Friday 15 March 2013

Welcome To The Punch (15)

There is always a potential problem with films laden with 'stars' - while the billed talent is an undeniable draw, there is every chance that it can collapse under the weight of the amassed cast.

That's not a problem here.

Not in Welcome To The Punch.

Far from it.

The trailer had us excited. James McAvoy had us excited. Mark Strong had us excited. David Morrissey had us excited. And then we saw the film.

At its heart, it's an old-fashioned take on cops and robbers. McAvoy playing the driven cop Max Lewinsky who, having been shot by him a few years ago, is determined to bring down Strong's Jacob Sternwood. So driven, he sees him everywhere.

Sternwood is living the low life, meanwhile, in Iceland. Enjoying the wilderness and aurora borealis until his son calls to say he's in a bit of bother. And he is. He's just jumped off a plane while clutching a bleeding gunshot wound. Bother doesn't begin to describe it. And so the fun begins.

To say any more would risk a spoiler-fest, because so intricate is the plot, so cleverly-woven the strands, that you can't begin to mention who does what without giving something away. And that's half the fun of this film.

Writer/director Eran Creevy - on only his second feature - has created a piece that is slick and intelligent. There's a lot going on, all of which is revealed slowly, patiently, like peeling an onion.
You might guess a twist or two, but you won't find yourself tutting and rolling your eyes, you'll be giving yourself high-fives for working something out.

That's not to say you have to be intelligent to enjoy this film, it's not operating on a higher plane. But if you have basic deductive reasoning you'll get more out of it than, say, two chatty idiots for whom men shooting each other is challenge enough (you knew when Punch was starting to get complicated and twisted because the chatting - which had gone quiet during the many shooty-shooty scenes - started up again).

But even on that basic level, there's a lot of fun to be had here. I'm still grinning about one particular quick but brutal death.

And that's just one of the many delights about Welcome To The Punch, the levels it operates on. But there's so much more.

Let's start with the look of the thing. This is, by far, the coolest film you'll see this year. Not just because of the performances (more on those in a sec), but the framing of the shots, the editing, the use of sound (can't remember the last time the simple click of guns was so gripping), and the look of the damn thing.

And man does it look good.

David Morrissey said in a recent interview how blown away he was with how Creevy had made London look - and he wasn't wrong. The lighting and colouring, the use of darkness, the reflections of the office buildings, all of them combine to make Welcome To The Punch visually stunning. It's cold, clinical, slick, brutal - and stunning.

Did I mention it's stunning?

It is.

From the opening shots, I just wanted this film to never end - it really looks that good. And then the performances kick in.

McAvoy - already a firm favourite here at Popcorn Towers - plays a blinder. Measured, understated, but able to deliver steel and menace when needed. And he has to bring his A-game, because he's up against Strong - in arguably one of the finest performances of his career - and Morrissey, who plays the police chief to perfection.

Then there's Peter Mullan, always good value for money, providing the perfect counterpoint to Strong's villain on a mission, along with Johnny Harris - another of the criminal fraternity, another chilling portrayal.

And over on the other team there's the good guys - Andrea Riseborough, Daniel Mays and Daniel Kaluuya all do what is asked of them and much, much more.

And it asks questions - not just of its audience (which side are you on?), but of its characters (which side are they on?) and the world in which the story is set. You'll trust no one by the end, trust me.

Everything is balanced, everything works, and the ending... well...

Well, you'll have to go see it. But we approve.

As mentioned, there's a lot going on in this film, and yet there's a lot we can't talk about because there's a lot going on. It's so neatly woven, it's like the perfect bullet-proof vest. Which is handy, 'cos you'll need one.

There was a time when we Brits produced certain genres better than anyone else (and still do in some cases), but the cop action flick has always been a bastion of American studios. They do them slick, they do them brutal, they do them fast.

Well, Welcome To The Punch does all that. And more. And better.

It's got brain with its brawn, grit with its shine, an eye on the bigger picture while showing you the detail.
This is a film that can be watched again and again, and is destined to be classed a classic. And all this before I start going overboard....

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