I really wanted to like this movie better than I eventually did.
The setting and camera-work is top drawer. The script a bit less so. The clichés are at a manageable level.....But the film never really suspends disbelief. James McAvoy is part of the reason for that. Despite his nominations and awards Mark Strong delivers a far more powerful performance IMHO, and Andrea Riseborough is the best of the three leads, portraying a mouthy in-your-face uncompromising detective perfectly, and managing to avoid all the cliché traps that litter American movies featuring female detectives.
The script, though, is the main culprit I fear. It's a jumpy tale, delivered staccato and with the various gaps sometimes I was left wondering if I was watching a flashback sequence.....and No I wasn't. The viewer is left to fill in the gaps by himself, and catch up as best as he can. And develop and fill in the back-story preceding this movie for himself.
There are the usual set pieces of The Clever Hero detective struggling under the terrible limitations and appalling decision-making of his politically aware but otherwise Dickhead management team. A team which somehow seems to have misplaced the 774 Police Officers who operate exclusively in the square mile of the City of London. Although I guess our hero wouldn't be such a hero if he had the customary backup of the local Plod.
So an OK Film. With some really nice elements. It just needs deeper writing. The Long Good Friday it isn't. So if you can gloss over the limited script you can still enjoy the visual delight of the camera work and the performances of Strong and Riseborough.
The setting and camera-work is top drawer. The script a bit less so. The clichés are at a manageable level.....But the film never really suspends disbelief. James McAvoy is part of the reason for that. Despite his nominations and awards Mark Strong delivers a far more powerful performance IMHO, and Andrea Riseborough is the best of the three leads, portraying a mouthy in-your-face uncompromising detective perfectly, and managing to avoid all the cliché traps that litter American movies featuring female detectives.
The script, though, is the main culprit I fear. It's a jumpy tale, delivered staccato and with the various gaps sometimes I was left wondering if I was watching a flashback sequence.....and No I wasn't. The viewer is left to fill in the gaps by himself, and catch up as best as he can. And develop and fill in the back-story preceding this movie for himself.
There are the usual set pieces of The Clever Hero detective struggling under the terrible limitations and appalling decision-making of his politically aware but otherwise Dickhead management team. A team which somehow seems to have misplaced the 774 Police Officers who operate exclusively in the square mile of the City of London. Although I guess our hero wouldn't be such a hero if he had the customary backup of the local Plod.
So an OK Film. With some really nice elements. It just needs deeper writing. The Long Good Friday it isn't. So if you can gloss over the limited script you can still enjoy the visual delight of the camera work and the performances of Strong and Riseborough.