WITH the stink of Battlefield Earth still clinging to him, John Travolta attempts to repair his battered reputation with this high-octane action-thriller.

Gabriel Shear (Travolta) is a techno-terrorist waging a secret campaign against anybody who dares to threaten the safety of America and its citizens.

The US government can't touch him - every time the cops try to arrest Shear and his cronies, they evade capture, leaving countless dead officers in their wake.

Needless to say, Shear needs a lot of money to finance his covert activities, so he plans a daring $9.5 billion electronic bank robbery.

Bank security is tight, so Shear hires the services of computer hacker Stanley Jobson (Hugh Jackman), who was recently released from prison.

If Stanley agrees to help with the heist, he will be allowed to regain custody of his beloved daughter Holly (Camryn Grimes). If he refuses... well, that's really not an option.

Swordfish opens in spectacular style with an astonishing set-piece, in which Shear detonates a bomb which razes an entire city block.

Sadly, the rest of the film can't really match the jaw-dropping thrill of this big bang. There are plenty of action sequences littering the predictable narrative but all seem tame in comparison.

Travolta chews scenery with gusto, all but cackling his way through the 90 minutes as the sharply-tailored villain of the piece. Jackman is an appealing hero, although the relationship with his daughter is poorly developed, and the flirtatious romance with Berry doesn't really ignite.

For her part, Berry simply slinks about the screen like a cat on heat, and briefly flashes her breasts. She's probably writing her Oscar acceptance speech as we speak...

DAMON SMITH