Welcome to the Punch (2013)
Certified: 14
Duration: 99 minutes
Director: Eran Creevy
Starring: James McAvoy, Mark Strong, Andrea Riseborough, Elyes Gabel, Peter Mullan, David Morrissey, Daniel Mays, Johnny Harris, Dannielle Brent, Jason Flemyng
KRS release
Welcome to the Punch is a British thriller that floats on the strength of its actors and modern industrial style. The result is quite intense and several unusual factors differentiate the film from the average actioner.
Creevy borrows some pages from his executive producer, Ridley Scott, especially from his film Black Rain
The film kicks off by pitting the audience straight into the action – there are no introductions or hellos. The audience is plunged into a motorcycle chase involving super criminal Jacob (Mark Strong) and policeman Max (James McAvoy), who is not high on following the rules. At the end of the chase, Max is left with a wounded knee while Jacob gets away scot free.
The film fast-forwards a few years. Max is now a shadow of his former self but regains some interest in his job when a crook is caught in an operation. The criminal in question is Ruan (Elyes Gabel), Jacob’s son.
Max is paired up with detective Sarah (Andrea Riseborough), who happens to be his ex-lover; the plan is to use Ruan as bait so that Jacob comes to his rescue. The latter, who is in Iceland, teams up with an old friend of his named Roy (Peter Mullan) and soon he is facing his old enemy. But both suddenly discover that they are only pawns in someone else’s game.
Eran Creevy is both writer and director here but he shows that he is better at the latter job. He easily covers any shortcomings in the plot with a huge helping of style and a sense of maturity in the themes he presents.
The crooks are not just evil and the police are not either corrupt or law enforcers – there is a feel that the usual clichés are simply no longer just clichés in Welcome to the Punch.
Riseborough is really churning out the movies and, once more, proves to be very visually delectable.
There is strong chemistry between McAvoy and Strong, who are on opposite sides of the law. McAvoy gives the film its backbone as his is not just an artistic presence but an unusually, very strong, muscular performance. Meanwhile, Strong gives his villain role an added dimensionality that makes him super cool.
Creevy borrows some pages from his executive producer, Ridley Scott, especially from his film Black Rain (1989); this is evidenced very much in the style and blueish colour palette that he uses.
Bullets fly, chases and personal turbulence rolls in Welcome to the Punch as it takes the cake and punches out quite a few lights.