David Farnor | On 31, Jul 2021

Director: Vaughn Stein
Cast: Casey Affleck, Sam Claflin, Veronica Ferres, India Eisley, Michelle Monaghan
Certificate: 15
Where to watch Every Breath You Take online in the UK: Sky Cinema / NOW / Apple TV (iTunes) / Prime Video (Buy/Rent) / Google Play / Sky Store

“Every breath you take, Every move you make, Every bond you break…” Before you can get to the end of the first verse of The Police’s classic, you realise that Every Breath You Take has nothing to do with that song – and from the moment on, the only mystery surrounding this drab thriller is how much longer it takes until every step you take gets you out of the room and away from the screen.

Casey Affleck stars as Philip, a psychiatrist who’s supposedly great at his job – but that doesn’t stop him having terrible people and communication skills when it comes to his own marriage and wife, Grace (Michelle Monaghan). And so it is that he ends up in burdening his own problems and grief on to his patient, Daphne (Emily Alyn Lynd). He presents this as a revolutionary technique, something that seems to have cured her from her suicidal thoughts after she got out of an abusive relationship, until, that is, her dead body is discovered a while later.

Enter Daphne’s brother, James (Sam Claflin), who turns up to sort out her affairs and is keen to talk Philip. He doesn’t blame him, he insists, but does start to insert himself into every part of Philip’s life – offering his wife lifts in his car and seducing Philip’s daughter (India Eisley).

To say that he’s a suspicious sort is an understatement, and there’s some fun to be had in seeing Sam Claflin play evil but not so evil that he can be accused of anything. But for all his dark and sultry screen charisma, the whole film just becomes a dull slog, thanks to a predictable script that attempts to recreate 90s pot-boiling thrills but only ends up feeling dated. With little depth and few surprises for the cast to sink their teeth into, the result is a dreary, derivative piece that – despite its title – is lacking its sting.

Every Breath You Take is available on Sky Cinema. Don’t have Sky? You can also stream it on NOW, as part of an £11.99 NOW Cinema Membership subscription. For the latest Sky TV packages and prices, click the button below.

 

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