Little White Lies magazine

Film number five in Kenneth Branagh’s ongoing love-in with  Shakespeare sees the actor/director relocate this crowd-pleasing comedy-of-errors to the minimalist climes of eighteenth-century Japan. Bryce Dallas Howard sparkles in the role of Rosalind, the spurned love interest of Orlando (David Oyelowo), who is forced to flee to the country and disguise herself as a man. What makes the film work is the enjoyment of watching numerous heavyweights jockeying for position on screen and trying to stamp their distinct mark on the action. The range of styles can be a little distracting, but when you have sumo wrestling followed by flirtatious wordplay, a loss of consistency is only to be expected.