Damian Hurley's Strictly Confidential is savaged by critics: Star is accused of ... trends now

Damian Hurley's Strictly Confidential has been savaged by critics after it was released in select cinemas and Prime Video on Friday. 

For his directorial debut, Damian enlisted his mother Elizabeth Hurley, 58, for the film, yet it seems even her star power wasn't enough to save the movie - which has been ripped apart and described as 'absolute tosh'. 

The erotic thriller, written and directed by Damian, 22, follows the tale of a haunted young woman [Georgia Lock] who 'finds herself drawn into a world of seduction, duplicity and betrayal as she desperately tries to uncover the mystery surrounding her best friend's suicide.'

Prior to its release, Strictly Confidential garnered much buzz online, in part due to scenes featuring Elizabeth getting very intimate with another woman.

Yet critics have poked holes in the script and baffling number of twists in the movie, while others voiced their unease at watching Elizabeth take part in racy sex scenes knowing it was her son who directed them. 

Dennis Harvey at Variety branded the plot 'ridiculous', penning: 'Somewhere around the two-thirds mark, escalating levels of pure tosh begin to perversely work in the movie’s favor. 

'What had been a mildly scenic if paper-thin diversion turns into the kind of joint whose narrative big reveals also trigger big laughs — with considerable help from hackneyed dialogue and some awkward acting moments.'

He did, however, note that it was Damian's first time behind the camera, reasoning: 'Purportedly shot in just 18 days, Strictly Confidential is most kindly viewed as on-the-job training for the junior Hurley, who under those circumstances acquits himself well.'

Jessie Hobson at Cinedump mused that audiences would be 'feeling more bewildered than entertained' during a viewing, explaining: The plot meanders aimlessly, punctuated by strange scenic shots that serve only to extend the runtime. 

She added: 'It's hard to shake the feeling that you're watching something akin to a low-budget late-night Cinemax flick from the '90s. 

'The gratuitous cleavage shots of Elizabeth Hurley only serve to underscore the film's desperate attempts at titillation.' 

Brian Orndorf at Blu-ray.com was equally unimpressed with Elizabeth's portrayal in the film, branding the movie 3/10 and sharing: 'The helmer doesn’t push the picture’s sauciness and he’s mostly fatigued when it comes to blowing minds, but Strictly Confidential does have the novelty of a son exploiting the sex appeal of his mom for the benefit of an otherwise uninteresting whodunit.' 

He added: '[Damian] strives to make a physical event with the feature, but he doesn’t go far when it comes to exposed skin and genuine thespian chemistry, largely focused on blank-faced scenes of lust and keeping Elizabeth in a series of cleavage-boosting outfits.'

Just 2/10 was the rating by Jeffrey Lyles at Lyles Movie Files who mused: 'Elizabeth Hurley gets the film’s raciest scene, which felt weird to watch play out considering her son is shooting it. 

'That’s after realizing Elizabeth Hurley won’t appear in any scene without a seriously plunging neckline. And Damian Hurley has no qualms of zooming the camera in tight for a close up. 

'If it’s possible to have secondhand embarrassment for a mother and son, Strictly Confidential makes it a reality.'

He did, however, praise Damian for crafting: 'an almost passable twist in the final act.'