Review: Welcome To The Punch
From executive producer Ridley Scott and a cast of current British greats comes the excitingly action packed thriller Welcome To The Punch.
As far as London-based cop movies go, Welcome To The Punch is a rather unconventional piece of work, thanks to the fact that the movie was shot almost entirely in Hong Kong. Choosing to highlight the flashy neon-covered side of England's capital rather than the usual world of black taxis and post boxes, director Eran Creevy gives the film a glossy sheen that contrasts well with the gritty plot.
And what a gritty plot it is - not that it's anything spectacular. Despite the originality of the cinematography, Welcome To The Punch fails to deliver on the narrative front. Unsurprising plot reveals shine like a beacon from miles away, while the dialogue and eventual resolutions seem like a contrived mix of bullet points from every crime movie that most audiences have ever seen. When the credits roll, all most people will remember is a hailstorm of bullets and shiny buildings.
Still, that doesn't stop Welcome To The Punch from being an entertaining if unsatisfying burst of adrenaline that all kicks off with a late-night car chase down the smooth streets of London. James McAvoy plays Max, a detective determined to take down Jacob Sternwood (Mark Strong) for good - but before he can put the cuffs on, Sternwood escapes and shoots him in the leg.
Years later, haunted by his failure and the pain in his leg, Max becomes involved in an investigation regarding the shooting of Sternwood's son. Positive that Sternwood will return to see his son in hospital, Max's obsession with Sternwood takes hold of his life again - but when the criminal finally returns, an even bigger threat emerges that sees Max and Sternwood form an uneasy alliance against their common enemy.
Foe becoming friend isn't a hugely original concept, but thanks to brilliant acting from McAvoy and the criminally (tehe) underrated Strong, it's clear that there is nothing these polar opposite people despise less than each other. Strong particularly excels in his role, perhaps because thus far in his career he has been typecast as a villain, but in Welcome To The Punch he is allowed to act out a few different sides to his character, particularly in one scene regarding the death of his son. The only frustrating aspect of their characterization is that Sternwood is never given a full back story - we never discover why exactly he was a wanted criminal in the first place.
This isn't the only narrative flaw either. Obviously teasing dialogue gives way to predictable plot twists, while the ending is the most annoyingly ambiguous conclusion of a movie since Inception, only this time it's blatantly obvious that a money-making sequel is the desirable next step.
There are forgotten strands too. While all of this action is kicking off a nationwide election is on the go, with one of the key aspects of its debate the matter of gun crime and lack of police equipment and armour. In the world that we live in today, Welcome To The Punch would have done well to make this a more primary aspect of its dialogue, as the campaign is completely forgotten about come the third act.
Still, what this feature lacks in storytelling genius it makes up for with an excellent cast. As well as McAvoy and Strong, Andrea Riseborough is on top form as Max's strong-hearted colleague Sarah, while Peter Mullen and The Walking Dead's David Morrissey also pop up as allies of Sternwood and Max respectively. The fantastic Jason Flemyng also makes an appearance - for one whole scene. What a waste!
Perhaps the reason Welcome To The Punch lets itself down is its overbearing similarities to hundreds of older, better and wiser cop versus criminal movies that have come before. It's tough to elaborate without giving away spoilers, but it suffices to say that dialogue such as "not everyone can be trusted" isn't as shocking as screenwriters assume these days.
There are forgotten strands too. While all of this action is kicking off a nationwide election is on the go, with one of the key aspects of its debate the matter of gun crime and lack of police equipment and armour. In the world that we live in today, Welcome To The Punch would have done well to make this a more primary aspect of its dialogue, as the campaign is completely forgotten about come the third act.
Still, what this feature lacks in storytelling genius it makes up for with an excellent cast. As well as McAvoy and Strong, Andrea Riseborough is on top form as Max's strong-hearted colleague Sarah, while Peter Mullen and The Walking Dead's David Morrissey also pop up as allies of Sternwood and Max respectively. The fantastic Jason Flemyng also makes an appearance - for one whole scene. What a waste!
Perhaps the reason Welcome To The Punch lets itself down is its overbearing similarities to hundreds of older, better and wiser cop versus criminal movies that have come before. It's tough to elaborate without giving away spoilers, but it suffices to say that dialogue such as "not everyone can be trusted" isn't as shocking as screenwriters assume these days.
Summary
It's uninspired but entertaining, low on wit but high on action and predictable but good looking. Welcome To The Punch is actually a very good movie, but for those who have seen more than a couple of crime movies it will all seem a little too familiar and frankly very dull. A brilliant cast saves Creevy's action flick from complete boredom, and despite a frustratingly ambiguous ending that's clearly designed for sequel-spinning, Welcome To The Punch does manage to pack a weak but noticeable right hook.
6/10 - Not Bad
See it if you liked: Law Abiding Citizen (2009), Jack Reacher (2012), The Sweeney (2012)
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