Michael Winterbottom is known for his ambitious and thematic films that explore many controversial topics in inordinate ways. His new film, "The Face of an Angel" is a heavy-handed film that features good performances from its cast but fails to compel and ultimately falls flat.

The film, starring Daniel Bruhl and Kate Beckinsale, tells the story of a journalist and a documentary filmmaker who chases the story of a murder and its prime suspect. From this synopsis, the film sounds simple and straight forward. However, what ensues is a convoluted film with so many plots entangled and many tonal shifts.

At the beginning, it all starts like a thriller in which Thomas (Bruhl) sets out to write a script based on the murder of a young exchange student. With the help of a journalist, Simone Ford (Beckinsale), he begins to meet other reporters and start to piece the case together to write the script to the film.

The film moves at a tense speed as the audience is allowed to see the case and also enter the world of journalism. Winterbottom explores the idea of truth and fabrication with Thomas constantly question what in fact happened and how much has been made up through tabloids and dishonesty. It makes for a compelling first act.

However, the film quickly evolves into a psychological drama that explores obsession and Thomas's sanity. He begins using drugs and having nightmares. These nightmares, however, shift the tone into comedy from overt sex scenes to CGI dragons. It is a bit much and takes the focus away from the actual story. He also begins a relationship with a college student Melanie (Cara Delevingne), who guides him through Sienna, Italy and helps him investigate the case. However, that leads him into a world of more drugs and dangerous situations.  

To top it off, Winterbottom adds a whole subplot about Dante and tries to tie in Thomas' life with "The Divine Comedy." The film begins to lose its focus and ultimately creates a muddled mess that is hard to follow. While the meandering quality of the plot mirrors Thomas' own writer's block, it becomes a frustrating endeavor that wears on the viewer's patience. 

With so many plotlines and characters to follow, it's hard to fully develop the characters. Thomas is obviously the most fully fleshed person in the film as the audience is forced to follow everything he sees. Bruhl does good work in the film but his character is cut short as there is never a cathartic moment or a sense of arrival for him. In fact, it is truly hard to feel that Thomas has actually arrived at any sort of the enlightenment that he so ardently seeks. That could very well be the point, but again, it does not take away from the frustration of the viewing experience.

Simone also gets a short lived part as the character disappears half through and returns toward the end. However, what the character ultimately seems like is a tool to give Thomas some sexual release. She adds nothing useful to the plot and there is never a sense of why this character is so crucial to the story and why she is the first person Thomas interacts with. Beckinsale does the best with the character adding dignity and vulnerability to Simone. But she never has enough screen time to truly get the most of her character.

Melanie is a bit more defined but she comes and goes and it is never quite understood why she is even necessary to the overall makeup. Did Winterbottom try to make an allegory to Dante's "Inferno" and give Melanie the part of Virgil? It's never clear and it is frustrating to see these characters come in and out of the film.

All in all, "The Face of an Angel" is well-intentioned and even ambitious. However, one point in the film actually tells the viewer what is wrong with the whole picture. When asked what his script is about, Thomas states that "there are too many angles." That indicates an unfocused story and that could not be closer to the truth regarding Winterbottom's latest film.