Set in the glamorous fashion capitals of Europe, The Other Man boasts a first-rate cast (Liam Neeson, Laura Linney, Antonio Banderas), a Shakespearean director, glossy cinematography and an impressive literary pedigree (based as it is on a novel by Bernhard Schlink, author of The Reader).

It is also one of the most impressive misfires in a long time. To watch it is to understand why it went straight to DVD. The story focuses on the grief of a husband (Neeson) when his fashionista wife (Linney) vanishes from his life. When he uncovers emails from his wife's secret lover (Banderas), and photographic evidence of their affair, he tracks Banderas down in Milan.

The two forge an unlikely friendship over chess games in a café, with Banderas unaware of Neeson's identity. Several laborious exchanges about "capturing the queen" later, it turns out Banderas is not who he seems, etc., etc. A blurb on the DVD case promises "several surprising plot twists," and that's not the half of it. The film is almost as big a shaggy-dog story as The Big Lebowski, although handled with the utmost solemnity.

The trouble is, the filmmakers never find the right tone, so everything from the big reveal to Neeson's hammy rages to Banderas's jokey playfulness seem equally out of wack. Those of us who read The Reader but not this book may imagine all the shifts and surprises handled with a spare elegance on the page, but Eyre's film is incredibly ham-fisted.

The director comes across as very thoughtful and erudite in his commentary, when discussing his editing choices, the actors and so on, so it's painful to look at the finished product, as gorgeous as the images sometimes are, and see such a misguided whole.

The only person who comes across unscathed is Linney, who carries off her part with a beautiful subtlety otherwise totally lacking. The other extras consist of the trailer, and cast and crew interviews, suggesting everyone had a good time making the film. That's a relief. (THE 2011 BMW 135i is set to switch from its existing N54 twin-turbo setup to the German carmaker’s new N55 single-turbo inline-six, along with the 5 Series GT and the next generation 335i.

Developing 225kW and 407Nm of torque, the N55’s numbers fall a little short of the current generation N54, but the single turbo brings peak torque online 100rpm earlier than the current twin-turbo six.
Owners of next-generation BMWs featuring the newer engine can look forward to less turbo lag and - thanks to the integration of BMW’s VALVETRONIC system - better throttle response and greater fuel economy.

Improving fuel efficiency further, the 135i Coupe and Convertible will both get BMW’s seven-speed Double Clutch Transmission (DCT), including the revised paddle system that sees down shifts on the left and up shifts on the right.

No hard figures for the N55’s fuel consumption have been released, although reports last year claimed the N55-powered 535i GT will achieve around 11 l/100km. BMW has yet to reveal the styling for the upcoming second generation 1 Series, but bodystyles will likely cover the same range offered by the current model.