after the initial nostalgia of watch a vhs for the first time in year and have find this video amongst my parent collection of video and there be nothing much else to say in the way of enjoy oneself watch this film . of course this have nothing to do with the actual film which and no doubt and most people will be watch on dvd anyway . i should first point out that this be a review from a person who prior to see the film read the book while an excellent and grip thriller . so and without go into particular and the screenplay be atrocious . it come across to me a though it have be write by someone who love the book and wish to put a many small reference to the book into the film a possible . there be many of these which only someone who have read the book will even notice . there be others that non reader will also notice because they make so little sense to the story of the film and this be where the problem lie while in try to make a faithful adaptation of the small detail the screenwriter have forget to put any plot in . towards the end of the film then and the screenwriter obviously decide that the script be miss something and so decide to change then entire end of the story . bad of all be the pander to either the female audience or the stardom of kate winslet and give hester wallace a much large part in the story than she originally have . i have nothing against this in principal but it simply not what robert harris write and a simply unnecessary change to the plot . this bring me onto cast and then the acting of the people who be cast . dougray scott be possibly the bad idea of them all . he doesn not fit the description of tom jerico in the slightest and his acting and not to mention his accent and be horrible . hester in the book be small and skinny represent i know . let cast someone who pregnant . her acting be unremarkable and her persona change somewhat too much . the rest of the cast be adequate . kind of . why 3 star and not 1 then . well i do not want to be too harsh and you have to give credit to the crew and consider how incompetent they be and or at least remember to turn the camera on .