Manipulation review – preposterous Da Vinci Code-esque thriller like being trapped in a Ferrero Rocher ad

Conspiracies and espionage abound as a secret society’s young initiate is sent to infiltrate the Catholic church for inexplicable reasons. Who knows what’s going on?

With its candle-lit occult settings and ersatz Europudding of performers all speaking English, this preposterous thriller is like being trapped in a Ferrero Rocher advert – with a creamy Dan Brown filling. Kicking off with young novice Matteo (Radoslav Gavlas) being initiated into a tentacular secret society, Manipulation’s impenetrable shenanigans play like director David Balda’s attempt to recall the plot of a Da Vinci Code-style potboiler after huffing tailpipe fumes.

Directed by the iron fist of the Master (Pawel Lawrynowicz), the Prague-based order’s daily business is blackmailing influential figures and amassing power-bestowing information.