Following his interesting indie film Forty Shades of Blue, Ira Sachs comes up with an enjoyable 1940s-style film pitched halfway between film noir and Douglas Sirk-style angst. It's set in 1949 and is full of multiple subterfuges and hidden motives. Dour lead Chris Cooper is in a stale marriage to Patricia Clarkson, and wants to leave her for mistress Rachel McAdams. His best friend, Pierce Brosnan, also the narrator, falls for McAdams at first meeting, wheeling an enjoyably twisted plot into motion. In a slyly knowing film, Brosnan's is the stand-out performance, but everyone is on form. Adaptor Sachs gives you three alternative endings as a teasing DVD extra.