Hounded (2022)

Four pals are quite adept at ripping off wealthy country houses whilst their owners are off at a posh soirée or the opera or something, so are more than ready to break into the stately "Redwick Hall" and help themselves. Thing is, though, it's all a trap. After a bit of tasering they wake up in a field to meet the lady of the manor clad in finest hunting pink (Samantha Bond) who has had just about enough of the lambs trying to rule the lions, so she sets them free and tells them to get lost. Except, well before they get very far they hear some barking... Lots of barking... Yep, this isn't a fox hunt. These are banned, don't you know. This is an hunt for more of the lesser spotted two legged beastie and they'd better get a-running. So far, yes it sounds terrible and I am afraid that is doesn't get any better as they try to escape from their perilous predicament in one piece. I thought at first it was going to be a comedy. Bond's tongue is most definitely in her cheek and the presence of James Faulkner and Nick Moran encouraged me to think that there must a be joke coming along soon. Nope, the joke was on me, as this amateur bobbins took away ninety minutes of my life and left my wondering why on earth anyone thought this would work. Malachi Pullar-Latchman and Hannah Traylen take centre stage for the burglar's alliance but they make very little impact as the story takes just about every opportunity it can to underwhelm. If there's a cleverly disguised message here about the entitled classes or those who just take what they cannot afford themselves, then it was wasted on me as this just lurched, ridiculously, from silly to sillier. Skip it, I'd say.