May the best man win in This Means War!

It’s the ultimate dilemma: single, career girl suddenly finds herself dating two men but who to choose.

But when you add the fact that Pine and Hardy’s characters are best friends and also deadly CIA operatives with a Mafia hitman hot on their heels, perhaps she’s not so lucky after all.

Witherspoon plays Lauren, a single girl signed up to an internet dating site by her best friend (played by US comedienne Chelsea Handler).

She ends up going on a date with Tuck (Hardy) and while the two click, she bumps into FDR (Pine) on her way home and is left wondering which guy to continue seeing.

Witherspoon pulls off the tricky task of remaining sympathetic while seeing two gorgeous men, her character trying for an insouciant approach to modern dating that clearly doesn’t come naturally.

When the boys realiser they’re dating the same girl, it’s all out war as they put their spying skills to the test.

Their methods — spy cams; chemical warfare; use of sniper rifles in extremis — are sufficiently unorthodox to avoid romantic cliché but you will be left wondering how on Earth they escape this episode with their careers intact, given the blatant misuse of Bureau resources and flagrant breach of any number of laws on covert surveillance

The two handsome leads are cleverly cast against type - the ‘tough cockney’ Hardy is here a gentle, romantic soul and, believe it or not, he pulls it off.

Pine’s transformation from blue-eyed playboy to puppy dog-loving reformed man might not feel altogether sincere but he’s still sparkly-toothed and energetic enough to provide the man-candy necessary for the role.

Also crucially, both men retain our sympathies by convincing us that they genuinely want Lauren and aren’t just playing to win.

It’s even possible that there are also some smart observations in here about the dating game: learning more about what Lauren wants by eavesdropping on her private life, both men scramble to correct the shortcomings she perceives, resulting in some unlikely self-reflection and attempts to change how she sees them.

The film is really only bookended by the CIA spy stuff, but a thrilling car chase, some vertigo-inducing shootouts and a hilariously contrived ‘who will she pick’ climax all conspire to make sure This Means War is plenty of fun.