Some films appear effortlessly cool and sexy. Red Sparrow is not one of them. The problem is, it tries too hard to be.

Main character Dominika (Jennifer Lawrence) is a Russian Ballerina turned Special Agent, and is tasked with obtaining the name of a mole. She learns her new spy skills at 'Sparrow School', where she is dehumanised and trained to use sex as a method of getting valuable information from Russia's enemies.

The film does a good job in keeping us guessing whether she is genuinely working for the Russians or has switched allegiance to the Americans. The sets are interseting and Jennifer Lawrence gives a good performance as the cold and calculating lead.

However, there were just too many flaws and cringeworthy moments to rescue this film . . .

The sexual scenes and nudity - whether as part of the Sparrow School training, or in unfolding relationships, or even just a scanty swimsuit - all appear to be clumsily thrown in for the sake of titillation only. It's as if the producers decided in advance that they needed a certain quota of flesh to make the film sexy. Its all a bit ham-fisted and lame.

The characters are generally one dimensional, most of them wearing the same dead pan emotionless expression throughout with little room whatsoever given to humour or back story.

Then there's the incessant music . . . Someone decided it would be a neat idea for the same monotonous score to play out in the background over every second of this film. It was irritating me before the opening title came up, and there was 2 hours more of with no let up to follow.

I was largely disliking this film until the final 20 minutes or so, when the conclusion makes sense of the various twists and turns. It was a genuinely satisfying ending that redeemed the film at least a little.

So overall, a disappointment. Which is a pity - the plot is a good one, and all the elements were there to make a cracking good film. It's just to cheesy and stupid to be the cool and sexy film it tries so hard to be.