French as a mutton bonfire

What does Jean-Luc Godard, the cool ruler of Sixties film, have to say now, at the age of 72? The answer is... let's say a challenge. Within seconds of opening, it's clear he is attempting nothing less than a visually poetic essay comparing the period of politics 1945-68 with that of the post-political Americanised present.

It's tough going - 'There can be no resistance without universalism or memory' is the sort of line that either has your goatee bobbing in agreement or your fingers cranking up Gareth Gates's 'Unchained Melody'. For added disorientation, Godard tells the story backwards and depicts the present in black and white, the past in supersaturated colour. French as a mutton bonfire.

Verdict: Well 'ard.