Swimming With Sharks - TNT

Christian Slater adds another eye-catching performance to his West End credits with an abrasive portrayal of Buddy Ackerman, a misogynist, money-making Hollywood producer of crowd-pleasing schlock horror movies who'll play as dirty as a dung beetle to get the No.2 job at the studio. He'd kill his own mother to get where he wants to go.The fast-paced first act of this stage adaptation of George Huang's 1994 film satirises both the movie makers and the audiences who pay to see what they churn out. But the violent and melodramatic plot twists after the interval don't work, and neither Slater's powerhouse performance nor strong support from Matt Smith (as his gofer, Guy, who eventually shows all the signs of turning into as much of a shit as his megalomaniac boss) can salvage the change in tone.
Vaudeville, Strand WC2 (0870-040 0084). Until January 19. £20-£45