Why you can trust GamesRadar+ Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about our reviews policy.

This French cautionary tale is based on a 1796 gothic novel about devout Capucin Ambrosio’s (Vincent Cassel)’s fall from grace.

After offering succour to a strange, masked pilgrim, Ambrosio gets bitten by an insect in his rose garden – you can probably sense a metaphor brewing here – and the succour’s soon feverishly returned.

Director Dominik Moll makes some odd style choices – like Looney Tunes -style ‘iris wipes’ – and it’s a while before Cassel fully embraces his dark side, yet his customary charisma is what seals The Monk ’s redemption.