[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

THE TOURNAMENT

DETAiLS TBC/95 mins./ July 23

DIRECTOR Scott Mann CAST Ving Rhames, Robert Carlyle, KeIIyHu

THIRTY ASSASSINS. 24 HOURS. One rule: kill or die. Or, failing that, just explode... Throwing around bodyparts like a trampolining zombie, Scott Mann's (Tug Of War, Pocket Thief) action trashfest sends Ving Rhames, Kelly Hu and assorted superhitmen into a battle royale set up by a corporate betting league. Who'll be the last hitman standing? And, more crucially, why's the million-dollar global assassination contest taking place in Middlesborough? When it comes to set-pieces, this mash-up of Running Man and Smokin' Aces offers up an array of moves (parkour, martial arts, gunplay) that, while admirably ambitious in scope, is aimost as baffling as its repeated attempts at 'haunted hitman' drama. The result is a lot of relentless energy going nowhere - and a sympathy note for Robert Carlyle, who (not for the first time lately) looks like a man who's woken up on the wrong movie set. SC**