FILM OF THE WEEK

The Lost City Of Z (Cert 15, 140 mins, StudioCanal, Drama/Romance, available from July 17 on Amazon Video/BT TV Store/iTunes/Sky Store/TalkTalk TV Store and other download and streaming services, available from July 24 on DVD £19.99/Blu-ray £24.99)

Starring: Charlie Hunnam, Robert Pattinson, Sienna Miller, Tom Holland, Angus Macfadyen, Ian McDiarmid.

In 1905, British artillery officer Colonel Percy Fawcett (Charlie Hunnam) accepts an invitation from Sir George Goldie (Ian McDiarmid), president of the Royal Geographical Society, to map uncharted territory in Bolivia with the help of local tribesmen.

Percy abandons his wife Nina (Sienna Miller) to venture into the unknown with aide-de-camp Corporal Henry Costin (Robert Pattinson). Their son Jack (Tom Holland) is born is his father's absence and Percy returns home with a strong conviction that he has stumbled upon proof of a lost civilisation - which he calls Z - that will astound the academic elite.

A second expedition in the company of wealthy adventurer James Murray (Angus Macfadyen) teeters on the brink of disaster, but Percy pushes forward, terrified of the consequences of failure.

Based on author David Grann's non-fiction bestseller, The Lost City Of Z is a handsome tribute to one man's struggle against himself and Mother Nature.

Hunnam delivers one of the strongest performances of his career against a lush backdrop. Pattinson is reserved in support, while Miller embodies an endlessly supportive spouse, who encourages her husband to chase his impossible dream by pontificating, "a man's reach should exceed his grasp".

Unquestionably, director James Gray suffers from acute jungle fever expecting us to retain focus for almost two-and-a-half meandering hours. At least 20 minutes could have been cleaved, then tossed to the piranhas that swarm during one terrifying sequence.

"What kind of fool am I to leave my family for this place?" Percy ponders aloud at one point. It's a question that the film never fully answers.

Rating: ***