Star rating: ***
Dir: Alex de la Iglesia
With: Elijah Wood, John Hurt, Leonor Watling, Julie Cox

The English whodunnit meets The Da Vinci Code in this mathematical murder mystery set in and around the the dreaming spires of Oxford. John Hurt and Elijah Wood play a professor and student who apply their shared passion for logic to the investigation of a series of killings, the crime scenes of which are decorated with strange symbols that suggest a puzzle to be solved. Directed by Spanish filmmaker Alex de la Iglesia (best known for his Hitchockian comedy thrillers Common Wealth and Ferpect Crime), it's curiously uncinematic, like an episode of Morse. But it sports a fine cast and a clever plot that keeps you guessing.