This appears to be a throwaway Coen Brothers adaptation of a classic British caper film, re-created in Mississipp, with Tom Hanks in the Alec Guinness role. It's quite clever, but will probably go down best with cinema buffs out to compare the two, or with ardent Coen fans who want to see everything they do.

It's about a gang, plotting to dig a tunnel into a casino strong room from the house of a God fearing, larger-than-life black woman, who is conned into thinking they are a bunch of classical musicians, using her basement for rehearsals. Of course, they're up to no good and she's not as dim as she looks.

Does it work? Well, up to a point, yes, although it's fair to say you tend to get glimpses only of the Coen's unique talents. If you've not seen the original, or forgotten most of it, then the remake might seem fresher, but if you have seen it first time round and love it, this will appear but a pale imitation.

What works coolest is the interplay between Hanks, at his most cunning and devious, and the landlady (a lovely performance from Irma P Hall). Add to that a great cameo role by a ginger moggie and a clever on-running gag about rubbish ending up on rubbish barges that pass along the local river.

The Ladykillers (Mark II) is a neatly wrapped Coen Brothers film, undeniably theirs, but slightly hit and miss.