Joe Wright’s reprisal after the critical panning of The Woman in the Window is a well acted period piece with a contemporary edge. 

This adaptation of the age old Cyrano tale may be best suited to the ignorant, I had no past experience with this source material and for the most part I found it to be an entirely serviceable, calculable tale encouraged by fantastic performances from the entire cast. Peter Dinklage gives one of the best performances of his career, he’s intelligent, witty, empathetic and takes on the musical set pieces with confidence. Haley Bennett is another highlight, particularly her musical scenes in which her experience of the role is evident. Kelvin Harrison jr gives a fantastically mature performance and also shines in the musical set pieces. There’s a good range of catchy and interesting songs which are often interwoven quite strikingly into the narrative. 

The Cyrano story is intrinsically likeable but the story is quite stiff at times. I found the narrative to be surprisingly head on but in a meaningful and effective way, it’s simple but relatable. The film is a bit long winded, you can certainly feel the length by the end. The ending is predictable and probably won’t be massively memorable but it’s effective and heartfelt.