A Street Cat Named Bob (Roger Spottiswoode, 2016)

Based on James Bowen's best-selling autobiographical book about his life on the streets as a heroin addict and subsequent salvation attributed to finding a cat to take care of, this is quite a departure for a director best known for Hollywood action films. But then many people get soppy with old age, and despite the bleak beginnings, this is a film with a very soft centre. Which is no bad thing in itself, because while offering hope, it still doesn't eschew showing the realities of the gutter, and it ultimately works because we can believe that all this really happened. Although you may have to be a cat-lover to swallow that having to look after a feline can really provide you with enough of an emotional anchor to drag yourself out of the mire.

6/10