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London Boulevard (2010)

Time Out rating

Average user rating

27 reviews

Synopsis

A reclusive movie star, who hides out from the world in a Holland Park mansion, befriends a London criminal recently released from prison. This is the directorial debut of the writer of Scorsese's 'The Departed'.

Movie review

From Time Out London

‘London Boulevard’ is the directing debut of William Monahan, who wrote Martin Scorsese’s ‘The Departed’ and Ridley Scott’s ‘Body of Lies’ and here adapts Irish writer Ken Bruen’s novel about an ex-con in London who, through a twist of fate, becomes the bodyguard of a reclusive, nervy actress while trying to keep himself on the straight and narrow. Bruen’s book was a loose spin on Billy Wilder’s Hollywood tale ‘Sunset Boulevard’, hence the film’s odd name and why you won’t find London Boulevard on the Northern Line or indeed anywhere else on the Tube map.

A man of few friends and fewer words, handy with his fists and a weapon but kind to tramps, Mitchell (Colin Farrell) walks out of Pentonville after serving a short stretch for GBH and soon his old world starts beckoning him. Livewire pal Billy (an awkward, miscast Ben Chaplin) ropes Mitchell into collecting debts, while smart-suited, quietly psychotic kingpin Gant (Ray Winstone, of course) plans even bigger things for him.

Mitchell, meanwhile, wants out of the criminal life, not least because he’s been reading the poet Rilke in jail, and accepts a job offer to look after Charlotte (Keira Knightley), a hounded, lonely actress whose picture appears on billboards across town and whose feckless husband has disappeared to Spain. Charlotte’s only company is a thespian-cum-recovering junkie (David Thewlis, channelling Withnail), who acts as her gatekeeper, and the paparazzi who hover outside her Holland Park home day and night.

Monahan draws on this big-name cast and employs superior talent behind the camera such as cinematographer Chris Menges (‘The Reader’, ‘Notes on a Scandal’) – but still manages to serve up a tired, lifeless film which fails to realise either the style or sexiness it craves and which lacks any real sense of energy or momentum in its plotting. Although the film is contemporary, Monahan aims for a 1960s vibe, with vague nods to ‘Performance’ in its crim-boho crossover, period songs on the soundtrack, including Bob Dylan and The Yardbirds, and a scene in which Farrell, in shirt and tie, drives an open-top classic car across Waterloo Bridge.

Yet such stylings feel like add-ons to a by-numbers, staccato story. Monahan wheels out every Brit-gangster cliché in the book – Winstone as a secretly gay, bookish hard man with a reserve of childhood trauma; Eddie Marsan as a cop stuck in the 1970s; Farrell as a criminal who can’t escape his past; and Chaplin as the hothead who’s got it coming. The film’s weakest element is the romance between Mitchell and Charlotte, which emerges from nowhere and is one of the dampest screen liasons in a long while. It doesn’t help that Farrell is handicapped not only with a character who doesn’t do emotions, but with his obvious discomfort at trying – and failing – to pull off a South London accent. Knightley, in turn, doesn’t have much to do but look harried, cross her arms a lot and, as expected, pout.

Only the most forgiving fans of London crime movies will find much to enjoy beyond Menges’s nicely moody shots of London and a few amusing side players, and even Knightley’s loyal fans might tire after a few scenes of her faux-slobbish act as a celebrity in hiding. Husband-and-wife actors Thewlis and Anna Friel are respectively wasted (in both senses) as Charlotte’s sole confidante and Mitchell’s wayward sister, but each must have had a word in the other’s ear as they play their roles for laughs and lighten their scenes by plumping for caricature.

You start off strolling lazily down ‘London Boulevard’, but after 104 minutes, you’re on your hands and knees begging for a passing cab to take you anywhere but this.

Author: Dave Calhoun

Time Out London Issue 2101, Nov 25-Dec 1 2010

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User reviews of this film

John Cooper said...

Posted on May 13 2012 23:56 Dave Calhoun writes a lengthy review here in an attempt to
justify his one-star rating. But the reality is that with this
fiilm the whole is more enjoyable than the sum of its
parts . . .. Farrell, Knightly, Winstone and Thewlis have all
been in better films, but they still give good value in this
moody gangster thriller . .. . . There's a terrific scene in
a posh restaurant where Farrell's character spells out why
he could not possibly entertain a liaison with the Winstone's
ruthless gangland overlord .. . . .Unfortunately the film
tries to handle too many themes and falls between several
stools . .. enabling critics to compare the film
pejoratively with iconic films such as Performance and Layer Cake. Verdict: Flawed . . - but worth seeing.

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varun kapoor said...

Posted on Apr 17 2012 23:23 I think the movie was pretty good. The soundtracks were awesome. Once you understand the english accents and get t know the whole movie its a full entertainment package. This was one of those flicks like layer cake, lock stock and smoking barrels. In fact it was a perfect london type of movie, if you know what I mean. I recommend it and don not forget the awesome soundtracks. Its worth many watches!

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Mika said...

Posted on Apr 11 2012 14:34 at the end of the film i felt duped. a bunch of characters died meaninglessly without accomplishing anything in particular. nobody is really avenged. there's no good action scenes. there's no good romance. there's no plot twists. just a dry, overdone gangster flick that made me wish i'd chosen a different movie instead. i loved some of the characters in the movie, but they all end up dead or wasted. i expected better.

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j. craig said...

Posted on Mar 19 2012 02:41 This movie was superbly directed and acted. It had the grittiness of a great gangsta crime drama with a bit of dark humor. I would have like to see the movie go deeper into the love affair with Farrell and Knightly, and Winestone is great. This is a must see if u are a movie lover.

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Jessie34 said...

Posted on Mar 18 2012 02:21 Very disappointing! The apparel, Soundtrack and some shots (scene where he is contemplating about shotting the boy) was good, but the story seemed to pointlessesly stumbling along unapologectically from one cliche to the next. Kiera was shamefully dire, rigid and unconvincing, and Colin looked like he had something better to do all the way through. David Thewlis and Ray Winstone dragged this film kicking and screaming to a nonsensical climax not so dissimilar to err Layer Cake, which is ironic because there was an uncanny resemblance to The Body Guard at the beginning!

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baptiste said...

Posted on Mar 07 2012 18:10 the film is not that bad many are left as stereotypes on the side of the road. the ending blows and many of you bitchin are wankers.

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Tom said...

Posted on Aug 21 2011 15:09 I'm amazed at these reviews, we've just watched this movie and thought it was superb. It's VERY well directed, Ben Chaplin plays a great role (miscast... exactly how?), Friel is superb and Farrell plays his usual great part. My only complaint is Knightley as the "famous actress" as she obviously is in real life. Her performance is great but I would have preferred an unknown actress in this role as using someone already famous blurs the line between the movie and real life.
Rent / buy this, you won't regret it.

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Paul Samuel said...

Posted on Mar 31 2011 18:35 Awful boring film with the only saving graces beibg good camerawork and Colin farrel's amazing imitation of Phil Mitchell !!!! The charactters name was even MITCHELL !!!!!

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gobshite said...

Posted on Mar 23 2011 23:11 good movie ,it s entertainment after all not heart surgery after all.

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Gary Nattrass said...

Posted on Dec 17 2010 11:10 A truly dreadful film and a waste of a good cast, writers should stick to writing and leave the front end to people who know what they are doing with a script!

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Evie said...

Posted on Dec 04 2010 21:25 A poor man's Layer Cake.

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Lynda said...

Posted on Dec 04 2010 13:26 Dreadful, dreadful film! The basic plot was 'the bodyguard'', thankfully though it did not contain the singing aspect. Farrell had a terrible UK accent and looked permanently bored. Knightley pouted throughout the film and was an unconvincing leading lady. Can someone please feed her a good dinner or ten! Winstone who is a favourite of mine, did what he could with a terrible script. Friel had the only interesting character and performed her role well.

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farma said...

Posted on Dec 03 2010 15:01 Very disappointing ending to an entirely disappointing film.
I found that there were so many pointless shots - why was Keira Knightleys face everywhere when she wasnt working and not advertising anything - details people!
Colin Farrells london accent was terrible but he made up for by taking his shirt off now and again (great eye candy for the ladies!)
I couldnt make sense of why things were happening but thought they would be explained at the end ...and they werent, lots of people left the cinema before the end and I really wised I had because the end was the most disappointing part! I literally walked out of the cinema feeling like I had wasted an hour and a half of my life!

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Mark R said...

Posted on Nov 30 2010 09:44 Absolutely stunning film, most enjoyment I've had in decades, keira really shone!

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patrick barns said...

Posted on Nov 30 2010 00:19 Loved it. Keira was hot. Colin was amazing. best performance in years.

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