Hard Candy

With the advent of the internet, communication has never been simpler. Friends on opposite sides of the world can be connected in seconds, chatting to one another as if they were in the same room.

After a few taps of a keyboard, we're able to shop, manage our finances and even search for a soulmate online.

Life is for the surfing.

Alas, with technological breakthroughs come inevitable abuses of the system.

Screenwriter Brian Nelson and director David Slade explore the perils of online chat rooms in Hard Candy, a provocative and brutal thriller that takes the battle of the sexes to horrific extremes.

The film is largely a two-hander, with extraordinary performances from Patrick Wilson and youngster Ellen Page, last seen as Shadowcat in X-Men: The Last Stand.

The two actors joust verbally, locked in a war of words that threatens to descend into violence.

Our unease intensifies as illusions are shattered; no one is quite what they seem.

Fourteen-year-old schoolgirl Hayley Stark (Page) strikes up a conversation online with a lonely 32-year-old photographer called Jeff (Wilson).

They agree to meet in a cafe and Hayley enjoys the company of the older man, teasing him with her flirtatious behaviour.

After a cup of coffee and some cake, Hayley invites herself back to Jeff's apartment where their evening takes a sinister turn.

Jeff passes out and when he wakes, he finds himself tied to a chair, staring into the eyes of a vengeful young woman.

"Remember what I said about not drinking anything you didn't mix yourself?" she sneers. "That's good advice for everyone."

Hardy Candy is an expertly-crafted confection with a very dark, bitter centre.

A couple of the plot twists aren't entirely convincing but the blistering performances and assured direction make up for occasional lapses in logic.