Even though it was filmed on a shoestring, the film has style and substance on its side. Director-cowriter-costar Herbert uses inventive visuals, colourful sets and energetic performances to make the story come to life, even though it's not terribly original (the American comedy Two Can Play That Game had virtually the same plot). There's a terrific London vibe here, using real locations to great effect, and cutting to witty fantasy sequences every now and then to get us inside the characters' heads. And he even manages to make the backgammon metaphor work, despite overusing it shamelessly! Alas, he also doesn't seem confident enough to stop when he's ahead, and what's essentially a breezy and undemanding romp takes a couple of seriously disturbing turns. First there's the message that men have to be cold-hearted brutes if they want to get the girl, and then there's a second romance that takes over at the end in several strange and creepy ways (rape, murder and homosexuality all make an appearance). These scenes seriously weaken the clever and funny film that went before, making the whole thing feel amateurish and overambitious.