These promising ingredients all find themselves in a four-year slice of his life as told in The Edge of Love, but anyone hoping to leave the cinema well-versed in Dylan's works may be a bit disappointed.

Director John Maybury's period flick - loosely based on fact - shifts the focus from exploring literary genius to a dark tale where love and friendship collide with desire and guilt.

Dylan (Matthew Rhys) is a man torn in love, between ‘the star in my dark sky’, childhood sweeheart Vera Phillips (Keira Knightley), and his headstrong wife Caitlin (Sienna Miller), whom he describes as ‘on my earth, just where I want you.’

Working as an underground singer during wartime London, Vera bumps into her lost love after 10 years apart, and is devastated to find out Dylan has a new woman in his life.

The ties binding this love triangle become stronger as rivals Vera and Caitlin soon form a surprising friendship.

Enter another love dimension in the form of Captain William Killick (Cillian Murphy). As he leaves for war, the action moves to the rural expanses of Wales, where the action takes a more claustrophobic turn.

Style-wise, The Edge of Love dishes up a delicious feast for the eyes, depicting the 1940s as an era drenched in sexual intrigue, bohemia and reckless romance.

And for anyone needing evidence that chain-smoking can be sexy and glamorous, with the players sparking up in every scene, this film is a class A exhibit.

Cast-wise, it's also a triumph. Rhys perfectly portrays the petulant, self-obsessed Dylan but injects just enough wit and charisma to show why ladies fall at his feet.

Murphy is a revelation as the outside lover always looking in, his haunted eyes conveying the horror of war and the sad realisation Vera's heart will never truly be his.

But the male leads step into the shadows to allow the film to concentrate on the intense relationship between the girls - always hinting at something deeper, but never quite acting on it.

Knightley's pouty acting style is somewhat of an acquired taste (one I'm still acquiring) and her performance here isn't a million miles from Cecila in the far more superior Atonement.

But she still pulls off her character with grace and genuine emotion, and co-star Miller packs in a surprisingly good turn as the feisty but inwardly vulnerable Caitlin.

But while the film excels in style, its substance runs out of steam halfway through – no thanks to a wayward script penned by Keira’s mum Sharman Macdonald.

After a gripping, slick start in war-torn London, the intricately-woven relationship threads between our four players just unravel to a sprawling and confusing mess.

I was on the edge of my seat as this film began, seeing something I thought I could love. By the end, however, like its title, I was on the edge of love, and on the edge of caring.

By Chantal Spittles

Star rating HHH