Directed by:
Rowan JoffeScreenplay:
Rowan JoffeCinematography:
John MathiesonCast:
Helen Mirren, John Hurt, Andy Serkis, Sam Riley, Andrea Riseborough, Sean Harris, Nonso Anozie, Steven Robertson, Steve Evets, Geoff Bell, Francis Magee (more)VOD (2)
Plots(1)
The movie charts the headlong fall of Pinkie, a razor-wielding disadvantaged teenager hell bent on clawing his way up through the ranks of organized crime. At the heart of the story is the anti-hero Pinkie's relationship with Rose - an apparently innocent young waitress who stumbles on evidence linking Pinkie and his gang to a revenge killing that Pinkie commits. After the murder, Pinkie seduces Rose, first in an effort to find out how much she knows and latterly to ensure she will not talk to the police. A love story between a murderer and a witness; can Pinkie trust Rose or should he kill her before she talks to the police? Can Rose trust Pinkie or is she next in line? (StudioCanal UK)
(more)Reviews (2)
The film begins with the story of a young brat, who was unlikeable from the very first second. His harlequin haircut made me sick, he has an opinion on everything and picks up a girl with phrases like: “I know what you want. You’re good and I’m bad. We’re made for each other.” Of course, the girl is stupid, and he gets away with it. I also have something to say about that girl. I haven’t seen such a dumb girl in a really long time. The final scene is really desperately stupid. Well, what can I say, when these two are the main characters in this pseudo-romantic crime story? I really never want to see this movie again.
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Brighton Rock is receiving mixed comments and low ratings, which is to some extent due to the absence of characters with whom the viewer can identify and cheer for. But only to some extent, because the strangest feeling of anachronism has the biggest influence. The screenplay is strangely stuck deep in the past. The film realistically takes place in the early 1960s during the era of mods, but it feels like a movie filmed in the mid-1940s based on a screenplay that had been sitting in a drawer for a few years and portrays a society a decade older. Above all, the main character Rose with her boundless naivety does not fit into the 60s, but rather into the pre-war era. The brutality and malevolence of the main villain could have shocked audiences in the 40s, but today we are used to much more radical personalities and actions. Even the pace of the film's storytelling is different now. I'm just speculating, but it seems quite logical to me that the creators adhered too slavishly to the original film from 1947 (which I have not had the opportunity to see yet) and the book on which the film is based. We have moved on and the thinking of these characters is now too distant for us. If this had been directed by, say, Hitchcock in the 40s, it would be a respected classic in the same form, but like this, most viewers just will just shrug and move on. Personally, I can say that Rowan Joffe, as the director, earned a weak 3 stars from me, but just barely. Overall impression: 50%.
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