Colin Farrell

Keira Knightley

David Thewlis

Anna Friel

Ben Chaplin

Ray Winstone

Eddie Marsan

Sanjeev Bhaskar

Stephen Graham

Ophelia Lovibond

Jamie Campbell Bower

Matt King

Donald Sumpter

Velibor Topic

Lee Boardman

Jonny Coyne

Alan Williams

Nick Bartlett

Jamie Blackley

Gregory Foreman

Sarah Niles

Jonathan Cullen

Tony Way

Tim Plester

Jake Abraham

Julian Littman

Elly Fairman

Michelle Asante

Katrina Durden

Hainsley Lloyd Bennett

Giles Terera

Gerald Home

Daniel Ryan

Andrew Havill

Eric Richard

Robert Willox

Damir Koluder

Bob Mercer

Oliver Wood

Johnny Leigh Wright

Sameena Zehra

Augustina Amoa

Mihai Arsene

Julian Bastida

David Dawson

Heath Finn

Kerry Shale

Simon Grover

Duane Henry

Oleg Hill

David Lyddon

Laurence Richardson

Ben Shockley

William Monahan

Ken Bruen

Serge Pizzorno

Chris Menges

Martin Childs

Sarah Bicknell

Celia Bobak

Odile Dicks-Mireaux

Nina Gold

Redmond Morris

Theodore Suchecki

Colin Vaines

Christine Blundell

Bella Cruickshank

Nathaniel De'Lineadeus

Chris Lyons

Chloe Meddings

Monica MacDonald

Matthew Smith

Lesa Warrener

Charlotte Thompson

Dino DiMuro

Laura Graham

Dan Hegeman

Tony Lamberti

Michael Minkler

Dan O'Connell

Michelle Pazer

Frederick H. Stahly

Andy Stallabrass

Peter Staubli

David Stephenson

Paul Norris

Quentin Curtis

Tim Headington

Graham King

Dody Dorn

Robb Sullivan

Olly Tellett

Lee Walters

Robbie Morrison

Pat Sweeney

Drama

Crime

London Boulevard

GK Films

Henceforth

Projection Pictures

Mandate International

United Kingdom

United States of America

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

English

London Boulevard - Official Trailer [HD] (2010)