London Boulevard (2010)
Certified: 18
Duration: 103 minutes
Directed by: William Monahan
Starring: Colin Farrell, Keira Knightley, David Thewlis, Anna Friel, Ray Winstone
KRS release
London Boulevard marks the directorial debut of William Monahan who had won an Academy Award for best adapted screenplay for The Departed (2006). It’s safe to say that this film does not live up to expectations, considering the man behind the helm and the starring cast.
The plot seems to be made up of incoherent scenes which are edited and tied together in a haphazard fashion, which is a pity as some other scenes and the characters are quite intriguing.
The film opens promisingly with a credit intro reminiscent of a Tarantino and Rodriguez film. London Boulevard presents us with a grim and foreboding London, one inhabited by callous thugs, vicious crime lords and sadistic youths. It’s an ugly-looking city, definitely not the shiny city that is the mecca of many tourists.
The film has several factors working against it, not least of which is a love relationship between Colin Farrell and Keira Knightley who share no chemistry whatsover. Besides, one simply cannot understand half of the why and wherefore of all the characters’ actions as they seem incomprehensible and not connected to each other.
Colin Farrell is Mitchell, an old-style gangster, a Cockney ex-con who has just been released from prison and is trying to walk straight and narrow. He gets a job as a bodyguard/driver/gardener/etc for a Howard Hughes-style superstar played by Keira Knightley. Meanwhile, Mitchell’s crazy sister (Anna Friel) is always getting into trouble and his friend (Ben Chaplin), who is a loan shark, is under the thumbs of a vicious crime lord (Ray Winstone) who wants Mitchell to work for him. Inevitably enough events will get bloody.
Ray Winstone seems to be having fun as he delivers his character with gusto and aplomb, even though he seems to be a walking collection of clichés. The rest of the cast is simply too serious. The only other actor to emerge unscathed is David Thewlis who as Keira Knightley’s assistant/confidante/cocaine provider is a hoot.
Ms Knightley, as the reclusive star, is at one moment described with the statement “If it wasn’t for Monica Bellucci, she’d be the most raped actress in European cinema” which is all hard to believe. Ms Knightley is however an empty vehicle, devoid of any emotions and simply a caricature of the celebrity icon that she is in real life. Mr Farrell pushes his way forward in a film which does not capitalise on his strengths and while he has some good moments, the script never offers him the chance he is obviously yearning for.
Mr Monahan drops and disposes of characters and sub-plots whimsically. Anna Friel is one of to suffer most by this kind of laissez-faire attitude to scriptwriting.
The film’s major strength is the soundtrack which is made up of 1960s classic rock tunes from the likes of Bob Dylan, The Yardbirds and The Rolling Stones and music by Sergio Pizzorno of Kasabian which give the film a cool and retro atmospheric touch.
All in all this film tries and aspires to be great but ends up talking the talk but not walking the walk.