Brighton Rock – 3*
There’s been a real lack of film noir offerings in recent years, so it’s pleasing to have the choice of watching one at the box office – even though you may not have realised it from the former whimsical-looking poster. This is a tweaked version of the 1947 film of the same name, starring Richard Attenborough as Pinkie Brown, a small-town hoodlum whose gang runs a protection racket, and the 2010 version remains purely British and loyal at heart.
Slick, stylish and a credit to home-grown talent, director Rowan Joffe’s Brighton Rock revels in its moody, crime-riddled Hitchcockian feel and its dramatic colour noir stand-off scenes, whilst opening up the nostalgia floodgates for a time gone by, when life seemed simpler by the seaside. However, Joffe’s sinister undercurrent to his adaptation of Graham Greene’s novel stifles any picturesque and seemingly idyllic feelings, exposing an ugly core, like the reference to a stick of rock, coupled with a buzz of change brought on by a youth movement. At its heart is a story of unfrequented and doomed love set in uncertain times of the Mods and Rockers clashes of the 1960s, where relationships seem to take second place to acquiring position and wealth.
Although lacking a certain substance in places, it’s a film saved and set back on course by its acting prowess, attracting a Brit A-list. Nobody can deny the thrills at witnessing Helen Mirren slip into Prime Suspect’s Det. Supt. Tennison mode again to save the girl and solve the crime, so it’s going to be a real treat for fans for the TV Dame. Mirren’s performance as teashop owner Ida is undoubtedly apt, acquiring an actress of her stature to do it justice, opposite a bit cameo by John Hurt as Ida’s companion, bookie Phil Corkery. Andy Serkis is a supporting gem as the camp and exuberant crime mob boss, Mr Colleoni, providing enough menace and gentlemanly civility to make his mark, even with minimal screen appearance to play with.
However, it’s Sam Riley who takes on the Attenborough role as Pinkie who amusingly growls his way through the film, but still packs a malevolent punch, full of 1940s’ old-school charisma. Adding some Sixties chic, Riley is reminiscent of a young Caine in his heyday, playing the part with a latter-day patience and engaging presence. Rising star Andrea Riseborough as his love interest, Rose, a naïve waitress who works with Ida, but becomes a liability after she unwillingly gets tangled up with mob business, is a suitably alluring opposite Riley, never letting Rose blend into submission by keeping her fragile but dangerously strong-willed until the end. It is Riley and Riseborough who must retain our interest throughout, and they do, keeping the mystery of whether Pinkie ever felt anything for Rose looming heavily and dramatically until the end, but with the aid of the powerhouse that is Mirren, Hurt and Serkis.
As an example of Britishness in a time of exciting change, Brighton Rock boldly flies the Union Jack, and is a platform for showcasing some excellent British talent in an old-fashioned, but strikingly modern way that is sure to bring its younger stars to cinema-goers attention. Joffe’s vision is brought alive and told well, even if his film sometimes lacks a certain conviction at times, but is worthy of a look-in.
3/5 stars
By @FilmGazer
