A Spanish museum sends a famous Goya painting to London to be restored – but then it is stolen. With the investigation stalled, Inspector Martland calls on Lord Charles Mortdecai, an art historian (and trafficker of works of art). On the verge of bankruptcy, Mortdecai accepts the mission – because there is treasure at the end of the hunt. Along for the ride are his elegant wife Johanna and his trusty manservant Jock.

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Directed by David Koepp (The Ryan Initiative, Men in Black 3) and adapted from the trilogy "The Great Mortdecai Moustache Mystery" by Kyril Bonfiglioli, the movie is stuffed with characters who are each more eccentric that the next. Gwyneth Paltrow, whose last movie was the missable Iron Man 3, makes a rare appearance as Joanna. There are also Ewan McGregor, Paul Bettany and Olivia Munn – fresh from success over at The Newsroom. And of course Johnny Depp as the silly Charlie Mortdecai, with a twirly mustache and a British accent. Yet another mannered role that is more caricature than character. What once was fascinating in Edward Scissorhands has become a running gag, a series of too many similar projects that are getting tiresome. They include Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, Sweeny Todd – and the upcoming Into The Woods, in which he camps it up as the Big Bad Wolf. In Mortdecai, he sinks the boat, taking his unfortunate costars with him despite their desperate attempt to bail themselves free.