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London Boulevard

(2010)
I cant recall if I saw an ad for this somewhere or I dropped it in my queue because of the cast (Colin Farrell, Keira Knightley, Ray Winstone); I know most Americans have an appropriately dim view of Farrells work, but as Ive said before, see him in something made in Europe and its like youre watching a whole different actor. Here he plays Mitchel, recently paroled and decided he wants nothing to do with the world of crime that landed him in jail. This doesnt sit well with his friend Billy (Ben Chapman), a drug dealer, who right away wants to recruit him, and Billys boss Gant (Winstone) isnt thrilled with it either. Mitchel, desperate for a legitimate job, happens upon an opportunity to provide security and general maintenance for a reclusive starlet (Knightley) and her friend Jordan (David Thewlis). As Mitchel tries to walk the straight and narrow, Gant hounds him, and the intrusive paparazzi make Charlottes life a living hell. It might not sound all that captivating, but the story unfolds from a smart script full of dark humor, and the performances are all very sharp. Farrell is very much at home as a neer-do-well with a conscience, and while some of his character feels inherited from Michael Caine in Get Carter, Mitchels striving not to sink into darkness brilliantly demonstrated in a scene between just he and Gant locks us into rooting for him early on. Knightleys role isnt as challenging Charlotte mostly has to be fragile and embarrassed by her fame but shes also quite good here. Thewlis really steals the show, though; good as Farrell is, Thewlis is better, and he gets most of the best lines (Im an actor. I can feel anything about anything.). Winstone is fine as the menacing thug Gant, a solid job. The verbal wordplay and plot twists are smart and subtle and really impressed me; I really deeply enjoyed the film right up to the ending, where, while I understand the need to put one final ironic twist on matters, and it does fit and make sense, I just didnt like it. A brilliant film that undercuts itself at the end by trying to twist things once too often, which is a shame, as the rest of it is so well done (again, not that the ending isnt, and doesnt flow from the movie, I just didnt like the choice made). But even that misstep cant detract from the rest of the movie being so sharply made. This ones worth a look, even if the ending is a bit of a letdown. October 16, 2012

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