A good cast star in a tale of unrequited love, with a difference, from the director of Notting Hill, based on a novel by Booker prizewinner Ian McEwan,

Academic Joe (Daniel Craig) has set up a lovely day in the country with ladylove Claire (Samantha Morton). Suddenly a hot-air balloon, with a young child in it, appears to be coming down in the field, followed by others running at full pelt, trying to aid a safe landing. Among these is Jed (Rhys Ifans).

Joe leaps up to help in the rescue and during the melee that follows, the balloon comes down to rest, only to take off again. All those trying to add their weight, including Jed and Joe, are suddenly airborne. Everyone jumps to the ground before the balloon gets too high, except for one man who takes off into the sky, still hanging onto a rope.

The young man doesn't make it - you need to know this, because the first half of the film is taken up with those involved in the doomed rescue attempt having guilt trips about their part in it. The second half involves a fatal attraction that Jed begins to form for Joe. We're told later this is a particular disease called Clerembault's syndrome - an obsessive form of amorous delusion sparked off by a traumatic incident.

An intelligent psychological thriller then and certainly an unusual one. Ifans does well in the interesting part of the screw-loose Jed. Craig has less to do and that is where the film seems weakest. Once Jed begins to show signs of attraction, Joe seems to do very little about it, which is especially odd, given that his relationship with Claire begins to deteriorate. It's strange, for example, that he doesn't get her to have a word with Jed. A female touch might have come in handy, especially since Claire can't be too happy about this unwanted gay approach to her boyfriend. Nor does Joe think of contacting the police, now that stalking is a recognised offence.

Similarly, the incident itself - should they, or should they not, have jumped when they did - leaves you feeling they were wrong to get worked up about it. They did what they thought was right. If the other man left it too long, that was his lookout. Also, we're told that the small child single-handedly brought the balloon down safely a few miles further on and, believe me, that seems highly unlikely.

Not a film then that seems totally in touch with reality, which might annoy some people, although, since McEwan is happy with the result, anxieties must lie with the novel rather than the film.

The cast make the best of a tense affair.