When it comes to describing John Boorman’s lengthy career in film, inspiring is certainly one of the first words that springs to mind. Nominated for five Academy Awards – shared between Hope and Glory, and Deliverance – not to mention his BAFTA and Cannes Film Festival triumphs – it’s encouraging to see the octogenarian still writing and directing. That being said, his most recent endeavour, Queen and Country is a somewhat underwhelming effort that is regrettably more akin to his recent productions than the glorious pictures of old.

Set just a few years after the end of the Second World War, we meet Bill Rohan (Callum Turner), who signs up to the military to fight in the Korean War. However, like any young man, he is distracted by both his unruly, reckless roommate Percy (Caleb Landry Jones) – who seems more concerned with getting revenge on their authoritarian boss Bradley (David Thewlis) than representing his country – and the love of his life, the elusive stranger Ophelia (Tamsin Egerton).

The tone to this somewhat absurd picture is wildly inconsistent. During scenes between Bill and Ophelia, Boorman affectionately adopts the tropes of the romantic period drama, while back at camp, this becomes a farce of sorts, a slapstick satire that seems more comparable to the likes of M*A*S*H (where Landry Jones severely overacts). While a blend of cinematic styles is always welcomed, in this instance it feels convoluted and a little all over the place, seemingly unsure as to what its trying to be.

The romance itself seems to be a driving force in this narrative, though it’s somewhat shallow and barely delved into. Their relationship seems cold, and has a variety of different issues surrounding it, and yet we deviate away carelessly, never once seeming to fully understand exactly why – or how – this pair will come together, as we begin to question what on earth it all meant in the first place.

Sadly this sense of unfulfillment and perplexity in regards to the narrative, is what defines this particular experience. There are so many tangents we go down and paths we explore, and yet nothing feels truly, nor substantially dealt with, as you begin to wonder exactly what exactly it was all for. Sadly, a few days on, this writer is still bereft of any answers.