ELVIS

Cert 12A

153 mins

BBFC advice: Contains drug misuse, discrimination, sex references, injury detail, strong language

I was 14 years old, on holiday in a hotel in Bournemouth when I read the headline: "Elvis Presley Is Dead."

Yes, it was one of those dozen or so news-flash moments which are fixed in my memory.

And it wasn't as if my family were fans. My mum and dad didn't even have a record player when I was growing up.

But everyone knew that this was big. No argument - Elvis was one of the world's most famous people.

Since that day there have been more movies about the King of rock 'n' roll than can be counted so it was a bit of a surprise that Baz Luhrmann should be given $85m to create his take on his story.

But, to his credit, he goes left field, chronicling the incredible life of Elvis through the eyes of his controversial manager, Colonel Tom Parker.

His film is also propelled along by two outstanding performances by Tom Hanks as Parker and little-known Austin Butler as Presley.

Both cut complex figures - Parker is an illegal immigrant who was never in the army let alone a colonel and Presley struggles to find reality in the adulation he had so craved.

The film takes a few liberties, chronicling Presley's career from the mid-1950s when he first cut a single with Sun records.

His family are painted as being very traditional and not wanting him to set out on a pop star road.

Parker is portrayed as being ultra-persuasive while using Presley's talent to fill his own pockets, claiming a 50/50 split is justified.

Gradually, he takes over the influence of the young singer who wants to be a rebel, causing controversy as girls swoon with his wiggling hips.

Butler does a fabulous job of recreating Presley as a man who performs with great gusto but is brimming with self-doubt. He looks like Elvis and sounds like Elvis.

Meanwhile, Hanks is an exaggerated version of Parker (his accent is far thicker than his would have been), but is nevertheless as impressive as always.

They contribute to a story which is simultaneously uplifting and tragic.