Magpie

This film centres on married couple Annette (Daisy Ridley) and Ben (Shazad Latif), whose daughter Matilda (Hiba Ahmed) is cast alongside a glamorous movie star, Alicia Romano (Matilda Lutz). As the days go by Annette's suspicions are raised about the relationship between Ben and Alicia, and as Ben's relationship with with Alicia becomes deeper and deeper, Annette can't follow what is happening as Ben has begun locking his phone. But perhaps Annette is more devious than Ben realises... This is a really nicely done thriller. I'm not a great fan of Ridley, but she plays the sidelined wife really well and I truly felt her pain as her husband's relationship with the actress developed. There was something slightly off right from the start, but of all the things it could have been, I never once suspected what it really was. It's not until the end scenes that we get the full picture but no spoilers here, I want you to enjoy the ride!

The music was odd at times, the score was very rasping and didn't always fit the scene. There were some mildly silly plot points but nothing to spoil the film at all. I was saddened by yet another DEI casting. It seems like we must have an interracial relationship in every film we see these days, a far greater proportion than exists in real life, which means I can't always relate well to the cast. However Latif puts in a good performance and I always felt there was a brooding menace from him, which helped the tension throughout. All in all it's not a groundbreaking film but it's certainly a worthwhile thriller that everyone will enjoy, not just misandrists. I rated it a healthy 6.

By far the best aspect of taut little British psychological drama "Magpie" is its cracking lead performance from Daisy Ridley as a doormat wife trampled on by narcissist hubbie Shazad Latif as she edges towards insanity in their beautiful yet remote country home. Things come to a head when young daughter Hiba Ahmed is cast in a film shooting nearby, where Latif gets drawn to captivating lead actress Matilda Lutz (rising star)... but how will Ridley react? Sam Yates' direction's fine, Tom Bateman's debut screenplay's neat enough (albeit with holes), and the support cast's solid - but the big fish here is unquestionably Ridley. A terrific actress, so strong again.

Living in a sumptuous modern country house, successful but blocked Anglo-Pakistani author Ben is stuck in a dour marriage to Annette. This state of affairs is telegraphed from the outset, with much of the marital discontent Ben's own fault. He is clearly bored by his unhappy spouse, while Annette is suppressing anger over Ben's condescending attitude and lack of support after she gave up her career to raise their two children. The eldest is 6YO Mathilda, who has been cast in a film as the daughter of its principal character. As Ben escorts Matilda to the set each day, he becomes attracted to lead actress Alicia, and Annette soon becomes suspicious.

Deeper discord becomes apparent as jealousy grows, leaving one wondering why the couple doesn't just call time on their dismal union. Meanwhile the narrative settles into a creative rut with all three main characters depicted as deceitful, manipulative and fairly unlikable. The story trots along an unexceptional path until it arrives at the surprise twist and melodramatic climax which is obligatory for this movie genre. The project may well be commercially successful, but thirty seconds of reflection after the end titles will have many shaking their heads at the characters' shallowness and the plot's implausibility. The acting is decent, but the screenplay's deficiencies leave one yearning for the richness of a classic like 'Body Heat' which enabled Kathleen Turner to transform deceit and manipulation into an art form.

Magpie is a great showcase of Daisy Ridley's acting chops. She shows here that she can tackle a serious and complicated role outside of the Star Wars universe. The movie's premise is about a family's young daughter who is an actress who is starring along side a very popular actresss. The husband of the family starts to be infatuated with the actress and descends with being unfaithful to his wife who is played by Daisy Ridley. There is a little bit of cat and mouse game that is played here to effect and it's a slow burn. Magpie might not be for everyone who is looking for a fast paced thriller. Magpie gets a solid 7 stars out of 10 from me.

This movie was okay, but definitely not Daisy's best. The film follows Annette, a woman who appears to be suffering from postpartum depression. When her daughter gets a role in a movie, Annette is left home with the baby while her husband Ben takes her to the set. On set, Ben meets Alice, a famous actor, and quickly finds himself falling for her, only for Annette's mental health to continue to spiral.

Overall, it was an entertaining enough movie. The script definitely needed a little more work. None of the characters are particularly likable. However, Annette does get some sympathy points for her husband wanting to cheat on her because she is sad. Daisy does an excellent job of being the unhinged, crazy, suspicious wife. I think they could have explored her character a bit more. It's also like they couldn't decide if they wanted Annette to be the villain or not. The ending was also pretty predictable. However, they did a couple of things to throw the viewer off, making some plot holes when you stop to think about it. If I had to summarize it, it feels like something is missing somewhere. If you're looking for Daisy Ridley movies, I'd recommend Young Woman and the Sea or The Marsh King's Daughter first. However, if you've seen those, this wasn't bad; it just felt incomplete.