In this final Robinson film, Patrick Keiller examines capitalism as a lichen that has spread out from its origins in England outward to infect the entire world. Unfortunately its focus is so thoroughly on economics and in particular the macroeconomics of 2008 that it loses the cultural and political commentary that made the first two films work. The absence of Paul Scofield’s familiar narration distances the narrative from Robinson and the character’s somewhat grounding and humanising influence. RUINS also has a far more languid pace, proceeding glacially compared to the more dynamic LONDON which remains the strongest of the three films.