Swept Away, starring Madonna and directed by Guy Ritchie, has received scathing reviews from American film critics.

The New York Daily News gave it no stars and described it as "amateurish", a "debacle" and a "new career low" for Madonna while the New York Times said the production was "soggy and superfluous".

The film was directed by Guy Ritche, Madonna's husband

The Washington Post followed suit, denouncing it "as awful as you've heard and as bad as you've imagined".

The film is a remake of Lina Wertm�ller's 1974 comedy and tells the story of Amber, a wealthy American woman who ends up on a desert island with Giuseppe, a crew member from her holiday cruise ship.

The tables are turned when Amber finds herself dependent on the ex-fisherman in her new surroundings.

'Shipwreck'

The film, released in the US on Friday, is a far cry from Guy Ritchie's usual gangster-inspired material and left numerous publications unimpressed.

Not even a liferaft can save Madonna's latest stinker

New York Post

The Rolling Stone said that, "Audiences are likely to be slack-jawed. It's the movie that's a shipwreck."

Many newspapers commented on the unflattering on-screen appearance of the leading lady, with the Los Angeles Weekly criticising the production's lighting that "emphasises every line and sag."

The Daily News was particularly harsh, stating that, "Her overtoned arms are striped with veins and she has back muscles that could cast shadows in afternoon light."

The sexist nature of the storyline did not go unnoticed either: "Setting aside the abhorrently misogynistic premise and the fact that Mrs Ritchie can't act to save her life, Swept Away's worst crime is that it is butt-numbingly boring," said Megan Turner of The New York Post.

She added that "not even a liferaft can save Madonna's latest stinker."

The film will be released in the UK early next year.