I, Anna

Gabriel Byrne and Charlotte Rampling star in this overextended and rather slight mystery thriller about a single woman named Anna (Rampling), who is linked to the bludgeoning death of a man who took her home from a party. Byrne plays Bernie, a London cop on the case who is drawn to Anna, growing protective even as he tries to sort out the facts. Writer-director Branaby Southcombe (Rampling's real-life son) is guilty of stretching the thin plot to the breaking point. But he does have some fun along the way, turning a frog-green umbrella—repeatedly left in different places by the distracted Anna—into a clue, and getting some Lady Macbeth mileage out of Anna's itchy forearm. Short on story, I, Anna largely serves as a vehicle for Rampling's smart performance. An optional purchase. (T. Keogh)