No Hollywood big-hitters, but Venice shines still, thanks to some five-star treats: BRIAN VINER reviews Poor Things and Hit Man at the Venice Film Festival

Poor Things (141 mins)

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Hit Man (113 mins)

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Coup de Chance (93 mins)

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The Killer (118 mins)

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There has been a small little glamour than accustomed astatine this year's Venice Film Festival, arsenic a consequence of nan Hollywood actors' strike. But there's been nary shortage of talking points and a fewer really awesome movies.

Poor Things by Yorgos Lanthimos, is my extremity for nan festival's main prize, nan Golden Lion. Anyone who has seen nan Greek director's erstwhile films, specified arsenic The Favourite (2018), will not beryllium amazed to study that this 1 is bizarre successful nan extreme.

Set successful Victorian London it stars Emma Stone, perfectly superb arsenic Bella, a female pinch what appears to beryllium nan mind of an infant, who shares nan location of a celebrated surgeon, Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe). It turns retired that it really is nan mind of an infant. After she drowned herself successful nan Thames, Baxter re-animated her by giving her nan encephalon of her ain unborn child.

So erstwhile we first meet her she is very simple-minded, but nan movie chronicles her improvement into an independent adult, a process that is hastened, somewhat graphically, by her find of sex. It's a singular film, changeable successful Lanthimos's trademark wacky style, pinch an uproarious capacity from Mark Ruffalo arsenic nan bounder who tries to utilization Bella's childlike naivety and ends up paying a dense price.

I besides loved Hit Man, Richard Linklater's caller film. It's a rom-com, a thriller and a achromatic comedy, each marvellously rolled into one, pinch a delightful move by Linklater's co-writer Glen Powell successful nan title domiciled of a mild accuracy professor who useful part-time for nan New Orleans constabulary and pretends to beryllium an assassin to entrap those hiring him.

Woody Allen's Coup de Chance is fun. It's his first image successful French arsenic good arsenic his 50th and rather perchance last characteristic overall. Set successful Paris, pinch a mellow jazz soundtrack, it stars Lou de Laage arsenic Fanny, whose apparently blissful matrimony to a able businessman is undermined erstwhile she starts an matter pinch an aged schoolfriend, Alain (Niels Schneider).

From location it becomes an Allen-esque souffle of adultery, jealousy and murder. It's very nicely done, his champion movie successful years.

Speaking of execution I rather liked nan Netflix movie The Killer pinch Michael Fassbender successful nan title domiciled arsenic an world assassin. It's moody, stylish and beautiful preposterous, but thoroughly watchable, pinch a cherishable cameo from Tilda Swinton.