A parolee falls for a reclusive movie star while trying to evade a ruthless gangster.
Colin Farrell
Harry Mitchel
Keira Knightley
Charlotte
David Thewlis
Jordan
Anna Friel
Briony Mitchel
Ben Chaplin
Billy Norton
Ray Winstone
Gant
Eddie Marsan
DI Bailey
Sanjeev Bhaskar
Dr. Raju
Stephen Graham
Danny
Ophelia Lovibond
Penny
Jamie Campbell Bower
White Boy
Matt King
Fletcher
Donald Sumpter
Pentonville Governor
Velibor Topic
Storbor
Lee Boardman
Lee
Jonny Coyne
Heavy One
Alan Williams
Joe
Nick Bartlett
Beaumont
Jamie Blackley
The Footballer
Gregory Foreman
Kid with Footballer
Sarah Niles
Hospital Matron
Jonathan Cullen
Anthony Trent
Tony Way
Lone Paparazzo
Tim Plester
Paparazzo 1
Jake Abraham
Paparazzo 2
Julian Littman
Alfons
Elly Fairman
Gant's Wife
Michelle Asante
Woman in Brixton Flat
Katrina Durden
Girl in pub
Hainsley Lloyd Bennett
Unfortunate Student
Giles Terera
Waiter
Gerald Home
Undertaker
Daniel Ryan
Bank Manager
Andrew Havill
Unlikely Vagrant
Eric Richard
Villainous pensioner in Cafe
Robert Willox
Ravaged Guard
Damir Koluder
Storbor's Friend
Bob Mercer
Heavy Two
Oliver Wood
Bottom Feeder One
Johnny Leigh Wright
Bottom Feeder Two
Sameena Zehra
Indian Woman at Ashmole Estate
Augustina Amoa
Passerby
Mihai Arsene
Paparazzo 3
Julian Bastida
Spanish Man
David Dawson
Big Issue Seller
Heath Finn
Lawyer II
Kerry Shale
Lawyer I
Simon Grover
Porter at Storage
Duane Henry
Nation of Islam Guy
Oleg Hill
Russian Gangster
David Lyddon
Customer
Laurence Richardson
Ben Shockley
Detective
Director, Screenplay
William Monahan
Novel
Ken Bruen
March 26, 2018
I will hurt someone before they hurt me.
London Boulevard is written and directed by William Monahan. It stars Colin Farrell, David Thewlis, Ray Winstone, Ben Chaplin, Keira Knightley and Anna Friel. Music is by Sergio Pizzorno and cinematography by Chris Menges.
After serving his stretch for GBH, Harry Mitchel (Farrell) returns to his manor and finds gangland boss Rob Gant (Winstone) wants him as one of his charges.
Written and directed by the man who co-wrote The Departed, it's not hard to guess what sort of tone London Boulevard is set at. Which for anyone who follows neo-noir will find plenty to like here, not least the stylish and tonally compliant photography of Menges.
However, falling under the neo-noir banner becomes a curse in a way because there are far greater films of this ilk to liken it too. Pic at least does have the courage to not cop out in resolutions, but again there is no surprise factor for the genre faithfuls.
The narrative often meanders, shoehorning in Knightley's (underused) harassed actress as a love interest in the process, and London accents are choppy. It also is criminal to have Stephen Graham and Eddie Marsan in your movie and barely give them screen time!
On the plus side of things, the violence and dialogue is often taut and tart respectively, backed by a scorching rocky hipster soundtrack. Farrell is good value as a tough guy, Winstone does what he does best, menacing of course, while Thewlis steals the film as a wired cool cat with menace surprisingly lurking in is heart.
As a whole it fails to hit all the right spots, but enough in here for neo-noir fans to feed on as an appetiser to a more fulfilling noir meal. 6/10