{"id":2484,"date":"2013-03-22T10:34:41","date_gmt":"2013-03-22T10:34:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmgaze.com\/blog\/?p=2484"},"modified":"2013-03-22T10:34:41","modified_gmt":"2013-03-22T10:34:41","slug":"welcome-to-the-punch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmgaze.com\/blog\/action\/welcome-to-the-punch\/","title":{"rendered":"Welcome To The Punch ***"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Stylish Brit crime thrillers seem two a penny, and it takes a very different perspective to produce one that stands out from the crowd in this day and age. Shifty<\/em> Director Eran Creevy\u2019s gritty and sassy London-based drama Welcome To The Punch<\/em> echoes recent Brit flicks like The Sweeney<\/em> in design, showing an alluring but dangerous, modern side of the City.<\/p>\n

Creevy goes a step further and chooses the cool, glitzy facades of Canary Wharf to whiz us through the isolated streets in an exhilarating opening chase scene. This sets the production values to come and makes London look like a dark, foreboding entity in its own right, its presence flooding through the veins and infastructure of the underworld. It\u2019s hardly surprising that a Scott is involved (Ridley), almost in homage to his late brother\u2019s style of action movie.<\/p>\n

What the script lacks in character development it makes up for in sheer angst and tension building that oozes out of each location and main character\u2019s pore. James McAvoy as the bent copper verses Mark Strong as his nemesis and master perp makes for an intriguing power struggle as Creevy establishes the strained history between the characters from the start as his basis for the action and line-crossing dilemmas ahead. Both acclaimed actors make the most of their portrayals that feel rather two-dimensional \u2013 Strong does this kind of part in his sleep now \u2013 but nevertheless are watchable because of a combination of solid, dependable portrayals and high production values that bolster the film\u2019s appeal.<\/p>\n

Apart from McAvoy who plays against the norm \u2013 Wanted<\/em> (2008) aside, Andrea Riseborough as McAvoy\u2019s cocky, curious partner is quite compelling to watch in what feels like a \u2018made for TV\u2019 cop drama at times employing A-listers. In a way, although the setting smacks of \u2018high value Hollywood\u2019 production, the Brit actor influence keeps the whole proceedings nicely grounded and somewhat credible, even if the some of the scenarios seem dubious as the McAvoy-Strong relationship mutates throughout. And it\u2019s here that Creevy misses a trick in exploring some interesting character dynamics, even with Peter Mullan as Strong\u2019s right-hand man on board, and this makes the whole film very much action-centric when it could have been more character-driven \u2013\u00a0and appears to be aiming for the latter.<\/p>\n

That said Welcome To The Punch<\/em> is a punchy and satisfying watch on face value, taken as an action crime drama, keeping an electric pace throughout that builds on the thrills and delivers. Unlike Shifty<\/em>, the character development feels a little wanting, even wasteful of such a prominent and crowd-pleasing cast. Expect more of the former and enjoy London, as you\u2019ve never seen her before, as much of a character in this as the rest of the human cast.<\/p>\n

3\/5 stars<\/strong><\/p>\n

By @FilmGazer<\/p>\n

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