Actor : Colin Farrell, Keira Knightley, Ray Winstone, David Thewlis, Anna Friel,
Running Time : 103 minutes
Customer Reviews
By
R. Taylor "raytayz" (louisville, ky USA) (REAL NAME)
...am I the only person on the planet that thinks a movie should have a plot?...and a little coherence wouldn't hurt either...this goofy movie starts with Farrell getting out of prison...an addict friend of his gets him a job as bodyguard for a paparazzi shy celebrity...he falls in love with her but then s___ happens, don't you know...woven into this is a homeless person who apparently is a friend of his but who is killed by a street punk...Farrell wants revenge and gets involved with a gangster played by Winstone...unfortunately, Winstone doesn't want the punk killed because he is supposedly a footballer on whom he has some sort of bet...in the process, Winstone kills off Farrell's friend, his sister and a few other people...although this all may sound potentially interesting, it isn't...everything is thrown together in such an implausible, incoherent manner as to render it ridiculous...fifteen minutes into the movie and I couldn't hardly bear to look at the screen any further, the scenes were so ludicrous...the end of the movie is supposed to be a shock I suppose...but for me, it was merely a relief...
By
Tsuyoshi (Kyoto, Japan) (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)
This is a directorial debut for William Monahan, Oscar winning writer for Martin Scorsese-directed "The Departed." With two names Colin Far rell and Keira Knightley, you may expect something great in "London Boulevard" (the name is probably inspired by "Sunset Boulevard"). The end result is somewhat disappointing, though.Colin Farrell is Mitchel, an ex-convict who just got out of prison. Being hired as a bodyguard for a famous actress Charlotte (Keira Knightley) living a secluded life surrounded by the paparazzi, Mitchel starts thinking of a new life plan, but his old friends including Billy (Ben Chaplin) won't let him do that. And when a brutal local gangster Gant (Ray Winstone) steps in, things get more complicated and dangerous.Based on the book of the same title by Ken Bruen (author of "Blitz," basis of a Jason Statham film), "London Boulevard" is a British film noir with great atmosphere and on-location shots (thanks to the Oscar-winning cinematographer Chris Menges, "The Mission"). The cast is interesting, including David Thewlis and Anna Friel, with unanimously effective acting (though typecast Winstone w as much better in "Edge of Darkness" for which William Monahan wrote the script).The film's problem is obvious: too many subplots and characters. Anna Friel's role as Mitchel's sister is underdeveloped, and so is the character of Keira Knightley, who looks terribly bored. The story doesn't know where it is going (what does Mitchel or Charlotte really want to do anyway?). The film's pace is rushed (especially the second half) and the conclusion is a huge letdown.The best part of the film is some stylish shots and the classic 60s rock soundtrack including The Yardbirds (used three times in the film).
By
Tony Heck "Follow me on Twitter!!! - @panther... (Belgrade, MT USA)
"If I fell in love with you in the countryside, what would you do about it." Mi tchel (Farrell) has just got out of jail and wants to stay straight. He gets a job as a bodyguard for a reclusive actress Charlotte (Knightley). When a friend of his introduces him to London's Don things go badly for Mitch and he is now stuck between going back to his old life or trying to keep the new one. Going in I saw Colin Farrell, writer of the "DEPARTED" and another mob type movie. I was excited. I started watching...the longer it went on the more disappointed I got. This is a very neat idea but didn't know if it wanted to be a action movie or a love story. It seemed that the action aspect was good but then slowed done when Knightly showed up. I realize that that is the characters dilemma and is needed to show his choice, but the movie didn't feel smooth. This could just be me but I love mob movies but this one didn't feel like one at all. Very artsy, so be prepared. Overall, not what I expected which is why I think I didn't like it that much. Too slow for me. I give it a C.
By
Michael B. Druxman "A Good Story is a Terribl... (Austin, TX)
Though it has its issues, LONDON BOULEVARD is a pretty good gangster movie, which seems to draw some of its inspiration from films like CARLITO'S WAY and even SUNSET BOULEVARD.Fresh out of a British prison after spending three years on an assault charge, tough guy Colin Farrell is determined to go straight, even though his best buddy (Ben Chaplin) and his brutal, ultra-violent boss (Ray Winstone) are determined to bring him back into the rackets by fair means or foul.Farrell gets a job working for reclusive movie actress Keira Knightley, who is constantly being stalked by paparazzi stationed outside of her house. A romantic relationship develops between them, and they even m ake plans to escape London forever. Unfortunately, the spurned Winstone is not about to let that happen.William Monahan (THE DEPARTED) both wrote and makes his directing debut with LONDON BOULEVARD, which moves along at a fairly nice clip and never really loses our interest. The cast is uniformly excellent.The primary problem that I have with this picture is one that is shared with many of today's British movies, and that's its language.Years ago, when actors like Laurence Olivier, Michael Redgrave or Trevor Howard were making films, you could hear and understand every word they said on screen. Today, performers akin to the very talented and charismatic Colin Farrell often mumble their lines or speak in an accent and/or with slang that is difficult to understand. You may be able to generally comprehend what is happening on screen, but the subtleties escape you.There are also a couple of unexplained "holes" in the story, like: Who was the paparazzi in the olive green jacket a nd what was his purpose?On the other hand, perhaps that was explained in the dialogue that I didn't understand.Next time I watch this movie, I think I'll turn on the subtitles.� Michael B. Druxman
By
ron bogard
If you just like a Film noir a little bit. You will like this movie. Sure you know it is going to end with most of the cast of characters meeting a bad end. But the story is worth it.
![London Boulevard [Blu-ray]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Fa06tP5LL.jpg._SL300_.jpg)
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