Pacino's mess

After the mundanity of The Recruit and the idiocy of Gigli, People I Know is the latest Al Pacino turkey.

He's ageing publicist Eli, cracking under the pressure of today's no-holds-barred operational style. When his only hot client (Ryan O'Neal) asks him to fish a girl out of a mess, he wearily obliges; when she turns up dead the next day, his pill-induced blackout means he doesn't remember anything.

Unfortunately we do, and the rest of the film is a tedious wait for Eli to clue up as to the people who wanted the girl dead - and may now be after him. No one who has ever seen a thriller would take as long as Eli to catch on, especially when the plot is this predictable.

The only slightly surprising element is the fully operational Jewish conspiracy alive and well and operating out of Wall Street - an additional ugly note this unattractive film really didn't need.

People I Know
Cert: cert15