Fast food exposé lacks bite

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But, as a full-frontal assault on the fast food giants (who for legal reasons should not be confused with McDonald's or Burger King), this represents game, set and match to the opposition.

In attempting to cover all the angles, Fast Food Nation ends ups spreading itself too thin. The first half is dominated by Greg Kinnear's mission to discover why "Mickey's" burgers contain so much cow manure; the second by the experiences of a Mexican wetback (Catalina Moreno) in McJob America.

But while the film is peppered with some excellent performances, the characters' dilemmas verge on the trite. Linklater is a talented filmmaker who knows how to swivel lackadaisical, apparently slight slices of life so that they deliver a real kick (see Slackers and Before Sunset). But here, trying to paint a Big Picture, he winds up looking complacent and naive.

We are told that the burger industry is fast, furious and out of control, but the sheer horror of the meatpacking process never overwhelms us. We should leave Fast Food Nation with our brains and stomachs in revolt. I left feeling faintly peckish.

LFF runs until 2 November. Information: www.lff.org.uk, 020 7928 3232.

Fast Food Nation
Cert: 15