Nicolas Cage wigs out again as an unhinged CIA agent in espionage thriller Dying of the Light, but this time it’s his ragged prosthetic ear rather than his hairpiece that grabs the viewer’s attention. Sliced up by an Islamist terrorist in the opening scene, Cage’s rogue spy is still itching for revenge 20 years later, but early-onset dementia is playing with his mind and giving him the shakes. With aid from a young colleague (Anton Yelchin) and an old flame (French art-house darling Irène Jacob), can he complete his mission? Thanks to writer-director Paul Schrader’s sluggish filmmaking, it’s a dull trudge finding out, despite stopovers in Bucharest and Mombassa and the familiar sight of Cage going over the top.

Certificate 18. Runtime 92 mins. Director Paul Schrader. Released in cinemas & on digital platforms by Signature Entertainment http://youtube.com/v/Q48g1ijnSlI

A film critic for over 25 years, Jason admits the job can occasionally be glamorous – sitting on a film festival jury in Portugal; hanging out with Baz Luhrmann at the Chateau Marmont; chatting with Sigourney Weaver about The Archers – but he mostly spends his time in darkened rooms watching films. He’s also written theatre and opera reviews, two guide books on Rome, and competed in a race for Yachting World, whose great wheeze it was to send a seasick film critic to write about his time on the ocean waves. But Jason is happiest on dry land with a classic screwball comedy or Hitchcock thriller.