Review of Brighton Rock (2010) by Mark S — 28 Sep 2011

I was disappointed by this. Sam Riley has none of the presence that Richard Attenborough had in the role of Pinkie in the 1947 film of the same name, and that's despite being 6 or 7 years older than Attenborough was when he starred in that film.

Switching the film from the '30s to the '60s works fine, but there's something about this version that doesn't ring true; it didn't feel at all authentic to me. There's more gore and bad language in this than in the original, yet it's the earlier version that has more menace.

Sometimes there is just no need for a film to be remade, and this is one of those instances.