On my list for quite a while, with cheap cinema day around again, I felt it was time to see The Paperboy. Based on the novel by Pete Dexter, the opening scene certainly caught my attention. Set in 1969 and narrated by maid Anita, played by Macy Gray, she unravels the story of Hillary Van Wetter, a man jailed for the murder of the local sheriff. Looking to exonerate him from death row, Ward and Jake Jansen, played by Matthew McConaughey and Zac Efron, set out to investigate the events surrounding the murder.

Original, clever and witty, I really enjoyed this film. Meandering along, I felt it had just the right balance. With admittedly some strange scenes that won't be to everyone's taste, it added to the creepiness of some of the characters. An interesting role for John Cusack, it is quite far away from his leading man in a romcom usual. Genuinely in suspense for the latter part of this film, the build up had me hooked. With a great cast and performances from McConaughey, Efron and Nicole Kidman, David Oyelowo had some cracking lines. As one of my favourite films of the year so far, I am a little bit surprised with how much negative press it has had.