Low-budget British action thriller Stratton punches above its weight yet the script completely lets it down

STRATTON (Dominic Cooper) is a Special Boat Service soldier working for MI6 when a mission goes wrong.

And it reveals that not only has a terrifying Russian terrorist come back from the dead, but that he has chemical weapons to hand.

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For a low-budget British action thriller, Stratton punches above its weight – the opening action sequence promises a lot in a sexier version of Spooks kind of way – yet the script completely lets it down.

As hard as the clever pairing of Cooper and the terrific Gemma Chan tries to add a touch of gravitas, Connie Nielsen’s inexplicably bad MI6 boss would be better off in Spy Kids.

There is a moment where she ponders the phrase “the tanglement of weeds” which is Razzie award-worthy guff at its best.

How you go from a starring role in the year’s biggest superhero movie to this is any agent’s guess.

Things like that coupled with the imminent lethal chemical attack being named “Satan’s Snow” left me cold.

So sadly, although starting with good intentions, the wheels quickly come off.

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Even a creepy, duplicitous Tom Felton and Derek Jacobi hammered on a houseboat can’t really elevate this, which is a shame because it could have been fun.

Stratton (15) 94mins

Rating: ★★☆☆☆