Death Defying Acts

It’s 1926, and the world tour of escape artist Harry Houdini (Guy Pearce) brings him to Edinburgh. There he’s charmed by local con-artist Mary McGarvie (Catherine Zeta-Jones), who poses as a psychic to put Houdini in touch with his beloved dead mother. But what begins as a simple scam is complicated by their increasingly intertwined hearts.

The intriguing premise of this historical romance, which freely mixes fact with fiction, was dreamed up by co-writers Tony Grisoni (Brothers of the Head) and Glaswegian Brian Ward. Their script neatly contrasts deceptions of a professional and personal nature, and there are fine performances from the leads and their support: Timothy Spall and Atonement’s Saoirse Ronan. The film is let down in the end, however, by Gillian Armstrong’s surprisingly flat direction.

Cineworld, Tue 24 Jun, 8pm; Thu 26 Jun, 5pm, £8 (£6.40).