from the pen that brought us romcom Just Go With It (starring Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston) and boys’ gross out Role Models (starring Paul Rudd and Seann William Scott) this should continue a trend of passable fun.

Read our interview with This Means War star Reese Witherspoon, p20, and win film goodie bags in Competitions, p18.

Released Friday 2 March. Showing at Odeon and Cineworld.