Movie recommendation: The Bling Ring (M18)

THE BLING RING (M18)

91 minutes

Rating:3.5/5

UNITED STATES - The Bling Ring was the catchy name coined for a group of seven teenagers and young adults who burgled the homes of celebrities in Los Angeles.

In the film, it starts with new student Marc Hall (Israel Broussard) falling under the spell of Rebecca Ahn (Katie Chang). From unlocked cars, they move on to target celebrities' pads.

Rebecca and her ilk, including her friend Nicki (Emma Watson, above) pore over magazines and gossip websites and draw sustenance on the never-ending stream of images of the rich and the fabulous. Add to that a sense of self-entitlement and the result is a combustible mix. They treat the homes of the stars as their personal shopping malls, rifling through walk-in closets and raiding jewellery boxes.

Writer-director Sofia Coppola (Lost In Translation, 2003) draws compelling performances from newcomers Chang and Broussard.

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