Director: William Monahan

Cast: Colin Farrell, Keira Knightly

Cert: 18

Beautiful shots, some good scenes and great acting, it’s a shame about the huge waste-of-space plot, though, and the gaping holes that follow.

London Boulevard, converted from the book by Ken Bruen, follows the character of Mitchell (Farrell), a man who has just been released from a 3-year prison sentence and is now trying to start life anew, no longer as a criminal, but apparently working for a retired actress.

Mitchell is hired by Charlotte (Knightley) to protect her from the spying eyes of paparazzi. What follows is mostly predictable and eye-roll worthy. They fall in love within a matter of days. Wham bam thank you ma’am. Hardly any development is seen between these characters to warrant this reaction. One minute they’re having a chat, the next they’re declaring their love. Which to be honest, is highly preposterous. This is too reminiscent of ‘love’ described in the way too popular vampire franchise (not mentioning any names of course).

However, with every criminal wanting to come clean there is always that one boss that follows them around like a puppy. Cue Ray Winstone, in a, sad to say, type casted part with yet another distinct lack of character development.  This was a shame, because his scenes were probably some of the most enjoyable to watch.

The character that did steal the show, however, was Jordan, Charlotte’s live-in friend and druggy. Played by David Thewlis (think Remus Lupin from Harry Potter), Jordan offered humorous moments within the serious matter with his random comments and actions. Yet he still is left as a dangling character that has no purpose towards the plot or subplot whatsoever.

London Boulevard feels rushed, and has too many plot holes to be considered a finished, complete work. That said, there are some well acted scenes, considering the narrative provided, and the long shots used by Monahan are wonderful, showing that the director does have some talent that deserves better than this dreary film.

Written by Heather Smeeton